Annular Velocity (AV) Calculation

Annular Velocity (AV) is how fast of fluid in annulus is traveling. Three main factors affecting annular velocity are size of hole (bigger ID), size of drill pipe (smaller OD) and pump rate. This post will show you how to calculate annular velocity in feet per minute with different formulas.

Formula#1: Annular velocity (AV) in ft/min

Annular velocity in ft/min = Flow rate in bbl/min ÷ annular capacity in bbl/ft

Example:
Flow rate = 10 bbl/min
Annular capacity = 0.13 bbl/ft
AV = 10 bbl/min ÷ 0.13 bbl/ft
AV = 76.92 ft/mim

Formula#2: Annular velocity (AV) in ft/min

Annular velocity in ft/min = (24.5 x Q) ÷ (Dh² – Dp²)

where
Q = flow rate in gpm
Dh = inside diameter of casing or hole size in inch
Dp = outside diameter of pipe, tubing or collars in inch

Example:
Flow rate (Q) = 800 gpm
Hole size = 10 in.
Drill pipe OD = 5 in.
AV = (24.5 x 800) ÷ (10² – 5²)
AV = 261 ft/mim

Formula#3: Annular velocity (AV) in ft/min
Annular Velocity in ft/min = Flow rate (Q) in bbl/min x 1029.4÷ (Dh² – Dp²)

Example:
Flow rate (Q) = 13 bbl/min
Hole size = 10 in.
Drill pipe OD = 5 in.
AV = 13 bbl/min x 1029.4 ÷ (10² – 5²)
AV = 178.43 ft/min

You also can back calculate how much flow rate you want for desired annular velocity in feet per minute as per following formulas.

Flow rate required in gpm = (AV in ft/min) x (Dh² – DP²) ÷ 24.5

AV = desired annular velocity in ft/min
Dh = inside diameter of casing or hole size in inch
Dp = outside diameter of pipe, tubing or collars in inch

Example:
Desired annular velocity = 120 ft/mm
Hole size = 10 in
Drill pipe OD = 5 in.
Flow rate required in gpm = 120 x (10²- 5²) ÷ 24.5
Flow rate required in gpm = 367.4 gpm

Moreover, you can calculate strokes per minute (SPM) required for a given annular velocity in feet per minute as well. The idea is to use the formula above and devided by pump output in bbl/stk. Let's review the fomula.

SPM = (AV in ft/min x annular capacity in bbl/ft) ÷ pump output in bbl/stk

AV = desired annular velocity in ft/min

Example
Desired annular velocity in ft/min = 120 ft/min
Dh = 12-1/4 in.
Dp = 4-1/2 in.
Annular capacity = 0.1261 bbl/ft
Pump output = 0.136 bbl/stk
SPM = (120 ft/mm x 0.1261 bbl/ft) ÷ 0.136 bbl/stk
SPM = 111.3 spm

Please find the Excel sheet for calculating annular velocity