lnt. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Vol. 9, pp. 403-416. Pergamon Press 1972.

Printed in Great Britain

ANNULAR VELOCITY FOR ROTARY DRILLING

OPERATIONS
S z E - F o o CHIEN
Texaco Inc., Bellaire Laboratories, Bellaire, Texas
(Received 6 May 1971)

Abstract--The annular velocity of an oil well drilling operation is chosen to transport drill
cuttings from the bottom of the well to the surface. While in so doing, it must maintain the
concentration of cuttings in the annulus within certain limits dictated by the drilling and
formation conditions. Using available experimental data, empirical equations describing the
settling velocity of the drill cuttings were first determined. Then through an application of the
fluid mechanics of solid-liquid two-phase flow, key equations for the transportation of the drill
cuttings in the annulus were derived. These equations not only reveal the interrelationship
among the pertinent factors but also make it possible to select a sound and economic annular
velocity for the drilling operation.

NOTATION
A Cross-sectional area of the flow system, ft 2
ca Volumetric or areal fraction of the vertical flow system (or annulus) occupied by the
solid particles (or cuttings); or concentration of the solid particles (or cuttings) in the
vertical flow system (or annulus), dimensionless
(Co)op Concentration of cuttings in the annulus at the optimum annular velocity, dimension-
less
c~ Ratio of the volumetric flow rate of the solid particles (or cuttings) to the volumetric
flow rate of the solid-liquid mixture (or slurry) entering or leaving the vertical flow
system (or annulus); or concentration of the solid particles (or cuttings) in the mixture
(or slurry) entering or leaving the vertical flow system (or annulus), dimensionless
d Diameter (sieve diameter) of the solid particles (or cuttings), in.
a~ Diameter of the well (or hole size), in.
a. Diameter of drill pipe, in.
D Depth of the well, ft
f Fanning friction factor of turbulent flow of the drilling fluid in the annulus, dimension-
less
K Velocity correction factor, dimensionless
n Power law index of power law fluid, dimensionless
Pwm Bottom-hole pressure of the circulating drilling fluid, psi
Oc Volumetric flow rate of the solid particles (or cuttings), ft3/min
Om Volumetric flow rate of the liquid phase (or drilling fluid), ft3/min
Qmc Volumetric flow rate of the mixture of solid particles and liquid phase (or cuttings and
drilling fluid), ft3/min
R Average penetration rate of the drilling, ft/min
vc Average velocity of the solid particles (or cuttings), ft/min
v~ Average velocity (or annular velocity) of the liquid phase (or drilling fluid), ft/min
vmc Average velocity of the mixture of solid particles and liquid phase (or cuttings and
drilling fluid), ft/min
( Vm)op Optimum annular velocity, ft/min
v, Settling velocity of the solid particle (or cuttings), ft/min
Viscosity of the liquid phase (or drilling fluid,) cP
Plastic viscosity of the drilling fluid, cP
K~ KI Correction factors for frictional pressure gradient, dimensionless
Q'e Specific weight of the solid particles (or cuttings), ppg
Qtm Specific weight of the liquid phase (or mud weight), ppg
Tly Yield stress of the drilling fluid, lb/100 ft z
~p/~O Frictional pressure gradient of annular flow, psi/ft
403
404 SZE-FOO CHIEN

1. INTRODUCTION
SINCE the introduction of the rotary drilling method for oil wells, the circulatioa of driihng
fluid has become an integral part of the drilling operation. Two functions of the circulation
of the drilling fluid are of primary importance to the drilling operation: (1) ~,o je| tile
bottom hole and bit teeth clean of drill cuttings and (2) to lift the drill cuttings through the
annulus between the drill pipe and the hole wall. A sufficient jet horsepower or jet impulse
force is required to keep the bottom hole and bit teeth clean while an appropriate annular
velocity is required to lift the drill cuttings. Many hydraulic programs of the drilling opera-
tion use the annular velocity as a starting design point [I ], yet there is no analytical relation-
ship to select an appropriate annular velocity.
In this paper the role of the annular velocity among the pertinent factors revolved in the
drilling operation is analyzed. Available experimental results are used to establish empirical
correlations describing the settling velocity of the drill cuttings. The relationship between the
annular velocity and other pertinent factors is derived through an application of the fluid
mechanics of solid-liquid two-phase flow. Discussion and examples are presented to
illustrate the application of the results.

