Well

Planning
and
Construction

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Well planning
Objective:
To formulate a drilling program for drilling a well having
following characteristics:
(1) safety:
Highest priority in well planning Personnel
considerations must be placed above all.
Second priority involves safety of well and rig
equipment. Contingency plan for fire and blow out should
form an integral part of well plan.
(2) minimum cost:
Minimize the cost of the well without sacrificing or
compromising on the safety aspects.
(3) usable:
The objective of drilling a hole to target depth will not
be achieved if the final well configuration is not usable.
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Usable means:
• The final hole diameter is large enough to facilitate
desired completion.
• The pay zone is not irreparably damaged.
Activities before start of drilling operation:
Activities undertaken prior to start drilling operation can
be broken down into the following steps:
• Release of location.
• Survey of surface / subsea location. Sometimes the
cost can be reduced by a small change in surface
location.
• Civil works and foundation for onshore drill-site and
soil coring / sea bed survey in case of offshore
well.
• Preparation of geo-technical order.
• Preparation of complete well program.
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• Preparation of bill of material and initiation of
purchase, if required.
• Procedures from obtaining sanction for purchase to
receipt of material.
• Rig allocation and its shifting to the new location.

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Input data for well planning:
The information's required for planning of a well are:
• The objective of well.
• Well data package consisting of
• seismic data, location map, structural map,
expected pore pressures, offset and
correlation logs and information on formation
type, top and thickness.
• Offset and correlated drilled wells data
consisting of
• bit record, mud reports, mud logging data,
drilling reports, well completion reports,
complication reports and production /
injection histories.
• Proposed logging, testing and coring programs.
• Government reflection and company’s policy.
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 Geo – technical order:
•The various input data are thoroughly analyzed and
the geo-technical order (G.T.O) is prepared which
provides broad guidelines for drilling of the well.
•G.T.O. Furnishes the following details:
•Well name
•Well number
•Area
•Location
•Water depth
•Elevation
•Well type
•Category
•Objectives of the well etc.

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(A) Geological data consists of following details:
• Depth
• Age
• Formation
• Lithology
• Interval of coring
• Electro logging
• Collection of cuttings
• Angle of dip
• Oil / gas shows
• Formation pressure
• Formation temperature
• Mud loss / caving zones

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(B) mud parameters consist of:
• Type of mud
• Specific gravity
• Viscosity
• Ph
• Percentage of sand
• Filtration loss
(D) drilling data includes:
• Casing policy and rise of cement
• Type of drilling
• Type and size of bit
• Number of bits expected and Meterage per bit
• Weight on bit
• Rpm of rotary
• Stand – pipe pressure
• Pump discharge
• Bit nozzle details, Drilling time, remarks, if any 8
 Drilling program preparation:
Drilling program can be broken down into 13 main
sections:
•Well details
•Well objectives
•BHA design
•Casing policy
•Wellhead selection
•BOP requirements
•Cementing program
•Deviation program
•Survey requirements
•Mud program
•Bit and hydraulics program
•Evaluation requirements
•Estimation of well cost
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 DRILLING AND CASING PROGRAM

• Establishing a drilling and casing program is of

prime importance while preparing a drilling
venture.
• The actual aim is to choose construction
characteristics so that the borehole can reach its
objective as economically as possible while
complying with a number of specifications

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CHARACTERISTICS TO BE SELECTED ARE:

• Number of casing strings and setting

depths.
• Respective diameters of bits and casings.
• Height of cement between casing and
borehole walls.

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 TYPES OF CASING STRINGS

• Conductor pipe
• Surface casing
• Intermediate casing string
• Production string
• Liner

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 REQUIRED CLEARANCE
• A borehole is a telescope like construction since each
casing set in the hole reduces the diameter that could
be drilled later on.
• Due consideration must be given to clearance
between -
i) casing string and bit (should not be less than
3/32 of an inch).
ii) bore hole wall and outside casing diameter
and coupling O.D.

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BHA design –
Drill stem constitutes members used for drilling by the
rotary method from swivel to the drilling bit. It consists
of Kelly, drill pipe and BHA.
BHA ( bottom hole assembly ) includes drill collars,
stabilizers, jars, reamers, shock sub, bit sub etc.
Kelly - Heavy square or hexagonal steel pipe , to
transmit rotating force to the bit through drill
string.
Length- 11 to 16.5 meters
Size - 5 1/ 4 ″ OD, 3 ″ ID

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Estimation of formation pore pressure-
• Pore pressure is pressure of oil/ gas/ water trapped in
formation. It may be
•Normal
•Sub normal or depleted
•Abnormal or pressured
• Most of the decisions pertaining to casing policy are
based on formation pore pressure.
• The two sources of well pressure data for well planning
are geophysical / geological data and offset well data.
• In the exploratory wildcat wells in new area, pore pressure
prediction has to be done by analyzing seismic data.

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• Shallow gas sands present one of the most difficult
well control problems particularly in offshore drilling
operations.
• They tend to be high pressure and low volume and
can unload a well very quickly with risk of toppling jack-up
rigs, sinking floaters and causing fire and explosion.
• In order to try and identify potential gas bearing zones
at shallow depths, detailed high resolution seismic
surveys are performed and analyzed by what is known
as ‘ bright spot ’ technique.

