Case History: High-Pressure/High-Temperature

Underbalanced Drillstem Testing

T his paper describes the

method developed to achieve
underbalanced drillstem testing (DST)
in a deepwater field offshore India. DST
x x
tools rated to 450°F and 15,000-psi
differential pressure were configured
to maintain integrity and successfully
evaluate the well potential. By use of a
multicycle DST tool string, the reservoir
potential was tested safely and
effectively with an underbalanced test
fluid in two deepwater wells, achieving
the desired test objectives.

Introduction
An operator in India needed to con-
duct high-pressure/high-temperature
x x 9⅝-in. casing
(HP/HT) drillstem testing on a deep-
water well with low-density clear brine 7-in. liner
in the annulus. Performing DST was nec- x x
essary to assess hydrocarbon poten- 5-in. liner
tial in the deepwater block for further
field-development plans. The DST tools
Fig. 1—Well schematic.
performed satisfactorily for approxi-
mately 18 days during the test on a semi-
submersible rig. Before lowering the DST tools, a well- and solid settlement could have result-
The well was completed in a 6-in. hole, integrity test was performed by conduct- ed in the retrievable packer sticking and
which resulted in a 5-in. casing program, ing an inflow test for a 5-in.-liner shoe, a could have presented challenges for an-
thereby creating a significant challenge. 5-in.-liner-hanger top, and a 7-in.-liner- nulus pressure transmission to operate
The retrievable packer suitable for the hanger top. Hermetic tests were per- DST tools. The kill-mud weight required
7-in. casing was set above the 5-in.-liner- formed to ensure that casings sustained was in the range of 15.8 to 16.8 lbm/gal,
hanger top, resulting in a tail pipe of ap- the required annulus pressure for opera- compared with the available brine weight
proximately 350 m. Well killing at the tion of the DST tools. of 11.4 to 13.8 lbm/gal. The bottomhole
end of the DST with such a long tail pipe temperature was in the range of 365
was a challenge. Need for HP/HT to 370°F.
The method of operating DST tools Underbalanced Testing
in both underbalanced brine and kill- The anticipated pore pressure was sig- Slimhole DST Tools
weight mud was developed along with a nificantly higher than the available brine The option of deploying slimhole
meticulously designed well-test program weight. The use of kill-weight mud for the DST tools suitable for a 5-in. liner was
and a well-kill procedure with a long tail DST operation was considered, but high- planned but was not possible because
pipe below the 7-in. retrievable packer. temperature conditions, barite sagging, of the available time frame. Slimhole
DST tools would have limited opera-
tions such as wireline correlation and
This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights slickline sampling.
of paper SPE 178089, “Case History: HP/HT Underbalanced Drillstem Testing,
Deepwater KG Offshore,” by Mahesh Sarode and Milind Khati, Halliburton, Planning and Execution
prepared for the 2015 SPE Oil and Gas India Conference and Exhibition, Mumbai, The objectives and challenges of this DST
24–26 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed. job were defined as follows:

For a limited time, the complete paper is free to SPE members at www.spe.org/jpt.

