Lost Circulation

Prevention and Remediation

 LOST CIRCULATION
Root Causes:

• Seepage (ineffective mud cake sealing)

• Ineffective isolation of the casing shoe
• Borehole breathing (ballooning)
• Induced fractures
• Natural fractures
• Faults
• Vugs
• Hole in casing
 Key to Successful Remediation

• Understand what you are treating

– Root cause(s) of the lost circulation
– Where it is occurring
• Diagnostic Tools
– Rate of loss – Pill behavior (timing)
– Losses by depth – Image logs
– Resistivity tools – Seismic section
– ECD Vs. FG Prediction – Tectonic regime
– LOT behavior – PWD
– Porosity and Permeability
 LOST CIRCULATION DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS
Flow Classifications

– Seepage losses <10 bbl/hr.

– Partial Losses 10 - 30 bbl/hr.
– Severe Losses 30-100 bbl/hr
– (the hole will remain full with the pumps off)
– Total losses >100 bbl/hr
– (the hole will not remain full with the pumps off)
 Losses versus depth
Losses Cumulative(bbls)
5 305 605 905 1205 1505 1805 2105 2405 2705 3005 3305
9200 16” CSG
TP 90 shale
TP 88 sand

10200 TP 87 sand

11200

12200 TP 80 sand
Depth (ft)

TP 79U sand
13200

14200
10 3/4” CSG
A4 Fault

15200 TP 67 sand

16200
Nature of Losses at MC 822 #5

392 net feet of losses

Losses begin 600 feet
below the base of salt
All loss zones have a sand
or silt associated with it
except the bottom zone
Losses are in sands, silts
and shale
Bottom zone (shale)
appears to be healing
 ECD Vs. FG Prediction

Mud weight
600 Overburden
Pore Pressure
1000
LO Values
1400
Depth (m)

Incidents of losses
1800

2200
“Sand” Frac Grad
2600

3000
8 10 12 14 16 18
Equivalent Mud weight (ppg)
 LOT Analysis

FIT, LOT or ELOT BMFZA-1 / Algodoal-1 / 11.75 Inch Shoe / Test Number 1

440
420
400
380
360
340
320
300
pressure/ psi

280
260
240
220
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
volume pumped/ bbl

Predicted Leak Off Casing Shoe TVD = 3990 m
Pressure Mud Weight = 15.59 ppg
LOT (shut in) Rat Hole Length = 20 m
Rat Hole Size = 12.25 in
LOT (pumping) Open Hole Length = 3 m
Open Hole Size = 10.625 in
Predicted Leak Off Plot Rock Modulus = 1230 x 10^3 psi
Poissons Ratio = 0.35
CIT Line
Mud Compressibility = 2.23 x10^-6 psi^-1
Air in the Lines = 0 bbl
Cement Channel Length = 0 m
Cement Channel Severity = 10 %
Permeability = 1x10^-10 Darcies
Drillpipe Friction = 245 psi (EMW= 0.35 ppg)
Leak Off Pick = 370 psi (EMW=16.13 ppg)
 Pill Behavior

• Type of pill used impacts root causes

differently
• Calculate where it is in the hole when it
impacts loss rates
• Be selective about order – some pills hinder
the effectiveness of subsequent pills
 Image Logs

En-echelon shear fractures are seen 15325 ft

through much of the interval imaged in
TGL 1-32.

In places these appear more like tensile

hydraulic fractures. Once the shear
failure has occurred such that the rock
strength is overcome, tensile hydraulic
fractures may form, however, because
the MW is much lower than far field min
horizontal stress, these tensile fractures
will not propagate beyond the stress
concentration around the wellbore.

15345 ft
 Matching Diagnostic Tools to Causes

• Seepage (ineffective mud cake sealing)

• Ineffective isolation of the casing shoe
• Borehole breathing (ballooning)
• Induced fractures
• Natural fractures
• Faults
• Vugs
• Hole in casing
 Seepage Losses Characteristics

– Low loss rate (<10 bbls/hr),

– Onset at first penetration (bottom of the hole),
– Occurs where there is porosity and permeability
– No stable hydrostatic pressure between losses
and gains.
– Pore throats are large relative to mud particle
sizes.
– Usually occurs in very high permeability
formations.
 Seepage Losses Treatment
• Understand pore throat sizes
– Use capillary pressure displacement calculations
• Size bridging agents:
– Barite (~50 to 70 microns)
– Graphite (~200 to 600 microns)
– Sized calcium carbonate (~20 to 2000 microns)
– Fibers
– Platelets
• Keep filtrate loss low
• Use continuous treatment rather than pill
• Optimize additives
– PPT
– Optibridge
• Mud weight implications on additives – space to add
• Screen implications – replace what is screened out
 Ineffective Cement at the Shoe