2. SETTLING VELOCITY OF DRILL CUTTINGS

A solid particle tends to sink through a liquid of lower density at a velocity known as
the settling velocity (also known as slip velocity, free-falling velocity, terminal falling
velocity, etc.).
There is a substantial amount of information available in the literature on the settling
velocity or the drag force on particles of simple shape in Newtonian fluids. But only limited
information [2-8] is available for irregular particles and for non-Newtonian fluids. Among
these, RICHARDS' [6] study on crushed quartz and galena seems to be the most extensive.
His and other experimental data are shown in Fig. 1. Based on Richards' data and using
an empirical equation similar to that of RUBEX [9], the following empirical equation for
the settling velocity of the drill cuttings can be derived:

[ /[36,800-0 ( e ' c 1) 1) 1] (1)

V~ - - 0 4 5 ( ~ ) [ N / t ( ~ d ~ - ) ~ d , 0'm , + / •

to correlate the settling velocity of the drill cuttings as a function of the diameter (sieve
diameter) of cuttings d, the specific weight of the cuttings 0'c, the specific weight 0'm, and the
viscosity/~ of the fluid.
Most drilling fluids are non-Newtonian in nature and their viscosity is not a constant.
This immediately poses the problem of choosing an appropriate viscosity value for the
drilling fluid. Obviously, if a drilling fluid has a large enough yield stress to support the
cuttings, the settling velocity will be reduced to zero. HALL, THOMPSONand Nuss [t0] and
HOPKIN [3] showed that the settling velocity decreases as the yield stress of the fluid in-
creases. Preliminary experimental results, using rotameters as test sections, showed that
the viscosity (or rather the apparent viscosity) that the cuttings experienced was greater
than the plastic viscosity of the drilling fluid at all fluid velocities tested, and the difference
decreased as the flow velocity increased. Until sufficient experimental data become available
to establish the exact role of non-Newtonian viscosity on the settling velocity, the following
empirical viscosity values may be used for the viscosity in equation (1).
 ANNULAR VELOCITY FOR ROTARY DRILLING OPERATIONS 405

I00

,~--Equ orion 2/. f'-

-\ (2) //Z;-
E

./ o
QIII
/.

/
Settling velocity
g in water:
>
• RICHARDS' data [61
/"
!
O. n HOPKIN'S data [5j-Roundish
z~ HOPKIN'S data [5J-Flat

o OEDJOEand BUCHANAN'S
data [5]

0 "01
0 001 o.0t o .I ~0

Diameter of cuttings, d, in.

FIG. 1. Comparison between experimental data and various equations for the settling velocity of the drill
cuttings.

/~ = t~p for bentonite type drilling fluids

,"gtyd
t~ =/~p + 300.0 for polymeric type drilling fluids.

Another point which should be discussed is the choice of a representative cutting diameter
for the drill cuttings which usually have a range of sizes. The largest diameter of the most
frequently occurring cuttings should be used as the representative cutting diameter. Such a
choice requires some knowledge of the sizes of cuttings produced in the area under the
prescribed drilling conditions. Generally, the representative size should fall between ~ and
in. for normal drilling conditions and larger for cases where sloughing may be en-
countered.
For normal drilling fluids and cutting sizes, a simpler empirical equation, equation (2),
can be used to determine the settling velocity of drill cuttings:

\grn
Equation (2) does not include a [/x/((md)] term and will give a higher (conservative) esti-
mate of the settling velocity than that obtained from equation (1). The amount of over-
estimation increases as the magnitude of t~/(e'md) is increased. The conservative high esti-
mate and the simplification in the calculations make equation (2) more suitable for practical
applications. The use of equation (1) should be reserved for cases where the viscous proper-
ties of the drilling fluid are abnormally high [/~/(0'md)> 10] and when a more accurate
estimate of the settling velocity is required. Comparisons between equation (1), equation
(2) and the experimental data are shown in Fig. 1.
ROCK 9/3--F
 406 SZE-FOO CHIEN

3. FLUID M E C H A N I C S O F VERTICAL, SOLID-LIQUID, T W O - P H A S E FLOW

The transportation of drill cuttings in the annulus between the drill pipe alld the hole
wall is essentially a vertical, upward two-phase flow of solid particles (drill cuttings) and
liquid (drilling fluid). To lift the solid particles, the average velocity of the liquid phase, V,,,
should always be greater than the settling velocity of the solid particles, !'. since the
average velocity of the solid particles, Vc, is
V<.--~ V,, -V,. O)
Let the cross-sectional area of the vertical flow system be A, the volumetric flow rate of
the solid particles and the liquid phase in the vertical flow system be Qc and Q,., respec-
tively, and the volumetric or areal fraction of the vertical flow system occupied by the solid
particles be Ca. Under steady-state flow conditions, the average velocity of the liquid phase,
Vm, and the average velocity of the solid particles, V~, can be written as:
Qm Q~
Vm : and V~ -- , respectively.
A(1 -- Ca)' ACa
From these velocity equations, the ratio of the volumetric flow rates, Q,./Q~, can be written
as:

