06

Well Control
 Cuttings Transport

1. Abnormal Pressure
2. Well Control Fundamentals
3. Kick
4. Annular Pressure Behavior
Abnormal Pressure

Origins of abnormal pressure:

• Overburden stress
• Aquathermal expansion
• Clay diagenesis
• Osmosis
• Evaporite deposits
• Organic matter
transformation
• Tectonics activity
• Permafrost
Origins of Abnormal Pressure
Abnormal Pressure Prediction
 Well Control Fundamentals
Primary control over the well is maintained by ensuring that the pressure due to the column of mud in the
borehole is greater than the pressure in the formations being drilled, i.e., maintaining a positive
differential pressure or overbalance on the formation pressures.

𝑝 𝑓 < 𝑝𝑚𝑢𝑑
 Well Control Fundamentals
The aim of secondary control is to stop the flow of fluids into the wellbore and eventually allow the influx
to be circulated to surface and safely discharged, while preventing further influx downhole.

𝑝 𝑓 > 𝑝𝑚𝑢𝑑
 Causes of Influx
Reduction in mud weight is the most common reason behind an influx. It is generally the result of one ore
more of the following:

• Solids removal
• Excessive dilution of the
mud
• Gas cutting of the mud
• Wellbore breathing
misdiagnose
 Causes of Influx
Reduction in height of mud column is another very common reason behind an influx, although not
directly related to the drilling fluid composition. It is generally the result of one ore more of the following:

• Tripping
• Swabbing
• Lost of circulation
 What is a Kick?
An unscheduled entry of formation fluid(s) into the wellbore. There are several indicators that can be
effectively used to identify a kick while still at its early stage:

• A sudden increase in fluid volume at the surface

• Flowing well with pumps shut off
• Sudden increase in drilling rate
• Sudden decrease in circulating pressure
• Reduction in hook-load
• Gas, oil or water cut mud
• Hole refilling is less time than normal during
tripping out
 Precautions
While Drilling - Flow check the well:
• Pick up the Kelly until a tool joint appears
above the rotary table
• Shut down the mud pumps
• Set the slips to support the drillstring
• Observe flowline and check for flow from the
annulus
• If the well is flowing, close the BOP. If the well
is not flowing resume drilling, checking for
further indications of a kick
While Tripping:
• Circulate bottoms up to ensure that no influx
has entered the wellbore
• Make a flowcheck
• Displace a heavy slug of mud down the
drillstring. This is to prevent the string being
pulled wet (i.e. mud still in the pipe when the
connections are broken). The loss of this mud
complicates the calculation of drillstring
displacement.
 Well Shut-in
Proper application of shut-in procedure requires the drillers to:

• Raise kelly above the rotary table until a tool joint appears
• Stop the mud pumps
• Close the annular preventer
• Read shut in drill pipe pressure, annulus pressure and pit gain
Pressures After Shut-in

Formation pressure:

𝑝 𝑓 =0.052 𝜌 𝑚𝑢𝑑 h+𝑆𝐼𝐷𝑃𝑃

 Kick Type Identification
A gas kick causes higher annular pressure than a liquid kick:

• A gas kick has lower density

• Must be allowed to expand as it is pumped to the surface
• To keep constant BHP, a higher surface annular pressure must be maintained using
adjustable choke

A very important parameter to determine the kick type is the length of the kick:

𝐿𝑘=𝑉 𝑘 𝐶 3

( )
𝐿3 For kick volume larger than the total
𝐿 𝑘= 𝐿 3 + 𝑉 𝑘 − 𝐶2 capacity of the annulus opposite the drill
𝐶3 collars

Vk is the volume of the kick

C3 is annular capacity (length per unit volume)
L3 is the length of Drill collar
C2 is the annular capacity of hole opposite the drillpipe.
 Kick Type Identification

Pressure Balance
pc  0.052[  m ( D  Lk )   k Lk ]  pdp  0.052  m D

Kick
Density
pc  pdp
k  m 
0.052 Lk

1. k<4 lbm/galGas
2. k>8 lbm/gal Liquid

pc shut-in casing pressure

pdp shut-in drill pipe pressure
 Example
Example: Drilling of a well, as shown in figure, is in progress. Opposite to the drillpipe the capacity is 12.9 ft/bbl, while opposite to the
drill-collar it’s 28.6 ft/bbl. An increase of 20 bbl is detected in the mud pits over a 3 min period and the circulation is stopped. The
pressure readings are shown in the figure after shut-in. Estimate the fluid type if a 9.6 ppg mud was circulated at 8.5 bbl/min.

Solution: First we calculate the total volumetric capacity opposite the drill collars:

900/26.8 = 31.5 bbl > 20 bbl ft

ppg < 4 ppg  gas kick

If we consider the influx as An ideal mixture of gas + mud,

bbl

ft

The density of the mixture is then: ppg. Assuming ideal mixture:

ppg < 4 ppg  gas kick

 Kill a Well
The bottom hole pressure is kept CONSTANT while the kick fluid is circulated out of the
hole! Why?
a. BHP = Pressure of the Formation after shut in and stabilization
b. Lower BHP cause a second kick!
c. Higher BHP may fracture the formation

Bottom Hole Pressure

pdp  0.052 D  pbh
 SIDPP  Hydrostati c DP pressure

New Mud
Density
SIDPP
 2  1 
0.052 D
Bottomhole Pressures
Annular Pressure – effect of kick size
Annular Pressure – effect of gas buoyancy
Kick Expansion – uncontrolled
Kick Expansion – controlled
Kick Migration – no release
 Well Control - summary

Key Rule
• Keep bottomhole pressure at a value at least equal to or slightly above
formation pressure during any stage of the process

Additional remarks:
• Shut-in ASAP
• Collect SIDPP and SICP data
• Determine formation pressure, kick type and kill mud
• Circulate the kick out using slow rate
• Finally, the well is filled with kill mud
• While doing all these, “key rule” should be applied