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Well Control Lecture Notes

Here are the steps to solve this example: i) Mud pressure overbalance = 0.052 * 12.5 * 7500 - 4500 = 1000 psi ii) If mud density is 10.5 ppg: Mud pressure = 0.052 * 10.5 * 7500 = 3975 psi Overbalance = 3975 - 4500 = -525 psi (underbalanced) iii) If annular fluid level drops to 250 ft: Annular hydrostatic pressure = 0.052 * 12.5 * 250 = 156.25 psi BHP = Psidp + Mud pressure - Annular pressure = 4500 + 3975 - 156.25 = 7318.75

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490 views

Well Control Lecture Notes

Here are the steps to solve this example: i) Mud pressure overbalance = 0.052 * 12.5 * 7500 - 4500 = 1000 psi ii) If mud density is 10.5 ppg: Mud pressure = 0.052 * 10.5 * 7500 = 3975 psi Overbalance = 3975 - 4500 = -525 psi (underbalanced) iii) If annular fluid level drops to 250 ft: Annular hydrostatic pressure = 0.052 * 12.5 * 250 = 156.25 psi BHP = Psidp + Mud pressure - Annular pressure = 4500 + 3975 - 156.25 = 7318.75

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ShakerMahmood
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Chapter 7 Well Control and Monitoring Program

Introduction
Well Control System
Well Control Principles
Warning Signals of Kicks
Primary Indicators
Secondary Indicators
Control of Influx and Kill Mud
Analysis of Shut-in-Pressure
BOP Equipment for Well Control System
Well Monitoring System
Current Practice in Well Control and Monitoring
Managed Pressure Drilling
Introduction

Well control and monitoring systems are an integrated or combined part of drilling
operations. Well control means an assurance of formation fluid (oil, gas or water)
that does not flow in an uncontrolled way from the formations being drilled, into
the borehole and eventually or finally to the surface. It prevents the uncontrolled
flow of formation fluids (‘kick’) from the wellbore.

Hence, a kick can be defined as an unexpected entry of formation fluid(s) into the
wellbore, causing a rise of mud-level in the mud pit. Therefore controlling the well
is an important issue in any drilling activity.
The well control system can be defined as the technology usages to control the
fluid invasion and to maintain a balance between borehole pressure (pressure
exerted by the mud column in the wellbore) and formation pressure (pressure in
the pore space of the formation) for preventing or directing the flow of formation
fluids into the wellbore.

The control system must have the options:

1. To detect a kick
2. To close the well at surface
3. To remove formation fluid
4. To make the well safe
The well-control procedure starts with installing large valves at the top of the well
to enable well-site personnel to close the well if necessary.

During drilling, underground fluids such as gas, water, or oil under pressure (the
formation pressure) opposes the drilling fluid pressure (mud pressure). If the
formation pressure is greater than the mud pressure, there is the possibility to
have a kick and ultimately or finally a blowout.

Well Control System


The control of the formation pressure is normally referred to as keeping the
pressures in the well under control or simply well control. When pressure control
over the well is lost, immediate action must be taken to avoid the severe
consequences of the blowout.
The consequences may include:

1. Loss of human life


2. Loss of rig and equipment
3. Loss of reservoir fluids
4. Damage to the environment
5. Loss of capital investment
6. Huge cost involvement to bringing back the well under control.

Therefore, it is important to understand the principles of well control, procedures


and equipment used to prevent blowouts.
In addition, there are some parameters such as mud properties that cannot be
determined automatically. these parameters are measured, recorded, and
controlled constantly or all the time as well as through physical experiments.

An optimum drilling operation requires close control over a number of parameters.

