[pt] O estudo de escoamentos em espaço anular é de fundamental importância para o entendimento e otimização do processo de perfuração de poços. A lama de perfuração deve possuir propriedades reológicas e termofísicas tais que garantam um bom desempenho no carreamento de cascalho, na lubrificação e refrigeração das brocas, na limpeza do poço, manutenção da pressão da coluna de líquido para equilibrar a pressão das formações atravessadas e estabilizar as paredes do poço. Uma análise completa desta situação é extremamente complexa; o cilindro interno (coluna) pode estar girando, a geometria da parede do poço não é um cilindro perfeito, o espaço anular é excêntrico e a excentricidade varia ao longo do poço. Além disto, lamas de perfuração possuem um comportamento pseudoplástico, isto é a viscosidade é função decrescente da taxa de deformação. Os modelos que levam em conta todos esses fatores são extremamente complexos e caros computacionalmente. Os modelos disponíveis na literatura utilizam hipóteses simplificadoras para tornar a análise menos complexa. Muitos trabalhos consideram a rotação do cilindro interno e o comportamento não Newtoniano, mas desprezam a variação da excentricidade ao longo do poço. Mesmo com esta simplificação, os modelos apresentados, que consistem na solução da equação bidimensional para determinar o campo de velocidade axial e tangencial do escoamento desenvolvido em um espaço anular, possuem alto custo computacional. O modelo apresentado neste trabalho leva em conta a variação da excentricidade ao longo do poço, bem como o comportamento pseudoplástico da lama e a rotação do cilindro interno. As equações que governam o problema foram simplificadas utilizando a teoria de lubrificação. As equações diferenciais parciais que descrevem o perfil de velocidade e a pressão ao longo do poço foram resolvidas pelo método de diferenças finitas (diferenças centrais) e linearizadas pelo método de Newton. O modelo de lubrificação foi validado através da comparação dos resultados obtidos com trabalhos na literatura para escoamentos com excentricidade constante. Os resultados mostram o efeito da variação da excentricidade ao longo do poço, da rotação na coluna, das propriedades não Newtonianas no padrão do escoamento e no fator de atrito. / [en] Helical flow in annular space occurs in drilling operation of oil and gas wells. The correct prediction of the flow of the drilling mud in the annular space between the wellbore wall the the drill pipe is essential to determine the variation in the mud pressure within the wellbore, the frictional pressure drop and the efficiency of the transport of the rock drill cuttings. A complete analysis of this situation is extremely complex; the inner cylinder is usualy rotating, the wellbore wall will depart significantly from cylindrical, during driling operation the drill pipe is eccentric, and the eccentricity varies with position along the well. Moreover, drilling muds present pseudoplastic behavior, the viscosity is a strong function of the deformation rate. A complete analysis of this situation would require the solution of the three-dimensional momentum equation and would be computationally expensive and complex. Models available in the literature to study this situation do consider the rotation of the inner cylinder and the non Newtonian behavior of the liquid, but assume the position of the inner and outer cilinders fixed, i.e. they neglect the variation of the eccentricity along the length of the well, and assume the flow to be well developed. This approximation leads to a two-dimensional model to determine the three components of the velocity field in a cross-section of the annulus. The resulting differential equations have to be solved by some numerical method. The model presented in this work takes into account the variation of the eccentricity along the well; a more appropriate description of the geometric configuration of directional wells. As a consequence, the velocity field varies along the well length and the resulting flow model is three-dimensional. Lubrication theory is used to simplify the governing equations into a non-linear, two-dimensional Poisson Equation that describes the pressure field. Lubrication model was validated by comparing the predictions to reported results on fully developed flow on eccentric annular space. The results show the effect of varying eccentricity, non Newtonian behavior and inner cylinder rotation on the flow field and on the friction factor.

