Оглавление

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................3
1. Drilling operation overview.........................................................................................................4
2. Cutting behavior downhole.........................................................................................................4
3. Cuttings transportation................................................................................................................6
4. Factors affecting hole cleaning....................................................................................................6
5. Guidelines for hole cleaning while drilling...............................................................................10
6. Monitoring of parameters..........................................................................................................10
6.1 Tourque & Drag Monitoring (T&D)....................................................................................10
6.2 Rate monitoring...................................................................................................................12
6.3 Equivalent circulating density monitoring...........................................................................12
6.4 Comparing ECD to Friction Factor Trends.........................................................................14
7. Hole cleaning and Wellbore risk reduction service...................................................................15
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................17
References.....................................................................................................................................18
 Introduction
With an increasing world demand for oil and gas, more wells have been drilled at
locations which later turned out to be uneconomical. This has increased well complexity as the
limit of the drilling envelope is pushed both in depth and length. Most of the wells drilled in
these locations are not trouble-free. They are associated with restrictions during tripping
operations which results in non-productive time (NPT).Examples of restrictions are accumulated
cuttings and cavings, key seat, creeping wellbore, shale swelling, ledges etc. Formation-related
problems account for over one third of the NPT. Many of these problems were aggregated into
two cause types: wellbore instability and stuck pipe. These causes are related to hole cleaning
[1].
Obviously, efficient hole cleaning is desirable as it enables cost-effective drilling. Poor
hole cleaning results in high torque, excessive drag on the drill string, hole pack-off and, finally,
stuck pipe. It may also cause problems with well control, delays in drilling, poor drilling
efficiency or even a loss of the wellbore (drill string twist off). In addition, drilling equipment
may be damaged or lost. One way to reduce downtime related to poor hole cleaning and wellbore
instability is to detect potential problems before they occur and take correct measures to rectify
the situation [3].
This paper is aimed to provide an understanding of severe complication while drilling –
poor hole cleaning. It is a challenge which is investigated to the fullest.
This paper considers different causes of hole cleaning problems and factors affecting it.
The specified mechanism of cutting accumulation is described.
It should be mentioned that this problem escalates in highly-deviated and horizontal
wells. Therefore, a behavior of cuttings in differently deviated wells is given in research.
In order to mitigate risk of poor hole cleaning, parameters of the real time drilling data
should be measured at the surface during drilling operations and monitored. Hook load is one of
these parameters which effectively can be monitored. The relationship between different drilling
parameters are given regarding optimization of hole cleaning problem.
Moreover, this paper recovers a guideline of poor hole cleaning in case of while drilling.
Some measures to indicate this problem and measures to reduce the risk are mentioned.
Different techniques to monitor and analyse hole cleaning problem are in details provided
in this paper.

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 1. Drilling operation overview
During drilling the well, the material produced by the bit when it is drilling the formation,
must be removed as much as possible and taken to the surface. This process is called hole
cleaning, a very important operation that requires careful procedures. Despite recent
improvements in hole cleaning procedures, debris continues to remain in the wells, which makes
operations difficult to perform during drilling. When cuttings are not removed from the bore
hole, they accumulate in the well and form a cuttings bed around the Bottom Hole Assembly
(BHA). This result in pack off which are responsible for a NPT’s such as stuck pipes, hole
instability, etc. Even though having several parameters that influence hole cleaning, due to the
complex mechanisms involved, this phenomenon is not yet fully understood.
Drilling fluid (DF) or drilling mud is one of the most important elements of drilling. The
DF helps us avoid many hazards associated with drilling.
 Regarding hole cleaning two main purposes of DF can be distinguished: Remove and
suspend cuttings, so ensure drilling efficiency
 Maintain wellbore stability
Shale instability is one of the most common problems in drillings operations. Maintain
wellbore stability requires a balance between mechanical and chemical factors. These two factors
should combine to provide a stable wellbore until running casing and finish cement job. Shale
instability may be caused by:
 Differential Pressure between the bottom hole pressure in the borehole and pore pressure
in the shales.
 The hydration of the clay within the shale by water contained in the drilling mud filtrate
cause an expansion of the clay which can lead to hole instability. The mud used in this
situation should contain inhibitory agents such as calcium and potassium to reduce the
ability of water to hydrate clays contained in the formation [2].
Therefore, the properties of the DF must be analyzed very carefully to fulfil all the
necessary requirements to have a good drilling performance.
According to transport cuttings from wellbore (hole cleaning), such properties of DF as
yield point (YP), apparent viscosity, velocity and gel strength are of great importance.
Hole cleaning problem can be observed due to one or more of downhole restrictions:
washout, differential pressure pipe sticking, creeping wellbore, swelling wellbore.