Qm Vm(1 -- Ca) 1 -- Ca
-- -- (4)
Q~ v~ Ca (1 -- VUVm)Ca"
The volumetric flow rate of the mixture (solid particles plus liquid phase) QIC is the sum
of the volume flow rate of the solid particles and the volume flow rate of the liquid phase:
Qm~=Qm+Q~
and the average velocity of the mixture, V,.~, is defined as:

V.,c : Q"~
A -- QAm + Q-~-
c : ( 1 - - Ca) Vm -}- Ca Vc,

This average velocity equation can be combined with equation (3) to give:
Vm : V~c + Ca V~. (5)
Let Ce be the ratio of the volumetric flow rate of the solid particles to the volumetric
flow rate of the mixture, that is
_ Q c 1 _ 1 (6)

Ce Qc -~ Om - l -[- Qm/ Qc I -~ 1--Ca

(1 - vdv.,) Ca

Equation (6) can be rearranged to give:

Vm 1--Ce
(7)
- i - cdco"

Combining equation (7) with equation (5) gives

Vmc 1 -- Co (8)
vs 1 - c~/ca
 ANNULAR VELOCITY FOR ROTARY DRILLING OPERATIONS 407

Equations (5), (7) and (8) are the controlling equations for the vertical two-phase flow
system. The relationship among V,,/Vs, Ce and Ca is illustrated in Fig. 2. The value of Ca
is always greater than Ce; only when the value of V,,/Vs becomes very large will the value
of Ce approach that of Ca. Since the flow is under steady-state conditions, Ca can be inter-
preted as the concentration of the solid particles in the vertical flow system and Ca as the
concentration of the solid particles entering or leaving the vertical flow system. This analysis
shows that the concentration of the solid particles in the annulus is always greater than the
concentration of the solid particles entering or leaving the vertical flow system.

30

25
\\\\
20
\N\\
15
v

i%
0 i i 1 i 1 t t I
I'0 1"2 14 1'6 1"8 2'0 2 "2 2"4 2'6

vm /vs
FIG. 2. Relationship between C~ and V,,/Vs at various values of C,.

To this point, the liquid velocity has been assumed to have a constant value across the
flow cross-sectional area. However, in actual flow, the liquid phase has to conform to a
certain velocity profile dictated by its flow pattern. Only a part of the velocity profile or
flow width (d~,- dp) has a velocity greater than the average velocity. To assure there is
sufficient flow width having a velocity greater than the prescribed settling velocity, the
average velocity of the liquid phase has to be raised by a velocity correction factor K. Thus,
equations (5), (7) and (8) become:
Vm = V,,c -t- Ca K V~ (5a)
1--Ca
V,, - - 1 - - Ce/Ca K Vs (7a)
and
1-c.
v,.~ - 1 - C d C . K V~ (8a)
where K is equal to or greater than one, depending upon the flow pattern of the liquid
phase in the flow system.
For turbulent flow, approximately 80 per cent of the flow width has a velocity greater
than the average. This percentage will not be changed significantly, either by a change in
408 SZE-FOO CHIEN

the average velocity or by a change in the rheological properties of the liqmd phase. The
value of K is equal to one.
For laminar flow, the choice of the value of K, as shown in Fig. 3, depends upon both the
rheological properties of the liquid phase and the percentage of the flow width required to
have a velocity greater than the prescribed settling velocity. A larger value of K should
be used when a velocity greater than the settling velocity must occur within a larger per-
centage of the flow width, and when the rheological properties of the liquid phase becomes
more Newtonian in nature. However, for practical purposes, a value of K which assures
that 80 per cent of the flow width has a velocity sufficient to lift the solid particles is COT1-
sidered to be satisfactory.

Bingham
3'5 plastics:

,%
3-0 Power- law fluids: r'
N
O0
1.0--- . ~
2"5
.+_
o;
~. 2.¢

~
o

0.15

-$
°u I-5
>
, ~,.---~---------'J-"~".----'r-"~'-t ,~.---'r'~i + I r r r s I
t,0
70 75 80 85 90

% of annular width where liquid velocity must be

greater than the seffltng velocity of the cuttings

FIG. 3. Velocity correction factor as a function o f effective annular width and rheologieal properties o f
drilling fluids.

The corrected flow equations can be used to derive a suitable equation for the transport
of drill cuttings. Replacing KCo V~ of equation (8a) with that of equation (5a) and rearrang-
ing gives
Vm : K Vs + (Ce/C,) V,.c. (9)
The physical meanings of (7= and Ce in the drilling operation are discussed next.

