K&M Technology Group Pre-Course Exam

ERD PRE-COURSE EXAM

Name:

Company:

Date:

Instructions:
 Choose all correct options for multiple choice questions (if more than one is correct).
 Scores are provided for each completely correct answer. For multiple choice questions, the mark is
indicative of how many correct answers apply, but is not necessarily the case. Also for multiple
choice questions, a wrongly selected choice will earn negative marks.

1) Hole cleaning is significantly affected by pipe RPM. True or False? 1 point

2) A clean hole for drilling is the same as a clean hole for tripping. True or False? 1 point

3) When pumping a sweep in a high angle well, what is recommended? 1 points

a) Pump low vis sweep, about 200 bbls in volume.
b) Pump high vis sweep, about 50 bbls in volume.
c) Pump tandem sweep, with ‘small’ volume low-vis immediately followed by large volume high-vis
sweep.
d) Sweeps are not recommended to clean the high angle portion of wells >35° inclination.

4) Why is back-reaming considered to be an unnecessary and often detrimental practice on ER wells

(except in certain circumstances)? 3 points
a) Because of the high torque involved when back-reaming.
b) Because back-reaming creates a sometimes dangerously high cuttings dune further up the hole.
c) Back-reaming should not be performed as a standard hole cleaning practice for POH since the hole
does not need to be 100% clean for a trouble-free trip.
d) Back-reaming increases the risk of pack-off and/or stuck pipe.

5) Why is YP not applicable as a key hole cleaning parameter for the 12¼” mud system (and other mud
systems used for ERD)? Identify the preferred rheology indicator for ERD applications. 2 points

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6) What value should the 6 rpm reading be for good hole cleaning in a high angle wellbore (of say 12¼”
diameter)? 1 point
a) 2-3, for reduced pump pressures. This is necessary given the high flowrates to be used.
b) 6-7, based on half of the hole size.
c) 12-15, based on being at least equal to the hole size.
d) 24-28, based on twice the hole size.

7) Differential sticking is more of a risk on high angle well sections. Give 3 reasons 3 points

8) How does bit selection affect hole cleaning on ER wells? Give three direct and/or indirect examples.
3 points

9) To reduce the effect of geological or survey related vertical uncertainty, the preferred wellpath design
is: 1 point
a) S-profile
b) Build & Hold profile
c) Pseudo-Catenery profile
d) Horizontal profile

10) The build section or the tangent section is generally more important from a torque & drag viewpoint
on high angle wells? Explain. 2 point

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11) ECDs are more-likely a concern in which hole section? 1 point

a) 17½” section while drilling.
b) 12¼” section while drilling.
c) 8½” section while drilling.
d) 8½” section while running and cementing 7” liner.

12) Explain why ECDs are commonly under-estimated when drilling small hole size on ER wells. Sketch
the reason(s) if necessary. 1 point

13) If tight hole is encountered in a high angle section when POH, what should the ‘obstruction’ be
assumed to be? 1 point
a) ‘Tight’ hole (ie. pinched or squeezing hole diameter).
b) A keyseat, due to pipe laying on the lowside.
c) A cuttings bed, because it is impossible to get all the dirt out of the hole.
d) Ledge, because steerable motors and RSS tend to cause spiraling and ledges at high inclination.

14) When POH, how do you confirm if an obstruction or tight hole is cuttings related, or whether it is
genuinely tight hole? 1 point

15) For a high-angle long-reach ER well, is torque likely to be more or less in the 8½” section than for the
12¼” section? Explain. 1 point

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16) T&D monitoring can help predict a hole cleaning problem. Which combination of slack-off, pick-up
and torque trends would indicate a hole cleaning problem? 1 point
a)  S/O,  P/U,  Torque.
b)  S/O,  P/U,  Torque.
c)  S/O,  P/U.
d)  S/O,  P/U.
e)  Torque.

17) How might ECD’s induce wellbore instability problems, especially in brittle formations? Use a sketch
if necessary. 1 point

18) List at least 4 key parameters that affect hole cleaning, and therefore the “Drilling in the Box”
technique. 4 points

19) When recording Torque & Drag at drilling connections, should the torque value be taken on or off
bottom. 1 point

20) The connection practices should vary according to the hole angle and hole size.
True or False? Explain. 2 point

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21) Which indicator is the primary signal to watch for signs of a hole cleaning problem developing? 1 point
a) Torque (off bottom)
b) Torque (on bottom)
c) ECD’s (from PWD)
d) Pick up and slackoff weight

22) What is the name of the force that creates torque and drag? Hint: There at least three (3) different
correct answers. 1 point

23) Wiper tripping is a good first-option for checking that the hole is not loading up with cuttings. True or
False? Explain. 1 point

24) The risk of swabbing is increased on an ERD well. Why? 1 point

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25) Drillpipe buckling in an ER well is most likely to occur : 2 points

a) In the build section.
b) In the build-to-horizontal section.
c) In hole sections where the hole diameter is large compared to the drillpipe size.
d) In hole sections where the hole diameter is small compared to the drillpipe size.
e) In small drillpipe immediately above a 7” liner hanger when slide drilling 6” hole.
f) In small drillpipe immediately below a 7” liner hanger when slide drilling 6” hole.

26) Buckling is dangerous to the drillpipe and will quickly result in drillstring failure. True or False?
Explain. 1 point

27) Casing will generally experience less drag when run in high angle wells if the casing is highly
centralized. True or False? 1 point

28) For casing or liners that will be rotated, what centralizers are recommended for reduced torque? 1 point
a) Solid body type, aluminum alloy material.
b) Solid body type, zinc alloy material.
c) Semi rigid (double bow).
d) Bow type (single bow)

29) If the cement job is critical in a high angle wellbore, what is recommended to best guarantee good
cement isolation? 3 points
a) Pipe rotation.
b) “Spacer train” preflushes to dissolve the filter cake.
c) Remove cuttings bed before running the casing.
d) Run casing as fast as possible.
e) Run casing as slow as possible.

30) It is acceptable to rotary drill with the drillpipe in compression in high angle wellbores. True or False?
Discuss. 1 point

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