2. Cutting behavior downhole

As inclination increase the difficulty to bring the cuttings to surface increase as well.
Hole cleaning in the vertical phase depends on the Annular Velocity (AV). In vertical wells the
cuttings move around the drillpipe through flow path. On the other hand, in the high inclinations
the fluid path is essential moving above drillpipe, the problem is that cuttings fall quickly to the
low side of the hole, where the flow path is very slow. Figure 2.1 shows how cuttings move in
low and high inclination and annulus.

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 Figure 2.1 – Fluid movement in the annulas

The annular space increases after the BHA, which leads to a decrease in AV. With this
decreases, the cuttings quickly fall to the low side of the well and will accumulate to form dunes.
If the dunes reach a critical height it is possible to pack off the hole with cuttings once rotation
starts. It is essential to prevent the dunes from reaching a critical height, and is important to take
this phenomenon into account before start the rotation. Figure 2.2 show how cuttings dunes form
when they leave the BHA.

Figure 2.2 – Formation of cuttings dunes above BHA when sliding: as cuttings dune
forms, new cuttings are unable to move past the dune causing it grow.

On slopes range from 45°-65°, cuttings transportation becomes even more critical. When
the rotation and pumps are switched off for any reason these cuttings settle at the bottom of the
section and gravity causes them to slide downhole [2].
Poor hole cleaning can lead to many drilling problems: 
 Mechanical pipe sticking
 Slow rate of penetration (ROP)
 Excessive torque and drag
 Difficulties to run casing to the planned landing depth
 Difficulties while cementing the well
 Formation fracturing 

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 3. Cuttings transportation
The main purpose of hole cleaning is to carry as much debris as possible from downhole
to the surface. To understand clearly what is happening in the entire hole, hole can be divided in
three categories based on the wellbore inclination:
 Cuttings behaviour with inclination range from 0°- 45°
In this inclination, cuttings are brought to surface by fighting gravity and slip velocity.
Rheology properties and flow rate in annular play as an important role in cuttings transportation.
Viscous and gel strength are in charge and keep cuttings suspended when the pumps are turned
off. But luckily, the cuttings are not alone. The fluid is crowded with solids, therefore, in a
crowded solids environment a mechanism called hindered settling occurs. For each cutting that
drops, another is forced upwards.
 Cuttings behaviour with inclination range from 45° - 65°
Here the cuttings move up the hole mostly on low side and begin to form dunes, with
rotation is easily to stirred up the cuttings into the effective flow regime. The main issue in this
range is that when pumps are stopped, the cuttings will fall in low side and begin to slide as an
avalanche to downhole. Alteration in hole cleaning strategy must be done with respect to the
vertical well section.
 Cuttings behaviour with inclination range from 65° - 90°
At ranges, the cuttings fall to low side and form a long, continuous cutting bed. The great
issue is that the drilling fluid will flow above the drillpipe, mechanical agitation is necessary to
stir up cuttings through the effective flow area. Hole cleaning in this section is actually less
critical than in inclination range 45° - 65°, but takes a lot of time. Fig. 3.1 shows how cuttings
behaviour in different inclinations [2].

Figure 3.1 – Cuttings behavior at different ranges of inclination

4. Factors affecting hole cleaning

There are two processes which allow us to clear a well of debris, dispersion and
mechanical. Dispersion process is the separation or unbundling of cuttings to make them lighter
and easier to carry. This process is most commonly used in most soft formations and with no
inhibitive properties, due to the fact that inhibitive properties prevent cuttings from dispersing
into drilling fluid. Dispersion process is usually applied with water base mud (WBM).
Mechanical processes have several parameters that act together to clean a well more
effectively. The parameters that affect the hole cleaning performance are: drillpipe rotation, flow
rate and drilling fluid rheology [2].

