A phenomenological transient model of bit foundering

In this paper we developed a phenomenological transient model of bit foundering which accounts for cuttings transport around the bit through time-dependent erosion and deposition terms. By bit foundering we mean the observed effect where Rate of Penetration no longer increases (and potentially decreases) with Weight on Bit. The model is compared against several experimental data sets and a data set from a full-scale drilling test, and is shown to qualitatively replicate the foundering behavior observed in the data. The simple formulation of the bit foundering model makes it attractive for drilling optimization and control applications.