During a drilling operation, a certain number of unexpected events, related to the flow of drilling fluid in the well, may happen rather quickly. Examples of such events are formation fluid influx (kick) and mud loss to the formation. An uncontrolled kick that increases in intensity may result in what is known as a blowout (e.g. the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010). Influxes and kicks are traditionally detected by monitoring the drilling mud balance in the well, in particular, by monitoring the flow out the well and comparing it to the incoming flow induced by the pumps. Most methods of monitoring the flow out of the well while drilling consists in using a simple paddle (sensor that measures the height of drilling fluid with the inclination of a paddle) in the return flow line, or in using a Coriolis flow meter (flow meter known for its accuracy but expensive and requires a complex installation by adding a bypass). There is a clear need of a new accurate flow meter, but easy to install and inexpensive. The Venturi flume has been used as flow meter for years in water industry. It appears as a cheap but accurate solution to measure large flow rates. Many people have worked on this solution to improve its accuracy and to expand its scope. They have developed models, based on a calibration process, to relate the upstream height to the flow rate. This means that current models, as ISO NORM 4359 [1], can be used only for water flow and specific geometry. As known, muds have non-Newtonian behavior and water models cannot be used with this kind of fluids. For our application, trapezoidal shape appears as a good compromise between accuracy and range of flow rate measurements. Thus, we built a model able to compute the flow rate with taking into account fluid properties and geometrical parameters. This model is simplified in 1D form by using the Shallow Water theory, and completed by a friction model taking into account the variation of fluid properties and geometry along the open channel. It have been validated by series of experiments with both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, where we measured the flow rate and heights of the flow at different locations along the trapezoidal Venturi flume. It have been also completed by 3D CFD which has been simulated both Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows along the flume. To generalized this study, the work was extended to another shape of Venturi more suited to some rig design. The correlations and models developed and experimentally validated during this research can be used to extend the use of Venturi flume flow meters for any fluids : Newtonian and non- Newtonian. It is an opportunity for industries to propose a cheap but accurate solution to measure flow rates in open channels with any kind of fluids
