PETE 411

Well Drilling

Lesson 20
Abnormal Pressure

1
 Abnormal Pressure

 Normal Pore Pressures

 Abnormal Pore Pressure Gradients
 Fracture Gradients
 Mud Weights
 Casing Seat Depths
 What Causes Abnormal Pressure?
 Detection of Abnormal Pressure
 Quantification of Abnormal Pressure
2
 Read:

Applied Drilling Engineering, Ch. 6

HW #11
Slip Velocity
Due 10-28-02

3
 Normal and Abnormal Pore Pressure

Normal Pressure Gradients

West Texas: 0.433 psi/ft
Gulf Coast: 0.465 psi/ft
Depth, ft

Abnormal
Pressure
Gradients

10,000’ ??
Pore Pressure, psig
4
 Pore Pressure vs. Depth
0
0.433 psi/ft 8.33 lb/gal
0.465 psi/ft 9.00 lb/gal
5,000
Depth, ft

Normal Abormal

10,000

15,000
5 10 15 20
Pore Pressure, lb/gal equivalent

Density of mud required to control this pore pressure 5

 Fracture Gradient

Pore Pressure
Gradient

6
 * Pore
Pressure
Gradients

* Fracture
Gradients

•Casing
Setting
Depths

7
Some Causes of Abnormal Pressure

1. Incomplete compaction of sediments

 Fluids in sediments have not
escaped and help support the
overburden.

2. Tectonic movements
 Uplift
 Faulting
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Some Causes of Abnormal Pressure

3. Aquifers in Mountainous Regions

 Aquifer recharge is at higher
elevation than drilling rig location.

4. Charged shallow reservoirs due to

nearby underground blowout.

5. Large structures...

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 HIGH PRESSURE

NORMAL PRESSURE

Thick, impermeable layers of shale (or salt) restrict the movement

of water. Below such layers abnormal pressure may be found.
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 HIGH PRESSURE

NORMAL PRESSURE

Hydrostatic pressure gradient is lower in gas or oil than in water.

11
When crossing faults it is possible to go from normal
pressure to abnormally high pressure in a short interval. 12
Well “A” found only Normal Pressure ...
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 sob

p sz

sOB = p + sZ

14
?

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 Abnormal Pressure cont’d

 Detection of Abnormal Pore Pressures

 Prediction of Abnormal Pore Pressures
 D-Exponent
 DC-Exponent
 Example
 Importance of Shale Density

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Indications of Abnormal Pore Pressures

Methods:

1. Seismic data
2. Drilling rate
3. Sloughing shale
4. Gas units in mud
5. Shale density
6. Chloride content
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Indications of Abnormal Pore Pressures

Methods, cont’d:

7. Change in Mud properties

8. Temperature of Mud Returns
9. Bentonite content in shale
10. Paleo information
11. Wire-line logs
12. MWD-LWD

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Prediction and Detection of Abnormal
Pressure Zones

1. Before drilling
 Shallow seismic surveys
 Deep seismic surveys
 Comparison with nearby wells

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Prediction and Detection of Abnormal
Pressure Zones

2. While drilling
 Drilling rate, gas in mud, etc. etc.
 D - Exponent
 DC - Exponent
 MWD - LWD
 Density of shale (cuttings)

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Prediction and Detection of Abnormal
Pressure Zones

3. After drilling
 Resistivity log
 Conductivity log
 Sonic log
 Density log

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 –0.000085
  0.41 e
. . DS

22
23
 What is d-
exponent?

Decreasing ROP
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 D - Exponent

The Where
drilling rate R = drilling rate, ft/hr
equation: K = drillability constant
N = rotary speed, RPM
D
W E = rotary speed expon.
R  K N 
E
 W = bit weight, lbs
 DB 
DB = bit diameter, in
D = bit wt. Exponent
or D - exponent
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 D
W
D - Exponent R  K N 
E

 DB 

If we assume that K = 1
and E = 1

Then R
log  
 N
D
R W D
   W
N  DB  log  
 DB 
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 D - Exponent

A modified version of this equation

follows:

 R 
log  
d  60 N 
 12 W 
log  6 
 10 DB 
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 Example

Calculate the value of the d - exponent if

the drilling rate is 35 ft/hr, the rotary RPM is
100, and the weight on the 12 1/4” bit is
60,000 lbs.
 R   35 
log   log  
d  60 N   60 * 100   2.2341
 
 12 W   12 * 60,000   1.2308
log  6  log  
 10 DB  6
 10 12.25 

d = 1.82
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 Example

What happens to d if R doubles to 70 ft/hr?

 70 
log  
 60 * 100   1.9331
d   1.57
 12 * 60,000   1.2308
log  6

 10 12.25 

Note that an increase in R resulted in a decrease in d.

Doubling R decreased d from 1.82 to 1.57
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 Example

d may be Corrected for density as

follows

 mud weight for normal gradient (ppg) 

dc  d  
 actual mud weight in use(ppg) 

9 9
e.g., dc  d    1.82 *    1.37
 12   12 
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 Example 2
Calculate “d” if: R = 20 ft/hr
N = 100 RPM
W = 25,000 lbf
DB = 9 7/8 in

 R   20 
log   log  
 60 N 
  60 * 100 
d
 12 W   12 * 25,000 
log  6  log  6 
 10 DB   10 * 9.875 
d = 1.63
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 Example 2

If the normal pore pressure gradient in the

area is 0.433 psi/ft, and the actual mud
weight is 11.2 #/gal, what is “dc”?

 normal gradient (ppg)   8.33 

dc  d    1.63 *  
 actual mud weight (ppg)   11.2 

dc = 1.21
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33
 Procedure for Determining Pore
Pressure From dc - Exponent

 Calculate dc over 10-30 ft intervals

 Plot dc vs depth (use only date from
Clean shale sections)
 Determine the normal line for the
dc vs. depth plot.
 Establish where dc deviates from the
normal line to determine abnormal
pressure zone
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Procedure for Determining Pore
Pressure From dc - Exponent

Normal
Depth

Abnormal

dc - Exponent
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 Procedure for Determining Pore
Pressure From dc - Exponent

 If possible, quantify the magnitude of the

abnormal pore pressure using
overlays, or Ben Eaton’s Method
1.2
P S  S  P    dc calculated 

      
D D  D  D n   dc normal 

Pore
Pressure Overburden Normal Pore
Grad. Stress Grad. Pressure Grad.
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In normally pressured
shales, shale
compaction increases
with depth

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 Shale Density - Mud Cup Method
1. Fill mud cup with shale until the weight is 8.33.
2. Fill to top with water, and record the reading Wtot.

8.33
Spec.Gravity 
16.66  Wtot

Note: Dry sample carefully with towel.

Do not apply heat.
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Alternate Method: Use variable density column.

See p. 270 in text

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 Pore Pressure from
Resistivity

Shale resistivity plots

may be developed
from (i) logs or
(ii) cuttings
What is the pore 10,000’
pressure at the point
indicated on the plot?
[Assume Gulf Coast].
Depth=10,000 ft
0.2 0.5 1 2 3
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From plot, Rn = 1.55 ohms EATON
Robs = 0.80 ohms

From Eaton:

Depth
1. 2
P S  S  P    Robs 
        
D D  D  D n   Rn 

1.2
 0.80 
 0.95  0.95  0.465  
P 10,000’

D  1.55 

= 0.7307 psi/ft = 14.05 lb/gal

P = 0.7307 * 10,000 = 7,307 psi

0.2 0.5 1 2 3
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