JPT • FEBRUARY 2017 67

 ◗ Determine the initial reservoir
pressure and temperature.
◗ Gather the bottomhole fluid sample.
◗ Verify well integrity.
◗ Perform underbalanced DST with
reservoir pressure of 15.8 lbm/
gal and temperature of 370°F at
4300‑m depth.
◗ Conduct underbalanced DST of
reservoir objects behind a 5‑in. liner
using a 7‑in. retrievable packer and
DST tools with a long tail pipe.
◗ Execute the well‑kill plan.
Equipment Preparation
After completing the logging activities,
reservoir data such as bottomhole pres‑
sure and temperature were received. This
information is very important for equip‑
ment preparation. Because the DST tools
operate with a dual‑fluid system at 370°F,
all the tools were stripped and were reas‑
sembled with special HP/HT redress kits.
Equipment reassembling, function test‑
ing, and pressure testing were carried out
by a highly experienced DST team.
Multicycle circulating valves and multi‑
cycle downhole tester valves require ni‑
trogen precharge. Because the tools were
expected to operate in both underbal‑
anced brine and kill‑weight mud, a ni‑
trogen precharge suitable to both fluid
systems was performed. The single‑shot
rupture‑disk‑operated tools were also
designed to operate in both fluid sys‑
tems. The function test of equipment is
important because the tools are required
to operate in the wellbore in HP/HT con‑
ditions. The equipment‑function test and
pressure test were witnessed by an on‑
site DST engineer and the operator’s on‑
site well‑test engineer.
Well-Test-Program Preparation
and Contingency Plan
A detailed well‑test program and DST‑
tool operating‑pressure calculation were
prepared by the service company’s well‑
test engineer and were reviewed with the
operator’s well‑test engineer. A detailed
discussion and review were held with all
involved teams to explain the detailed
well‑test program. The well‑test program
served as the reference document for
every step. It covered aspects of the op‑
eration such as well information, approv‑
al for expenditure, sequence of opera‑
tions, contingency plans in case of tubing
68
leaks, leaks in the riser, string diagrams,
operating‑pressure calculations, risk
analysis, roles and responsibilities, and
lines of communication.
Well Preparation and Testing
Operation: Detailed Steps
The detailed steps performed after com‑
pleting drilling, lowering a 5‑in. liner, and
cementing are listed here. Fig. 1 provides
the well schematic. The steps to complete
the well preparation are provided in the
complete paper.
Completing all the steps in well prep‑
aration is critical before beginning
an underbalanced tubing‑conveyed‑
perforation (TCP) and DST bottomhole‑
assembly deployment.
The following steps were taken to per‑
form the underbalanced DST:
1. Make up and run in hole the TCP
assembly.
2. Make up and run in hole the 2⅞‑in.
tubing to serve as tail pipe in the
5‑in.‑liner section.
3. Make up and run in hole the 7‑in.
retrievable packer and HP/HT DST
tools.
4. Make up and run in hole the
3½‑in. tubing up to seabed. The
tubing was hydraulically pressure
tested at very high pressures while
running in hole considering the
TCP hydraulic firing‑head pressure
and reservoir pressure.
5. The fluted hanger assembly was
made up on string and run in hole
on drillpipe as a landing string.
6. Wireline correlation was
conducted to space out guns
on depth.
7. The fluted hanger with drillpipe
was pulled out of hole and laid
down.
8. The subsea safety system was
made up; the latch/unlatch
mechanism was function tested
and run in hole.
9. The flowhead was connected after
running in hole all the assemblies.
10. The retrievable packer was set by
rotation, the rupture‑disk/pipe‑
tester valve was activated, and the
circulating valve was cycled for
cushion spotting.
11. After cushion spotting, the
circulating valve was cycled to the
well‑test position, and TCP guns
were activated hydraulically while
the downhole tester valve was kept
in fail‑safe open mode.
12. A reservoir study program was
completed. Pressure, volume, and
temperature samples were also
captured, and a gradient survey
was performed.
13. The well‑kill operation
commenced. The circulating valve
was cycled to circulating position
to displace annulus brine by kill‑
weight mud.
14. After completing the kill‑weight‑
mud displacement, the circulating
valve was cycled to the well‑test
position. At this stage, the well
volume above the circulating valve
had kill‑weight brine in annulus
and tubing.
15. The next step in the operation
was to bullhead kill mud to the
formation. Bullheading gas
trapped below the 7‑in. packer
was challenging, so, in the string
diagram, one circulating sub was
strategically placed immediately
below the 7‑in. packer.
16. The placement of the circulating
sub enabled bullheading below the
7‑in. packer into the formation.
17. The contingency plan in case
the formation did not allow
bullheading was also prepared,
which required increasing the kill‑
weight mud above 16.5 lbm/gal at
the depth of the circulating valve
(approximately 3800 m) to balance
the hydrostatic head against the
formation pressure at a depth of
4300 m, which was approximately
18.0 lbm/gal.
18. A flow check was conducted,
and the packer was unseated
afterward.
19. The TCP‑DST string was pulled out
of hole after the successful job.
Conclusion
By use of the multicycle DST tool string,
the operator was able to test the reser‑
voir potential safely and effectively with
an underbalanced test fluid in two deep‑
water wells, achieving the desired test
objectives. This project set a record for a
service company performing HP/HT un‑
derbalanced DST in a deepwater environ‑
ment in India. JPT
JPT • FEBRUARY 2017