• Loss rate will vary case by case depending

upon the size of the channel
• Will induce losses into a shallow formation
up the well.
• Losses occur below minimum horizontal
stress expected for the shoe
• Slope of leak-off will usually be lower than
casing test indicating the exposure of a sand.
 Shoe Treatment

• Will generally have to squeeze

– Cement
– Cross link polymer
– EZ Squeeze
• Avoid using materials with low compressive strength
– Diatomaceous earth
– Gunk squeezes
– LCM fillers
• Treat before you have much open hole
• If restricted channel use low rheology mud
– Restricted channel usually displays a slow decay on shut in
 Borehole Breathing

• Typically, moderate loss rate

• Usually gives back much of what was lost when
the ECD is removed.
• Gain rate decreases with time
• Can recognize on PWD at connections
• Usually occurs in shale
• Sometimes gives connection gas
• Losses occur below minimum horizontal stress
 Brazil, Algodoal

• Drilled Aug-Nov 2004

• TD = 5650 m, WD = 754 m
• Lost a total of 20,142 bbls of synthetic mud
during the well
• Focus on the 6 ½” hole section where 2468
barrels were lost while drilling
 Algodoal PPFG

0.0

Pore Pressure
Shale FG
1000.0 Sand FG
Overburden
PWD ECD
Casing Points
2000.0
Depth (m)

3000.0

4000.0

5000.0

6000.0
8.00 9.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 18.00
Pressure (ppg)
 Algodoal #1

• Bottom of the Cummulative SBM Losses

well drilled with 0 5000 10000

bbls
15000 20000 25000 30000

partial returns 0

• Very narrow 1000

pressure
window 2000

• StressCage Depth in Meters

3000

material in the
mud 4000

5000

6000
 Resistivity 180
DT
USPF 80

Anomalies
DEPTH SEDP RHOB SGRCI
METRES 0.2 OHMM 20 1.65 GM/CC 2.65 0 V/V 1
SGRC RDEEP PHIN VCLAY
0 GAPI 100 0.2 OHMM 20 60 PERCENT 0 0 V/V 1

High resistivity
anomalies are a result
of drilling induced
fractures

Anomalies disappear
once the drilling mud
is heated by deeper
higher temperature 5500

formations
 Resistivity
Anomalies DEPTH
0.2
RDEEP
OHMM
SEDP
20 180
DT
USPF
RHOB
80
SGRCI
METRES 0.2 OHMM 20 1.65 GM/CC 2.65 0 V/V 1
SGRC SEDP PHIN VCLAY
0 GAPI 100 0.2 OHMM 20 60 PERCENT 0 0 V/V 1

In all cases, the blue curve is the

estimated final formation true
resistivity.
5200
5174m:
Purple 1 hour after drilled,
Black 86 hours after drilled &
bit 173 meters deeper.

5246m:
Purple 2 hours after drilled,
Black 51 hours after drilled & 5300
bit 101 meters deeper.

5312m:
Purple 1.7 hours after drilled,
Black 44 hours after drilled &
bit 35 meters deeper.
 Drilling Parameters

• LOT at shoe = 16.72 PPG (DH)

• ECD = 16.6 PPG (DH)

• Mud temperature (LWD) = 97 deg C

• Static BH formation temp = 120 deg C

• Mud losses variable – typically 20 bbls/hr, at times

reaching 130 bbls/hr
• Clear indications of wellbore breathing
 Physical Model

Before the hole is drilled If we measured the minimum

horizontal stresses are present. horizontal stress it would plot as…

Pressure
Sh

Distance from BH Center

 Physical Model

If mud weight
Stress is lesswhen
distribution, than
When the borehole is drilled the minimum
borehole stressisthen
pressure low, hoop
may look
horizontal stresses are stresses
something like this the
form around
interrupted by its presence borehole

Pressure
Sh

Pmud

Distance from BH Center

 Physical Model

If mud weight is high relative to

The magnitude of hoop stresses is minimum horizontal stress, then
a function of the mud weight. hoop stresses are small

