Well Control

BOP
MIT-WPU
2021
• Well-control means methods used to minimize the potential for the well to
flow or kick and to maintain control of the well in the event of flow or a
kick.
• Well-control applies to drilling, well-completion, well-workover,
abandonment, and well-servicing operations.
• It includes measures, practices, procedures and equipment, such as fluid
flow monitoring, to ensure safe and environmentally protective drilling,
completion, abandonment, and workover operations as well as the
installation, repair, maintenance, and operation of surface and subsea well-
control equipment.
 Causes of kick

A kick will occur when the bottom hole pressure(BHP) of a well falls below the formation pressure and the
formation fluid flows into the wellbore.
There are usually causes for kicks some of which are:
• Failure to keep the hole full during a trip
• Swabbing while tripping
• Lost circulation
• Insufficient density of fluid
• Abnormal pressure
• Drilling into an adjacent well
• Lost control during drill stem test
 Failure to keep the hole full during a trip

• Tripping is the complete operation of removing the drillstring from the wellbore and

running it back in the hole.
• Tripping out of the hole means that the entire volume of steel (of drillstring)
is being removed, or has been removed, from the well.
• This displacement of the drill string (the steel) will leave out a volume of
space that must be replaced with an equal volume of mud.
• If the replacement is not done, the fluid level in the wellbore will drop,
resulting in a loss of hydrostatic pressure (HSP) and bottom hole pressure
(BHP).
• If this bottom hole pressure reduction goes below the formation pressure,
a kick will definitely occur.
 Swabbing while tripping
• Swabbing occurs when bottom hole pressure is reduced due to the
effects of pulling the drill string upward in the bored hole.
• During the tripping out of the hole, the space formed by
the drillpipe, drill collar, or tubing (which are being removed) must be
replaced by something, usually mud.
• If the rate of tripping out is greater than the rate the mud is being
pumped into the void space (created by the removal of the drill
string), then swab will occur.
• If the reduction in bottom hole pressure caused by swabbing is
below formation pressure, then a kick will occur.
 Lost circulation

• Lost circulation usually occurs when the hydrostatic pressure fractures an open formation.
• When this occurs, there is loss in circulation, and the height of the fluid column decreases,
leading to lower HSP in the wellbore.
A kick can occur if steps are not taken to keep the hole full. Lost circulation can be caused
by:
• excessive mud weights
• excessive annular friction loss
• excessive surge pressure during trips
• excessive shut-in pressures.
 Insufficient density of fluid

• If the density of the drilling fluid or mud in the well bore is not sufficient to keep the
formation pressure in check, then a kick can occur.
 Abnormal pressure

• Another cause of kicks is drilling accidentally into abnormally-pressured permeable zones.

• The increased formation pressure may be greater than the bottom hole pressure, resulting
in a kick.
 Drilling into an adjacent well

• Drilling into an adjacent well is a potential problem, particularly in offshore drilling where

a large number of directional wells are drilled from the same platform.
• If the drilling well penetrates the production string of a previously completed well, the
formation fluid from the completed well will enter the wellbore of the drilling well,
causing a kick.
• If this occurs at a shallow depth, it is an extremely dangerous situation and could easily
result in an uncontrolled blowout with little to no warning of the event.
 Lost control during drill stem test

• A drill-stem test is performed by setting a packer above the formation to be tested, and
allowing the formation to flow.
• During the course of the test, the bore hole or casing below the packer, and at least a
portion of the drill pipe or tubing, is filled with formation fluid.
• At the conclusion of the test, this fluid must be removed by proper well control techniques
to return the well to a safe condition.
• Failure to follow the correct procedures to kill the well could lead to a blowout
 Kick warning signs

• Sudden increase in drilling rate

• Increase in annulus flow rate
• Gain in pit volume
• Change in pump speed/pressure
• Improper fill on trips
 Primary Oil Well Control

• Primary oil well control is the process which maintains a hydrostatic pressure in the
wellbore greater than the pressure of the fluids in the formation being drilled, but less
than formation fracture pressure.
• It uses the mud weight to provide sufficient pressure to prevent an influx of formation
fluid into the wellbore. 
• If hydrostatic pressure is less than formation pressure, then formation fluids will enter the
wellbore.
• If the hydrostatic pressure of the fluid in the wellbore exceeds the fracture pressure of the
formation, then the fluid in the well could be lost.
• In an extreme case of lost circulation, the formation pressure may exceed hydrostatic
pressure, allowing formation fluids to enter into the well.
 Secondary Oil Well Control

