Liquid Flow Patterns and Particle Settling Velocity in a Taylor-Couette Cell Using Particle Image Velocimetry and Particle Tracking Velocimetry

Controlling the downhole pressure is an important parameter for successful and safe drilling operations. Several types of weighting agents (i.e., high-density particles), traditionally barite particles, are added to maintain the desired density of the drilling fluid (DF). The DF density is an important design parameter for preventing multiple drilling complications. These issues are caused by the settling of the dense particles, an undesired phenomenon also referred to as sagging. Therefore, there is a need to understand the settling characteristics of heavy particles in such scenarios. To this end, simultaneous measurements of liquid phase flow patterns and particle settling velocities have been conducted in a Taylor-Couette (TC) cell with a rotating inner cylinder and stationary outer cylinder separated by an annular gap of 9.0 mm. Liquid flow patterns and particle settling velocities have been measured using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) techniques, respectively. Experiments have been performed by varying the rotational speed of the inner cylinder up to 200 rev/min, which is used in normal drilling operations. Spherical particles with diameters of 3.0 mm or 4.0 mm and densities between 1.2 g/cm3 and 3.95 g/cm3 were used. The liquid phases studied included deionized (DI) water and mineral oil, which are the basic components of a non-Newtonian DF with a shear-thinning viscosity. The DF is a mud-like emulsion of opaque appearance, which impedes the ability to observe the liquid flow field and particle settling in the TC cell. To address this issue, a solution of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with a 6% weight concentration in DI water was used. This non-Newtonian solution displays shear-thinning rheological behavior and was used as a transparent alternative to the opaque DF. For water, PIV results have shown wavy vortex flow (WVF) to turbulent Taylor vortex flow (TTVF), which agrees with the flow patterns reported in the literature. For mineral oil, circular Couette flow (CCF) was observed at up to 100 rev/min and vortex formation at 200 rev/min. For CMC, no vortex formation was observed up to 200 rev/min, only CCF. The settling velocities for all particles in water matched with the particle settling velocities predicted using the Basset-Boussinesq-Oseen (BBO) equation of motion. For mineral oil and CMC, the results did not match well with the predicted settling velocities, especially for heavy particles due possibly to the radial particle migration and interactions with the outer cylinder wall.