Sunil Goriah

Basic Petroleum Principles 3

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Basic Petroleum Principles 3
Drilling Operations Basics
Introduction
Welcome to the Basic Principles of Petroleum Program, Module 3: Drilling Operations
Basics.

Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this module.

Objectives
In this module you will learn: The nature of drilling operations, the importance of
subsurface conditions, why well bores change size, the three stages of drilling, why
different drilling methods are used and the significance of well bore control.

The Nature of Drilling Operations

Drilling operations are conducted on land or offshore. Obviously, the equipment
supporting drilling offshore is much more complex and extensive than the equipment
required to support such drilling on land. Nevertheless, the principles are the same.
Drilling operations are exceedingly complex, especially as every attempt is made to
generate a successful producing well rather than an noncommercial “dry” exploratory or
development well. In this module we have simplified drilling operations to the basics. Oil
and gas reservoirs are usually located beneath alternating layers of subsurface
sedimentary formations that become much harder to drill through as depth increases.
The well bore becomes smaller as each section of the hole is drilled. The well is drilled in
stages that can best be explained by examining a cross section of a typical well.
Anticipated Subsurface Conditions
Oil and gas bearing formations are found in sedimentary rock formed in alternating
layers of hard, soft, brittle, or abrasive formations. The anticipated subsurface conditions
are an important consideration in deciding how many drilling steps will be required to
meet the target formation.

Formation Hardness and Formation Pressure

Generally, as the well is drilled deeper, the rocks encountered become successively
harder and more difficult to drill. In addition, downhole formation pressures and
temperatures tend to increase. The nature of the formation pressures is an important
consideration when assessing the potential of a reservoir.

Well Bore Size

The well bore produced by today’s modern equipment may be relatively large in
diameter during the first stage of drilling, starting between 18 to 22 inches. The well
bore becomes progressively smaller in diameter, shrinking to 6 to 8 inches, as each size
of casing is set until the target formation is reached.

Three Well Drilling Stages

After the hole is begun at the surface, the first stage of the well is drilled. This is called
the surface hole. A second, or intermediate stage may be drilled if required. The number
of stages required will vary depending on the location and the conditions encountered
down-hole. The final stage of drilling is the production hole.

Surface Hole
The surface hole is relatively large in diameter and is usually drilled quickly because the
formations are soft. At the completion of the surface hole, casing is run into the well
bore and cemented in place.

Intermediate Hole
The process is repeated at a slightly smaller diameter during the intermediate stage.
Several intermediate casing strings may be required for deep, high-pressure wells. In
shallow formations, the intermediate stage may be eliminated altogether.

Production Hole
Smaller than either of the previous stages, the production hole reaches down to the
target formation that serves as the oil or gas reservoir.
Drilling Methods
A well is generally drilled using one of three methods: Vertical or straight hole drilling,
directional drilling or a combination of the two.

Straight-Hole Drilling
Straight-hole drilling attempts to drill down to the target formation with as little
deviation from the vertical as possible. The well bore will never be completely straight; it
will actually deviate considerably the farther down the drill goes. Besides the natural
tendency of the drill bit to create a spiral as the well gets deeper, stratification of the
subsurface formations and bending of the drill stem will lead to a substantial series of
deviations. If the deviations are not controlled, the drill will not reach the target
formation successfully.

Directional Drilling
Directional drilling intentionally deviates a well bore from the vertical along a specified
path to reach its subsurface target. Directional drilling may be used to: Straighten an
excessively deviated well, drill into an otherwise inaccessible formation or drill multiple
wells from a single point on the surface.

Well bore Control

As drilling progresses, two basic circulating fluids are used to cope with the varying
subsurface pressures through a process known as well bore control. In all cases, a key
objective is to balance the pressure at the bottom of the well so that reservoir fluids do
not flow into the well, nor do well bore fluids flow into the reservoir.

Routine Mud System

In order to control downhole conditions and to help remove the rock cuttings, rotary
drilling operations employ a drilling fluid known as a routine mud system, which
consists of various combinations of water, oil, bulking agents and chemical additives.
 Air Drilling
A small number of wells employ compressed air instead of drilling fluids when downhole
pressures are low or the rocks are impermeable. The basics of drilling operations apply
to both exploratory drilling and to production drilling. In the next module we will look at
the additional processes and techniques required to create a production well from an
exploratory well.

Summary
Objectives
In this module you have learned: The nature of drilling operations, the
importance of subsurface conditions, why well bores change size, the
three stages of drilling, why different drilling methods are used and
the significance of well bore control.
Review
This module covered the basics of exploratory drilling and production
drilling. You saw how subsurface conditions determine how many
drilling steps are required. You learned about the nature of the drilling
steps. Finally, this module described the principal drilling methods.
o Introduction