4. A N N U L A R V E L O C I T Y F O R O I L W E L L D R I L L I N G O P E R A T I O N S
Although the vertical two-phase flow involving irregularly shaped particles has many
applications in the mining, metallurgical, petroleum and chemical industries, there is a
limited amount of published information [1, 3, 8, 10-17]. Furthermore, most research
efforts appear to be focused on the relationship between the particle size and the settling
velocity and on the pressure drop of the system due to the presence of the solid particles.
On the subject of annular velocity for rotary drilling, the research results and field practices
have offered some guidelines, such as 'annular velocity should be 120 ft/min', 'concentration
of cuttings should be limited to 5 per cent to avoid hole troubles', 'annular velocity is in-
versely proportional to the hole size and mud weight', etc. It is doubtful that these guide-
 ANNULAR VELOCITY FOR ROTARY DRILLING OPERATIONS 409

lines can be interpreted in a general manner. The objective of this paper is to establish
relationships between the annular velocity and all other pertinent factors involved in the
drilling operation. These factors include the diameter of the drill pipe, the diameter of the
hole, the theological properties and specific weight of the drilling fluid, the concentration,
specific weight and size of the drill cuttings, the penetration rate and the bottom hole
pressure of the circulating drilling fluid.
When the equations discussed in Section 3 are applied to the annular flow system of the
drilling operation, Vm refers to the annular velocity of the drilling fluid, Vs refers to the
settling velocity of the drill cuttings, V~c refers to the average velocity of the slurry (drilling
fluid plus cuttings), Ca refers to the volumetric fraction of the annulus occupied by the
drill cuttings and Ce refers to the ratio of the volumetric flow rate of the drill cuttings to the
volumetric flow rate of the slurry entering or leaving the annulus.
Under steady-state flow conditions, the volumetric flow rate of the cuttings is equal to the
rate at which the cuttings flow into the flow system, or the rate at which cuttings are being
generated at the bottom of the hole. The average penetration rate, R, is therefore related
to the value of C~ as is shown in the following equation:

R
Ce = 00)
Vmc [1 - (ap/dh)2]"

Since Ca is the volumetric or areal fraction of the annulus occupied by the cuttings, it is
also the concentration of the cuttings in the annulus. The presence of the cuttings essentially
increases the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating slurry. Therefore, the value of Ca can
be related to the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating slurry, pw,,, as is shown in the follow-
ing equation:

Pwm-- 19.2[(1 -- Ca) e ' m + C a e ' ~ ] + D ~-~ (lla)

where the first term, D (1 -- Ca) e'm/19"2, is the contribution from the drilling fluid itself;
the second term,DCae'c/19.2, is the contribution due to the presence of cuttings in the
annulus; and the third term, D(Ap/AD), is the contribution due to the flow friction of the
drilling fluid. Discussions of the frictional pressure gradient in annular flow can be found
elsewhere [18-21 ].
Solving equation (1 la) for Ca gives

19.2 (pw.,/D -- Ap/AD) -- e',.

c. -- , , dlb)
ec- em

Equation (1 lb) shows that Ca can be expressed as a function of the specific weight of the
cuttings, the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating slurry, the frictional pressure loss of
the annular flow and the mud weight of the drilling fluid.
The following expressions for the annular velocity of rotary drilling are obtained by
replacing Vs and Ce in equation (9) with their equivalents from equations (2) and (10),
respectively:
R
V,,, ---- 8 6 . 5 K ~ ( d ( e ' d e ' , , - i)) + (12a)
[1 - (d./d~) ~] C.
410 SZE-FOO CHIEN

and, replacing Ca from its equivalent from equation (ll b), equation (12a) becomes:

R(e'c .... e',,,)

V,, = 86-5K v~(d(e'c/e'm - 1)) +
[1 -- (d,/dh) 2] (19.2 Pwm/D - 19.2 A p / A I ) ..... e',,d
-

(12b)
These equations show that the annular velocity has to be increased if the size of cuttings,
the penetration rate, or the diameter of the drill pipe is increased; and the anmflar velocity
can be reduced if the concentration of cuttings in the annulus, the bottom-hole pressure of
the circulating slurry, the diameter of the hole, the mud weight, or the ratio of the yield
stress to the plastic viscosity of the drilling mud is allowed to increase. In practical applica-
tions, knowledge of local hole enlargement conditions, and formation and pore pressure
of the wells will be helpful in predetermining an appropriate annular vetocitv
It should be noted that the conventional annular velocity does not take into consideration
the volume of cuttings in the annulus. In this derivation, the annular velocity does consider
the presence of cuttings. Therefore, the annular velocity discussed here can be corrected by
an amount equal to the volume fraction of the cuttings in the annulus when converting to
the conventional annular velocity. For example, a 90 ft/min annular velocity for a cutting
concentration of 5 per cent is equal to an annular velocity of 90 (1-0.05) ~: 85-5 ft/min
in conventional practice. However, if this correction is neglected a safe, higher value of
annular velocity will be estimated.
Equations (12a) and (12b) include most of the important factors influencing the annular
velocity but do not account for the rotary speed of the drill pipe. The rotation of the drill
pipe develops a circular motion of the drilling fluid in the annulus, and hence a centrifugal
force on the cuttings. This centrifugal force causes the migration of cuttings away from the
drill pipe [17] so that the cuttings take a helical path up the annulus. It has been reported
that in turbulent flow the lifting of the cuttings is not affected by the rotation of the drill
pipe; while in laminar flow the rotation of the drill pipe does seem to improve the trans-
portation of the cuttings [8, 10]. Thus, for laminar flow, the velocity and the velocity profile
are such that the centrifugal force is large enough to move the cuttings from the drill pipe
towards the high-velocity region of the flow, but too small to cause the cuttings in the high-
velocity region to migrate toward the outer wall of the annulus. Equations have not been
developed to include the effect of rotary speed, however, the above equations should give
conservative estimates.