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  Hole inclination angle
The hole cleaning is difficult when drilling deviated wells. It has been mentioned that the
maximum flow rate requirements for cleaning are reached at the angle between 65° to 67°.
Sudden shutdown of the mud pumps when drilling through deviated wells of an inclination angle
around 25° to 45° can cause cutting sloughing to the bottom and may lead to mechanical pipe
sticking.
Generally, as the inclination increases, drilling fluid weight does not need to vary greatly
because in many cases we are crossing the same formation. Otherwise, high angles result in
longer intervals of troublesome formations being open, which can lead to an increase of
problems related to hole stability [2].

 Annular drilling fluid velocity (Flow rate)

When planning or drilling a deviated well, one of main parameters to determine is the
minimum flow rate necessary to transport the cuttings and keep the well clear. When this
parameter is not determined precisely, the cuttings sit at the bottom of the hole and form large
beds of debris, which lead to NPT caused by such problems as high torque and drag, hole
packing-off and stuck pipe. All these problems may subsequently require expensive remedial
operations and thus incur substantial increases in drilling cost. Hence, if drilling mud is pumped
at a high flow rate, it is more difficult for the cuttings bed to build up.
The flow rate is the dominant factor for an effective cutting removal. Increasing the flow
rate leads to better cutting removal but there are other issues which have to be considered when
planning to increase the flow rate. Factors which can limit the flow rate increase are: 
- The allowed ECD
- Rig hydraulic power availability
- The resistance of the open hole to the hydraulic erosion
ECD is pretty much significant for wellbore stability in an extended reach well. Long
hole sections, or very shallow sections with small gaps, may induce a large ECD effect. When
the pumps are turned on and off at various times, wellbore instability can be induced by constant
flexing and relaxing of the wellbore. This must be noted, especial when using high flow rates
and pipe rotation [5].

 Flow rate Regime

Cuttings removal in deviated wells occurs by a combination of two mechanisms, saltation
and bed sliding. These mechanisms result from two forces that act on fluids such as lift and the
drag forces that act on the cuttings bed. In laminar flow, the drag force dominates, while in
turbulent flow the lift force dominates. Results show that turbulent flow is more efficient in
removing the cuttings than laminar flow, because turbulent flow lifts the cuttings into the
effective flow path.
In turbulent flow, a lower YP causes a higher turbulent intensity and thus results in a
higher lift force for transporting cuttings by saltation. In laminar flow, a higher YP corresponds
to a higher fluid drag force which removes cuttings as sliding bed. So high YP muds are
preferred in laminar flow for hole cleaning.

 Drill string rotation

The rotation of the drill string contribute effectively in hole cleaning. The cutting beds on
the low side of the hole is removed by the contribution of the mechanical agitation and the
exposure to higher drilling fluids velocities when the string moves to the high side of the hole.
Hole cleaning can be better when combining the whirling motion of the string and other factors
like: mud rheology, flow rate and cutting size. There are some limitations for the whirling
motion. When using the down hole motor, during the sliding mode, the string is in stationary
which affect the cutting removal. Pipe failures caused by the cyclic stresses due to pipe rotation.

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Casing wear and mechanical destruction of the open hole are other problems which can be
caused by the pipe rotation. 
The dynamic behaviour of the drill pipe (steady state vibration, unsteady state vibration,
whirling rotation, true axial rotation parallel to hole axis, etc.) plays a major role on the
improvement of hole cleaning. With rotation, the cuttings resting on the lower side of the hole
will stir up into the upper side, where the flow is effective [2]. The Fig. 4.1 shows the
effectiveness of the drill pipe rotation.

Figure 4.1 – Impact of rotation on cuttings beds

 Rotary Speed Drawback

At lower inclinations, for instance at 40°, the cuttings bed tends to start sliding down,
rotating the pipe seems to help initiate it when stir up the cuttings. In general, rotation at this
inclination caused more disorder than in lower angles.

 Pipe eccentricity
The string has the tendency to lay on the low side of the inclined section. Very narrow
gap is created below the pipe in the annulus section which leads to extremely low drilling fluid
velocity leading to difficulties to transport cuttings to the surface. 

 Rate of penetration (ROP)

The amount of drilled cuttings is related to the rate of penetration. Good hole cleaning is
ensured by combining and adjusting the rate of penetration, the flow rate and pipe rotation. If
these parameters are limited due to any issue, rate of penetration can be reduced to allow better
hole cleaning. Reducing the ROP can increase the cost of drilling operations, but avoiding
drilling problems such as mechanical pipe sticking make it a good choice to optimize drilling
costs. 

