Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/K59088/01
Title:	ON-LINE MONITORING OF DRILLING CUTTINGS TRANSPORT USING RESISTIVITY TOMOGRAPHY
Principal Investigator:	Lucas, Professor G
Other Investigators:	Dickin, Dr F
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Schlumberger
Department:	Sch of Computing and Engineering
Organisation:	University of Huddersfield
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 May 1996	Ends:	30 April 1999	Value (£):	128,040
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Complex fluids & soft solids Multiphase Flow
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
During oil well drilling operations a drilling fluid, known as mud, is pumped down the frill pipe, past the drill bit ad back up the bore hole. Amongst the many functions of the drilling mud is the removal of rock cuttings, produced at the base of the well, to the surface. On-line measurement of the drilling cuttings volumetric flow rate at the well-head will indicate the rate at which material is being removed from the bore hole. The volumetric flow rate of drilling cuttings at the surface should correspond to the rate at which the well is being drilled. If the cuttings flow rate at the surface falls below the expected value this indicates that cuttings were beginning to build up around the head of the drilling assembly - which could ultimately lead tot he expensive assembly becoming such in the hole. It is proposed to design a technology to measure both the local volume fraction distribution of the drilling cuttings and their local axial velocity distribution using a novel dual-plane multiphase mixture. Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) is particularly suited to this application due tot he relatively high conductivity contrast between the drilling mud and the drilling cuttings. It is also proposed to perform an investigation, using reference local volume fraction measurement techniques, to validate both the volume fraction distribution and the velocity distribution of the disperse component obtained from the ERT system.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.hud.ac.uk