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Review of Research at Tulsa University Drilling Research Projects (TUDRP)

Stefan Miska (University of Tulsa), Mengjiao Yu (University of Tulsa)

Engineering Mechanics and Materials in the Oilfield

Tue 10:45 - 12:15

Sayles 105

The University of Tulsa Drilling Research Projects (TUDRP), part of the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering, is a non-profit cooperative Industry-University academic research consortium founded in 1967. TUDRP is dedicated to conducting basic and applied research for the advancement of drilling technologies. TUDRP performs research mainly in such areas as Drilling Fluids, Cuttings Transport, Drill String Mechanics, and Under-Balanced Drilling. TUDRP provides a unique environment, with an in-house drill rig and two of the largest experimental flow loops in the world. Drilling problems encountered in both offshore and onshore environments are being investigated with the use of TUDRP's unique facilities including but not limited to flow loops for drilling fluids rheological characterization, fluid displacement, barite sag and cuttings transport. The barite sag tests involves flow of weighted fluids through a drillpipe and the annular space of a 40-ft test section while the cuttings transportation is being studied with the help of a 100-ft flow loop, one of the longest drilling flow loops in the world. Both loops mimic real drilling operations with capabilities of fluid flow, drillpipe rotation, pumps and separation systems. In addition both loops allow for the full range of inclination angles, from horizontal to nearly vertical. The outdoor 100-ft loop has also been used for studying two-phase (air and liquid) fluids that can be important in pressure-sensitive environments. Advanced hydraulic studies including foams, have also been conducted in a state-of-the-art "downhole simulator", a flow loop capable of simulating drilling operations at elevated pressures (up to 2000 psi) and temperatures (up to 200 deg F).