Analysis of downhole drilling vibrations : case studies of Manifa and Karan fields in Saudi Arabia

• Main Author: Alabdullatif, Ziad Abdullrahman
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Vibration; Stick slip; Axial; Lateral; Torsional; Manifa; Karan; Aramco
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2152/ETD-UT-2011-08-2663

Downhole vibrations lead to downhole failures and decrease the rate of penetration (ROP). The bottom hole assembly (BHA) static and dynamic design is a key factor in optimizing drilling operations. The BHA should be designed to minimize the vibration levels in the axial, lateral, and torsional directions. This would be achieved by avoiding rotating the drillstring in the speeds that are nearby the natural frequency of BHA. The complexity associated with current BHA components requires using advanced computational tools that are capable of solving complex and time-consuming equations. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is the most used technique in analyzing vibration behavior of the drillstring by mesh discretizing of a continuous body into small elements. This thesis will study the dynamic behavior of different BHA designs for Manifa and Karan fields of Saudi Aramco to optimize the drilling operations. The FEA software that will be used to conduct these studies is called Vibrascope™, which was developed by NOV. The software will determine the critical speeds of the drillstring that should be avoided to prevent resonance of the BHA, which will lead to severe downhole vibration. === text