A Study on a Dynamic Model and Calculation Method of Wellbore Temperature in Ultra-Deep Wells

With growing global energy demand, deep and ultra-deep wells have become a focal point in oil and gas development. Wellbore temperature variations significantly impact drilling and completion operations in such wells. To analyze the temperature distribution in ultra-deep wellbores, a numerical model based on the Gauss–Seidel iterative algorithm was developed. This model explicitly accounts for the convective heat transfer coefficient and the distinct thermophysical properties of drilling fluids in both the drill string and the annulus. By employing adaptive meshing, it significantly enhances computational efficiency while ensuring accuracy. This study investigated the influence of key parameters—including drilling fluid density, specific heat capacity, drill pipe thermal conductivity, and formation properties—on bottom-hole temperature. The results show that the average deviation between the actual wellbore temperature and the model-predicted temperature is 0.5%. The heat transfer dynamics model for ultra-deep wells is validated by the close agreement between theoretical predictions and field data. This study offers a valuable theoretical basis for wellbore temperature management and the control of drilling fluid cooling systems, supporting safer and more efficient development of ultra-deep resources.

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Publication Details

Journal
Energies
Published
2026-01-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/en19020319
Primary Topic
Drilling and Well Engineering
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

A Study on a Dynamic Model and Calculation Method of Wellbore Temperature in Ultra-Deep Wells

J. Zhao, X. Q. Liu, Han Zhang, Yang Wang et al.
Energies
Drilling and Well Engineering
article

A Study on a Dynamic Model and Calculation Method of Wellbore Temperature in Ultra-Deep Wells

J. Zhao, X. Q. Liu, Han Zhang, Yang Wang, Pingan Wang
article en

Abstract

With growing global energy demand, deep and ultra-deep wells have become a focal point in oil and gas development. Wellbore temperature variations significantly impact drilling and completion operations in such wells. To analyze the temperature distribution in ultra-deep wellbores, a numerical model based on the Gauss–Seidel iterative algorithm was developed. This model explicitly accounts for the convective heat transfer coefficient and the distinct thermophysical properties of drilling fluids in both the drill string and the annulus. By employing adaptive meshing, it significantly enhances computational efficiency while ensuring accuracy. This study investigated the influence of key parameters—including drilling fluid density, specific heat capacity, drill pipe thermal conductivity, and formation properties—on bottom-hole temperature. The results show that the average deviation between the actual wellbore temperature and the model-predicted temperature is 0.5%. The heat transfer dynamics model for ultra-deep wells is validated by the close agreement between theoretical predictions and field data. This study offers a valuable theoretical basis for wellbore temperature management and the control of drilling fluid cooling systems, supporting safer and more efficient development of ultra-deep resources.

EnergiesVol. 19(2)
Chengdu University of Technology (CN), State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation (CN), China National Petroleum Corporation (China) (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Science and Technology Major Project
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 93%
Drilling and Well Engineering
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