Multi-Physics Computational Simulation of Drilling Ultra-Deep Wells

Increases in the demand for energy have generated the need to search for oil at greater depths beneath the earth’s surface. In particular, offshore ultra-deep drilling has now become an important component in energy production. During ultra-deep drilling, temperatures and pressures can rise to over 300° F and 10,000 psi, respectively. For the economically viable and efficient recovery of oil in these extreme conditions, a better understanding of the interaction among drilling components such as the drill bit, the drilling fluid and the rock formation is needed. In this work a multi-physics drilling model is presented which can help to elucidate such interactions. The model uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to model the drilling fluid and the discrete element method (DEM) to model the rock formation.  Simulations are performed demonstrating the interaction between the drill bit, the drilling fluid, and the rock formation.