Pressure Required to Break Circulation in Annulus

From the previous post, we learn about how to determine break circulating pressure inside drill string. This post we will learn about how to calculate pressure required to break circulation in annulas.

Formula to calculate pressure required overcoming the mud’s gel strength in the annulus as follow:

Pgs = y ÷ [300 x (Dh, in. – Dp, in.)] x L

where Pgs = pressure required to break gel strength, psi

L = length of drill string, ft

y = 10 mm. gel strength of drilling fluid, lb/100 sq ft

Dh = hole diameter, in.

Dp = pipe diameter, in.

Let’s take a look at the example below and understand how to determine pressure required to break circulation in the annulus by using following information

L = 11,500 ft

y = 12 lb/100 sq ft

Dh = 6.5 in.

Dp = 4.0 in.

Referring to the formula above, all parameters can simply input into the formula to get the break circulation pressure in the annulus.

Pgs = 12 ÷ [300 x (6.5 – 4.0)] x 11,500 ft

Pgs = 184.0 psi

Please find the Excel sheet for calculating the pressure required for break circulation in the annulus.

Ref book: Formulas and Calculations for Drilling, Production and Workover, Second Edition

Tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

About DrillingFormulas.Com

Working in the oil field and loving to share knowledge.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.