Pressure
Sh

Pmud

Distance from BH Center

 Physical Model

If mud weight is low relative to

The magnitude of hoop stresses is minimum horizontal stress, then
a function of the mud weight. hoop stresses are large

Pressure
Sh

Pmud

Distance from BH Center

 Physical Model

So hoop stresses are very small

In the Brazil case, mud weight But mud coming out of the bit is
(16.6 ppg) is close to minimum cool (97 deg C) relative to the
horizontal stress (16.72 ppg). formation (120 deg C)

Pressure
Sh

Pmud

Distance from BH Center

 Physical Model

The cooling of the rock causes

In the Brazil case, mud weight contraction which reduces the
(16.6 ppg) is close to minimum stress around the well, leading to
horizontal stress (16.72 ppg). limited fracture growth

Pressure
Sh

Pmud

Distance from BH Center

 Wellbore Breathing

• Region of low stress around the wellbore

• Allow limited growth of fractures
• Fractures close when pumps are turned off and
hydrostatic drops below near fracture gradient
• Conditions that lend themselves to this effect
– Mud ECD near fracture gradient (low hoop stresses)
– Mud cool relative to the formation (marine riser)
– Smaller borehole diameters (lower hoop stresses)
• Problem will tend to go away once mud is warmer
Pre-Ballooning PWD Signature

Normal Connection Profile

Severe Ballooning Continued

Connection Profile with

Wellbore Storage Effects
 Borehole Breathing Treatment

• Is usually related to mud temperature and goes

away or follows down the hole when drilling
deeper into hotter formations,
• LCM tends to be expelled back into the borehole
upon ECD reduction at connections
• Heating the mud is usually an effective treatment
– Heat from friction through restriction (bit nozzles)
– Heat from pipe rotation
– Surface mud heaters
 Drilling Induced Fractures

• Typically, high loss rate

• ECD exceeds the formation strength
• Can occur in sands or shale
• Losses stabilize when ECD is reduced, if no
flow occurs
• Can be at any point in open hole
 Natural Fractures

• Typically, high loss rate

• No stable hydrostatic pressure between losses
and gains.
• Can occur in sands or shale
• Onset at first penetration (bottom of the hole),
• Losses occur below minimum horizontal stress
 Faults

• Typically, high loss rate

• Losses are usually associated with strike
slip or thrust faults, rarely with normal
faults.
• Usually occur in shale
• Losses occur below minimum horizontal
stress
 Vug Losses

– Moderate to high loss rate (>10 bbls/hr),

– Onset at first penetration (bottom of the hole),
– Occurs where there is porosity and permeability
– No stable hydrostatic pressure between losses
and gains.
– Pore throats are very, very large relative to mud
particle sizes.
– Usually occurs in carbonate formations (chalk,
limestone).
 Vug Losses Treatment

• Sized bridging agents should not be effective (vug

diameter too large)
• Will need a setting type fluid
– Cement
– Polymers
– Gels
– Frac-Attack
– EZ Squeeze
• Will re-visit at remediation
 Remediation Treatments
Open Fractures and Vugs

• Cement (Magne-Plus)
• Cement (Zone Lock)
• Polymers
– Form-a-Set, Flex Plug, Instanseal
• Gunk Squeezes
• Diatomaceous Earth (Frac Attack)
 Remediation Treatments
Open Fractures and Vugs

• Halt losses and build strength

– Cement (Magne-Plus)
– Cement (Zone Lock)
– EZ Squeeze
• Halt losses only
– Polymers
• Form-a-Set, Flex Plug, Instanseal
– Gunk Squeezes
– Diatomaceous Earth (Frac Attack)
 Remediation Treatments
Open Fractures and Vugs

• The single largest cause of failure of

treatment is the over-displacement of the
treatment
– Either reduce hydrostatic head to allow use of a
balanced plug, or
– Use a high viscosity fluid ahead of the
treatment
• Low strength materials cannot significantly
raise the fracture resistance.
 Preventing Induced Fractures

• An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.

• Keep the mud weight as low as is reasonable
– Consider WBS requirements.
• Reduce ECD
– Cuttings load (ROP)
– Fluid viscosity
– Rotation
– Eliminate cuttings beds
– Prevent transient pressure pulses
• Consider use of stress cage principles
 Preventing Induced Fractures

• Avoid pack off incidents

– Control ROP, RPM > 100, No backreaming, etc.
• Rotate the pipe before turning on the pumps
especially if the mud is cold.
• Keep tripping speeds slow, paying particular
attention to surge pressures.
• Surge pressure calculations should be performed
for drill pipe.
• Surge/Swab analysis should be performed prior to
running casing.
Can we improve a formations FG above nature?

