A Scaled Model Study of Waterjet Drilling

Laboratory experimental results of waterjet drilling have rarely been scaled up to the field scale. This article presents the scaling criteria for designing waterjet drilling laboratory experiments for simulating a given oilfield operation. Dimensional analysis is used to derive scaling groups for the waterjet drilling technique. The proposed scaling approach meets all important requirements of this drilling process. Experiments were conducted to determine the strength and the relation between the rate of penetration (ROP) and depth of penetration (DOP) with drilling time. Experimental results are scaled up for field application. Laboratory measurements with such models accurately duplicate the behavior of the drilling performance of a reservoir. Such modeling is the most effective tool for the study of drilling behavior, performance, and management in the reservoir field.