Petroleum Applications of Emerging High-Pressure Waterjet Technology

The emergence of reliable systems for developing high pressure waterjet (HPWJ) technology during the past few years has created a tool capable of concentrating intense cutting energy over very small surface areas. However, the use of jets at very high pressure (\u3c14,500 psi;100 MPa) requires sophisticated equipment and expensive delivery system with considerable maintenance costs. To overcome this problem which combine waterjets at lower pressure (about 5,000 psi, 35 MPa) either with conventional mechanical drill bits, or with abrasive-laden cutting fluids. Over the past several years, the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) has been one of several institutions which have made significant theoretical and experimental contributions to these innovative developments. Applications of this technology for use in horizontal drilling, mining and environmental systems are discussed in this paper. Results show that with the increased reliability of equipment and improved technical knowledge and experience, the emerging technologies of high pressure mechanically assisted and abrasive-laden waterjet tools can be increasingly applied in improving performance for both conventional and the more challenging conditions of horizontal drilling