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INDEX

 Deepwater Drilling Vessel Selection

 Wellhead, Riser and BOP Stack
 The effects of water depth
 Jetting the 30" Foundation pile
 Environmental Window
 Riser Margin
 Lack of Overburden pressure.
 Mud and Bulk Volumes
 Flow Rate Requirements
 Cementing
 Concurrent operations during anchor handling, open water work
 Hydrates.
 Deepwater Well Control Considerations
 Shallow Water Flow
 Shallow gas
 Losses
 Effects of Hydrate Formation
 Expansion of gas in the riser
DESCRIPTION

 Prior to planning to drill and test a deepwater prospect, it is essential to review

and select the type of drilling vessel that will be used.

 The types of drilling vessels available to drill a deepwater well are :

 An anchored semi-submersible.
 An anchored drillship.
 A dynamically positioned semi-submersible.
 A dynamically positioned drillship.
VESSEL SELECTION

 In water depths up to 2,000 ft it will be possible in most cases to utilize a

standard anchored semi-submersible drilling vessel.

 As the water depth increases beyond 2,000 ft, the need to utilize a dynamically
positioned semi-submersible and ultimately a drillship increases.

 It is recommended that the operator inspects the drilling vessel at the earliest
stage. If possible this should be performed before contracts have been
finalized and well planning has commenced.

 This will allow the operator to recommend improvements to the drilling vessel,
which may allow an improved standard of service during drilling operations.
VESSEL SELECTION [ THRUSTERS ]

 A dynamically positioned drilling vessel does not use the traditional anchoring
system, but utilizes a set of computer controlled thrusters that are linked to
sensors on the wellhead and a global positioning system that maintains the
drilling vessel’s position above the wellhead.
VESSEL SELECTION [ DRILLING ISSUES ]

 It is important that key drilling persons are involved during the selection of the
drilling vessel.

 His primary responsibility is to ensure that the drilling vessel’s operating

criteria is understood and compatible with all contractor’s subsea equipment.
VESSEL SELECTION [ DRILLING ISSUES ]

 The planning for drilling operations would require with checks for the
following:

 The ability of the drilling vessel to remain on location, above the wellhead
with minimal lateral movement.
 The ability of the subsea equipment operations in terms of deck space
areas, moonpool facilities, BOP stack configuration’s etc.
 The motion of the drilling vessel (heave, roll etc.) and the resulting
operating parameters during all drilling operations.
 The ability of the drilling vessel to remain above the wellhead during the
drilling test is particularly important.
 Too much lateral movement will eventually result in a need to unlatch the
marine riser hence the drilling vessel that can remain above the wellhead
under severe weather conditions and /or current velocities will be the
preferred choice.
VESSEL SELECTION [ OPERATING ENVELOPE ]

 Figure 1 illustrates the operating envelope developed for a deepwater well

offshore the UK Continental shelf and illustrates when the drilling operations
would stop and the maximum allowable offset before the marine riser will need
to be disconnected. As can be seen, this will vary depending on the current
velocity.
DYNAMIC POSITIONING [ DP ] OPERATIONS

 With levels of technology and redundancy built in to current dynamic

positioning systems. The likeliness of a Dynamic positioning failure and a
vessel drift off has been reduced in recent years.

 No matter what systems however if they are not properly managed, the
consequence of time, cost, process and environmental loss can be significant
and must be prevented.
[ DP ] OPERATIONAL RULES OF THUMB

 Try to make people, open and forthright

 Enforce Advisory Condition

 Report Incidents & track trends

 Reaction of crew will stem from Confidence of Company Man

 Operate within well Specifically well defined Limits

 Only a properly afforded quality assurance, well managed and coordinated

dynamic positioning programme can operating loss be ultimately avoided.
HANG-OFF OPERATIONS

 Hang-off operations for Dynamic positioning (DP) rigs/vessels and moored rigs
in deep water require more time than in shallower depths.

 Operations requiring extra time are:

 RIH with hang-off tool.

 Displacing large volumes of mud from the riser
BOP STACK

 Deepwater BOP stacks will not be of a "standard configuration".

 In a deepwater stack, two sets of shear rams are however preferred.