5. R E L A T I O N S H I P BETWEEN A N N U L A R VELOCITY A N D B O T T O M - H O L E PRESSURE

An increase in annular velocity, at a given penetration rate, produces two opposing
effects that contribute to the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating slurry: the bottom-
hole pressure decreases through a reduction in the concentration of cuttings in the annulus.
while the bottom-hole pressure increases through an increase in the frictional pressure
gradient of the flow. Therefore, it is possible to have an annular velocity at which the bottom-
hole pressure is a minimum. Since better bottom-hole cleaning and hence a more efficient
use of the bit action can be achieved when the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating
slurry is reduced, the annular velocity corresponding to the minimum bottom-hole pressure
is defined as the 'optimum annular velocity'.
To determine how the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating slurry varies with the
annular velocity and the magnitude of the optimum annular velocity, relationships between
the frictional pressure gradient and the annular velocity are required. Using the Bingham
 ANNULAR VELOCITY FOR ROTARY DRILLING OPERATIONS 411

plastic as a rheological model for the drilling fluid [19-21], the frictional pressure gradient
of an annular flow can be approximated by:

AD K 225"0(dhh -- d o) + 90,000"0(dh -- do) 2 V,, (13a)

for laminar flow and

AD L92,900.0(dn -- do)
for turbulent flow.
The term within the bracket is the frictional pressure gradient of an annular flow between
the drill pipe and the hole. The parameters ~ and ~' account for the effect of drill collars,
tool joints and casing protectors on the frictional pressure gradient.

E
® c.~ Equation (I

o ._
2

c'G I

E E

e _ ~ ~ ~ r b u l e ni"

t I I

KVs (Vm)o p
A n n u l a r velocity, Vm

FIG. 4. Relationship between a n n u l a r velocity and b o t t o m - h o l e pressure at a given penetration rate.

The variables of equations (13a) and (I 3b) could change slightly in form or magnitude as
the concentration of the cuttings in the annulus and the rotary speed of the drill pipe change.
However, such changes are neglected in this analysis.
In most drilling applications, the flow in the annulus is laminar. By replacing the value of
Ap/AD in equation (12b) with that of equation (13a), the following relationship between the
bottom hole pressure of the circulating slurry and the annular velocity is established:
Pwm = e',, + R(e'c -- 0%) + ,,~-'~ + ~ p V=
D ]9.2 19-211 - - (do/dn) 2] [V,. -- KV~] 2 2 5 - 0 ( d . - - do) 90,000-0(dn - - do) 2"
(14)
Schematically this relationship is shown as the left part of the curve in Fig, 4. Note that
there is an annular velocity (V,,)op where the bottom-hole pressure is a minimum. This
412 SZE-FOO CHIEN

optimum velocity can also be determined by differentiation of equation (141 wnh respec~
to the annular velocity, V,,, setting the differential equal to zero and then ,,olving for the
annular velocity:

(V,,)op = ~ ( 4 6 8 5 . 0 R(q'c -- ~'m) (da dp) dn 2)

Equation (15) shows that the optimum annular velocity (V,)op is larger than the settling
velocity of the cuttings by an amount dependent upon the penetration rate, mud properties,
and drill pipe and hole geometry. However, for a given cutting size, penetration rate, drill
pipe and hole size, the optimum velocity is dictated by the mud weight and its plastic vis-
cosity. Below the optimum annular velocity, any increase in the velocity results in a decrease
in the concentration of cuttings, which causes the bottom-hole pressure to decrease more
than the amount of increase resulting from increased frictional pressure drop. However,
above the optimum annular velocity, when the annular velocity is increased, the influence
of increasing the flow friction on the bottom-hole pressure is more than the influence of
decreasing the cutting concentration.
There are cases where the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating slurry decreases at a
very slow rate when approaching the optimum annular velocity. For such cases, it is often
wise to use an annular velocity smaller than the optimum at the expense of only a minor
increase in the bottom-hole pressure.
The concentration of cuttings in the annulus at the optimum annular velocity can be
obtained by equating equation (15) to equation (12a) and then solving for C,:

