The Theory and the Practical Validation of the Fluid Level Position in the Annulus During Lost Circulation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Ruzhnikov ◽  
Edgar Echevarria
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Fluid Level ◽  
Drilling Tool ◽  
Lost Circulation ◽  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Carbonate Formations

Abstract Carbonate formations around the world and specifically in a Middle East are prone to have total losses while drilling. And the nature of the losses often related to the highly fractured formations of the pay zone. When such fracture(s) is crossed by the wellbore the lost circulation initiated and led to a drilling without a return to a surface. To avoid undesired well control event or wellbore instability and to maintain the constant bottom hole pressure the mud cap drilling strategy often used as a preventative measure. The mud cap can be either the continuous or based on some volume or time interval, depends on the local practices or the policy of an operator. The mud cap flow rate as well as mud cap mud weight are often based on the best practices, not supported by an engineering study. To understand the behavior of the drilling fluid level in the annulus while drilling with total losses the drilling bottom hole assembly equipped with annular pressure while drilling tool was used. As the drilling required to use the continuous mud cap, then the specific guideline was developed on measurement of the bottom hole pressure and further conversion of it to the fluid level. The study was performed across pay zone with one or several loss circulation zones identified. As the result it was confirmed that the used mud cap flow rate had minor to none effect on the fluid level position in the annulus and that the bottom hole pressure remained the same. It showed as well that different loss zones are behaving in a different way, what can be considered as a factor affecting their ability to be sealed. The obtained knowledge and the information should help to understand better the loss circulation behavior as well be an important step toward development of the product which may cure the losses in high fractured carbonate formations. The results of the study can be implemented in any other project or a field.

scholarly journals Research on Overflow Monitoring Mechanism Based on Downhole Microflow Detection

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Ge ◽  
Ze Hu ◽  
Ping Chen ◽  
Lei Shi ◽  
Qing Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Flow Measurement ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Rate Variation ◽  
Lost Circulation ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Managed Pressure Drilling ◽  
Type Flow ◽  
Drilling System ◽  
The Cost

The flow rate variation of the drilling fluid and micro-overflow loss is difficult to analyze. The purpose to prevent the occurrence of kick, lost circulation, and other complex conditions is not easy to be achieved. Therefore, the microflow-induced annulus multiphase flow rate and annulus pressure field model were studied, and a downhole microflow measurement system has been developed. A differential pressure type flow measurement was used in the system, and real-time downhole information was obtained to achieve deep, narrow windows and other safety-density complex formation security. This paper introduced a new bottom-hole flow meter which can measure the annular flux while drilling and monitor overflow and circulation loss. The accuracy and reliability of the MPD (managed pressure drilling) system can be improved obviously by applying the device; as a result, the safety of drilling is enhanced and the cost is reduced.

Drilling the Un Drillable: A Case Study of the Bela Well in Makran Accretionary Prism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umair Ahmed Baig ◽  
Ghulam Nabi Agha
Keyword(s):  
Pore Pressure ◽  
Accretionary Prism ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Lost Circulation ◽  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Fracture Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole

Abstract The Bela Well is situated on Makran accretionary prism with several active mud volcanoes that makes conventional drilling challenging due to the extremely high pore pressure i.e. in excess of 15,000 psi and a very narrow window between pore pressure and fracture pressure. This adverse condition was observed in the 9 offset wells drilled within this basin with problems related to wellbore instability, lost-circulation zones and over-pressured formations leading to kick/loss well control scenarios that resulted in the well being abandoned prior to reaching the geological target. The constraint to drill the planned and 8-3/8" section in the well was the unpredictability of the pore/fracture pressure in the Panjgur formation representing a high-level operational risk. Solutions to tackle such a high pressure well included incorporating heavy grade casing i.e. 9-7/8"- 72 ppf in the planning stage, utilization of a 3000 HP rig to cater to extreme axial and hydraulic loads. Whereas MPD was planned as a technique to cater to the narrow window between pore pressure and fracture pressure. A managed pressure drilling (MPD) system was utilized to enable drilling the 8-3/8" hole section. An MPD system that applies constant bottom hole pressure enabled drilling the section with statically underbalanced mud weight by keeping a constant surface back pressure to prevent any influx. The drilling window for MPD was validated by determining the Bottom Hole Pressure where both, an influx from the formation and fluid losses occurred. These values were later used to establish the target Equivalent Circulating Density-ECD to drill the hole accordingly. Trips for BHA change or BOP test were performed by placing a pressurized mud cap in the wellbore. This paper describes in detail the successful MPD application resulted in the first well being drilled in the Makran accretionary prism to a depth of 5000 m. Lessons learned and challenges encountered will also be discussed in this paper

Managed Pressure Drilling and Underbalanced Drilling Compounded Role in Solving the Exploration and Appraisal Challenges of Biogenetic Gas Resources in the United Arab Emirates -Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Al Mutawa ◽  
Ibrahim Hamdy ◽  
Eias Daban Al Shamisi ◽  
Bassem El Yossef ◽  
Mohamed Sameer Amin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Productivity Index ◽  
Biogenic Gas ◽  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Underbalanced Drilling ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Managed Pressure Drilling