 The lower set designed to cut and the upper set to provide a pressure seal.
Alternatively, the BOP stack may be a "five ram“ configuration.

 The BOP stack’s design will vary from location to location, depending on the
drilling contractor and /or local guidelines – it is not possible to standardise the
BOP stack configuration.
MARINE RISER

 Attention should be given to the riser system, as it needs to be more robust

than a shallow water depth system, to accommodate both extra tensioning
forces and lateral forces experienced in deepwater mode.

 In deeper water, the extra weight of the long riser requires inclusion of
buoyancy material to reduce load on the riser support and running equipment.

 For these reasons, the extra weight and deck storage requirements of a
deepwater drilling riser must also be considered.
MARINE RISER

 The running and pulling times for a riser and BOP installed in deep water is
also considerable.

 Every effort should be made to secure reliable operational and control

functions on the stack, control system and communication links from rig to
seabed.

 Any routines, maintenance, checks or tests must be given high attention and
an alternative back-up function in case one should fail is highly recommended.

 Pulling and running the stack for repair is expensive and investing in back-up
equipment is therefore an attractive alternative.
MARINE RISER

 One of the major problems encountered on a deepwater well can be the marine
riser movement due to the local tides and currents.

 This problem should have been investigated at an early stage, in conjunction

with the planning and design of the drilling programme.

 In particular, the effect of variable currents on the marine riser and hence the
landing string should have been investigated.

 If the marine riser has been designed correctly these types of movements will
be minimal or will not occur.

 However, care should be taken as the acceptable limits for the drill string may
not be acceptable for the landing string where these movements can create
problems for the subsea equipment, clamps and the control umbilical inside
the marine riser.
RISER CONFIGURATION

 Buoyancy systems are needed in water depths exceeding 1000 ft.

 Both syntactic foam and air can buoyancy systems have been used for
deepwater riser systems, either individually or in combination.

 A foam buoyancy system becomes less efficient as water depth increases

 However; to withstand higher hydrostatic forces foam is thus required to be

made stronger and denser.
RISER CONFIGURATION

 Thus for a required net lift, not only is more foam needed, but usually at higher
cost per unit weight.

 Mounting floating modules (buoyancy) can reduce the extra loads generated by
a long riser.

 However, forces from waves and current will increase as result of the increased
riser diameter.

 Hence, the selection of buoyancy zones will be a question of optimization and

it may be necessary to carry out a dedicated study to determine positioning of
the buoyant joints.

 Due to the slow annular speed of drilling fluid in a large bore riser, it is prudent
to have a dedicated riser boost line.
RISER FILL UP VALVE

 An (automatic) riser fill-up valve, is often used and is

unique to many deepwater environments.

 It allows the quick opening of the riser bore to the sea to

counteract the possibility of collapsing the riser when the
hydrostatic of mud is suddenly lost from inside the riser.

 The valve is positioned in the marine riser

 Sand is activated by a pressure sensory sleeve that allows

seawater to rapidly enter and fill the riser to prevent the
possibility of collapsing the riser.

 A certain pressure differential across the valve results in

the valve automatically returning to the pre-set closed
value.
RISER ANGLE

 In addition, if possible, attempt to measure

the angle of the marine riser at the seabed.

 Traditionally this angle is derived from the

lateral surface displacement and water depth,
which is not always accurate due to the effect
of localized riser movements caused by
currents at different depths.

 Having a direct measurement of the riser

angle will provide greater confidence that the
actual conditions at the seabed (the angle at
the point of disconnect) will allow the marine
riser to be safely unlatched.
RISER INSTRUMENTATION & WEAR

 Riser angle measurements are therefore required to ascertain operational

limitations for the vessel.

 These measurements should ideally include the lower flex joint angle. Due to
length of rise, it’s reaction in subsurface conditions, and the fact that a much
longer drillstring length may be continuously rotated in it.

 Riser wear monitoring is also viewed as essential in deepwater.

ID’s & OD’s OF TOOLS

 Tools run inside the marine risers and subsea wellheads should be confirmed
that there are no reduced bore items inside the marine riser that may prevent
the subsea equipment from landing or passing inside or through the BOP stack
or welheads.