(C,)op -- 2( 4685.0(0" c o',,) (d~ dp) z [1 )

(d,/dh)Z ] . (16)
Equation (16) shows that, for a given drill pipe and hole size, the concentration of cuttings
at the optimum annular velocity is a function of the penetration rate, plastic viscosity and
weight of the drilling fluid.
When the velocity of drilling fluid is larger than the optimum annular velocity, the
bottom hole pressure increases as the annular velocity is increased. However, when the
annular velocity is increased to a value larger than the critical velocity, the flow pattern in
the annulus changes to turbulent type and the bottom-hole pressure will increase at an
increasing rate as the annular velocity is increased. The relationship between bottom-hole
pressure and annular velocity for turbulent flow can be expressed as:
Pw,, q'~, R(e'¢ q'm) K' ~',, k%2f
-- -ff q- (17)
D 19 "2 19-211 (dp/dn) 2] [V,, -- KVs] 92,900"0(da d,)"
The presence of V,,z in the last term of equation (17) causes the bottom-hole pressure of the
circulating slurry to increase at a much faster rate than in laminar flow. Schematic presenta-
tion of the variation of the bottom-hole pressure with respect to annular velocity is shown
by the right part of the curve in Fig. 4.
There is a pressure jump shown in Fig. 4 at the transition from laminar to turbulent
flow. This jump, however, may or may not occur depending on the properties of the drilling
fluid and concentration of cuttings in the annulus when the transition takes place.
When drilling surface holes or very tight formations where the flow geometry, the flow
rate, and the drilling fluid properties may be such that the flow in the annulus is turbulent,
the optimum annular velocity can be obtained following the procedures described above.
 ANNULAR VELOCITY FOR ROTARY DRILLING OPERATIONS 413

However, for such cases, the b o t t o m - h o l e pressure o f the circulating slurry generally is not
sufficiently critical to w a r r a n t serious concern.
E x a m p l e s illustrating the a p p l i c a t i o n o f the a b o v e equations are presented in the A p p e n -
dix.

6. CONCLUSIONS
1. U n d e r n o r m a l drilling conditions, the settling velocity o f drill cuttings is directly
p r o p o r t i o n a l to the square r o o t o f the d i a m e t e r o f the cuttings. The rheological p r o p e r t i e s o f
drilling fluids will be effective in reducing the settling velocity o f the drill cuttings when the
value o f ~/(9'md) is greater than 10.
2. U n d e r steady state flow conditions, the c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f the cuttings in the annulus is
always larger t h a n the c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f the cuttings entering or leaving the annulus.
3. The a n n u l a r velocity for the drilling o p e r a t i o n has to be greater than the settling
velocity o f the cuttings b y an a m o u n t d e p e n d i n g u p o n the p e n e t r a t i o n rate, the drill pipe
a n d hole sizes, a n d the drilling fluid properties. A n a l y t i c a l relationships between the a n n u l a r
velocity a n d these factors have been established.
4. F o r a given drill pipe, hole size, drilling fluid p r o p e r t i e s and p e n e t r a t i o n rate, there is
an o p t i m u m a n n u l a r velocity at which the b o t t o m - h o l e pressure o f the circulating drilling
fluid is a m i n i m u m .

Acknowledgment--The author wishes to express his appreciation to the Management of Texaco Inc. for
permission to publish this paper.