Introduction to Stress Caging

Preventing Lost Circulation
 The Solution in Concept

Potential weaknesses where

fractures may grow.

… and here

Compression generated where Compression

wedge also partly
forces aside formation felt here …
 The Solution in Concept

Knock in a few other wedges ……

…… generating a hoop of compression

or “stress cage” around hole.
Makes starting a fracture more difficult.
 Actual Mechanism

Fracture kept open

by fluid pressure
 Actual Mechanism

… and
Filtrate
leadsfracture
to
loss
pressure
into
closure
drop
porous rock

Drop in fluid pressure

Blockagehigh
transfers chokes flow of
compressive
mud feeding
stress fracture
to bridge
 Key Criteria for Stress Caging

Being able to bleed off

pressure behind bridge

Creating a bridge

• Correct range of particle sizes in mud

• Flow into fracture faces is greater than
flow across bridge (dam).
 Low fluid loss effect across dam
 Permeable formation
 Importance of Bridge Placement
Two rings, same thickness steel,
one twice the diameter of the
other:

Takes two times the separation to

have the same resistance in the larger
diameter

A smaller fracture is much more

effective at building stress when at
the borehole surface compared to
back in the formation – Do not over-
displace proppant and fillers

It is easier to stress up small diameter

holes than larger diameter holes.
(implications for under-reaming)
 Modelling Example Output
1.0
Frac shape before bridging
0.8
Fracture shape after bridging
0.6
0.4
Half Aperture (mm)

0.2
0.0
-0.2 ” 㨠t¨ ¨ —¨ 1

-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1.0
Distance from centre of wellbore (ft)
Product Concentration
VFRAC = vol. of fracture

VSOL = vol. of continous run of solids

with diam. equal to frac width.

Frac width

Prod Conc = VSOL x SOL

VFRAC x PGTFW

PGTFW = proportion of product

with solids equal & greater
than frac width.
 Product Concentration

45% of product greater

than frac width
Product Concentration
 Case histories since 2003

•Applied or back-analyzed stress cage technique to

50+ wells so far.

•All support stress cage principle (either with a

success, or with an example of losses where technique
not applied correctly).

Detailed here …

•Chirag (Caspian Sea)

 Chirag (Caspian Sea) Example
Well A18 Experience

Mud weight
Overburden
600

e
Pore Pressure

l
ho
½”
1000 LO Values

17
1400

ng
Depth (m)

Incidents of losses

i lli
dr
1800 st
lo

2200 “Sand” Frac Grad

ls
bb

2600
00
,0
14

3000
8 10 12 14 16 18
Equivalent Mud weight (ppg)
 Key Drilling Practices

• Must have the right concentration of the right sized

particles in the mud when inducing a StressCage.
• You must expose the formation to the target strength
to “set” the StressCage.
– ECD while drilling
– ECD while running casing
– Open hole FIT
• You cannot sequentially under-ream a StressCage
• You can simultaneously StressCage
 Seepage / Lost Circulation FlowChart

Mud Losses /
Seepage

< 10 bbl. / hr. 10 - 40 bbl. / hr. > 40 bbl. / hr.

Sw eep hole w ith LCM
sw eep containing 15
ppb CaCO3, & 5-10 ppb
G-Seal / Diamond Seal
Mix & pump LCM Pill Mix & pump LCM Pill
containing 20 ppb CaCO3 containing 30 ppb CaCO3
(M&C)& 10-15 ppb G- (M&C)& 15-20 ppb G-
Seal/ Diamond Seal- spot Seal/Diamond Seal - spot
across suspected loss across suspected loss
zone.

Yes Yes Losses < 10-

Losses < 10 No 40 bbl / hr?
bbl / hr?

No
Preventative No
Maintainance - Add 4
sx/hr CaCO3 (M) & 4 More than 2 No
sx/hr CaCO3 (C) LCM pills
No
spotted?

More than
LCM 2 pills Yes Yes
mixed?
Mix and squeeze a
Form-A-Set AK pill
across loss zone.
Do this only tw ice.

Yes
Losses < 10
bbl / hr.

No

Discuss remedial
Continue drilling options available
 Keys to lost circulation

• Prevention:
– Design
– Lower ECD
– Stress cages
• Remediation
– Where?
– Treat correctly the first time
– Create an environment that allows the treatment to
work