 Mud Properties
1) Drilling Fluid Weight
DF weight influences hole cleaning through the buoyancy of drilled cuttings, as mud
weight increases the cuttings weight becomes soft then drilling fluid weight and tend to float out
of well making hole cleaning easier
2) Drilling Fluid Rheology
The mud rheology is an important factor and the most challenging is to optimize, because
the viscosity must be high enough to keep the cuttings suspended and low enough to carry 42
them as far as and as fast as possible. Fig. 4.2 shows the change in effective flow path area with
viscosity changings.

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 Figure 4.2 – Change in flow area with viscosity
If DF is too thick:
Effective flow rate path will be more prone to channelling up the high side of the hole,
making cuttings removal more difficult and slower.
May increase pumping pressures and ECD’s to the point where flow rate has to be
reduced.
If DF is too thin:
There is a decrease in the ability of the cuttings transport.
Cuttings will drop out of the fluid faster, allowing the cuttings bed to increase faster [2,4].

 Cutting Characteristics
The cutting size and shape are related to the bit used during operations. The size, shape
and specific gravity of cuttings affect the dynamic behavior when flowing into the drilling fluids.
Grinding and breakage by drill string rotating make it impossible to control cuttings shape and
size. In directional well drilling, cuttings are more difficult to transport, but with adequate
viscosity and pipe rotation, small particles stay in suspension which make them easier to
transport. 
So it can be summarized that the causes of poor hole cleaning can be:
 Insufficient rotation
 Poor mud properties
 Low annular fluid velocity
 Poor hole cleaning mostly is observed in deviated hole, especially above 30 degrees
inclination.

Figure 4.3 – Hole cleaning induced pack off

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 5. Guidelines for hole cleaning while drilling
The following factors must be taken into account when choosing the pipe RPM:
 The need for high rpm should be balanced with ECD and others effects, especially
when dealing with small diameters (<8 ½’’)
 If cuttings are still coming over the shakers, this means the hole is not properly cleaned
As for Flow Rate, using the maximum flow rate for every section is recommended, but
this is conditioned by ECD. Consideration may lead to reduction of the flow rate.
 Off-bottom surface pressure is usually less than during on-bottom drilling, hence,
higher flow rates may be used when off-bottom circulating during hole cleaning.
 The bit and BHA selection has a large effect on achievable flow rates in a pressure
limited environment. Flow rate and rheology should be dimensioned in order to avoid
washing out the wall of the hole. Many people are concerned during such procedures
that turbulent flow will result in erosion of the wellbore, regardless of theoretical AV
the actual velocity immediately next to the wellbore is essentially zero, due to that the
fluid is viscous, and is moving slower near wellbore.
For Rheology Guidelines, viscosity should be low for pump ability. For WBM systems,
maintaining a 6 rpm reading between 1 and 1.2 inches times the hole size has proven very
effective in high angle applications. For OBM systems, temperature and pressure should be
observed and taken into account [2].
Connection practices:
The recommended baseline connection procedure is as follows:
 Drill down the stand with the current rpm and flow rate.
 Pick up off-bottom and increase flow rate and rpm to their maximum.
 Ream one stand out and back in (repeat if hole is tight).
 Determine off-bottom torque and string weight.
 Shut down the rotary.
 Reciprocate the pipe and take the Pick-up and Slack-off weights values.
 Shut down the pumps and make a connection. The objectives of these connection
practices are to:
 Move cuttings away from the BHA to ensure trouble free connection
 Condition the new section of that hole has been drilled
 Collect Torque and Drag data in a consistent manner
Hole Cleaning Pills:
Proper use of mud pills improve hole cleaning in a high angle inclination well. When
using a low viscosity pill, it is important to maintain the normal high flow rate and minimize
non-circulate time to avoid cuttings set on the lower side of the hole. It is often necessary for
lower viscosity pill to be followed by high viscosity pill in order to ensure adequate hole
cleaning in the larger diameter vertical section. The specific pill volumes should be determined
based on the hole size and the calculated 45 effect on hydrostatic head. The use of low viscosity,
turbulent flow pills is not recommended in a weakly consolidated formation because washout or
hole collapse may occur [2].

