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Consultancy support is being provided to a new multiphase flow study that is being undertaken in Qatar. The research, which is taking place at the Qatar campus of Texas A&M University, has been set up to provide important input into the development and design of an efficient process to clean holes during drilling operations.
“NEL is supplying guidance and technical input to this project,” says Flow Measurement Consultant Craig Marshall. “Three of our experts will travel out to provide the project team with CFD and other technical support. We’ll also review the work and the testing protocol that is being used.”
“Texas A&M University asked us to get involved because NEL is at the forefront of multiphase research,” explains Craig. “The request highlights our capabilities in providing expertise and guidance in this field, not just in the UK, but wherever such services are needed around the world.”
The proposed study, which is taking place over the next few months, will help provide an understanding of the behaviour of multiphase flows (which contain gas, water and solids) in annuli. Annuli are the voids that are found between piping and its casing. During drilling very complex flow patterns are often observed in annuli, for example in well bores and during the circulation of drilling fluids. They are not fully understood.
One of the key goals of the project is to establish a tool that will ensure efficient wellbore cleaning during drilling. Overall, it is hoped that knowledge from the project will provide a major resource in improving multiphase annuli/wellbore design and standards, and that it will contribute to the development of the transportation of multiphase flows.
The project research team comprises researchers from Texas A&M at Qatar, Texas A&M at Collage Station, Petroleumsoft, Total, GRi Simulations, Rasgas and NEL.