Slurry is the fluid within a drilled excavation that is introduced when an excavation is deeper than the water table or where additional stability is needed for loose sandy dry soils. Although construction practices vary greatly throughout the country and the world, slurry levels should be maintained above the existing ground water level by a suitable margin. The most widely used slurry type is mineral slurry formed by mixing dry clay powder with water; either bentonite or attapulgite powder may be used (attapulgite being used in saline water conditions). Regardless of whether the slurry material is mineral, polymer or natural, the construction practice must address the slurry properties to ensure the stability of the excavation is never compromised. Proper performance of slurries used to stabilize drilled shaft excavations is maintained by assuring the density, viscosity, pH, and sand content stay within specified limits. These limits have been set either by past experience, research findings and/or by manufacturer recommended values. However, field slurry testing is time consuming as all measurements are manually performed. With the overwhelming advances in digital down-hole devices, it is not unreasonable to assume that slurry property tests are equally applicable to this trend. This formed the basis of this project. The most commonly used test to indicate slurry viscosity is the Marsh Funnel Test which is essentially a timed flow for a fixed volume of slurry to exit a falling head funnel. Using a library of unique pressure versus flow rate responses for a wide range of slurry viscosities, an automated downhole device was designed and tested that incorporated this information to estimate viscosity in the excavation without the need to remove slurry in order to test. Direct measurement of slurry density was also incorporated into the device and the sand content was computed from density and the viscosity where the suspended solids that make up the density stems from both the slurry products and the soil cuttings.

Oil and gas exploration conducted in the 1970s left behind a legacy of abandoned well sites in the Mackenzie Delta region of northern Canada, including several in the Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary and surrounding areas. Evidence of 30 year-old well sites is present in the form of drilling mud sumps, which are mounds of disturbed tundra that contain frozen drilling-wastes. One to two years after the wells were decommissioned some of the sites were seeded with non-native grass species and fertilized to test whether these treatments could accelerate vegetation recovery and prevent erosion. The main objective of this research was to examine the long-term impact of post-disturbance seeding treatments on the vegetation recovery of drilling mud sumps.<p> Surveys of vegetation composition and environmental conditions at 12 sump sites (6 seeded and 6 unseeded) showed that, after over 30 years of recovery, seeded sumps in the Mackenzie Delta did not significantly differ from those left for natural recovery. However, seeded and previously introduced grasses <i>Festuca rubra</i> and <i>Poa pratensis</i> were found on both seeded and unseeded sumps. The undisturbed surrounding tundra seems to be resistant to invasion by these introduced grasses. However, these species could become invasive in the future, particularly in the context of warming in the North and increasing anthropogenic disturbance. The results of this study contribute valuable information on the long-term effects of revegetation treatments that is critical for making informed management decisions about the rehabilitation of industrial disturbances in the Arctic.

Oil and gas exploration conducted in the 1970s left behind a legacy of abandoned well sites in the Mackenzie Delta region of northern Canada, including several in the Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary and surrounding areas. Evidence of 30 year-old well sites is present in the form of drilling mud sumps, which are mounds of disturbed tundra that contain frozen drilling-wastes. One to two years after the wells were decommissioned some of the sites were seeded with non-native grass species and fertilized to test whether these treatments could accelerate vegetation recovery and prevent erosion. The main objective of this research was to examine the long-term impact of post-disturbance seeding treatments on the vegetation recovery of drilling mud sumps.<p> Surveys of vegetation composition and environmental conditions at 12 sump sites (6 seeded and 6 unseeded) showed that, after over 30 years of recovery, seeded sumps in the Mackenzie Delta did not significantly differ from those left for natural recovery. However, seeded and previously introduced grasses <i>Festuca rubra</i> and <i>Poa pratensis</i> were found on both seeded and unseeded sumps. The undisturbed surrounding tundra seems to be resistant to invasion by these introduced grasses. However, these species could become invasive in the future, particularly in the context of warming in the North and increasing anthropogenic disturbance. The results of this study contribute valuable information on the long-term effects of revegetation treatments that is critical for making informed management decisions about the rehabilitation of industrial disturbances in the Arctic.

Specially designed non-damaging lost circulation pills (LCP) are being effectively applied for drilling depleted zones worldwide. Optimizing the LCP compositions stop the lost circulation effectively and protect the production zone from liquid and solids invasion significantly. Shape, particle size distribution and concentration of the lost circulation materials (LCM) are key parameters determining the effectiveness of LCP. In this study, the Permeability Plugging Apparatus (PPA) is utilized to evaluate effectiveness of various LCM&rsquo / s in curing the lost circulation. Sized calcium carbonates are used as LCM in different concentrations and in different particle size distribution. Lost circulation zones are simulated using the ceramic disks and slotted disks. Ceramic disks with nominal pore sizes 20, 35, 60, 90, and 150 microns are characterized in terms of pore size distribution using the computerized image analysis technique. Filter cake quality, spurt loss and filtrate volume are basic parameters to be evaluated in this study. Tests are performed at 75 F and 300 psi of differential.