 Items to look out for are :

 Gas Diverter – located below the rotary table.

 Wear Bushing – flex joint.
 Wear Bushing – wellhead.
THE EFFECTS OF WATER DEPTH

 Offshore deepwater shallow formations are buried under and impregnated

with a much greater water hydrostatic, giving them a lower fracture resistance
than the same formation at the same sedimentary depth onshore.

 The presence of the water column above the shallow formations reduces the
equivalent fracture density. Lacking regional data, the fracture gradient for
shallow formations can only be approximated.

 Modern seismic techniques sometimes enable the accuracy of the estimate to

be improved.
PILOT HOLES IN DEEPWATER

 In deep water drilling operations, it is often practiced to drill a pilot hole to

assess potential geo-hazards near the planned well location without the use of
a marine riser.

 A small pilot hole, typically 9 7/8 – 12 ¼”, is drilled to a depth which is below
the planned setting depth of the surface casing.

 Pump rate is held constant while drilling the pilot hole and pump and annular
pressure measurements are utilized as the primary indicator of well flow.

 If changes in pump pressures are observed while drilling the pilot hole, drilling
is ceased and the ROV camera or drilling measurement tools will be used to
determine If well flow is detected. If flow is observed, dynamic well killing
operations are then immediately initiated by pumping kill mud at a pre-
determined modeled kill rate with the rig pumps until the well is killed.
PILOT HOLES IN DEEPWATER

 If no well flow occurs after reaching total depth of the pilot hole, the hole is
displaced with mud before pulling out with the drilling assembly.

 Once it has been determined that the well can be safely drilled without the
riser, the well is drilled riser less to the setting depth of the surface casing
string(s).
PILOT HOLES IN DEEPWATER

 The two basic reasons for sacrificial riser-less pilot holes in deepwater
operations are:

 It is difficult to bring mud returns to the surface as water depth increases,

due to the fact that the formation fracture gradient decreases with
increasing water depth. The formation below the “normal” setting depth is
thus unable to support the hydrostatic pressure of the mud column in the
riser.
 Drilling a small pilot hole and having seawater hydrostatic pressure
available for back pressure may enhance well killing ability

 If a gas or shallow water flow does occur while drilling in deep water, flow is
deflected down current and will safely surface away from the rig.
DEEP WATER PILOT HOLE [ CONCERNS ]

 Drilling a pilot hole for shallow hazards must allow for the additional
associated hazards:

 swabbing
 higher risk of mud losses due to higher ECD
 faster hole unloading
 hole stability

 By no means should one believe that the pilot holes therefore guarantees blow
out free drilling.

 The pilot hole might be considered for evaluating the hole section until the
next casing shoe, to improve the ability of successful dynamic killing of the
well in the event of a flow.
DEEP WATER PILOT HOLE [ CONCERNS ]

 The dynamic kill is however questioned to be effective for many reasons [1]:

 Studies and experiences confirm that standard pilot hole sizes do not
allow a significant frictional component while pumping at rates obtainable
with rig equipment.
 The length of the borehole is too short to obtain significant friction
pressure.
 Should the hole size be drilled in soft sediments they will quickly erode to
larger diameters.
 Shallow gas zones are very prolific with near infinite deliverability
DEEP WATER PILOT HOLE [ CONCERNS ]

 The dynamic kill is however questioned to be effective for many reasons [2]:

 The rig pumping capability may not cope with the pumping power
requirements to attain a dynamic kill.
 Additionally most field examples report fast expulsion by gas from the
wellbore in a matter of seconds.
 Dynamic killing of a shallow gas blow out might succeed as long as the
well has not yet unloaded and flow is controllable: However the response
time, based on field experiences, is short, and does not permit sufficient
time in most cases to recognise the situation, and initiate the kill
operation in an orderly manner before the flow becomes uncontrollable.
 Few rigs if any have remote controlled valve capability from drilling fluid
to kill mud.

 An alternative option is to pump the heaviest mud (that formations can handle)
at high rates. Field experiences have shown that this has worked, provided
that pumping starts within second after the flow has been detected and prior
to wellbore unloading.
DESCRIPTION

 Jetting vs. conventional drilling and cementing in deepwater may present

advantages.