6. Monitoring of parameters
6.1 Tourque & Drag Monitoring (T&D)
Monitoring T&D has proven to be an excellent tool for monitoring hole cleaning
conditions, consists in real time take torque, rotation string weight, pick-up (PUW) and slack-off
(SOW) readings at the end of all stands drilled. This data is then plotted against predicted trends,

9
if the results start to diverge further from the predicted trend, then a hole cleaning problem may
be developing. Fig. 6.1 is an example of T&D monitoring [1].
In essence, the technique used to monitor Torque and Drag in real time is: the drillstring
placed in a certain borehole and survey is evaluated as a force & torque equilibrium using
measured surface values and downhole values as input parameters. Two factors affect friction.
The normal force between the pipe and the wellbore and the coefficient of friction between the
contact surfaces, the friction factor. The normal force is a result of the effects of gravity on the
drillstring, the buoyancy force, the elasticity of the drillstring and the effects of tension and
compression acting through curvature of the wellbore. The model considers the drillstring to be
made up of short segments, joined by connections that transmit tension, compression, torsion,
and bending moment.
The friction factor is the ratio of the friction force to the normal contact force and is
iterated along the wellpath. The forces and moments measured at surface and at the bit are the
boundary conditions in the equation. If a downhole tool is deployed to monitor downhole weight
on bit (DWOB) and downhole torque on bit (DTOB) the calculation can run during drilling. If
DWOB and DTOB are not measured the calculation has to be done when the bit is off bottom so
that it can be assumed that the forces and moments at the lower boundary are zero [6].

Figure 6.1 – T&D Monitoring chart

Drag consists of the difference between PUW and SOW that results in force acting
opposite to the movement. The higher the drag the higher the force is acting opposite to the
movement. This is affected by several factors such as hole cleaning, hole depth, hole inclination,
dogleg severity, mud properties, hole size and drillstring components type, sizes and placement.
Indicators of poor hole cleaning:
 Increased PUW
When the BHA is picked up, the BHA drags back all the cuttings, which then results in
an increas on the friction factor (FF) which leads to an increasing on drill string weight readings
when is picked up. When a suddenly variation from lower friction factor to high FF is observed,
we can assume hole cleaning issues, a big quantity of cuttings was not removed.
 Decreased SOW
When the BHA is entering in wellbore, friction opposes the downward movement which
causes the weight indicator to read too low. The higer the friction the lower the SOW and the
cuttings increase the friction, weight indicator will read low.
Torque is a secondary hole cleaning indicator. Although Torque is not a reliable hole
cleaning conditions indicator in vertical wells, it is important when monitoring horizontal or
deviated wells, and may indicate if a cuttings bed is getting high. During drilling in horizontal
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sections, the cuttings start to fall and accumulate. Because of the weight of the drill string, the
drill string, it will be lying on the bottom before the cuttings, the cuttings will fall over and bury
the drill string. These cuttings bed will add friction and weight on the drill string resulting in
high torque readings when rotation starts. High torque may indicate that the cuttings bed is
getting thick enough to cause serious problems [1].
Comparing the real time Torque and Drag technique to the conventional HKLD and
surface torque values calculated using various friction factors, there are a number of advantages:
• The real-time data evaluation delivers highly improved information because it
eliminates unknown delimiters, e.g. actual mudweight and actual survey, used in conventional
calculation
• Alterations in the load and torque distribution can be detected clearly and swiftly. The
friction factors change only when the load and torque distribution changes, whereas a
conventional HKLD or torque change can indicate many things.
• Friction factors can be related immediately to offset wells independent of drillstring,
survey, mudweight and casing design used in those wells.
• The difference between the rotary friction factors and the non-rotary friction factors is
clearly shown. This produces a rationale for optimized well designs that focus on enhancing
weight and torque transfer, which is essential in ERD. Consequently, the risk of getting stuck is
reduced considerably. Conventional HKLD and surface torque comparisons to pre-calculated
values conceal the relation between weight transfer in sliding mode and in rotary mode.
• The effects of wiper trips, mud additives and mud weight changes can be quantified
directly from the friction factors computed using real-time data, while they would confound the
conventional comparison technique.
• Compared to the post-well friction factor calculation and evaluation, this system has an
advantage in delivering direct information that can be related to rig activities immediately [6].

