Automatic evaluation of drilling fluid properties during conventional and MPD operations

Abstract

The primary barrier to maintain well integrity in drilling operations is the drilling fluid. With the current routines of evaluating the fluid properties and the increasingly use of automated and advanced drilling technology, the margin of error could be fatal. The main focus of this thesis is to evaluate if differential-pressure measurements could be used to continuously evaluate fluid properties. An experimental set-up was built with differential-pressure sensors across a horizontal and a vertical section. The density and the friction factor were then calculated regardless of laminar or turbulent flow. The test were performed with water. During the testing phase, it was discovered that the pump characteristics were not accurate for very low flow rates. For higher flow rates the experimental set-up showed promising data values that could characterize the properties of water, but it still need further work to achieve reliable data.