Application of Numerical Simulation Technique to the

Study of Well Killing While Drilling Mud Has

Completely Erupted Out from Borehole

Jun Fan, Xi-an Wang, Song Han, and Zhong-shen Yu

Chongqing University of Science and Technology, P.R. China

Abstract. To kill blowout wells from which all drilling mud has blown out needs
some specific knowledge and understanding of how to determine and plan rele-
vant parameters related to a successful killing job. A comprehensive model is
developed to characterize the cocurrent flow of gas/liquid and dynamic pressure
response within borehole, and investigate the complete kill procedures and the
necessary conditions leading to a successful kill operation under any given blow-
out conditions. The model is composed of a set of equations with respect to
gas/mud transient flow natures, gas influx and pressure balance relationships.
Based on the theoretical model, a computer program was constituted by solution
of the appropriate equations with numerical method, which is currently capable of
simulating the complete empty hole blowout process and showing the typical
values and results for development and variations of the fluids distribution, flow
rate, fluid density and pressure profile along wellbore. Simulation results indicate
that for any given empty hole blowout situations, there is a certain parameter
combination region associated with the allowed annular pressure, injection rates
and kill mud densities. If the planed kill parameter combination does not fall into
such a region a blowing well is impossible to be killed.

Keywords: Well killing, dynamic model, numerical simulation.

1 Introduction
Gas kicks are commonly encountered in drill phase. Gas kicks usually develop
rapidly because of the limited borehole geometry and the specific properties of gas
such that any improper handing and actions taken after the occurrence of gas kicks
may result in a severe blowout. Killing of empty hole blowout differs from normal
well control techniques and procedures. Due to loss of borehole hydrostatic pres-
sure, the BOPS can not directly provide enough back pressure to balance forma-
tion fluid pressure and hence stop gas influx. As a result, the injected kill mud into
borehole will be partially blowing out with high flow rate gas and the gas distribu-
tion, mixture density and velocity are varied against depth and time, making the
pressure built up at bottomhole difficult to be estimated. It is obvious that if
the predetermined kill parameters are not suitable to the blowout conditions, the

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system-intake can actually never reach such balance point or value to stop gas
influx, therefore making kill impossible.
Although a large amount of studies have conducted on well control, few of
them are involved in the issue of blowout killing under empty hole condition.
Kouba et SI. [l] proposed a method for calculating minimum kill rate, and Lynch
et al. [2] and Blount et al. [3] reported two successful dynamic kill operations.
However all the existing studies and calculations are steady-state or pseudo
steady-state only and oversimplified in modeling. None of the approach has inves-
tigated the complete kill process, development and variations of the complex flow
system as well as the effect of each relevant factor on kill process. In fact, the
distribution and variation of gas liquid, mixture density and velocity, and pressure
profiles directly govern the consequences. Therefore whether or not a blowout
well can be killed primarily depends on the comprehensive natures of the flow
system and the developing regularities of the dynamic process, which in turn de-
termines kill parameter combinations required to sustain kill operation.
The objective of this work is to develop a more rigorous model to investigate
the complete blowout kill process and the effect of each factor on the system re-
sponse, and hence find out the dominant factors governing kill operation and
eventually determine the kill parameter combinations available for a successful
empty hole blowout kill.

2 Theoretical Model
Basic Assumptions. The model was developed based on following assumptions:

1) The flow system is one-dimensional spatial geometry along drill string or the
wellbore due to the limited cross-sectional size compared with the axial wellbore
length, and the drill string is located at bottom of the hole during the complete
blowout kill process.
2) Temperature gradient in borehole is assumed known and constant (referring
to the formation temperature gradient) throughout the transient.
3) The mass transfer or gas solubility in kill mud is negligible for a water-based
mud system;

3 Mathematical Model
Nine basic variables are required to completely describe the gas/liquid flow sys-
tem: gas and mud density, gas and mud velocity, gas volume fraction wellbore
geometry and deviation angle, pressure and temperature. The equations employed
are as follows：
Gas mass balance equation
∂
(AE g ρ g ) + ∂ (AE g ρ gν g ) = 0 (1)
∂t ∂S