Rheology and hydraulics of polymer (HEC)-based drilling foams at ambient temperature conditions

An experimental investigation on polymer-based drilling foams was carried out. Rheology tests were performed with foams that have different concentrations of hydroxylethylcellulose (HEC) and 1% commercial surfactant. Experiments were conducted in a large-scale flow loop that permits foam flow through 2-, 3-, and 4-in. pipe sections, and a 6x3.5-in. annular section. During the experiments, frictional pressure losses across the pipe and annular sections were measured for different gas/liquid flow rates, polymer concentrations (0, 0.25, and 0.5%), and foam qualities (70, 80, and 90%). Significant rheological variations were observed between aqueous foams containing no polymers and polymer-thickened foams. Experimental data show three distinct flow curves for the 2-, 3-, and 4-in. pipe sections, which indicates the presence of wall slip. The Oldroyd-Jastrzebski approach was used to calculate the wall slip velocity and determine the true shear rate. It has been found that wall slip decreases as the foam quality or polymer concentration increases. Two foam hydraulic models, which use slip-corrected and slip-uncorrected rheological parameters, have been proposed. These models are applicable for predicting pressure loss in pipes and annuli. Model predictions for the annular test section are compared with the measured data. A satisfactory agreement between the model predictions and measured data is obtained. This paper will help to better design foam drilling and cleanup operations.