Hydrostatic Pressure for Drilling

on . Posted in Drilling Engineering

hydrostatic pressure 1Hydrostatic pressure, abbreviated as HP, is the pressure a fluid exerts on an immersed object floating at a certain depth in a liquid.  It is a concept in fluid mechanics and is related to the density of the fluid and the height of the fluid column.

Hydrostatic Pressure Index

Key Points about Hydrostatic Pressure

  • It increases with the depth of the fluid.  The deeper you go in a fluid, the higher the hydrostatic pressure becomes.
  • It depends on the density of the fluid.  Denser fluids exert greater hydrostatic pressure for a given depth.
  • It is directly proportional to the depth of the fluid.  If you double the depth, you will double the hydrostatic pressure.
  • Hydrostatic pressure is a scalar quantity, which means it has magnitude but no direction.  It acts equally in all directions at a specific depth in a fluid.

 

Hydrostatic Pressure (Mud Weight \(\;lbm/gal\)) formula

\( HP = 0.052 \; MW \; TVD \)     (Hydrostatic Pressure)

\( MW = HP \;/\;  0.052 \; TVD \)

\( TVD =  HP \;/\;  0.052 \; MW \)

Symbol English Metric
\( HP \) = hydrostatic pressure (psi) \(lbf\;/\;in^2\) -
\( MW \) = mud weight (ppg) \(lbm\;/\;gal\) -
\( TVD \) = true vertical depth \(ft\) -

  

Hydrostatic Pressure (Pressure Gradient \(\;psi/ft\)) formula

\( HP = PG \; TVD \)     (Hydrostatic Pressure)

\( PG = HP \;/\; TVD \)

\( TVD = HP \;/\; PG \)

Symbol English Metric
\( HP \) = hydrostatic pressure (psi) \(lbf\;/\;in^2\) -
\( PG \) = pressure gradient \(psi\;/\;ft\) -
\( TVD \) = true vertical depth \(ft\) -

   

Hydrostatic Pressure (Mud Weight \(\;lbf/ft^3\)) formula

\( HP = 0.006944 \; MW \; TVD \)     (Hydrostatic Pressure)

\( MW = HP \;/\;  0.006944 \; TVD \)

\( TVD =  HP \;/\;  0.006944 \; MW \)

Symbol English Metric
\( HP \) = hydrostatic pressure (psi) \(lbf\;/\;in^2\) -
\( MW \) = mud weight \(lbf\;/\;ft^3\) -
\( TVD \) = true vertical depth \(ft\) -

    

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Tags: Drilling