Hydraulic fracturing operations utilized for shale gas production result in the generation of a large volume of flowback and produced water that contain suspended material, salts, hydrocarbons, metals, chemical additives, and naturally-occurring radioactive material. The water is impounded at drilling sites or treated off-site, resulting in significant generation of residual solids. These are either buried on site or are disposed in lined landfills. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of heavy metals and other elements of concern that will leach from these residual solids when placed in typical disposal environments. For this purpose, laboratory leaching experiments were employed wherein representative samples were brought into contact with a liquid to determine the constituents that would be leached by the liquid and potentially released into the environment. The samples used included sludge resulting from the physicochemical treatment of process water (TS), sludge solidified with cement kiln dust (SS), raw solids obtained by gravity separation of process water (RS), and drilling mud (DM). The samples were subjected to both single extraction (i.e. Shake Extraction Test, SET) and multiple extraction (i.e. Immersion Test, IT) leaching tests. For the shake extraction test, samples were mixed with a specific amount of leaching solution without renewal over a short time period. In the immersion test, samples were immersed in a specific amount of leaching solution that was periodically renewed over a longer period of time. For both these tests, analyses were performed on the filtered eluate. The tests were performed as per standards with modifications. Distilled de-ionized water, synthetic acid rain (pH ~ 4.2), weak acetic acid (pH ~ 2.88), and synthetic landfill leachate were used as leaching solutions to mimic specific disposal environments. Alkali metals (Li, K, Na), alkaline earth metals (Ba, Ca, Mg, Sr) and a halide (Br), which are typically associated with Marcellus shale and produced waters, leached at high concentrations from most of the residual solids sample. The SS sample, due to its stabilization with CKD, had a lower extraction efficiency as compared to the unconsolidated TS and RS samples. In EF 2.9 and EF SLL, the leaching took place under acidic conditions, while for EF DDI and EF 4.2, the leaching occurred in alkaline conditions. EF 2.9 and EF SLL were determined to be the most aggressive leaching solutions, causing the maximum solubility of most inorganic elements. Thus, high amounts of most EOCs may leach from these residual solids in MSW landfills disposed under co-disposal conditions. Agitation, pH and composition of the leaching solution were determined to be important variables in evaluating the leaching potential of a sample. The results of this study should help with the design of further research experiments being undertaken to develop environmentally responsible management/disposal strategies for these residual solids and also prove useful for regulatory authorities in their efforts to develop specific guidelines for the disposal of residuals from shale gas production operations. / Master of Science

The need for energy and the associated economic benefits from the oil and gas deposits found mainly in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria necessitated the exploration and exploitation activities being carried out by the oil and gas Companies. However, these exploration and exploitation activities due to their unpredictable nature have a huge potential for environmental pollution as been experienced in the form of oil spills, gas flaring, irresponsible disposal of waste and several other activities that have resulted in the environmental degradation of the Niger Delta region. In the light of these, the Federal Government of Nigeria having experienced the consequences of pollution of the environment during the Koko Toxic Waste Dump incident in the then Bendel State in 1987 established a regulatory body tasked with the responsibility of harmonizing the economic interest from the oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities with the sustainability of the natural environment by developing well structured and articulated policies aimed at guiding the operations of the oil and gas operators, track their compliance and administer appropriate punitive measures for non compliance. However, this research work which is aimed at evaluating the impact of the environmental protection policies in upstream oil and gas activities in the Niger Delta region, involved the use of questionnaires and interviews. These questionnaires were completed by the management and staff of three major oil and gas companies operating within the area, the Department of Petroleum Resources and members of the Host communities. The interview was carried out to provide relevant feedback on their assessment of the impact made by the environmental protection policies on the upstream oil and gas activities in their operational areas/host communities. The study however concluded that “Although there is a regulatory body tasked with the responsibility to develop, implement and track compliance of the environmental protection policies in the upstream oil industry, the body is ineffective and as such the impact of the environmental protection policies is inadequate. Appropriate informed recommendations on the improvement strategies to the identified gaps that resulted in the unfavorable conditions were also provided. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

