Application of formation pressure while drilling in Australia: North West Shelf examples

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 568
Author(s):  
Dmitry Molohkov ◽  
Andy Pietsch ◽  
Jack Harfoushian ◽  
Shahid Azizul Haq
Keyword(s):  
Drill Pipe ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Formation Pressure ◽  
Well Control ◽  
North West ◽  
Service Companies ◽  
The North ◽  
Essential Input ◽  
Formation Pore Pressure

Since its introduction in the 1950s, the point-by-point wireline formation pressure measurement technique has been successfully used for formation evaluation and reservoir management, and has been an essential input into reservoir models. In exploration and appraisal wells, where depletion has not yet affected the reservoir, vertical pressure profiling can be used for fluid gradient determination that may be interpreted in terms of fluid densities and contacts. In a dynamic producing environment pressure measurements can help to identify vertical and horizontal boundaries and communication. Measurement of pressure distribution along the borehole was historically done with wireline instruments or, in difficult logging conditions, with wireline instruments conveyed by drill pipe. In some environments, especially in highly deviated and S-shaped wells or unconsolidated formations, drill pipe conveyance of wireline formation pressure testers introduces significant operational risk. Formation Pressure While Drilling (FPWD), introduced in 2003, offers a new cost-effective solution for gathering formation pressure data. FPWD is a new method to directly measure formation pore pressure as the well is being drilled, extending its application beyond traditional fluid typing, contacts and compartmentalisation determination to well control and drilling optimisation. The market for FPWD is developing rapidly with all major service companies providing their own implementations of the technology. The next step in the evolution of FPWD technology—sampling while drilling—is not commercially available yet, but this is just a matter of time. The case history presented in this extended abstract is an example of the application and lessons learned from the FPWD service used in one of the oil fields on the North West Shelf, Australia.

Significant Performance Improvement with MPD in HPHT Narrow Drilling Window Campaign in the North Sea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babar Kamal ◽  
Abdul Saboor ◽  
Graeme MacFarlane ◽  
Frank Kernche
Keyword(s):  
Precise Determination ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Overburden Pressure ◽  
The North ◽  
Fracture Pressure ◽  
Open Hole ◽  
Infill Drilling ◽  
Significant Performance ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Formation Pore Pressure

Abstract Significant depletion in reservoir pressure, huge uncertainties in pore and fracture pressure, high overburden pressure on top of reservoir, Narrow Mud Weight Window (NMWW) and Partial/Total losses whilst entering the reservoir made these HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) wells conventionally un-drillable. Due to these substantial challenges these wells were considered not only costly but also carry a high probability of failure to reach well TD (Total Depth). MPD (Managed Pressure Drilling) is a safer and more effective drilling technique as compared to conventional drilling, especially in wells with NMWW and downhole hazards. The precise determination and dynamic downhole pressure management was imperative to complete these wells without well control incidents. The Constant Bottom Hole Pressure (CBHP) variant in combination of automated MPD system was deployed with a mud weight statically underbalanced while dynamically managed above formation pore pressure to minimize the overbalance across the open hole. MPD enabled the operator to efficiently navigate Equivalent Circulation Density (ECD) through the pore and fracture pressure window, allowed significant improvements throughout the entire campaign. This paper discusses the challenges faced during the last three wells drilled in the campaign which includes equipment issues, commissioning delays, losses whilst drilling, Managed Pressure Cementing (MPC), 7" drill-in-liner and plugged/blocked lines due to weather and mud conditions. The paper describes HPHT infill drilling experience, specific techniques, practices as well as lessons learned from each well during the campaign were implemented to address challenges and to improve performance. The MPD system commissioning was optimized by repositioning the lines which saved significant critical rig time. The blowdown points were added on the lines that were not operational continuously therefore a procedure was developed for flushing to avoid plugging. Optimized drilling strategy was also developed where MW was further reduced to avoid losses as observed in previous wells and CBHP was maintained by manipulating Surface Back Pressure (SBP) from surface. This paper also discusses continuous improvements /upgrades in MPD operating software which assisted the operator in accurate monitoring of flow, SBP and BH-ECD to save significant rig cost in terms of invisible Non-Productive Time (NPT). MPD is a drilling enabler and performance enhancer which saved 80 days of Authorization for Expenditure (AFE) on this challenging HPHT campaign.

