Recommended Practice: Off-Bottom Drilling Practices Page 1 of 3

Alaska Drilling and Wells

Recommended Practice: Off-Bottom Drilling Practices

Authority: CTD Manager Custodian: Drilling Representative

Document
Drilling and Wells
Drilling and Wells – CTD Control
Scope: Document Control
Operations Administrator
Specialist
:
Issue Date: December 1997 Issuing Dept: Drilling and Wells
Revision Date: June 01, 2002 Control Tier: Tier 4
Next Review Date: June 01, 2005

1.0 Purpose/Scope
Reduced trip times represents a significant efficiency gain that coil tubing drilling has by
comparison to jointed pipe drilling. Speed is generally limited by surface equipment and not
downhole conditions, where PWD (Pressure While Drilling) data has confirmed minimal surge
and swab effects for 2-3/8” coil operations. The primary surface limitation on how fast the coil
can be pulled or run is the hydraulic pressure to the motors driving the chains and associated
wear and tear on the injector equipment. For operations involving 2” coil, which can involve
smaller annular clearances, additional care must be taken while tripping to prevent swabbing
formation fluids.

2.0 Definitions
FPM – feet per minute
TF – tool face.
EOP – end of pipe
SD – shut down
DLS – dog leg section
BHCS – borehole compensated sonic (log)

3.0 General Requirements

4.0 Key Responsibilities

5.0 Procedure/Process
TRIPPING
Average tripping speeds range from 70 to 120 FPM. A 70 FPM speed is common while POOH
in low gear with a string weight >30k lbs. A 120 FPM speed should be expected in high gear
with a string weight <30k lbs. These speeds are common in tubing and casing above the
window. In open hole, the speeds are intentionally reduced to improve hole cleaning (POOH)
and to minimize the chance of sidetracking if a ledge is tagged (RIH). Below are some tripping
guidelines with associated routine activities:
1. Keep the hole full with drilling fluid at all times. Usually, tripping in tubing/casing is done at
a low pump rate and pressure (to minimize coil fatigue) but high enough to maintain returns.
Little or no bit damage, including bi-center designs, has ever been noted while circulating
inside casing at any pump rate. Filling down the backside is not as effective as filling down
the coil while POOH, particularly in 3-1/2” tubing. Fluid levels must be monitored and
recorded every one thousand feet or less while tripping out of the hole to ensure proper fill.

Control Tier: 4 – ADW Revision Date: 06/01/02

Document Number: UPS-US-AK-ADW-CTD-HSE-DOC-00021-4 Print Date: 08/13/02
PAPER COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED. THIS COPY VALID ONLY AT THE TIME OF PRINTING. THE
CONTROLLED VERSION OF THIS DOCUMENT CAN BE FOUND AT http://alaska.bpweb.bp.com/ems
Recommended Practice: Off-Bottom Drilling Practices Page 2 of 3

2. On the first trip in with the drilling BHA, slow down across the GLM’s and other jewelry and
note any problem areas. While tripping in with a PDC bit and/or MWD assembly, running
speed should not exceed 100 FPM. Circulation at minimum rate can help prevent bit nozzle
plugging.
3. Function test MWD equipment near surface when RIH to ensure all tools are working
correctly. If the motor angle is above 1.5 dgrees and/or inside 3-1/2” tubing, the shallow hole
test should be performed while slowly pulling out of the hole.
4. When the BHA gets near the window while RIH, SD or minimize pump rate, and attempt to
run through the window without the motor spinning. If unsuccessful, PU into casing and
orient to the same tool face at which the window was milled. SD pumps again, and try to
run through. If unsuccessful, repeat while pumping at minimum rate, usually 0.5 to 0.75
bpm. Do not attempt to pass through the window while circulating at full rate. Severe
damage to the PDC bit will result. Once the bit is in open hole, return to full pump rate.
Working tools past the window in this manner prevents tearing up the bit.
5. Continue in open hole to TD at full pump rate, but reduce RI speed (<50 FPM) and be very
cautious of setting down particularly in the build section. If the tools take any weight or any
motor work is observed, immediately PU, check/adjust tool face, and RIH again slowly. To
prevent sidetracking the well at ledges or high DLS areas, it may be necessary to minimize
pump rate if aggressive working of the BHA is required to get down past the problem area
(see discussion on ledges in “Stuck Pipe” section below). The tendency to sidetrack is
reduced with bi-center bits.
6. Depth control and tie-ins: On the initial trip in with the drilling BHA, make a logging pass in
the casing above the whipstock and tie into BHCS (or E-line equivalent). On subsequent tie-
ins, use this location or the RA tag reference in the whipstock. If the latter is used, make sure
the bit is outside the window before bringing pumps up to log. It has become common
practice to tie-in and flag pipe before POOH for a BHA change. But regardless when the tie-
in log is done, it is recommended to always flag pipe (with BHA above the window) before
POOH. Be sure to record flag as EOP depth and not bit depth.

