The application of ultrasonic based on Doppler effect used in early kick detection for deep water drilling

Early kick detection is critical for preventing gas kicks which pose the greatest threat to safety in deep water drilling. This paper documents the development of kick detection current methods in use and gives a brief introduction for each method. Usually it is difficult to apply the traditional ultrasonic technique in flow measurement for the complexity of the drilling fluid and special structure of the annulus, an improved approach based on Ultrasonic with Doppler Effect is proposed for early kick detection. This method has been successfully applied and verified in a simple kick simulation system. Test results have verified that this Method is effective for early kick detection.