SPE 134514

A Comparison of High-Viscosity and High-Density Sweeps as Hole Cleaning

Tools: Separating Fact From Fiction
Terry Hemphill, Halliburton
Copyright 2010, Society of Petroleum Engineers
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Florence, Italy, 1922 September 2010.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been reviewed
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Abstract
High-viscosity sweeps have long been used in the drilling industry as a tool to enhance hole cleaning. They have found
application in vertical as well as high-angle / horizontal wellbores, with variable results. Sometimes they have been used in
tandem pills or in two-part sweeps (e.g., a low-viscosity sweep followed by a high-viscosity sweep, a high-viscosity sweep
followed by a high-density sweep, etc.).
Determination of the efficiency of sweeps centers on accurately predicting the settling velocity of various sized particles by
using equations valid for turbulent and laminar slip. However, nearly all of the previous studies of particle settling velocity have
been carried out under static flow conditions, which are rarely present while drilling a wellbore. Recent efforts in the modeling of
the hydraulic effects of drill pipe rotation now allow more advanced modeling of the effects of drill pipe rotation on particle
settling velocities under dynamic conditions.
These recent studies show that use of high-viscosity sweeps to improve hole cleaning is often not as efficient as use of highdensity sweeps under the same conditions. This is especially true when larger-sized particles are resident in the wellbore, as when
wellbore instability conditions persist. This paper presents data that shows the conditions under which viscous sweeps can be used
and those conditions under which they should be supplanted by high-density sweeps for enhanced hole cleaning.
Introduction
The use of sweeps as hole cleaning aids is found in both vertical / near-vertical wellbores and in high-angle / horizontal wellbores.
On many drilling projects, sweeps are used frequently to improve the cleaning of a wellbore, especially when the flow rates are
insufficient for efficient hole cleaning. Sweeps work by reducing the settling velocity of particles in a wellbore that come into
contact with the sweep. Sweeps can be classified into five basic categories:
Low-viscosity sweeps, in which an unviscosified base fluid or a fluid having a lower viscosity than the base fluid is used.
These types of sweeps are not considered in the sweep study presented here.
High-viscosity (HV), in which a volume of drilling fluid is viscosified to a level higher than the base fluid
High-density (HD), in which the density of a volume of drilling fluid is increased to a level higher than the base fluid
density
High-density / high-viscosity (HV/HD), in which a volume of drilling fluid is both viscosified and increased in density
Tandem sweeps (2 consecutive sweeps) composed of any of the three listed earlier
The study of the efficiency of drilling fluid sweeps and recommendations for their use in high-angle / horizontal wellbores has
been presented1. However, their use in vertical / near-vertical wellbores has received little attention until recently. Conventional
wisdom (or general oilfield protocol) for cleaning vertical/near-vertical wellbores usually includes recommendations of flow rate
and use of high-viscosity sweeps. However, use of these sweeps has received little rigorous study, and serves as the focus of this
paper. From the modeling produced in support of this paper, it is evident that the use of high-viscosity sweeps in vertical / nearvertical wellbore needs to be revisited. Recommendations are made for sweeps based on their efficiency at minimizing particle
settling velocity, or slip, and specific recommendations for their deployment in the field are presented.