Abstract Biogenic gas resources have gathered importance recently due to its widespread availability, occurrence at geologically predictable circumstances, and existence at shallow depths. It is estimated that biogenic gas forms more than 20% of the global discovered reserves. However, the exploration and development of these unconventional resources come with numerous drilling and reservoir challenges. This paper showcases a novel approach used in the United Arab Emirates to overcome these challenges using managed pressure and underbalanced drilling. To tackle both reservoir and drilling challenges, a hybrid solution combining Underbalanced (UBD) and Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) was applied. UBD was used to characterize the reservoir in terms of pressure and productivity index to ultimately enhance productivity by eliminating formation damage. MPD was used next to continue drilling through the problematic zone which had high instability due to the presence of highly sensitive salt, in addition to the presence of high pressure and loss zones. The fit for purpose hybrid application design allowed the operator to immediately switch between UBD and MPD conditions, as the well required with the same equipment. Three of the four targeted formations were in the 8 ½″ hole section, UBD was selected to drill the first reservoir formation which allowed pore pressure verification and avoided using excessive mud weight that was the culprit of many challenges like slow ROP, drilling fluid losses, bit balling, and fracking the formations. UBD has proved that mud weight can be reduced by 20%-30% comparing to conventional drilling. The second formation was a salt formation that has caused previously hole collapse and losses-kicks problems as heavy mud used to drill this salty formation. MPD used successfully drill this section by constant bottom hole pressure and lower mud weight as it was found from analyzing offset wells reports that hole collapse occurred at connections and pump off events. Constant Bottom Hole Pressure (CBHP) also eliminated tight spots and excessive reaming resulting in optimized drilling. The third formation used MPD as well to minimize overbalance pressure over previous sections while the fourth formation was drilled by UBD as it had a separate 6″ hole section as it formed an independent reservoir. The combined MPD and UBD approach eliminated most the NPT encountered in offset wells, enhanced Rate of Penetration (ROP) by 200% to 300% and slashed the well drilling time by 27 days.

scholarly journals Dynamical well-killing simulation of a vertical H2S-containing natural gas well

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Liangjie Mao ◽  
Mingjie Cai ◽  
Qingyou Liu ◽  
Guorong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Transient Temperature ◽  
Fluid Density ◽  
Gas Well ◽  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Casing Pressure

This work aims to explore the dynamical well-killing process of a vertical H2S-containing natural gas well. A dynamical well-killing model considering an H2S solubility was established to simulate the overflow and well-killing process of a vertical H2S-containing natural gas well. The mass and momentum equations of the coupled model were solved using finite difference method, while the transient temperature prediction model was solved using finite volume method. The coupled model was validated by reproducing experimental data and field data of Well Tiandong #5. The effect of H2S content, mud displacement, drilling fluid density, and initial overflow volume on the dynamical well-killing process of an H2S-containing natural gas well were obtained and analyzed in this work. Results showed that H2S will gasify near wellhead during well killing when casing pressure decreases. To balance the bottom hole pressure, when H2S releases, the casing pressure increases as H2S content increases. As initial overflow volume increases, the annular temperature, annular pressure and the casing pressure increase significantly. When H2S gasifies, the casing pressure applied at wellhead should be higher at lower initial overflow volume to balance bottom hole pressure. In the well-killing process, the annular pressure and temperature decrease as drilling fluid density increases and a lower casing pressure is needed for balancing bottom hole pressure. The casing pressure is lower at a higher displacement for higher friction resistance. Besides, as well-killing displacement increases H2S will gasify at an earlier time. When drilling for H2S-containing natural gas well, early detection of gas kick should be more frequent to avoid severe overflow. Besides, higher displacement and density of drilling fluid should be considered to avoid stratum fracturing and prevent leakage accidents under the premise of meeting drilling requirements.

MPD Applicaton on ERD Well Offshore Venezuela – Managing Bottom Hole Pressure within Narrow Window in a Faulted Limestone Formation with an Static Underbalanced Drilling Fluid

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Martinez ◽  
Maurizio Scotto ◽  
Gerardo Mendez ◽  
Filippo Santaniello ◽  
Mohammed Reda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Underbalanced Drilling ◽  
Bottom Hole

scholarly journals Production behavior evaluation on multilayer commingled stress-sensitive carbonate gas reservoir

2020 ◽  
pp. 014459872096415
Author(s):  
Jianlin Guo ◽  
Fankun Meng ◽  
Ailin Jia ◽  
Shuo Dong ◽  
Haijun Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Sedimentary Environment ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Inversion Algorithm ◽  
Gas Reservoir ◽  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Production Behavior

Influenced by the complex sedimentary environment, a well always penetrates multiple layers with different properties, which leads to the difficulty of analyzing the production behavior for each layer. Therefore, in this paper, a semi-analytical model to evaluate the production performance of each layer in a stress-sensitive multilayer carbonated gas reservoir is proposed. The flow of fluids in layers composed of matrix, fractures, and vugs can be described by triple-porosity/single permeability model, and the other layers could be characterized by single porosity media. The stress-sensitive exponents for different layers are determined by laboratory experiments and curve fitting, which are considered in pseudo-pressure and pseudo-time factor. Laplace transformation, Duhamel convolution, Stehfest inversion algorithm are used to solve the proposed model. Through the comparison with the classical solution, and the matching with real bottom-hole pressure data, the accuracy of the presented model is verified. A synthetic case which has two layers, where the first one is tight and the second one is full of fractures and vugs, is utilized to study the effects of stress-sensitive exponents, skin factors, formation radius and permeability for these two layers on production performance. The results demonstrate that the initial well production is mainly derived from high permeable layer, which causes that with the rise of formation permeability and radius, and the decrease of stress-sensitive exponents and skin factors, in the early stage, the bottom-hole pressure and the second layer production rate will increase. While the first layer contributes a lot to the total production in the later period, the well bottom-hole pressure is more influenced by the variation of formation and well condition parameters at the later stage. Compared with the second layer, the scales of formation permeability and skin factor for first layer have significant impacts on production behaviors.

Study of the process of changing of the bottom hole pressure in time under the conditions of gaslift flowing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mokliak ◽  
B. Mishchuk ◽  
A. Hrytsanchuk ◽  
M. Schepanskyi
Keyword(s):  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole
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