Downhole Transient Flow Field and Heat Transfer Characteristics During Drilling With Liquid Nitrogen Jet

Abstract

As a novel jet technology, liquid nitrogen jet (LNJ) is expected to effectively break rocks and further provide a high-efficiency method for drilling, especially geothermal drilling. Using this technology, rocks can be broken down by the coupled effects of cryogenic cooling and jet impingement. In this study, transient downhole jet flow field and heat transfer during drilling with LNJ were simulated. Then, the distributions of temperature (including LNJ and ambient rock), velocity, and pressure at different times were analyzed. Finally, the effects of the parameters on jet impingement and rock cooling performance were discussed. Results indicated that cryogenic LNJ could be efficiently generated in the downhole region. The temperature of the rock surface remarkably decreased as the LNJ reached the bottomhole. The high-speed LNJ caused axial impingement and radial shear effects on the bottomhole rock. The rock cooling performance caused by the LNJ was influenced by the initial rock temperature. With the increase of the initial rock temperature, the drop amplitude of the rock temperature also increased. The impingement capability of the LNJ was improved by increasing the nozzle diameter and the nozzle pressure drop. With the increase of standoff distance, the wall pressure and the radial velocity of the bottomhole decreased while increasing the impingement scope. The confining pressure hardly influenced the rock cooling performance and jet impingement capability, thereby indicating that LNJ could work even at high confining pressure conditions.