The need for energy and the associated economic benefits from the oil and gas deposits found mainly in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria necessitated the exploration and exploitation activities being carried out by the oil and gas Companies. However, these exploration and exploitation activities due to their unpredictable nature have a huge potential for environmental pollution as been experienced in the form of oil spills, gas flaring, irresponsible disposal of waste and several other activities that have resulted in the environmental degradation of the Niger Delta region. In the light of these, the Federal Government of Nigeria having experienced the consequences of pollution of the environment during the Koko Toxic Waste Dump incident in the then Bendel State in 1987 established a regulatory body tasked with the responsibility of harmonizing the economic interest from the oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities with the sustainability of the natural environment by developing well structured and articulated policies aimed at guiding the operations of the oil and gas operators, track their compliance and administer appropriate punitive measures for non compliance. However, this research work which is aimed at evaluating the impact of the environmental protection policies in upstream oil and gas activities in the Niger Delta region, involved the use of questionnaires and interviews. These questionnaires were completed by the management and staff of three major oil and gas companies operating within the area, the Department of Petroleum Resources and members of the Host communities. The interview was carried out to provide relevant feedback on their assessment of the impact made by the environmental protection policies on the upstream oil and gas activities in their operational areas/host communities. The study however concluded that “Although there is a regulatory body tasked with the responsibility to develop, implement and track compliance of the environmental protection policies in the upstream oil industry, the body is ineffective and as such the impact of the environmental protection policies is inadequate. Appropriate informed recommendations on the improvement strategies to the identified gaps that resulted in the unfavorable conditions were also provided. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

For developing the available hydrocarbon reserves and for exploring new reservoirs, deeper and more complex wells are drilled. Drilling such deeper and complex wells requires a constant monitoring and controlling of the well paths. Therefore, the bottom hole assembly, the lower section of the drill string above the drill bit, is equipped with numerous measuring sensors for collecting geological and directional data while drilling. The collected data have to be transmitted to the surface in real time. Prior to transmit the data measured downhole to the surface, they are processed and translated into a binary code. Accordingly, the data will be represented as a series of zeroes and ones. The most common method for data transmission in boreholes is the so called mud pulse telemetry which sends the information through the drilling mud inside the drill string by means of coded pressure pulses. There are two types of devices available for downhole pressure pulses generation. The first type is the (positive or negative) pressure pulser which transmits the data by quasi-static variations of the pressure level inside the drill string. The second type is the (rotating or oscillating) mud siren which transmits the data by generating continuous pressure waves at specific frequencies. The main disadvantage of the mud pulse telemetry is its low data transmission rate which is about 10 bps. This data rate is very low compared to the measured amount of raw data. Therefore, the efficiency of the mud pulse telemetry must be improved, so that the data could be transmitted at higher rates. The present research work presents different developed and tested concepts for increasing the efficiency and the data transmission rate of the mud pulse telemetry. Both, the transmitter and the receiver end, were taken into consideration by developing the new concepts. Different hardware and software tools were used for performing the present research work. The available flow loop test facility and the experimental prototypes of the mud siren and positive pulser were used. The test facility was extended in order to enable the investigation of the new concepts. The available 3D numerical model (ANSYS CFX) was modified and extended in order to study the new concepts. At the transmitter end, a novel concept for a hybrid mud pulse telemetry system was developed and successfully tested. Here, two different types of mud pulse telemetry could be used in a combination, such as a mud siren and a pressure pulser. The developed concept was registered at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office for a patent in 2018. Two concepts for a multi-frequency mud siren were developed for simultaneous generation of two frequencies. In the first approach, two sets of stator/rotor were installed in a row connection, while they were installed in a parallel connection in the second approach. The two concepts were registered at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office for patents in 2015. An experimental multi-frequency generator was built and used for testing of several new ideas, such as