Resumen
Optimum evacuation of drilled cuttings out of the wellbore by drilling fluid is vital in highly deviated well as the cuttings tend to settle at the bottom of the holes, to prevent stuck pipe, excessive torque and other hole problems which may account setbacks to the industry. In order to overcome this problem, this study will be conducted to investigate the efficiency of cutting lifting in holes with inclination angle from 0° to 90° with the presence of drill pipe rotation when introducing polypropylene-based silica nanocomposite (PSNC) as an additive in water-based mud (WBM). PSNC is a new formulated mud additive, which was synthesized using hot-emulsion sol-gel method. The performance of the PSNC in WBMs was critically examined and compared with partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (PHPA), a frequently used viscosity modifier. In addition, different characterization techniques were used to examine the thermal stability, morphology and structure information of the PSNC. This experimental work involved the usage of different concentrations of PSNC (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5g) in WBM, inclination angle of drill pipe (0°, 30°, 60°, 90°) and drill pipe rotation speed (0, 50, 100, and 150rpm) to determine their respective effects on cuttings transport ratio (CTR). Characterization results shows that the PSNC has a spherical shape and a particle size distributed between 80-390nm. The efficiency of hole cleaning increases when the concentration of PSNC increases as it can improve the stability and rheological properties of WBM up to optimum level. From this experiment it is also proved that increase in drill pipe rotation will improve the cutting transport as it can reduce the minimum velocity required to lift the cuttings. The highest efficiency of cuttings transport in this research can be expected when using optimum concentration of PSNC in WBM, 1.0g with drill pipe rotation of 100rpm, in a vertical well (0°).