A New Driver for Managed Pressure Drilling: Reducing Stuck Pipe Occurence
Abstract
Differences between mud pressure in a wellbore and pore pressure in high permeability rocks can lead to differential sticking, particularly when drilling deviated wells and encountering mud losses. Several solutions, all challenging, can be used to address this problem. The conventional mitigation has been to manage mud weight (MW) accordingly. However, managed pressure drilling (MPD) offers a promising solution with positive risk-adjusted cost and other benefits. Wells in the E oilfield in southern Iraq are typically drilled overbalanced and therefore often experience a high percentage of non-productive time (NPT) due to differential sticking. This study evaluates the feasibility of using MPD to optimize the drilling process by decreasing mud weight while applying required surface pressure to achieve the target bottom hole pressure (BHP). A software simulation model uses different mud weights to determine required choke surface backp ressure (SBP) to achieve the initial target equivalent circulation density (ECD). Historically, differential sticking has not been a primary driver to justify MPD. However, MPD offers more dynamic and rapid wellbore pressure control by adjusting SBP applied to the annulus for a given MW, and can actually decrease the risk of differential sticking. Instead of shifting MW or changing other drilling parameters, MPD adjusts the required ECD and/or equivalent static density (ESD) based on formation pore pressure gradient. Additionally, MPD directly lowers SBP in the event of mud losses due to high ECD/ESD to decrease the BHP without the need to reduce MW. This paper discusses hydraulic simulation software used to model the drilling development plan. The software optimizes MW and SBP while drilling, making pipe connections, and completing the well. Furthermore, it discusses the sensitivity effects of each parameter on wellbore pressure and provides guidelines for managing pressure by adjusting these variables.
Recommended Citation
E. H. Alkamil et al., "A New Driver for Managed Pressure Drilling: Reducing Stuck Pipe Occurence," Proceedings of the SPE Oil and Gas India Conference and Exhibition (2017, Mumbai, India), Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Apr 2017.
Meeting Name
SPE Oil and Gas India Conference and Exhibition 2017 (2017: Apr. 4-6, Mumbai, India)
Department(s)
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Drilling; Well drilling; Kick detection
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-151084202-1
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2017 Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Apr 2017