 Also where deepwater mud-line is soft and unconsolidated, jetting benefits vs.
conventional drilling and cementing pipe, can result, especially if there is a risk
of hole collapse.

 Additionally, from the perspective of structural design considerations, it is also

important to determine the length of the foundation pile required to support the
pipe itself and conductor casing.

 In that, the length of the foundation pile should be long enough to provide
sufficient skin friction between the pipe and the formation for support of the
BOP and subsequent casing strings.
DESCRIPTION

 Another consideration is that jetting ROP will slow down and eventually stop.
The foundation pile should thus not also be designed too long or operational
loss will result.

 Unfortunately, apart from some sea-bottom samples, no information is often

available about the soil condition in the first few hundred feet below the
seafloor.

 Insufficient data therefore is often not available to determine the minimum

length of the structural casing.
PRE WELL PLANNING

 Perform a geo-technical analysis

 Perform shallow seismic survey techniques and studies.

PRIOR TO DRILLING

 A pilot hole to 200 to 300 ft. below the mudline. Based on information gained, it
would be determined how many joints of foundation pile to be jetted. If the
sediments below the seafloor was too hard, to inhibit jetting, conventional
drilling and cementing would be used.

 A mud mat may also be utilized to provide additional support once a pile had
been jetted to its required depth.

 Jetting bit position in relation to the foundation pile shoe is critical and its
exact positioning is very formation dependent in order to optimize .
DESCRIPTION

 The deployment of casing and sub sea equipment during all open water work
can be inhibited by the maximum sea-states and surrounding conditions. This
varies considerably from region to region.

 Working limits and operating windows therefore have to be defined for drilling,
especially open water operations.
DESCRIPTION

 To meet such operating criteria, specific equipment must be fully evaluated as

“fit for purpose” and technical analysis must be performed to ensure preferred
technical and regional environmental requirements can be met
DESCRIPTION

 In normal drilling operations a riser margin is commonly added to the drilling

fluid gradient so that in the case of an emergency disconnect or a failure to
close the BOP the formation pressure is controlled by the remaining fluid
column plus the hydrostatic of seawater.

 In deepwater operation’s a large proportion of the hydrostatic head is present

in the riser and consequently if the riser is disconnected then the overbalance
over the formation pressure will be lost.
DESCRIPTION

 In deepwater environments the lack of overburden pressure results in low

formation breakdown gradients which can make it impossible to include a
"riser margin" to compensate for the loss in hydrostatic if the riser were to be
removed.

 In this case the BOP must be closed prior to removing the riser and on re-
connection it must be circulated to the same gradient of drilling fluid prior to
opening up the well.

 With the possibility of gas being trapped below the BOP the well should be
monitored on either the kill or choke line before opening the BOP.
DESCRIPTION

 The mud volume requirement in a deepwater environment is tremendous.

 Combined with the riser volume and surface system, the active volumes
required are much larger circulating systems at comparable depths in other
drilling conditions.

 In addition, large diameter holes are drilled to accommodate the many casing
strings needed to achieve a given total depth.

 Storage capacity has therefore to be sufficient to accommodate operational

needs, accept the displaced riser volume in addition to the operational active
surface volume requirement, possible kill mud, treatment mud and premixed
active reserve mud.
DESCRIPTION

 Mud velocity alone can adequately clean any practical size annuli. However,
due to the open-hole, casing and riser diameters needed for deep water drilling,
providing the required circulating rate to clean all the annuli by fluid velocity
alone is not practical.

 Therefore, alternative measures must be taken to enhance the drilling fluid’s

ability to clean the large-diameter holes. In deviated, washed out or large annuli
several sweeps may be required.

 This requires adequate mud pumping capability. In that, three or even four
large (2,200HP) mud pumps are now standard requirements to clean the
wellbore and the 21” marine riser.

 The addition of a riser boost line is now also essentially employed on

deepwater risers to avoid use of choke and kill lines for this purpose.
DESCRIPTION

 Cementing in deep water can be different from normal conditions in the top
hole sections.

 The fracture gradient may be considerably lower than normal. This can be valid
from seabed and include the whole interval with normal hydrostatic pore
pressure.