6.2 Rate monitoring

Check cuttings returns at regular intervals while drilling is a very important issue.
Monitoring the volume and type of cuttings coming from downhole will help to understand how
clean the hole is.
 Cuttings volume returns
It consist of determining the weight (or volume) of the rock coming out from downhole,
compared to the expected weight being drilled. A big difference between the expected quantity
and real quantity coming out from downhole indicates poor hole cleaning (expected higher than
real value) or formation washout (expected lower than real value).
 Cuttings type and shape
They are an important evaluation because it could be used to determine how well the hole
has being cleaned, if wellbore stability is affected and if the mud is doing its job. A change in the
type and shape of the cuttings will indicate a change downhole. For example an unexpected
dogleg leads to get out of trajectory defined and new formation started being drilled resulting in
a unexpected cuttings type on shakers.

6.3 Equivalent circulating density monitoring

The ECD can be defined as the additional mud weight seen by the hole, due to the
circulating pressure losses of the fluid in the annulus. When the drilling fluid is circulating
through the drillstring, the borehole pressure at the bottom of the annulus will be greater than the
hydrostatic pressure of the mud, this extra pressure is due to the frictional pressure required to
pump the fluid up the annulus. This frictional pressure must be added to hydrostatic pressure to
get a true value of the pressure acting against the formation at the bottom of well. The ECD is

11
affected directly by annular pressure loss which is affected by flow rate, mud rheology, RPM,
Surge & Swab pressure.
 Higher Flow rate
It contributes to additional annular pressure loss. To control ECD, the easiest method is to
reduce flow rate however, but reducing flow rate will compromise cuttings carrying capacity.
 Higher Fluid Viscosity
It also contributes to additional pressure loss by increasing the friction in wellbore. Hence
reduce the viscosity of the drilling mud also will compromise cuttings carrying capacity again
[4].
 Higher RPM
In small sizes it is likely to create centrifugal and shear instabilities, in that case, the
vortices can be formed in the annulus causing the fluid to spiral as the fluid moves up the hole.
This effect increases the distance that the fluid must travel to get the surface due to a spiralling
flow path contributing to additional pressure losses. As such, hole cleaning parameter may have
to be compromised together if ECD is critical. Figure 6.3.1 shows the effect of pipe rotation on
ECD.

Figure 6.3.1 – ECD Increase due to Pipe rotation

 Surge & Swab pressure

They are critical pressures that occur during drilling operation due to drilling movements
they are hard to eliminate but can be controlled. Those pressures are not often taken into account
during well design. Surge pressure is more experienced when we are tripping in hole the BHA or
casings. It can cause ECD increase. Swab pressure is more experienced when we are POOH the
BHA. It has the opposite effect of surge, decreases ECD. They can also be damaging to a
wellbore, as they will contribute to fatigue stress seen by the borehole wall. Swab and surge
effects depend on the following factors: speed of the pipe during pulling out of hole or run in the
hole, viscosity of DF and flow by area around BHA or casing [3].

 Cuttings concentration in the annulus

It will affect ECD and the concentration is a function of the slip velocity, AV of the mud
which changes with flow rate, and ROP.

 Kick or Influx
It occurs when pore pressure is higher than wellbore pressure, underbalanced situation,
resulting in a reduction in ECD. Less frictional pressure will be required to pump the fluid up
through the annulus.

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 An indirect effect will be impact on hole cleaning if losses are encountered due to the
ECD, in effort to reduce losses, flow rates will be reduced, allows build up the cuttings in hole,
resulting in a poor hole cleaning.

6.4 Comparing ECD to Friction Factor Trends

The realtime Torque and Drag software used the measured surface torque during off
bottom rotation to determine a friction factor. Measured down hole pressure was converted into
ECD at the surface. In Fig.6.4.1, the friction factor and ECD are plotted over a measured depth
range of 3300-m to 5500-m. The effects of extensive backreaming, gas influx and dogleg
changes are clearly visible and give distinct changes. The great value of this example is that the
trends of the friction factors and ECD in the first 1000-meter interval are basically parallel. The
reason for this behavior can be explained only by concluding that both parameters are a function
of hole cleaning.