REFERENCES
1. COLE F. W. and MOOREP. L. Drilling Operations Manual, Petroleum Publishing (1965).
2. EGOLFC. B. and MCCABEW. L. Rate of sedimentation of floculated particles. Trans. Am. Inst. chem.
Engrs 33, 620-642 (1937).
3. HOPKIN E. A. Factors affecting cuttings removal during rotary drilling. J. Petrol. Technol. 19, 807-814
(1967).
4. McNOwN J. and LIN P. N. Sediment Concentration and Fall Velocity, Proceedings o f the Second Mid-
western Conference on Fluid Mechanics, pp. 401-4ll, Ohio State University (1952).
5. OEDJOED. and BUCHANANR. H. The pressure drop in the hydraulic lifting of dense slurries of large
solids with wide size distribution. Trans. Instn chem. Engrs 44, T364-T370 (1966).
6. RICHARDSR. H. Velocity of galena and quartz falling in water. Trans. A1ME 38, 210-239 (1908).
7. WADELLH. The coefficient of resistance as a function of Reynolds number for solids of various shapes.
J. Franklin Inst. 217, 459-490 (1934).
8. WILLIAMSC. E. and BRUCEG. H. Carrying capacity of drilling muds. Trans. A1ME 192, 111-120 (1951).
9. RUBEY W. W. Settling velocity of gravel, sand and silt particles. Am. J. Sci. 25, (148) 325-338 (1933).
10. HALL H. N., THOMPSONH. and Nuss F. The ability of drilling mud to lift cuttings. Trans. A1ME 189,
35-46 (1950).
11. BHATTACHARYAA. and RoY A. N. Flow of.solid liquid suspensions in vertical columns. Ind. Engng
Chem. 47, (2) 268-274 (1955).
12. DURAND R. Basic Relationships of Transportation of Solids in Pipes, Proceedings o f the Mhmesota
International Hydraulics Convention, pp. 89-103, September (1953).
13. DURANDR. and CONDOLIOSE. Etude exp~.rimentale du refoulement des matdriaux en conduit, 2 ames
Journ6es l'Hydraulique, SHF, Grenoble, June (1952); Proceedings o f the Colloquium on the Hydraulic
Transport o f Coal (1952).
14. MUNROE H. S. The English versus the Continental system of jigging--Is close sizing advantageous?
Trans. Am. Inst. Min. Engrs 17, 637-659 (1889).
15. NEwtrr D. M., RICHARDSONJ. F. and GLIDDONB. J. Hydraulic conveying of solids in vertical pipes.
Trans. Inst. chem. Engrs :39, 93-100 (1961).
16. PIGOTTR. J. S. Mud Flow in Drilling, Drilling and Production Practice, API, pp. 91-103 (1941).
17. WALKERR. E. Migration o f Particles to a Hole Wall in a Drilling Well, SPE Paper 1946, 42nd Annual
Fall Meeting, Houston (1967).
18. METZNERA. B. Non-Newtonian Technology--Fluid Mechanics Mixing and Heat Transfer, Advances in
Chemical Engineering Vol. 1, pp. 77-153, Academic Press (1956).
414 SZE-FOO CHIEN

19. CrrmN S. F. Laminar flow pressure loss and flow pattern transition of Bingham plastic~ m pipes and
annuli. Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. 7, 339-356 (1970).
20. BECK R. W., NUSS W. F. and DUNN T. H. The Flow Properties of Drilling Muds, Drilh'ng and Production
Practices, API, p. 9 (1947).
21. MELROSEJ. C., SAVINS J. G., FOSTER W. R. and PARISH E. A. A Practical Utilization of the Theory of
Bingham Plastic Flow in Stationery Pipes and Annuli, Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Pall Meetin~e of
the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Dallas, October 6-9, Paper No, 876-G (1957).

APPENDIX
Examples Illustrating the Application of Annular Velocity Equations
Example 1 : A shallow well is being drilled with a 5 in. drill pipe. Past experience indicates that penetration
rates varying from 1 ft/min to 2 ft/min with cutting size up to ~ in. diameter can be expected, and that a
concentration of cuttings in the annulus of 10 per cent can be sustained without causing hole problems.
Assuming turbulent flow in the annulus, find the effect of mud weight and hole size (bit size) on the
annular velocity.
Solution: The known conditions of this problem are:
d =0"375in.
Ca -- 10%
de = 5 . 0 i n .
R = 1 . 0 - 2 . 0 ft/min
O'c = 22" 1 ppg
K = 1"0 (assuming turbulent flow)
Placing these values in equation (12a) yields:

1"0
V , ~ = 8 6 " 5 × 1 " 0 1 0 " 3 7 5 (22"1\--~ - - 1 ) ] 1 / 2 q - for R = 1.0 ft/min
(1 - - 25" O/d, 2) O"1
and
[
V,, = 86-5 × 1.0 0.375 - - ~
t221 -- 1)]1,2 + (1
20
25. 0/d 2) 0. I f o r R = 2.0 ft/min.

Results are presented in Fig. 5, which shows that the annular velocity should be increased as the penetra-
tion rate is increased and decreased as the hole diameter is increased. The annular velocity for a 10-in. hole
with 9 ppg mud is 77 fpm for a penetration rate of I ft/min and 91 fpm for a penetration rate of 2 ft/min.
Example 2: A deep well is being planned using 5-in. drill pipe and 9~-in. bit. The average hole size will be
10¼-in. The drilling mud will have a weight of 16 ppg, a plastic viscosity of 40 cP, and a yield stress of 15
lb/100 ft 2. Assuming that (1) most cuttings will have a weight of 22" 1 ppg and are less than ]--in, diameter,
(2) the frictional pressure gradient of the annular flow is 1.23 times that between the drill pipe and the wall
of the hole, (3) the wall of the hole is rough with a friction factor of 0"0133 in case of turbulent flow, and
(4) transition of flow pattern from laminar to turbulent occurs at 260 ft/min, determine the effect the variation
of annular velocity will have on the bottom hole pressure of the circulating mud at a n average penetration
rate of 0" 1, 0" 5 and 1" 0 ft/min.
Solution: The known conditions of this problem are:
p',, = 16'0 dh = 10"25
P'c = 2 2 " 1 d = 0"375
t~p = 40"0 d p = 5-0
~-'y = 15"0 K = K ' = 1"23
f -- 0.0133 R = 0"l,0"5andl'0
Placing the known values in equation (2):

,,To - 1 ) ) = 32.6 ft/min.