 These conditions may limit the maximum densities of cement slurries, which in
turn may lead to slow strength development and a delay in operations.

 It is therefore recommended to identify such problems as early as possible in

the planning phase so that optimum cement slurries can be selected.
DESCRIPTION

 Slurry selection may require use of special extenders and even special cement.

 Consideration should be given to using gas tight slurries in top hole sections
where in-situ hydrates may exist. The exothermic reaction of the slurry as it
sets may melt any hydrates and release gas into the cement column.

 Finally, in deep water the seabed temperature may be as low as –2°C (Voring
Plateau, Norwegian Sea) and hydrostatic pressure at high as 5000psi. This will
again affect cement slurry design and strengthening characteristics.
DURING ANCHOR HANDLING [ OPEN WATER WORK ]

 Anchor handling in deepwater can be time consuming.

 Three days to a week is normal, depending on the number and quality of

anchor handling boats.

 Longer handling times are experienced when the rig does not carry all chain
and anchor wire.

 Concurrent operations in the derrick while running and pulling anchors can
therefore result in a considerable time/cost saving.

 This mode of operation requires planning ahead to mobilize equipment and

personnel.
DURING ANCHOR HANDLING [ OPEN WATER WORK ]

 Additional rig crew members are required, either by working overtime for the
rig crews already on board or mobilize additional crewmembers during anchor
handling.

 Another example of concurrent operations is to make up drillpipe stands while

drilling or during other operations. Most semi-submersibles can do this
although some modifications might be needed.

 Finally, especially advantageous in the open water work concurrent operations

on dual derrick rigs can add considerable cost savings to the well. Such dual
activity operations have to however be well planned, orchestrated and well co-
ordinated.
HYDRATES

 Although not unique to deepwater, hydrate formation is a common problem in

the deepwater environment in several areas in the world.

 No information is available in many deepwater regions and as such specific

studies, process, procedures and operating guidelines should be measured
and evaluated, then adapted to prevent hydrates forming.
INTRODUCTION

 The most significant consideration in deepwater with respect to well control is

that reduced operating margins inevitably introduce more in-depth well control
analysis, specific equipment, techniques and procedural requirements vs.
conventional wells.
EARLY KICK DETECTION

 To achieve well control, early kick detection is a critical requirement in deep

water, mainly because of the large expansion of gas in the drilling riser that can
occur
SHUT IN PROCEDURES

 Shut in procedures must minimize inflow from the formation and prevent gas
entry above the BOP’s.

 ‘Hard’ or ‘fast’ shut-in procedures are recommended.

 Additionally the Driller must quickly determine space out of the drillstring for
closing rams.
SHUT IN PROCEDURES

 Driller's vs. Wait and Weight Kill Method [1]:

 There are certain benefits with the ‘driller’s’ method that are appropriate to
deep water wells:

 If it is necessary to disconnect during a well kill, the driller’s method

removes the influx from the well in the shortest period.
 Hole sections through potential hydrocarbon zones tend to be shorter
with deep water planning both in length and diameter (pilot holes) and
it is probable that the influx will be above the shoe before the initial
circulation reaches the bit.
 This removes the advantage of reduced pressure at the shoe offered
by the ‘wait and weight’ method.
SHUT IN PROCEDURES

 Driller's vs. Wait and Weight Kill Method [2]:

 If well bore ballooning or supercharging is evident, returned fluid from

the formation during pumps off time can appear as an influx. To
immediately increase the mud weight, before bringing the ‘influx’ to
surface can simply exasperate the ballooning or supercharging
problems.
 The time taken to weigh up mud before commencing circulation
increases the risk of hydrate formation
 Migration of gas during the weigh-up time can have an adverse effect
on weak formation strength.
LONG KILL AND CHOKE LINES

 In deepwater pressure losses in these lines are relatively high even at low
circulation rates.

 In some instances the margin to circulate out the kick becomes so low that it
may be impossible to kill the well by conventional methods without exceeding
the MAASP.
BULLHEADING INFLUX

 It is common practice to bullhead the influx back into the formation as soon as
the well has been closed in.