Figure 6.4.1 – A comparison graph to relate the ECD to the Friction Factors
Poor hole cleaning, the accumulation of cuttings in the borehole, can be seen in the
downhole pressure signal. Seen from a pressure perspective the changes due to hole cleaning are
controlled by two mechanisms, cuttings falling out of suspension and the narrowing of the
annular flow area. Usually a small ECD decrease can be seen at the beginning of a cutting bed
build up because the effect of cuttings falling out of suspension is bigger than the effect of
narrowing the annular flow area. Continuation of the building of cutting beds results in pack off
and the ECD will increase again. After bringing those cuttings back into suspension, a sharp
increase in ECD can be seen. Finally, as the cuttings are removed, the ECD gradually decreases
back to the initial value. The way the two described mechanisms relate is depending on several
parameters, e.g. flowrate and hole geometry.
The friction factor is also affected by hole cleaning. After a cutting bed has built, the
friction increases caused by the drillstring embedding in the cutting beds creating a higher
resistance against movement of the drillstring. As the normal force along the drillstring depends
only on the buoyant weight and the borehole geometry, both independent of cutting material in
the wellbore, a higher friction factor is observed. Differential sticking induced by a higher

13
annular pressure due to hole cleaning changes can make another contribution to a higher friction
factor.
In this example apparently the flow area restriction is a more dominant mechanism in
creating an extra pressure drop in the annulus and therewith creating a higher ECD. The cutting
beds building up can also be seen by an increase in the friction factor, as the resistance is
increasing. The slow building and removing of cutting beds can be seen to have a parallel effect
on the ECD and the friction factor over a 1000- meter period. Reaming at 4500-m and 5100-m
MD (measured depth) had an opposite effect as cuttings went into suspension, increasing the
ECD but lowering friction/resistance [6].

7. Hole cleaning and Wellbore risk reduction service

The CLEAR* hole cleaning and wellbore risk reduction service, delivered by
Geoservices, a Schlumberger company, monitors hole cleaning effectiveness and wellbore
stability, providing real-time data to help the drilling team continually improve drilling
performance and reduce NPT. By comparing measured and theoretical volumes, the service
provides early detection of inadequate hole cleaning and of excess returns caused by wellbore
instability (caving) or damage.
Applications:
 Extended-reach drilling and highly deviated wells
 Horizontal and multilateral wells
 Deepwater wells

Benefits:
 Increase safety by monitoring wellbore stability with drilling practices based on
cuttings flowmeter measurements and indicators
 Drill faster by ensuring good wellbore cleaning and condition
 Reduce NPT and stuck pipe risk by optimizing monitoring, analysis, and hole
cleaning recommendations
 Optimize pill program and identify best practices for future wells

Features:
 Digital measurements for improved cuttings evaluation accuracy
 Real-time dashboard with a simple, intuitive interface
 One-click report generation
 Transparency in data delivery
 Automatic alarm to signal when operational integrity of the equipment is
compromised

Fig.7.1 – CLEAR service

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 The CLEAR service has a cuttings flowmeter (CFM) and weighing tray, located at the
end of each shale shaker, positioned to catch cuttings as they fall off the screen. The tray is
locked in position for a fixed interval as determined by Geoservices and the customer. Cuttings
accumulate on the tray and are weighed with strain gauges.
Digital outputs are sent to the acquisition system, which performs the computations. At
the end of the adjustable preset period, the tray swings down and discharges the wet cuttings.
The tray then returns to a horizontal position for the next measurement. The pneumatically
controlled device is powered by the rig air supply, and the equipment does not obstruct access to
the shale shakers.
The comprehensive, real-time cuttings flow information provided by the CLEAR service
is integrated with drilling parameters, cuttings geology, drilling fluid properties, and MLWD
data. These results are visually displayed through the CLEAR service dashboard accessible
online whenever and wherever it’s needed—at the rig site or at remote offices for analysis by
well construction engineers. The accessibility and ease-of-use of the dashboard allows the
drilling team to more efficiently assess hole cleaning effectiveness and to minimize wellbore
instability risks.
Because the coating of mud on cuttings can vary considerably, a correction factor called
the equivalent dry cuttings ratio (EDCR) is applied to account for this variation. The wet cuttings
weight is thus converted into an equivalent volume of dry cuttings, which can be compared with
the theoretical volume of formation drilled at any time.
The CLEAR service measures and records the following data:
1.cumulative wet weight of cuttings falling from the shakers
2.cumulative dry weight of cuttings
3.measured dry cuttings volume
4.theoretical dry cuttings volume
5.measured cuttings flow rate (dry flow)
6.theoretical cuttings flow rate (nominal flow) based on ROP
7.volume excess or deficit
8.percentage of cuttings recovery.
The CLEAR hole cleaning and wellbore risk reduction service was used by the operator
to monitor cuttings removal from the hole and to analyze the efficiency of the hole cleaning
strategy. The weight of cuttings reaching the surface is continuously measured and analyzed as
they come off the shale shakers. By comparing measured and theoretical volumes, the service
provides early detection of inadequate hole cleaning and of excess returns caused by wellbore
instability (caving) or formation damage.
Information provided by the CLEAR service showed that the drilling fluid rheology was
ineffective and, because of insufficient hole cleaning, the well was degrading further. Acting on
this information, the drilling team adjusted the approach by raising the low-end fluid rheology,
improving hole cleaning and avoiding the need for unplanned circulation [7].