A modern rig should have devices that will show and at the same time record the
important parameters related to the drilling operation.
Some of the most important parameters that are related to drilling operations,
and well control and monitoring system are:

• Pump rate
• Well depth
• Flow return
• Weight on bit (WOB)
• Pump pressure
• Hook load
• Pit level
• Rotary speed
• Rate of penetration (ROP)
• Rotary torque
• Fluid properties (such as density,
• Mud flow rate temperature, viscosity, salinity,
gas content, solids content etc.)
• Hazardous gas content of air.
The rig crews must be alert at all the times to recognize the signs of a kick and to take immediate
action to bring the well back under control. The kick occurs due to the pressure imbalance (the
pressure inside the wellbore (Pw) is lower than the formation pore pressure (Pf) in a permeable
formation). The imbalance might happen if the mud density is too low, or fluid level is too low
due to the mud-loss, and lost circulation (swabbing i.e. cleaning on trips; and circulation stopped
i.e. ECD is too low). As a result, the severity of the kick depends on several factors:

1. Type of formation,
2. Formation pressure
3. The nature of influx.

The higher the permeability and porosity of the formation are, the greater the potential for a
severe kick is. The greater negative pressure differential (formation pressure to wellbore
pressure) is, the easier it is for the formation fluids to enter the wellbore, exclusively if this is
coupled or connected with high permeability and porosity. Finally, gas will flow into the wellbore
much faster than oil or water and therefore, the obvious result is blowout if a kick is not
controlled.
Well control operations are badly needed when formation fluids start to flow into the well and
displace the mud. Figure below shows the hydraulic flow paths during well- control operations.
Formation fluids that have entered the wellbore generally must be removed by circulating the
well through an adjustable chock at the surface (Fig below). The bottomhole pressure of the well
at all times must remain above the pore pressure of the formation to prevent additional influx or
flow of the formation fluid.

Figure above Schematic of well control operations


Well Control Principles
Well control is implemented by basically two principles:

1. Primary control
2. Secondary control
These two controls can restrict or keep under the control the fluid flow from the formation into
the wellbore, which lead to save the well from the blowout. However, there is another line of
control that is called tertiary control. is control is last control recently developed as blowout
prevention. Figure below shows the different levels of well control in terms of primary,
secondary, and tertiary control.

Figure above Levels of well control


Primary Control
Primary control is defined as the control by confirming that the borehole pressure
is greater than the formation pressure. It maintains a positive differential pressure
or overbalance on the formation pressure (Figure below)

Fig above Primary control – formation pressure control with mud column
Secondary control can be referred to as the shutdown on the BOP valves at the
surface. This control is needed once the primary control fails which indicates that
an unexpected high-pressure formation fluid is entered into the wellbore and
starts to flow. The purposes of this control are:

1. To stop the flow of unexpected fluids into the wellbore


2. To allow the influx to be circulated to the surface and safely discharged
3. To prevent further influx to the downhole
Control of Influx or flow and Kill Mud
Once there is an influx or flow of the formation fluid (i.e. kick) at the borehole, it is
necessary to control the well effectively. Otherwise, the well would be beyond
control. therefore, kill mud calculations are needed to bring back the well under
primary control. the following subsections describe how the kill mud can control a
well.
Analysis of Shut-in-Pressure
When the formation fluid is already in wellbore and as a result the well is in shut-
in condition, the pressures at the drill pipe and the annulus can be used to
determine
1. The formation pore pressure
2. The mud weight required to kill the well
3. The type of influx.
Due to the shut-in condition, the pressure at the top of the drill string will increase
until the sum of drill pipe pressure and the hydrostatic pressure due to the fluids
in the drill pipe are equal to the pressure in the formation.
Mathematically the expression can be written as:

Hvc = total vertical height of the mud column


dh = hole diameter
Pom1 = original mud weight
Pf = formation pore pressure
Pom2 = original mud weight
Hann = vertical height of the mud column in the annulus
Example 5.1: A 81/2” diameter hole is drilled up to 7500 . with a density of 12.5 ppg. If the
formation pore pressure at this point is 4500 psi.

Calculate
i) mud pressure overbalance above the pore pressure,
ii) if the mud density is 10.5 ppg, what would be the over- balance,
iii) if the fluid level in the annulus is dropped to 250 . due to inadequate hole ll up during
tripping, what would be the effect on bottomhole pressure?

Pob1 =0.052 Pom1 Hvc - Pf

P bhp = P sidp +0.052 Pom1 Hvc

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