 After the influx has been squeezed back into the formation the well can be
killed with LCM treated kill mud.
CIRCULATING PRESSURES

 Circulating pressures at reduced pump rates must be known.

 Slow pump rate tests must be carried out. It is therefore important to pre-
determine the system pressure loss with the components used during killing
operations.

 Carry out slow circulation rate tests while circulating:

 down the drill pipe and up the marine riser - BOP open.
 down the drill pipe and up the kill and choke lines both separately and
together - BOP closed.

 The pressure losses can be established by comparing the pump pressures with
the BOP open and closed.

 Alternatively, the value of the friction losses can be measured directly by

pumping down the kill and choke lines first separately and then together
with returns up the marine riser with the BOP open.
MAXIMUM AVAILABLE ANNULAR SURFACE PRESSURE [MAASP]

 In a well control situation with long choke lines, the MAASP is reduced by the
amount of the choke line pressure drop while pumping.

 If no allowance is made then the formations below the shoe will be over
pressured by this additional back pressure which could induce mud losses.

 To minimize this effect:

 Once the well has been closed in, displace the choke & kill lines to the
current drilling fluid.
 When commencing the kill operation reduce the choke pressure by the
choke line frictional loss with current mud weight. Use kill line as pressure
monitor.
BOP STACK AND CONTROL SYSTEM

 The selection of BOP stack and control system is mainly governed by two
factors:

 External Wellhead Pressure affect BOP design regarding accumulator

capacity, pressure rating and pre-charge pressure and affect external stack
components.
 Hydrostatic Wellhead Pressure caused by mud weights may call for special
considerations on accumulator pressures versus annular preventer
operations/rating.
BOP STACK AND CONTROL SYSTEM

 Deepwater operations affect BOP design in the following areas:

 BOP stack rating

 Mechanical strength of BOP for bending
 Configuration
 Instrumentation
 Control system
 Redundancy
 Regulations

 The BOP configuration depends on the unique circumstances at each location.

DUAL SHEAR RAM REQUIREMENTS

 Consideration should be given to a dual shear/blind ram facility when operating

without riser margin as is typical in some deepwater locations.

 Also in the event of an un planned disconnect without a riser margin, a

contingency sealing mechanism in addition to the shear rams should be
considered.

 To increase contingency for running casing when permeable formations are

exposed and to reduce the likelihood of running a drilling liner.

 It is also preferable to have rams with a high shear capacity

ROV INTERVENTION

 The BOP may ideally be fitted with intervention stabs to operate any or all of
the following functions from the ROV:

 BOP wellhead connector: primary and secondary unlock

 LMRP connector: primary and secondary unlock
 Ring gasket release for wellhead connector
 Ring gasket release for LMRP connector
 Upper shear rams: closing (if installed)
 Lower shear rams: closing (if installed)
BOP RESPONSE TIME

 A key issues for a deepwater BOP is response time and hence the BOP will
likely be electronically controlled, with a large capacity of sub sea
accumulators.

 The response time is defined as the time required from initiating a command on
the operation panel(s) to the time when the function is completely executed on
the BOP stack. The maximum allowable response time for closing any annular
preventer or ram is 45 sec.
BOP / WELLHEAD CONNECTOR

 The following is typical conventional connector modifications that may be

require to prevent hydrates to form in the connector:

 Install a hydrate lip seal that seals around 18¾” Wellhead housing.
 Install flush ports in the top of the H-4 connector as per wellhead
manufacturer and flush the connector cavity above the cam ring on a
regular basis with a few barrels of glycol
DEEPWATER WELLHEAD MODIFICATIONS

 In deepwater areas "shallow water flows" have been encountered from over-
pressured water reservoirs, at relatively shallow depths as deep as +/- 2500 ft
below the seabed.

 When penetrated during drilling, weighted mud is required to be pumped to

balance the shallow water flow pressures drilled into. Often the maximum mud
weight used is limited by the strength of the formations above and below the
water reservoir.

 Furthermore, when these reservoirs are penetrated the soil strength around the
casing can be compromised which can cause additional problems as:

 Buckling of casing
 BOP sinking below mud line and ultimately
 Loss of well
DESCRIPTION

 In deepwater areas "shallow water flows" have been encountered from over-
pressured water reservoirs, at relatively shallow depths as deep as +/- 2500 ft
below the seabed.