Since
~o 40.0
2-66
r'y -- 15-0
the value of the velocity factor K is 1" 34 (interpreted from values shown in Fig. 3 assuming 80 per cent of
the flow width having a velocity sufficient to lift cuttings) for laminar flow, and is 1-00 for turbulent flow.
 A N N U L A R VELOCITY F O R ROTARY D R I L L I N G OPERATIONS 415

95 dp = 5"0 in,
d = 3/B in.

~
X Ca = 10%
90
" P'c = 221 ppg
:1,0
E 85

> 80
.

~ \ \ Hole size, in.

°o 75

~ 7O
c

65

~Hole size, in.

6O

r ! ; J 12(i./2 J R =[fpm
9 I0 I I 12 13

Mud weight, O'm, PPg

FIG. 5. Effect of mud weight and hole size on annular velocity.

dh = I0 - I/4 in.
d~ = 5 in,
0-88oIt
0900 p~ = 22-1ppg ! n /
P'm = 160 ppg Laminar
--.*----- Turbulent
-------,,~

ffp= 40cp
0880 Flow pattern ///
E~ 15 Ib/lO0 ft 2 fransifi
•' = I "23
o87o i i / 0.0153
in. ,/ /- /-- 0.5
R-Ifpm
I,,
±g 0.8,0 o, iii

0.850

1 I r I ~ I 1 I
0'8404'0 80 120 160 200 240 280 320 360 -

Annular velocity, V m, fpm

FIG. 6. Relationship between bottom-hole pressure of the circulating drilling fluid, and annular velocity at
different penetration rates.
416 SZE-FOO CHIEN

Relationship between the bottom-hole pressure and the annular velocity in laminar flow can be obtained
by placing the known data in equation (14):
pw,, 16-0 R x (22.1 -- 16.0) 1.23 × 15.0
D 19.2 + 19-2 x [1 -- (5.0/10.25) 2] × (I'm -- 1.34 x 32.6) q- 225.0 x (10.25 -- 5-0)
1"23 x 40"0 × V,, R
+ 9 0 , 0 0 0 " 0 x ( 1 0 " 2 5 - - 5 " 0 ) 2 - 8"49Y. 10 -1 -f 4 " 1 6 x 10 -1 x V~,--4~.7 -f i.98 x 10 -s Vm.

The relationship between the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating mud and the annular velocity in
laminar flow is shown as the left part of the curves in Fig. 6.
After the transition to turbulent flow takes place the relationship between the annular velocity and the
bottom-hole pressure of the circulating mud can be calculated according to equation (17):
Pw~, 16-0 R x (22.1 -- 16.0) 1"23 x 16"0 x 0-0133 x V,,2
D 19"2 + 19"2 x [1 -- (5 "0/10" 25) u] x (I'm -- 1"0 x 32"6) + 92,900,0 x (10"25 -- 5"0)
R
= 8 - 3 3 x 10 -1 + 4 " 1 6 X 10 -1 - - + 5 " 3 5 x 10 -7 I~ 2.
Vm -- 32"6
The relationship between the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating mud and the annular velocity in
turbulent flow is shown as the right part of the curves in Fig. 6.
It is interesting to find the relationship between the optimum annular velocity and the penetration rate for
the given hole and drill pipe geometry, and drilling fluid properties. Such relationships can be obtained by
placing the known values in equation (15):

/(
(Vm)o, = ~t \4685'0 R
x • 1 - 16.0) x (10-25 - 5.0) x 10.252 )
(22].~.~ "x ~ . . 0 > ~ 5 q S ~ 7 " 0 ~ q- 1.34 x 32.6

= 145.0 v ' R q- 43.7

which gives optimum annular velocity of 90, 146 and 189 ft/min for penetration rates of 0.1, 0.5 and t . 0
ft/min, respectively.
As is shown in Fig. 6 (although the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating mud has a minimum at the
optimum annular velocity), the annular velocity can be reduced significantly without an appreciable inca'ease
in the bottom-hole pressure of the circulating mud. The appropriate annular velocity for this example should
be 70, 90 and 120 ft/min for penetration rates of 0" 1, 0" 5 and 1 "0 ft/min, respectively.