HOLE CLEANING
Removal of cuttings from the open hole is critical to ensure smooth drilling (weight transfer),
reduce the chance of stuck pipe, and to optimize hole conditions for running and cementing the
liner. In a horizontal well, the high velocity mud by itself is insufficient to remove the cuttings
beds entirely. Agitation is required to stir-up the cuttings so the mud can transport them to
surface. Unlike conventional drilling where the entire string can be rotated, coiled tubing
drilling has only the bit to provide the agitation. Therefore, frequent wiper trips to the window
are necessary. Recommendations for wiper trips are as follows:
1. Perform a full wiper trip to the window and back for every 150’ to 200’ of new hole drilled.
Running speed should be about 20 - 30 FPM at full pump rate. Consider repeat passes or
slower speeds in low points (belly) of horizontal profiles. For well geometries with high
angle and/or long liner sections below the tubing tail, wiper trips to the tubing tail may be
required every two or three wiper trips to the window.
2. Short wiper trips of 60’ - 100’ (BHA length) have also been proven successful if repeated
stacking occurs. However, these short trips have not proved to be successful for general hole
cleaning and usually a full wiper trip is imminent.
3. Once the well is TD’d, a full wiper trip with tie-in at the window is recommended. Also,
with the BHA above the window and before POOH to run liner, it may be desirable to drop a
ball and open the circ sub to try and lift any solids which may have accumulated in the larger

Control Tier: 4 – ADW Revision Date: 06/01/02

Document Number: UPS-US-AK-ADW-CTD-HSE-DOC-00021-4 Print Date: 08/13/02
PAPER COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED. THIS COPY VALID ONLY AT THE TIME OF PRINTING. THE
CONTROLLED VERSION OF THIS DOCUMENT CAN BE FOUND AT http://alaska.bpweb.bp.com/ems
Recommended Practice: Off-Bottom Drilling Practices Page 3 of 3

ID casing/tubing. There is a trade off between bit agitation of the cuttings and the increased
circulation rate.

6.0 Key Documents/Tools/References

n/a

Revision Log
Revision Date Approving Custodian/ Author Revision Details
Authority
December 1997 Original Issue
March 31, 1999 Drilling Manager John McMullen
June 1, 2002 Mark Stanley Gary Goodrich Updated to reflect current practices

<< Revision date >> << Approving << Author’s Name >> << Brief Description of Revision
Authority’s Name >> >>
(or, see attached e-mail )
Approving Authority signature Date

Control Tier: 4 – ADW Revision Date: 06/01/02

Document Number: UPS-US-AK-ADW-CTD-HSE-DOC-00021-4 Print Date: 08/13/02
PAPER COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED. THIS COPY VALID ONLY AT THE TIME OF PRINTING. THE
CONTROLLED VERSION OF THIS DOCUMENT CAN BE FOUND AT http://alaska.bpweb.bp.com/ems