constructed a 20 foot thermal flow loop to heat transfer. Gelling the brine makes the heat
measure the heat transfer coefficients of packer transfer coefficient both lower and more linear.
fluids in an offshore riser configuration:
The Gel + HGMS curve is particularly interesting
because it represents a mixture of gelled brine
and hollow glass microspheres (HGMS). The
HGMS were tested as a means of lowering the
thermal conductivity of the gelled brine. These
results show that HGMS is beneficial at lowering
the heat transfer coefficient. However, HGMS is
thermally inferior to ThermaFix.
5.0
string. Temperature measurements and flow ThermaFix
rates allow the calculation of the measured heat 4.0
loop:
2.0
1.0
Experimental Heat Transfer Coefficients
for Packer Fluids 0.0
1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000
90.0
80.0 Ungelled Brine Gelling the brine increased CDT by about 50%.
70.0 Gelled Brine Reducing the thermal conductivity by 70% and
U = Btu/hr Ft2 oF
Conclusions
• The key attributes for an effective insulating
packer fluid are heat transfer coefficient and
cool down time.
180
Brine
160
Gelled Brine
140 ThermaFix
TETRA Technologies, Inc.
Temperature (F)
120
100
Corporate Headquarters
25025 Interstate 45 North
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The Woodlands, Texas 77380
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Time (seconds)
Weyman Dunaway is currently Technology Center Manager of Engineering and Special Projects
for TETRA Technologies, Inc. He graduated BsChE from the Georgia Institute of Technology in
1977.