An economic appraisal of hole cleaning using hydraulic horsepower and jet impact force

Abstract

In today's competitive business environment, reducing operating cost means dollars to the bottom line. One way that a drilling company can reduce operating cost is by optimizing energy use at the mud pumps. The mud pumps are massive pieces of equipment that are the backbone of the cutting's removal system. Optimizing the hydraulics program is one way to reduce mud pump operating cost. Big hydraulics play an important role in the drilling process. The beneficial action of the fluid's cleaning the bottom hole and the bit teeth, and carrying particles into the annulus is well-established. A variety of hydraulic optimization designs are available, however, in this study the efficiency and cost effectiveness of two methods are compared: Jet Impact force and Hydraulic Horsepower. Both methods have a fundamental objective to maximize the available hydraulics to provide optimum cleaning but Jet Impact method optimizes drilling cost better than Hydraulic Horsepower.