transmitting the data using several carrier frequencies at the same time, transmitting the data with different wave forms (sine, sawtooth, triangle and rectangle), or transmitting the data using the chirp modulation. The innovative design of the experimental multi-frequency generator was registered at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office for patents in 2016. At the receiver end, two different methods for processing and analyzing the received multi-frequency signals using the Wavelet and Fourier analysis were drafted and tested. A novel concept for the use of a multi-sensor receiver was developed and successfully tested. The use of a multi-sensor receiver could strongly improve the detection of the received signals.:Table of Contents Declaration ii Abstract iii Acknowledgements v Table of Contents vi List of Abbreviations x List of Symbols xii CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 Modern Drilling Technology and Low Data Transmission Rate as a Limitation 5 2.1 Introduction to the modern drilling technology 5 2.1.1 Directional drilling technology 5 2.1.2 Steering technology 6 2.1.3 Measuring technology 8 2.1.4 Technology of data transmission in boreholes 9 2.2 Low data transmission rate as a problem with respect to the whole drilling process 13 CHAPTER 3 Fundamentals of Communication Technology 16 3.1 Modulation techniques for data transmission in baseband 16 3.2 Modulation techniques for data transmission in passband 17 3.3 Multiple frequency and chirp spread spectrum modulation techniques 19 3.4 Digital signal processing 21 3.4.1 Fourier transformation 21 3.4.2 Continuous wavelet transformation 23 3.4.3 Filtering 24 CHAPTER 4 State of the Art for Mud Pulse Telemetry Systems 26 4.1 Historical development of mud pulse telemetry including latest improvements applied for increasing its data transmission rate 26 4.2 Available types of mud pulse telemetry devices 30 4.2.1 Negative pulser 31 4.2.2 Positive pulser 32 4.2.3 Mud siren 32 4.2.4 Oscillating shear valve 33 4.3 Limitations of data transmission via mud pulse telemetry 34 4.3.1 Effect of noise sources in the mud channel on the transmission signal 34 4.3.2 Effect of attenuation in the mud channel on the transmission signal 36 4.3.3 Effect of reflections and their interference with the main transmission signal 37 4.3.4 Pass and stop bands 38 4.4.5 Minimum transmission time slot 38 CHAPTER 5 Novel Concepts and Tools for Increased Data Transmission Rates of Mud Pulse Telemetry 40 5.1 Transmitter end 41 5.1.1 Hybrid mud pulse telemetry (HMPT) 41 5.1.2 Multi-frequency generator 43 5.2 Receiver end 45 5.2.1 Investigation of the Wavelet analysis suitability for multi-frequency signal detection 45 5.2.2 Flexible placement of multi-sensor receiver 46 CHAPTER 6 Laboratory Test Facility and Used Hard and Soft Tools 49 6.1 Laboratory test facility for hydraulic data transmission in boreholes 49 6.2 Experimental prototypes of the pressure pulsers and mud siren 53 6.3 3D numerical simulation model for the test facility and mud siren 55 6.4 MATLAB software 58 CHAPTER 7 Hybrid Mud Pulse Telemetry (HMPT) System 59 7.1 Combination of mud siren and negative pressure pulser 60 7.2 Combination of mud siren and positive pressure pulser 63 7.3 Evaluating the laboratory investigations of the hybrid mud pulse telemetry (HMPT) system 66 CHAPTER 8 Mathematical and Numerical Investigation of the Concept of the Multi-Frequency Mud Siren 68 8.1 Preliminary considerations for the concept of the multi-frequency mud siren 69 8.2 Mathematical model investigation of different approaches for the multi-frequency mud siren concept 71 8.2.1 Multi-frequency mud siren with stators and rotors in a row 72 8.2.2 Multi-frequency mud siren with parallel connection of stators and rotors 74 8.3 Numerical model investigation of multi-frequency mud siren with two sets of stator/rotor in a row 77 8.3.1 Numerical simulations for data transmission with a multi-frequency mud siren using two carrier frequencies 79 8.3.2 Evaluation of the simulation results 81 8.3.3 Increasing the transmission reach of the mud siren for deep drilling operations 83 CHAPTER 9 Laboratory Investigations of Multi-Carrier Hydraulic Data Transmission Using an Experimental Multi-Frequency Generator 85 9.1 Laboratory multi-carrier frequency transmission tests 87 9.2 Investigation of the Wavelet analysis suitability for the detection of multi-frequency signal transmitted in boreholes 95 9.3 Initial investigations of hydraulic data transmission using chirp modulation and different pressure wave forms 100 9.3.1 Data transmission using chirp modulation (Chirp Spread Spectrum, CSS) 100 9.3.2 Data transmission using different wave forms 101 CHAPTER 10 Investigation of the Use of a Multi-Sensor Receiver for Improving the Hydraulic Data Transmission in Boreholes 104 10.1 Numerical model investigation of the use of a multi-sensor receiver 104 10.1.1 Data transmission using single-input and multiple-output (SIMO) 104 10.1.2 Data transmission using multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) 107 10.2 Laboratory investigations of the use of a multi-sensor receiver 108 10.3 Evaluating the use of a multi-sensor receiver for improving the hydraulic data transmission in boreholes 112 CHAPTER 11 Conclusion and Outlook 116 11.1 Conclusion 116 11.2 Outlook 120 References 122 List of Figures 129 List of Tables 136 List of Publications 137 List of Patents 138 Appendix- Chapter 7 139 Appendix- Chapter 8 141 Appendix- Chapter 9 142 Appendix- Chapter 10 146