 When penetrated during drilling, weighted mud is required to be pumped to

balance the shallow water flow pressures drilled into. Often the maximum mud
weight used is limited by the strength of the formations above and below the
water reservoir.

 Furthermore, when these reservoirs are penetrated the soil strength around
the casing can be compromised which can cause additional problems as:

 Buckling of casing
 BOP sinking below mud line and ultimately
 Loss of well
DESCRIPTION

 Shallow gas accumulators have also historically caused severe accidents to

happen in certain areas where drilling for oil and gas has taken place.

 Evidence of gas from gas chimneys and “bumps” can be seen, however above
a number of fault blocks however in deepwater regions, where shallow high
amplitude reflections and pull down effects can be seen over the crest of the
fault blocks.

 Hence shallow gas in deepwater cannot be discounted. When casing is

required to be set shallow to establish well containment because of shallow
gas hazards that may exist.

 It is important to ensure that specific shallow well control procedures are

initiated during drilling and tripping operations through any such shallow gas
bearing anomalous zones.
DESCRIPTION

 Due to reduced operating margins in deepwater, risk of losing circulation is

increased and must thus be managed in greater details than during
Conventional drilling.

 Where formations are hydrocarbon or pressured bearing, the loss of

hydrostatic head resulting from mud losses may induce a flow from the
formation.

 If hydrocarbons do enter into the wellbore they should be prevented from

rising up the well, spilling into the environment during open water phases or
from entering the riser once BOP’s are installed.

 To enable monitoring of the riser fluid level in the event of total losses, and to
determine if the bottom hole pressure has dropped sufficiently to allow gas
into the wellbore, the following procedure can be followed:

 Ensure a pressure gauge is installed on the choke line.

DESCRIPTION

 Hydrates exhibit a potential serious risk in deep water especially so with

regards to well control scenarios where the formation of hydrates can have
several effects:

 Plugging of choke and kill lines preventing their use in well circulation;
 Formation of a plug at or below the BOPs, that prevents monitoring well
pressures below the BOPs.
 Formation of a plug around the drillstring in the riser, BOP's or casing that
will restrict drillstring movement.
 Formation of a plug between the drillstring and the BOPs to prevents
closure.
 Formation of a plug in the ram cavity of a closed BOP preventing full
opening.
PREVENT THE FORMATION OF HYDRATES AT THE WELLHEAD/BOP.

 The primary means of suppression is to have a high concentration of salt in the

mud if possible.

 A concentration above 20% should be maintained.

 A secondary means is achieved by having the kill line full of a glycol/mud mix,
that would be circulated into the BOP’s and wellhead to prevent hydrates
forming.

 Whenever pumping is stopped a small amount (5-10 bbls) should be spotted at

the BOP’s.
REMOVE ANY HYDRATES THAT HAVE FORMED AT THE WELLHEAD/BOP.

 This is done by circulating methanol down the kill line and up the choke line,
first through the lower choke valve on the BOP.

 The methanol should be given time to “soak” and dissolve the hydrates. Some
patience expended can save the need to round-trip the BOP/LMRP.

 Once the hydrates have been dissolved, the gas may be either bullheaded back
to the formation via the drillstring and annulus or circulated out.
DESCRIPTION

 A small volume of gas at seabed conditions expands to a large volume at

surface under atmospheric conditions.

 In deepwater by the time the gas has reached the BOP’s very little expansion
takes place, If undetected and then allowed to enter the riser undetected it may
not be possible to contain and control expansion where a dangerous gas
breakout situation and/or unloading of the riser can develop when the gas
reaches the surface.

 Every effort and precaution, through good pit management, must be taken to
detect and prevent any the influx entering the marine riser where it can
percolate up and expand in an uncontrolled manner.
DESCRIPTION

 In the instance when a rapid increase in pit level is observed (gas expansion in
the riser) drilling will cease immediately and the following procedure adopted:

 The drillstring raised to hang off point

 The pumps stopped and the pipe rams will be closed
 Close diverter and ensure riser is filled with mud via the booster line.