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 Conclusion
Poor hole-cleaning and wellbore instability are well-known problems during drilling
operation. If they are not diagnosed in their early stage of development, they result in non-
productive time. Hole cleaning is one of the biggest challenges in high deviated drilling wells.
Despite all recent improvements in technologies and procedure we cannot know what is really
happening in the downhole yet, even though efforts have been made to understand what is
happening relative to cuttings and borehole condition when drilling, tripping and running the
casing. This complication can lead to severe consequences such as pipe sticking, excessive
torque and drag, difficulties to run, difficulties while cementing the well and others.
This work was intended to provide a better understanding of hole cleaning issues and
how we can manage them. Removal of cuttings from the wellbore is an essential part of the
drilling operation.
All causes of poor hole cleaning were considered. Hole cleaning is significantly affected
by intervals of hole enlargement, swelling, creeping.
During drilling a well, too many parameters are used to monitor well stability and hole
cleaning conditions. Although some drilling parameters are the least to indicate hole cleaning
conditions, such as time, depth, RPM, WOB, ROP, flow rate, they provide a relative indication
of changes in the system and help to understand what may happening downhole.
Flow rate itself could be enough to clean a hole, but it will take time and will need more
mud, which makes the operation more expensive. Drillpipe rotation and mud rheology are
effective hole cleaning parameters that help to remove the cuttings faster and more cheaply.
Hole cleaning monitoring is an important practice to use to control hole cleaning
performance. The ECD, T&D are the most important parameters for monitoring during drilling
wells. This data should be collected in same manner for each data point to ensure consistency
and reliable output, driller sensibility must take this into account when data are being analyzed.
The trend of each one of those parameters must be followed and compared to the expected trend.
If any significant deviation from the expected trend is observed, it must be analyzed. If a hole
cleaning problem is suspected, the well must be properly cleaned until the recovery before
resuming drilling.
Monitoring and reporting the cuttings quantity at the surface in short intervals provides
valuable information about the clean condition of the well and the possibility of taking
preventive actions earlier. Increasing the drill pipe OD helps avoid the abrupt reduction in AV
when the flow gets into low OD (when lives the BHA area and start flow in drill pipes area).
To sum up, most issues, causes and effects related to poor hole cleaning problem were
discussed in this paper.
CLEAR service is applied for cutting hole problem analysis as well. The CLEAR hole
cleaning and wellbore risk reduction service, delivered by Geoservices, a Schlumberger
company, monitors hole cleaning effectiveness and wellbore stability. This service provides real-
time data to help the drilling team continually improve drilling performance and reduce NPT.

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 References
1. Fred Robert Mkuyi, Dissertation “Evidences of Poor Hole-cleaning or of Wellbore
Instability through Hook load Response”, NTNU: Norwegian University of Science and
Technology, July 2016
2. Erik Jorge Silva Ferreire, Dissertation “Hole Cleaning Performance Monitoring During
The Drilling Of Directional Wells” University of Lisboa, September 2012
3. Thor Ole Gulsrud, Statistical Method for detection of poor hole cleaning and stuck
pipe, SPE, 2009. ID SPE-123374-MS.
4. Mohammed Alawami, Real-Time Indicator for the Evaluation of Hole Cleaning
Efficiency, SPE 2019. ID SPE-196448-MS.
5. Adari, R., Miska, S., Kuru, E., Bern, P., Saasen, A. 2000. Selecting Drilling Fluid
Properties and Flow rates For Effective Hole Cleaningin High Angle and Horizontal Wells –
SPE.
6. Bart E. Vos, SPE, and Frank Reiber, Baker Hughes INTEQ 2000. The Benefits of
Monitoring Torque & Drag in Real Time – SPE
7. Schlumberger. Hole cleaning and wellbore risk reduction service [slb.com/CLEAR]

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