• Secondary oil well control is done after the Primary oil well control has failed to prevent
formation fluids entering the wellbore.
• This process is stopped using a “blow out preventer”, a BOP, to prevent the escape of
wellbore fluids from the well.
• As the rams and choke of the BOP remain closed, a pressure built up test is carried out
and a kill mud weight calculated and pumped inside the well to kill the kick and circulate
it out.
 Tertiary well control operational procedures
• Tertiary oil well control describes the third line of defense, where the formation cannot be
controlled by primary or secondary well control (hydrostatic and equipment). This
happens in underground blowout situations.
The following are examples of tertiary well control:
• Drill a relief well to hit an adjacent well that is flowing and kill the well with heavy mud
• Rapid pumping of heavy mud to control the well with equivalent circulating density
• Pump barite or heavy weighting agents to plug the wellbore in order to stop flowing
• Pump cement to plug the wellbore
 Blow-out Preventer (BOP)
A blow-out preventer (BOP) is a high pressure safety
valve system at the top of the well head which stops
uncontrolled fluid/gas flow in the well bore.
There are two types of BOP valves: annular and ram.
-- One advantage the annular blow-out preventer
has over ram-type blow-out preventers is the ability
to seal on a variety of pipe sizes.
BOP Seal Ring Function
• In the annular type of BOP valve, the sealing
element is an elastomeric packing ring which forms
the conforming seal.
• --The packing is mechanically squeezed inward to
seal on either pipe (drill collars, drill pipe, casing, or
tubing) or the open hole.
BOP Seal Ring Function
Insert Plates -- Description
• A critical component in the packing ring are the
multiple steel insert plates which reinforce the
elastomeric ring.

• --The plates mechanically strengthen and stiffen the

elastomeric seal ring and transfer the forces from
the forcing piston to the face of the seal ring.
• --The number, dimensions, and weight of the steel
plates in a given valve depend on the size and
configuration of the BOP, which are produced in a
wide range of sizes and capacities.
Insert Plates -- Description
Insert Plates -- Requirements
• The nominal performance requirements for the insert
plates are:
• -- Yield strength of 85 ksi
• -- Brinell Hardness of 235HB
• -- 0.03" tolerance on machined surfaces
• -- 500-900 RMS surface finish on as-cast surfaces.
Alloy Selection
• Based on the performance requirements, a Nickel-Chrome-Moly low alloy steel (AISI-
SAE 8627) was chosen, based on the mechanical requirements at the best alloy cost.
• The 8627 alloy has a nominal composition of:
• 0.24- 0.31 Carbon
• 0.55- 0.70 Nickel
• 0.35- 0.60 Chromium
• 0.15- 0.25 Molybdenum
• The 8627 alloy has the following typical mechanical properties, depending on heat
treatment:
• -- Yield strength = 60-160 ksi
• -- Hardness = 175-360 Brinnell
Reducing Stress Concentrations

• -- One of the benefits of casting is the design flexibility

in shaping features in the casting.
• -- Two important design principles in casting are:
• -- Round corners and edges generously to reduce
stress concentrations.
• -- Reduce the size of isolated thick sections or
provide gradual transitions between sections of
different thickness.
Reducing Stress Concentrations
Feature A - Nose of the Header
• A generous radius on the nose of
the header will eliminate two
sharp corners, reduce stress and
avoid corner defects in the
casting, which are produced by
sharp, weak corners in the sand
mould.
Feature B - Interior Edge of the Bar
• A generous radius on the edges of
the bar will eliminate two sharp
corners, reduce stress and
produce better fill in this section
that is tensile stressed.
Feature C - Base of the Foot
• -- The base of the foot is not
highly stressed and will fill
without problem.
• -- Radiusing is not necessary
Moulding Methods
• GREEN SAND MOLD
• Moist, clay-bonded sand is tightly packed around a wood or
• metal pattern in mould boxes. The pattern halves are removed,
• and the mould is assembled with or without cores.
• AIR-SET SAND MOLD
• Chemically bonded sand is packed around a wood or metal
• pattern in mould boxes. At room temperature, the sand moulds
• become rigid. Pattern halves are removed and the mould is
• assembled with or without cores.
• SHELL MOLD
• Resin-coated sand is applied to heated metal patterns forming
• shell-like mould halves. The shell halves are bonded together
• with or without cores.
Moulding Methods
Shell Moulding
• Shell moulding significantly exceeds the
baseline requirements for tolerance,
surface finish, and detail level for the
insert plate.
• But the high costs and long lead time
for the metal tool for shell moulding are
not justified in this case, where the
tolerance and finish requirements are
generous.
Air Set Sand Moulding
• Air-set sand moulding has a moderately
tighter tolerance and smoother surface
finish capability, compared to the green
sand.
• But the extra cost for the chemically
bonded sand in the air-set mould is not
justified in this case, where the
tolerance and finish requirements are
generous.
Green Sand Moulding
• Green sand moulding can meet the
baseline requirements for the insert
plate for tolerance, surface finish, and
detail level.
• Green sand moulding has lower costs
for mould material compared to air-set
sand and lower pattern and material
cost compared to shell moulding.
Orientation in the Mould