DRIVERS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED SUPPLY BASE AND OFFSHORE SUPPLY CHAIN, NORTH WEST SHELF, AUSTRALIA

2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 593
Author(s):  
E.D. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Integrated Services ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Security Issue ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
User Facility ◽  
Integrated Service

Since the commencement of the major developments on the North West Shelf, the offshore resource industry, during both its construction and operational phases, has faced considerable logistical impediments to cost-effective solutions for the offshore supply chain. These impediments have included distance, scant resources, lack of infrastructure both on and offshore and lack of critical mass.Throughout the world, offshore projects have greatly benefitted from the availability of integrated services to cater for the transport of equipment from the point of manufacture or distribution to the offshore location.Within the Australian context the privately controlled Esso Barry Beach and Dampier Woodside facilities are examples of integrated services, but both differ considerably from a public multi-user facility. The model used in the Timor Sea of one vessel or vessels for the use of several operators is another example.The NorthWest Shelf has now reached the critical mass and it became apparent several years ago that the area needed an integrated supply base available to multiple operators. It would need to include a heavy loadout wharf, laydown areas, slipway and engineering facilities and office space to service forthcoming projects, as well as planning and cooperation amongst all players to maximise efficiency and use of scant resources as drivers for economic benefits to offshore operators in the region.Furthermore the fallout from the events of 11 September 2001 and continuing threats of terrorism has meant the security of marine assets has become an important part of each operator’s everyday life. The introduction of new legislation relating to this security issue is planned for mid 2004.In 2000 and 2001 Mermaid Marine Australia Limited undertook a major expansion of its Dampier supply base, and established a world-class facility to meet the growing demands of the region.This complex has for the first time provided the northwest of Australia, particularly the North West Shelf, Carnarvon Basin and the onshore developments on the Burrup Peninsula, with a facility for offloading and loadout of heavy shipments and fabrication and slipway facilities, coupled with the advantages of a large supply base. This facility can also be expanded to meet growth and the emerging requirements related to security.This paper describes the drivers for change commencing with the earliest supply chains and following through to the integrated service now availabe. These drivers meet the requirements of the offshore operators in the region as well as showing the benefits anticipated from this integrated service. The paper also outlines in detail the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation for worldwide changes to port and offshore security.

FORMATION EVALUATION IN HIGHLY-DEVIATED, LONG REACH DEVELOPMENT WELLS ON THE NORTH RANKIN GAS FIELD, NW SHELF, AUSTRALIA

1990 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 310
Author(s):  
D. Lasserre
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drill Pipe ◽  
Vertical Resolution ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
Log Data ◽  
Formation Evaluation ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Reservoir Description ◽  
Resistivity Log

A large proportion of the North West Shelf development gas wells are long reach (greater than 3500 m) and highly deviated. For reservoir description and management purposes, comprehensive formation evaluation needs to be carried out in these wells.Considerable difficulties have been encountered with electric log data acquisition due to friction and borehole conditions in these long, highly-deviated wells. As a result, new techniques to log the zones of interest were introduced. A system using the drill pipe to transport the downhole logging tools has been successfully used.Also, low-toxicity oil-based mud (LTM) was introduced in order to ease drilling problems and borehole conditions. However, owing to the non-conductive nature of the oil-based drilling fluid, improvements were required in the vertical resolution of the resistivity measurements and the estimation of the formation porosity.A computer program using a forward deconvolution technique recently developed by Shell's research laboratory in Holland has been successfully applied to enhance the vertical resolution of the resistivity log reading.The large range of uncertainty on the pore volume has been reduced to reasonable level by calibrating the porosity log data against core data obtained in a well drilled with LTM.

Population Fluctuations and Reproduction of Rabbits in a Pastoral Area on the Coast North of Carnarvon, W. A.

1983 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
DR King ◽  
SH Wheeler ◽  
GL Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Population Fluctuations ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Pastoral Area ◽  
Average Rainfall ◽  
Summer Rain

The population fluctuations and reproductive biology of rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), were studied in a coastal pastoral area in the north-west of Western Australia between 1974 and 1981. Numbers were highest in late 1975-early 1976 and declined during a period of below-average rainfall in 1976-79, but were still found in all landforms. The breeding season was more regular than that of rabbits in other pastoral areas, and appeared to be a response to winter rains which were relatively predictable in timing, if not amount. Successful summer breeding also followed heavy summer rain. There appears to be no opportunity for cost-effective control of rabbits in the area by techniques currently available, as even when numbers are low the rabbits are widespread.

