Parametric analysis of particulate flow for fluid loss control applied to sealing fractured channels
Marcos Vinicius Barbosa1; Fernando Cesar De Lai1; Admilson Teixeira Franco1; Silvio Luiz de Mello Junqueira1
1 UTFPR
doi:10.20906/CPS/COB-2015-0583
Resumo
The aim of this work is numerically investigate the particulate flow applied to filling fractures in reservoirs during the drilling operation. Regarding the analysis procedure, the study is divided into two parts: the first one is the analysis of the fluid loss due to the presence of a fracture in a channel (which is treated as a single-phase flow); and the second part concerns the two-phase liquid-solid flow to investigate the filling process of a discrete fracture. The particulate flow is studied through a numerical model applying an Eulerian-Lagrangian approach. The coupling between the phases is achieved by the Dense Discrete Phase Model (DDPM) and the Discrete Element Method (DEM) is used to account for the particles collisions. A parametric analysis is applied in order to ascertain the influence on geometric parameters of the bed created by the particles deposition on the fracture wall such as bed length, height and position inside the fracture. The sensitivity parameters are: the fracture length, the flow's Reynolds number, the concentration of particles injected, the density ratio between particles and fluid, the particle diameter and the dynamic viscosity of the fluid. The results are analyzed, mainly, through the bed length, height, position inside the fracture and how it can be related to the maximum reduction of the fluid loss in the least time possible. An optimal bed would be capable to attain a fluid loss close to zero by forming itself very close to the fracture entering, having a minimum length and maximum height (ideally the fracture should be completely sealed). In order to obtain the optimized bed, the pressure on the channel inlet should be monitored to guarantee that the fracturing pressure is not surpassed by the buildup pressure generated by the particles injection. This pressure is analyzed by the initial pressure on the inlet channel, before the particle injection, and the pressure drop generated by the fracture. Results indicate that all sensitivity parameters can alter the geometric ch
Palavras-chave: Particulate flow; Fractured channel; Fluid loss; DDPM-DEM