Air, mist, foam, and other variations of aerated fluid drilling are utilized in various areas because of the improved penetration rate when compared to conventional mud drilling. The high compressibility of aerated drilling fluids and multiphase flow phenomena encountered when using these fluids have given rise to sophisticated engineering approach to achieve proper downhole cleaning and material transport. There have been several attempts to calculate the minimum volumetric requirements for air and gas drilling. The results of these studies are valid over limited ranges of drilling rates at best. The method described in this paper will permit the driller and drilling engineer to determine optimum fluid injection rates in the field. It eliminates the need for complicated flow calculations used to predict volumetric air requirements.