Modeling of social management organization in three communes with special difficulties in three poor districts (Program 30A) in the North West, Central Highlands and the South West - Results and lessons learned

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vu Thi Thanh Minh
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Intensive Farming ◽  
West Central ◽  
Central Highlands ◽  
New Countryside ◽  
Social Management

Analysis of the specific results of the organizational model of social management, we found that the model of the project “Building a model of organization building community New Rural in 3 poor communes towels in 3 districts of poverty (Program 30A) of the three regions North West, Central Highlands and Southwest “ has made a very positive impact on the community, contributing very important in improving the internal resources of rural communities villages in new countryside construction. Through the activities of the awareness project of ethnic minorities are enhanced. They have learned to use scientific and technical advances in cultivation and intensive farming; maintaining clean, beautiful village. Conventions of villages hamlets have been revised and supplemented to meet the requirements of law and relevant customs and practices, local knowledge, ethnic psychological characteristics of rural communities villages; community spirit of each of the households increasingly advanced workers

Observed Seismic Behavior of Buildings in Northern Pakistan during the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amjad Naseer ◽  
Akhtar Naeem Khan ◽  
Zakir Hussain ◽  
Qaisar Ali
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Behavior ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Masonry Buildings ◽  
Kashmir Earthquake ◽  
North West ◽  
Clay Bricks ◽  
The North ◽  
Concrete Blocks ◽  
2005 Kashmir Earthquake ◽  
Recent Earthquakes

Recent earthquakes in Pakistan demonstrated that the region is highly seismic. Masonry buildings constructed with stones, concrete blocks, and fired-clay bricks and concrete buildings were damaged during the 8 October 2005 Kashmir earthquake. This paper presents the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete and masonry buildings in northern part of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Kashmir during the earthquake. Most of the buildings were observed to be nonengineered or semi-engineered. The paper presents an overview of the 1937 Quetta building code and the 1986 and 2007 building codes of Pakistan. Lessons learned during the earthquake are also presented.

AUSTRALIAN MEGASURVEYS—THE KEY TO NEW DISCOVERIES IN MATURING AREAS?

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 407 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Edwards ◽  
J. Crosby ◽  
N. David ◽  
C. Loader ◽  
S. Westlake
Keyword(s):  
Data Sets ◽  
Well Control ◽  
North West ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
The North ◽  
3D Data ◽  
Detailed Search ◽  
Time Critical ◽  
Small Finds ◽  
2D And 3D

In a maturing province such as the North West Shelf, it is time-critical to find remaining hydrocarbon resources as well as to develop small finds before existing big field installations and their associated infrastructure are decommissioned. Finding the remaining smaller fields with subtle geophysical expression is a challenge, and a thorough understanding of the petroleum geology is essential. To achieve this, the subsurface structure and depositional systems must be understood in a regional as well as a local context.To date, exploration companies’ regional models have been based on a mixture of 2D and 3D seismic of varying vintages, orientations, and quality. Consequently they have been incomplete and lacking detail. To address this problem, PGS initiated the MegaSurvey Project, merging a number of 3D surveys into large, consistent 3D data sets. For the first time, the regional picture and prospect-size detail are both available from a single dataset.Two MegaSurveys for the North West Shelf are now available; the Vulcan Sub-Basin MegaSurvey (VMS) and the Carnarvon MegaSurvey (CMS).The MegaSurvey seismic data and consistent horizon interpretation (tied to released well control) enables asset- focussed oil companies to concentrate on the more detailed search-for-the-subtle-trap to find, understand, and develop remaining reserves. Interpretation of the first MegaSurvey (Vulcan Sub-Basin) was completed in 2004 and work is focussed on the Carnarvon MegaSurvey, the interpretation of which will be completed in March 2005.The PGS 3D MegaSurveys allow visualisation of the subsurface both on a scale and resolution that has hitherto been unavailable. They provide an essential new tool to help fully unlock the remaining potential of the North West Shelf.

Fluorescence application to hydrocarbon monitoring in North West Shelf marine waters

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 345
Author(s):  
Felicity Harrison ◽  
Riley McAuliffe ◽  
Jose Romero ◽  
Keith Stubbs ◽  
Carolyn Oldham
Keyword(s):  
Standard Procedure ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Fluorescent Properties ◽  
Marine Waters ◽  
North West ◽  
Hydrocarbon Detection ◽  
Background Fluorescence ◽  
The North ◽  
Effective Manner

The application of fluorometry to hydrocarbon detection in marine waters is a standard procedure in many parts of the world. This technology is advantageous because spatial and temporal variations in hydrocarbon distributions can be acquired readily and rapidly in a cost-effective manner compared to traditional sampling methods. Its application to North West Shelf marine waters has been examined through two recent research studies. In the first study, the fluorescent properties of North West Shelf hydrocarbons were compared to those from North America. In general, peak fluorescence of North West Shelf samples are lower than North American and European hydrocarbons. Hence, fluorometer specifications (e.g. excitation and emission wavelengths) need to be tailored for hydrocarbon detection within North West Shelf waters. The second study measured low background fluorescence of a representative region of the North West Shelf using the fluorometer specifications recommended in the first study. This indicates that background fluorescence is unlikely to affect hydrocarbon detection in the marine waters of the North West Shelf. These studies support the use of fluorometry as a technique to reliably detect and to monitor unplanned (e.g. spills) and planned (e.g. producted formation water) hydrocarbon discharges across the North West Shelf.

