Open AccessFinal report on the design and development of a Rolling Float Meter for drilling-fluid outflow measurement
Author(s) -
G.E. Staller,
J.J. Westmoreland,
Gary Whitlow,
Elton K. Wright,
D.A. Glowka
Publication year - 1998
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/585044
Subject(s) - float (project management) , drilling , metre , petroleum engineering , outflow , geothermal gradient , lost circulation , well drilling , drilling fluid , marine engineering , engineering , mechanical engineering , geology , geophysics , oceanography , physics , astronomy
Lost circulation, which is the loss of well drilling fluids to the formation while drilling, is a common problem encountered while drilling geothermal wells. The rapid detection of the loss of well drilling fluids is critical to the successful and cost-effective treatment of the wellbore to stop or minimize lost circulation. Sandia National Laboratories has developed an instrument to accurately measure the outflow rate of drilling fluids while drilling. This instrument, the Rolling Float Meter, has been under development at Sandia since 1991 and is now available for utilization by interested industry users. This report documents recent Rolling Float Meter design upgrades resulting from field testing and industry input, the effects of ongoing testing and evaluation both in the laboratory and in the field, and the final design package that is available to transfer this technology to industry users