Numerical modeling and the ultimate bending experiment of the directional drill pipes bending at the dog-leg of the multi-branch well

Abstract

Directional drill pipes are prone to failure in the fish-bone branch wells. The primary cause of the directional drill pipes failure is excessive bending. This paper established a mathematical analysis model for the bending stress of the directional drill pipes at any point along its trajectory. Tested the mechanical properties of the directional drill pipe. An ultimate bending experiment was conducted on the directional drill pipes based on the pure bending moment theory. Additionally, a non-linear finite element model(FEM) of the directional drill pipes was established to analyze the influence of different bending loads on the stress distribution of the directional drill pipes connection. The FEM results were consistent with the results of the ultimate bending experiment. The FEM results indicate that the Box bending under transverse force is the primary cause of the failure for the Tooth top. The research results enable engineers and operators to easily obtain the stress distribution of the directional drill pipes under borehole curvature.

Keywords: Bending stress; Directional drill pipe; Drill pipe connection; Finite element method; Multie-branch wells.