Drilling

Operations
Type of Wells
• WILD CAT – First well tried in the field
without any knowledge of the geological
formation and nature of the well.
• EXPLORATORY WELL – with the
information obtained after drilling the
wild cat, further exploratory of the field
by drilling more wells.
• DEVELOPMENT WELL – well drilled with
fixed and known reservoir boundaries.
• RE-ENTRY WELL – drilled for the
correction of well profile.
• OTHER WELL:- injection wells, production
wells, tester wells, vertical wells,
directional wells, horizontal wells,
Monitor wells, relief wells, dead wells.
Well
Planning
 • Target locations and Analysis
• Formation Characteristics
Drilling • Well Lithology
operation • Methods of drilling

Requirements • Drilling fluids & Cement properties

• Reservoir fluid characteristics
• Mechanical Characteristics & durability
Oil Rig Systems(Hoisting
System):

1. Traveling block
2. Crown block
3. Derrick
4. Fast line
5. Dead Line
6. Deadline Anchors
7. Drilling line
8. Draw works
9. Supply reels
Oil Rig Systems(Rotating
Equipment):

1. swivel
2. Kelly
3. turntable or rotary table
4. drill string
5. drill bit(s)
6. Casing
Oil Rig Systems
(Circulation system):

1. Mud pump
2. Suction line
3. Mud Pump
4. Discharge line
5. Possum Belly (mud return line)
6. Shale shaker
7. Degasser
8. Desander
9. Desilter
10. Mud cleaner
11. Centrifuge
Mud Plan:-
Drilling fluids also called drilling mud used to aid the
drilling of boreholes.
Functions of Remove cuttings from well
Drilling
Fluids:- Cooling and lubrication

Pressure control (first line of defence against blow-out)

Suspend Cuttings

Data Source

Maintain Wellbore Stability

Minimise Formation Damage

Minimise corrosion of drill string, casing and tubing.

To minimise torque, drag and pipe sticking.

To maintain optimum penetration rate

 Bottom Hole
Assembly (BHA)
• Heavy-weight drill pipe – These pieces of pipe have thicker
walls compared to the outer diameter of a regular drill pipe
and are used as a tapered transition between the drill collars
and drill pipe while helping to add weight and stiffness. As
previously mentioned, the drill pipe functions to connect the
rig surface equipment with the bottom hole assembly and
the drill bit, allowing us to pump fluid to the bit and to move
the bottom hole assembly as needed.
• Drill collars – These are the large diameter and heavy pieces
of pipe above the drill bit and below the drill pipe, which
constitute the fundamental structure of the BHA. The weight
of the drill collars applies compressional force (WOB) directly
to the bit while keeping the more flexible drill pipe in tension
to prevent buckling. This also conveys momentum and
stiffness as the entire drilling assembly rotates, in order to
keep the bit drilling smoothly and consistently.
• Reamers – These are tools that enlarge, maintain or trim the
side of the wellbore for various reasons, including easier
electric logging, improved drilling performance and bit life,
and reduced friction and vibration caused by a miss-shaped
hole.
• Stabilizers – These are short components with larger
diameter fins called “blades” which stick out close to the
diameter of the hole being drilled and are used to
centralize the drilling assembly within the hole.
Stabilizers have these blades attached or integrated to
their external surface and are distributed from above the
bit and through the drill collars depending on what form
of stabilization is required. As the components with the
largest diameter in the BHA they often interact with the
sides of the well, creating friction and a restriction on
fluid flow, so their design and positioning is crucial.
• Various Subs – These are short components that are
often used to connect other pieces of the BHA (crossover
subs) or carry out specific functions. Some examples of
the latter are subs which redirect or control the fluid flow
(diverter and float subs), and subs which absorb
movement and vibration to protect the assembly (shock
subs and vibration dampening tools).
Well Cementing
Operations:-
One of the most important factors in well completions is
obtaining an effective cement jobs, a defective cement will
adversely effect all remaining operations.

