Formation and Blockage Mechanism of Cuttings’ Sand Bridges in Annulus with a Drillpipe Tool Joint During Gas Drilling

Abstract

Abstract

In gas drilling, the local annular contraction caused by a drillpipe tool joint can markedly reduce cuttings’ carrying capacity and increase the risk of localized blockage and sand bridging near the tool-joint region, thereby threatening hole cleaning and drilling safety. To investigate this problem, a three-dimensional CFD–DEM two-way coupling model was established by considering the geometric features of the drillpipe tool joint and gas–solid interaction. The effects of gas mass flow rate, solids feed rate, and particle diameter on local cuttings’ transport states and annular pressure-drop responses near the tool joint were systematically analyzed. The results show that three typical local transport states can develop near the tool-joint region, namely continuous passage, fallback, and clogging accompanied by sand-bridge formation. Fallback cases occur only within a finite interval around the critical gas mass flow rate for cuttings’ transport. Under the geometric and operating conditions considered in this study, localized clogging first appears when the particle diameter reaches approximately 10.5 mm, and the proportion of clogging cases increases rapidly with a further increase in particle diameter. Increasing the solids feed rate intensifies particle retention, accumulation, and collision near the tool joint, promotes earlier clogging, and markedly narrows the operating range of continuous passage; stable clogging is difficult to form when the solids feed rate is below 8 kg/s. Distinct annular pressure-drop histories correspond to different local transport states, with low amplitude fluctuation for continuous passage, repeated pulsation for fallback, and sustained growth in pressure difference magnitude for developing clogging accompanied by sand bridge formation. These results demonstrate a clear correspondence between local transport states near the tool joint and annular pressure-drop responses under the investigated geometry and operating window. They provide a mechanism-level basis for interpreting localized blockage near the drillpipe tool joint, while quantitative field application requires calibration for the specific annular clearance, monitoring interval, gas-injection condition, and cuttings’ loading condition.