STRUCTURING AND CONTROLS ON DEVONIAN REEF DEVELOPMENT ON THE NORTH-WEST BARBWIRE AND ADJACENT TERRACES, CANNING BASIN

1987 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 137 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Begg
Keyword(s):  
Carbonate Platform ◽  
Late Ordovician ◽  
Surface Distribution ◽  
Well Control ◽  
North West ◽  
Canning Basin ◽  
The North ◽  
History Of Development ◽  
History Of ◽  
Northern Side

The major terraces flanking the southern margin of the Fitzroy Trough have had a complex history of development involving at least four major episodes of structuring with varying degrees of intensity from the Mid-Late Ordovician Rodingan Movement through to the Latest Triassic-Early Jurassic Fitzroy Movement. Extensive salt tectonism associated with the massive evaporite deposits of the Silurian Carribuddy Formation has also had a profound effect on structuring in these areas.Despite sparse well control, seismic recognition of the resultant structural styles has provided the basis for more comprehensive modelling of the main controls on sedimentation than has previously been possible.In particular, a complex sub-surface distribution of stacked Devonian carbonate platform and reef complexes can now be recognised, having similar morphologies to the spectacular outcrop on the northern side of the Fitzroy Trough. In addition to broad platform areas, individual peninsula developments, isolated atolls and extensive inter-reef seaways were present at both Pillara and Nullara cycle levels, largely controlled by faulting initiated in the Mid-Devonian and influenced in some cases by salt diapirism.Identification of the carbonate and associated palaeogeographic trends will provide direction for future exploration efforts in this wildcat area.

scholarly journals Labour ward incidents and potential claims – lessons learned from research

Clinical Risk ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 235-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Ashcroft
Keyword(s):  
Human Error ◽  
Night Shift ◽  
Birth Asphyxia ◽  
Shoulder Dystocia ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Critical Periods ◽  
Term Infants ◽  
North West ◽  
The North

This paper provides an insight into the underlying factors involved in potential cerebral palsy and/or shoulder dystocia claims. The research was undertaken to identify the root causes of 37 cases of birth asphyxia in term infants severe enough to warrant admission to neonatal care units in the north-west of England between 2001 and 2002. All available staff ( n = 93) providing care during critical periods were interviewed by the author using the cognitive interviewing technique. These included 81 midwives, two consultant obstetricians, eight registrars and two senior house officers. An expert panel consisting of consultant obstetricians, midwives, a consultant neonatologist and the researcher applied the Bolam test to identify instances where care had been substandard and injury caused as a result. Although the cases were often complex, covering more than one shift and over more than one stage of labour, the most dangerous time appeared to be during the night shift (19 cases, 51%), followed by the evening shift (13 cases, 35%) and then the day shift (five cases, 14%). The main problems include: failure to respond appropriately to signs of fetal hypoxia (26 cases, 70%); undiagnosed obstruction (22 cases, 59%), which was broken down into failure to identify cephalopelvic disproportion (13 cases, 35%); and shoulder dystocia (nine cases, 24%). Delayed resuscitation of the infant occurred in 26 cases (80%), and in 18 cases (49%) there was excessive and inappropriate use of Syntocinon. All cases involved human error, either through a delay or failure to take action, or taking inappropriate action. However, these were all underpinned and perpetuated by system and cultural errors present in the labour wards, such as allowing unsupported and inexperienced personnel to work in a position for which they lacked the necessary skill and experience. This was perpetuated by the customary practice of using unsupervised junior medical staff in a first on-call position for complications, and also of failing to sustain safe midwifery staffing levels. This in turn prevented support for more inexperienced staff. Consequently, when inexperienced midwives and obstetricians were left unsupervised in charge of complicated cases, it created accidents waiting to happen. When unsupervised and inexperienced paediatricians attended the birth of an asphyxiated infant, the child's condition deteriorated further when they were unable to resuscitate it. If such system and cultural errors as these are not rectified, the current high rate of damaged babies is likely to continue.

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