Types of well Cementing:

1. Primary cementing:
• Support the casing
• Restricts the movement f formation fluids behind the
casing
• Seal off lost circulation zones
• Protects the casing from shock loads from drilling
• Protects casing from corrosion.
2. Secondary or remedial cementing cementing:
- Isolation squeeze:
• Cement slurry is circulated into the annulus through
perforations.
• Supplementing a faulty primary job
• Extending the casing protection above the cement top.
- Plug back cementing:
• Hole is plugged by cement.
• Abandonment of the hole
• Side tracking the hole
• Seal off the lost circulation
• Shutting off of water or gas trespass.
Casing and its uses:-
Casing: large-diameter concrete pipe that lines
the drill hole, prevents the hole from
collapsing, and allows drilling mud to circulate.
For Casing Seat selection, we use PP-FG plot.
Casing Used :
• To prevent the hole from caving in.
• To protect freshwater zones from
contamination
• To prevent water migration to producing
formation.
• To provide a foundation for wellhead/BOP.
• To control pressure during drilling.
Types of casing:-
1. Conductor casing(20” to 30”): used to isolate the
wellbore.
2. Surface Casing(13-3/8” to 20”): Run to prevent
caving of week formation, protect against shallow
blow-out.
3. Intermediate casing (9-5/8” to 16”): Isolate lost
circulation zones ,Isolate unstable hoe sections,
Isolate multiple producing zones.
4. Production casing (4-1/2”” to 9 5/8”): isolate
production zones
5. Liners(4-1/2” to 13-3/8”): A string of casing that
does not reach to the surface, Hang on the
intermediate casing, by use of suitable packer and
slips called liner hanger.
6. Tieback String: provide additional pressure Integrity
from the liner top to the wellhead.
LOT-FIT
Formation Integrity test (FIT):
• used for testing strength of formation and shoe by
increasing Bottom Hole Pressure (BHP) to designed
pressure
• An accurate evaluation of casing cement job and
formation is extremely important during the drilling.
• Used throughout the well and for nearby wells.
• Casing depths, well control, formation fracture pressures
and limiting fluid weights is depends on this FIT
information.
Leak-off Test (LOT):
• A leak-off test is one of the most common procedures to
find the fracture pressure (fracture gradient) of
formation and shoe.
• After cementing and drilling out of the casing shoe, the
LOT is run to verify that the casing, cement, and
formation can withstand the pressure needed to safely
drill the next section of the well.
• Once formation is fractured, the first pressure that
deviated from a trend is typically called Leak Off
Pressure. We use the leak off pressure to calculate LOT.
Drilling Operations:
1. A rectangular pit called a cellar pit is dug around the
location of the actual drilling hole. The cellar provides a
workspace around the hole for the workers and drilling
accessories.
2. Drill a large diameter hole around 30” up to 40 to 300 ft
depending upon the location.
3. After reaching the pre-set depth, conductor casing is then
cemented in its place using bottom plug. It is used to
isolate the well bore.
4. when these holes are finished, the other rig equipments
can be brought in and set up.
5. Then for surface casing, a smaller diameter bit is used,
smaller than the inner diameter of the conductor casing.
6. Drilling fluid is continuously used in drilling. It is used
• To remove cuttings from the well
• For cooling and lubrication
• Pressure control
• Suspend cuttings
• Maintain wellbore stability
• Reduce formation damage
Drilling Operations:
7. It is then cased and cemented as soon as possible to
avoid contamination of freshwater aquifer.
8. Surface casing is around 20”. It is used to protect
freshwater aquifer and from shallow gas hazards.
9. Further proceeding to next casing, shoe test and LOT-
FIT is done to determine the competency of formation.
10. Then BOP is placed above the surface casing.
11. Continue this Process to Drill to the Next Casing Point.
Intermediate casing is carried out using smaller diameter
drill bit.
12. After cementing and casing is placed. It is around 13
3/8” in diameter.
13. Intermediate casing is done to
• Isolate lost circulation zones
• Isolate unstable hoe sections
• Isolate multiple producing zones
Drilling Operations:
14. After casing, Open-Hole Logging Tools can be run in the
well. Open-hole logs are used to measure certain properties of
the subsurface formation.
15. Continue this Process to Drill to the Next Casing Point.
Production casing is around 7”. Used to isolate production
zones.
16. After reaching target depth, several tests are performed:
• Well logging - lowering electrical and gas sensors into the
hole to take measurements of the rock formations there
• Drill-stem testing - lowering a device into the hole to
measure the pressures, which will reveal whether reservoir
rock has been reached
• Core samples - taking samples of rock to look for
characteristics of reservoir rock
17. To complete the well, tubing, packer and liner is placed.
Liner is hung from another casing string. Used to improve
hydraulic performance.
18. Finally, they connect a multi-valved structure called a
Christmas tree to the top of the tubing and cement it to
the top of the casing. The Christmas tree allows them to
control the flow of oil from the well.