This study aims to investigate hydraulics and the flow characteristics of drilling fluids inside annulus and to understand the mechanism of cuttings transport in horizontal and deviated wellbores. For this purpose, initially, extensive experimental studies have been conducted at Middle East Technical University, Petroleum &amp / Natural Gas Engineering Flow Loop using water and numerous drilling fluids for hole inclinations from horizontal to 60 degrees, flow velocities from 0.64 m/s to 3.05 m/s, rate of penetrations from 0.00127 to 0.0038 m/s, and pipe rotations from 0 to 120 rpm. Pressure loss within the test section and stationary and/or moving bed thickness are recorded. New friction factor charts and correlations as a function of Reynolds number and cuttings bed thickness with the presence of pipe rotation for water and drilling fluids in horizontal and deviated wellbores are developed by using experimental data. Meanwhile empirical correlations that can be used easily at the field are proposed for predicting stationary bed thickness and frictional pressure loss using dimensional analysis and the effect of the drilling parameters on hole cleaning is discussed. It has been observed that, the major variable influencing cuttings transport is fluid velocity. Moreover, pipe rotation drastically decreases the critical fluid velocity that is required to prevent the stationary cuttings bed development, especially if the pipe is making an orbital motion. A decrease in the pressure loss is observed due to the bed erosion while rotating the pipe. Cuttings transport in horizontal annulus is modeled using a CFD software for different fluid velocities, pipe rotation speeds and rate of penetrations. The CFD model is verified by using cuttings transport experiments. A mathematical model is also proposed to predict the flow characteristics of Newtonian fluids in concentric horizontal annulus with drillpipe rotation. The Navier-Stokes equations of turbulent flow are numerically solved using finite differences technique. A computer code is developed in Matlab 2007b for the proposed model. The performance of the proposed model is compared with the experimental data which were available in the literature and gathered at METU-PETE Flow Loop as well as Computational Fluids Dynamics (CFD) software. The results showed that the mechanistic model accurately predicts the frictional pressure loss and the velocity profile inside the annuli. The model&rsquo / s frictional pressure loss estimations are within an error range of &plusmn / 10%.

Electrical Submersible Pumping (ESP) is a well known artificial lift technique in reservoirs having high-water cut and low gas-oil ratio. It is known as an effective and economical method of producing large volumes of fluid under different well conditions. ESP equipments are capable of producing in a range of 200 b/d to 60.000 b/d. A case study was done, by designing 10 deviated or horizontal wells selected from the Y-oilfield in Western Siberia. SubPUMP software developed by IHS Energy is used for designing the ESP systems of these wells. These 10 wells will be working with variable speed drives. After selecting the available equipment from the inventory, the best running frequencies are selected for these wells. Evaluations of the designs are made from the pump performance graphs of each well. The pumps should work within their optimum efficiency ranges. These ranges can be seen from the pump performance curves. If the designs made are not within these efficiency ranges, designs should be evaluated and selecting new equipment should be should be an option. Because working outside the optimum efficiency ranges will decrease the production, shorten the runlifes of the pumps and the production will not be stable.

[pt] A ocorrência de eventos de perfuração em poços de óleo e gás é frequente, porém indesejada, uma vez que acarreta aumento no tempo e custo das operações. Sua ocorrência pode levar à perda de circulação do fluido, desmoronamento da parede do poço, restrição da sua funcionalidade, danos à plataforma, problemas ambientais e mesmo a perda de vidas humanas. Desta forma, o conhecimento das tensões é essencial para a estimativa da estabilidade do poço e aumento da segurança da perfuração. Existem diversos métodos para prever a tensão horizontal mínima, entretanto, para a máxima, ainda há dificuldades na sua determinação. No caso de poços inclinados, este cálculo se torna ainda mais complexo, uma vez que as tensões regionais não são alinhadas com o eixo do poço. Identificada essa necessidade, e partindo do princípio de que ao menos um poço já tenha sido perfurado em um campo e que este apresentou instabilidades do tipo colapso ou fraturamento induzido, esta dissertação trabalha na implementação de um algoritmo capaz de obter a magnitude da tensão horizontal máxima que levou ao surgimento dos mesmos. As fraturas Induzidas são falhas de tração, enquanto os Breakouts são gerados pelo colapso da parede do poço por falhas de compressão. Ambos devem ser devidamente identificados a partir de perfis de imagem. Os algoritmos implementados envolvem solução analítica, calculada através de métodos implícito e explícito. O procedimento para a rotação das tensões para poços inclinados é baseado em formulação presente na literatura, e os cálculos das tensões ao redor da parede do poço, nas equações de Kirsch. O fraturamento do material é avaliado de acordo com a tensão de cut-off, e o de ruptura, a partir do critério de Mohr-Coulomb ou Lade-Ewy. Os métodos desenvolvidos são comparados entre si, relatando suas vantagens e desvantagens. Aplicando uma vasta variação de inclinação e azimute do poço, os resultados alcançados apresentam uma diferença pequena com relação aos obtidos por meio de pacotes comerciais, sendo considerados satisfatórios. / [en] The occurrence of oil and gas well drilling events is common, but undesirable, once it increases time and cost of operations. Its occurence can lead to loss of fluid circulation, wellbore wall collapse, restriction of its functionality, platform damage, environmental issues and even the lost of human lives. stresses knowledge is essential to wellbore stability estimation and to the improvement of drilling safety. In fact, there are some methods and tests to compute the minimum horizontal stress, but there still exist difficulties on maximum horizontal stress determination. In the case of deviated wells, the calculations are even more complexes due to the lack of alignment between the regional stresses and well axis. Identified that problem, and considering that at least one wellbore has been drilled in a field and presented compressive or tensile instabilities, this dissertation works on the implementation of algorithms capable of obtaining the maximum horizontal stress magnitude that lead the appearance of breakout or induced fracture. The instability problems are identified and previously interpreted through image logs. The implemented algorithms involve an analytical solution, which is calculated by an explicit method and an implicit one, to the stated problem. The procedure to the stresses rotation on deviated wells used at this work is based on the formulation presented on technical literature, and the calculation of the stresses around the wellbore wall, on Kirsch s equation. The failure of the material is evaluated using a tensile cutoff for induced fractures and Mohr-Coulomb or Lade-Ewy criteria for breakouts. The developed methods are compared between each other, presenting the advantages and disadvantages of then. The results, applying a large variation on the wellbore inclination and azimuth, show that the values accomplished a low difference in relation to the obtained by using a commercial software, being considered as satisfactory.