Optimising Well Design in Saudi Arabia: Successful Application of Managed Pressure Drilling Enables Drilling Across Multiple Pressure Zones and Running Liner Using Constant Bottom Hole Pressure Technique

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson O Pinero Zambrano ◽  
Ibraheem M Al-Ageel ◽  
Muhammad Abdul Muqeem ◽  
Abdulaziz Sallim Al Mutawa ◽  
Mohamed Cherif Mazouz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Well Design ◽  
Managed Pressure Drilling

First MPD Project in Myanmar Successfully Completed on Deepwater Exploration Well

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harpreet Kaur Dalgit Singh ◽  
Bao Ta Quoc ◽  
Benny Benny ◽  
Ching Shearn Ho
Keyword(s):  
Pore Pressure ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Back Pressure ◽  
Deepwater Drilling ◽  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Managed Pressure Drilling ◽  
Pore Pressure Prediction ◽  
Exploration Well

Abstract With the many challenges associated with Deepwater Drilling, Managed Pressure Drilling has proven to be a very useful tool to mitigate many hurdles. Client approached Managed Pressure Drilling technology to drill Myanmar's first MPD well on a Deepwater exploration well. The well was drilled with a Below Tension Ring-Slim Rotating Control Device (BTR-S RCD) and Automated MPD Choke System installed on semi-submersible rig, Noble Clyde Boudreaux (NCB). The paper will detail MPD objectives, application and well challenges, in conjunction with pore pressure prediction to manage the bottom hole pressure to drill to well total depth safely and efficiently. This exploration well was drilled from a water depth of 590m from a Semisubmersible rig required MPD application for its exploratory drilling due to uncertainties of drilling window which contained a sharp pressure ramp, with a history of well bore ballooning there was high potential to encounter gas in the riser. The Deepwater MPD package integrated with the rig system, offered a safer approach to overcome the challenges by enhanced influx monitoring and applying surface back pressure (SBP) to adjust bottom hole pressures as required. Additionally, modified pore pressure hunting method was incorporated to the drilling operation to allow more accurate pore pressure prediction, which was then applied to determine the required SBP in order to maintain the desired minimum overbalance while drilling ahead. The closed loop MPD circulating system allowed to divert returns from the well, through MPD flow spool into MPD distribution manifold and MPD automated choke manifold system to the shakers and rig mud gas separator (MGS). The automated MPD system allows control and adjustments of surface back pressure to control bottom hole pressure. MPD technology was applied with minimal overbalance on drilling and connections while monitoring on background gases. A refined pore pressure hunting method was introduced with manipulation of applied surface back pressure to define this exploration well pore pressure and drilling window. The applied MPD Deepwater technique proved for cost efficiency and rig days to allow two deeper casing setting depths and eliminating requirement to run contingency liners. MPD system and equipment is proving to be a requirement for Deepwater drilling for optimizing drilling efficiency. This paper will also capture detailed lesson learned from the operations as part of continuous learning for improvement on Deepwater MPD drilling.

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.

Taking the Proper Action to Gas Influx during Constant Bottom-Hole Pressure Technique of Managed Pressure Drilling

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengjiao Yu ◽  
Ali Karimi Vajargah ◽  
Stefan Z Miska ◽  
Reza Majidi ◽  
Mehmet Evren Ozbayoglu
Keyword(s):  
Proper Action ◽  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Managed Pressure Drilling

Precise Bottom Hole Pressure Management to Reach Target Depth in a Narrow Windowed Ultra HP-HT Well: A Case for Automated Managed Pressure Drilling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Khalid ◽  
Qasim Ashraf ◽  
Khurram Luqman ◽  
Ayoub Hadj Moussa ◽  
Agha Ghulam Nabi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Formation Pressure ◽  
Hole Pressure ◽  
Bottom Hole Pressure ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Coastal Belt ◽  
Managed Pressure Drilling ◽  
Wellbore Pressure ◽  
Target Depth

Abstract With the energy sector in crisis the worldover, oil and gas operators continue to seek more effective and efficient methods to reach potential prospects. With sharply declining oil prices, it is imperative that operators minimize the non-productive time in the drilling of all wells. Many operators are actively seeking riskier exploration to establish a strong foothold in this volatile market. One such area of interest to operators is HPHT and beyond wells. An HPHT prospect carries a high-risk high-reward potential, therefore newer and advanced methods are being deployed to successfully drill and complete HPHT wells. The Makran Coastal belt in south western Pakistan is one such area containing a potential Ultra-HPHT prospect. Many operators had attempted to drill about 9 wells in the locality but never managed to reach target depth due to drilling operations being plagued with a large number of problems. The drilling problems included high pressure influxes, stuck pipe while controlling influxes, circulation losses with high mud weights and ECD’s, differential sticking against permeable formations, inefficient bottom hole pressure control due to mud weight reduction with high temperatures and swabbing from the formation due to having an insufficient trip margin. The operator was facing an extremely narrow drilling window in the target section. The maximum formation pressure was estimated to be around 2.29 SG while the maximum fracture pressure of the formation was estimated to be around 2.35 SG in EMW. It was abundantly clear that drilling with a conventional mud system would be impossible and impractical on all forthcoming wells. As it was of paramount importance to precisely manage the wellbore pressure profile, the operator decided to apply managed pressure drilling on a candidate well. By applying managed pressure drilling techniques the operator expected to drill the section with an underbalanced mud weight and maneuver the bottom hole pressure just above the pore pressure line and thereby avoid circulation losses, detect influxes early on and control influxes without the need of ever shutting in the well, account for mud density variations with temperatures by executing an advanced thermal hydraulics model in real time, mitigate swabbing from the formation again by maintaining a constant bottom hole pressure while tripping, and finally ascertain the downhole pressure environment by conducting dynamic formation pressure tests. The successful application of MPD enabled the operator to reach target depth for the first time in the history of the area. The paper studies the planning, design, and execution of MPD on the subject well.

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