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Estimation of formation fracture pressure-
• Fracture pressure is pressure that can be borne
by formation before breaking down
• Excessive pressure can be exerted by
• Mud weight
•Surge pressure
•Failure on rig floor
• Can be based on anticipated geology and offset
well records.
• It is important to have an accurate assessment of
this so that casing seat can be
selected in an effective manner.
• LOT can provide fracture pressure

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Casing seat selection-
• After the pore pressure and fracture pressure
charts have been drawn, size of final production
conduit is decided so as to select different casing
sizes required to be lowered at various casing
seats selected.
• The setting depth depends upon :
• Competency of formations with high fracture
gradients.
• Length of open hole section.
• Requirement of cementing programs.
• Other anticipated down hole problems.

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Wellhead selection-
The wellhead must be of correct pressure rating, designed for
the special services like H2S environment if required and be
capable of accommodating all designed casing strings.

BOP requirement-
The BOP requirement for a given well will depend upon
company policy and anticipated bottom hole pressures.
Surface holes have either no BOP requirement, or will need
to use a diverter.
BOP’s for H2S well will be different from that used in a normal
oil well .

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Bit selection- following factors are considered to select a
bit:
• Formation drillability
• Mud system in use
• Directional implications
• Availability
Formation drillability-
Tricone bits for soft formation drill by gouging and scrapping
action.
In soft to medium - soft formations that are not too sticky,
PDC bits offer the best alternative, especially in oil – base
muds.
Harder formation will be drilled by using insert bit with journal
bearings and gauge protection or alternatively diamond bits.

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Hydraulic program-

Annular velocity- a certain minimum annular velocity in

required for a given mud type to prevent cuttings slippage
through the mud and to effectively lift cuttings out of the hole
to the mud treatment equipments.

Bit and hole cleaning- drilling fluids flow in either a laminar

or turbulent manner (or in a combination these). Laminar flow
will cause less hole erosion, however, turbulent flow is likely
to clean the hole better.
In practice , both laminar flow and turbulent flow are
acceptable in the annulus depending upon the bore hole
condition.

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• There are two main theories concerning how much
hydraulic horsepower should be expended at the bit to gain
maximum cleaning efficiency.
• The first theory is the maximum hydraulic horse power
theory, which in practice means expending 2 / 3rd of the
available HHP at the bit or 66 % pr loss in bit.
• The alternative theory is the maximum jet impact theory
which in practice means expending around 50 % of the
available HHP at the bit.

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Preparations before spudding-
Before spudding the well, ensure that the following
arrangements are made-
• G.T.O. of the well
• Handling tools like elevators, power tonge, EZY
torque , drill collar , slips, drill collar safety
clamps.
• Chemicals required for preparation of mud and for
controlling its parameters.
• Adequate quantity of diesel, oil and lubricants.
• Fire fighting equipments.
• Supply of water for drilling operations and
drinking purpose.
• Pressure testing the high pressure lines to one and
half times the working pressure.

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• Checking of the instruments installed for
monitoring the various parameters like tong torque
gauge, rotary torque gauge, rotary rpm – meter,
weight indicator, etc.
• All the equipments installed should be in working
condition.
• Drill string required for drilling.
• Device for making rat hole.
• Kelly, Kelly drive bushings, Kelly top sub, Kelly saver
sub and upper and lower Kelly cocks.
• Bit breaker for various sizes of bits to be used.
• Bits required for drilling rat hole and for drilling the
interval up to the lowering of the first casing.
• Hole opener and the cutters if required.
• Conductor and surface casing to be lowered.
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• Safety kits required for staff and first aid kit.
• Well head, bop stack, choke and kill manifold.
• For all exploratory wells in remote areas,
cementing units and adequate cement should be
available.
• Crown - o - matic should be in working order.

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 RATE OF PENETRATION (ROP)
• ROP is time taken by a bit to drill one metre of
formation, minutes per metre
• Example: ROP = 15 minutes/ metre means the
bit takes 15 minutes to drill 1 m of formation.
• ROP keeps on fluctuating.
• If formations are soft, ROP will increase.
• If formations become hard, ROP will decrease.
• If bit becomes worn out, ROP decreases.
 TYPES OF ROCKS
• Igneous rocks
• Sedimentary rocks
• Metamorphic rocks

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 Igneous Rock
• Igneous rocks crystallize from molten rock, or
magma, with interlocking mineral crystals.
• Igneous rocks that crystallize slowly, typically
below the surface of the Earth, are plutonic
igneous rocks and have large crystals (large
enough to see with the naked eye).
• Volcanic igneous rocks crystallize quickly at
the Earth's surface and have small crystals
(usually too small to see without
magnification).
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 Igneous Rock
• Common examples include granite (plutonic)
and basalt (volcanic).
• Igneous rocks typically comprise the
minerals quartz, mica, feldspar, amphibole,
pyroxene and olivine

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 Metamorphic Rock
• Metamorphic rocks form from alteration of pre-
existing rocks by changes in
ambient temperature, pressure, volatile content,
or all of these.
• Such changes can occur through the activity of
fluids in the Earth and movement of igneous
bodies or regional tectonic activity.
• Texture of metamorphic rocks can vary from
almost homogeneous, or nonfoliated, to foliated
rocks with a strong planar fabric or foliation
produced by alignment of minerals during
recrystallization or by reorientation.
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 Metamorphic Rock
• Common foliated metamorphic rocks include
schist and slate.
• Marble, or metamorphosed limestone, can
be foliated or non-foliated.
• Graphite, chlorite, talc, mica, garnet and
staurolite are distinctive metamorphic
minerals.

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 Sedimentary Rock
• Sedimentary rocks formed at Earth's surface thru
deposition of sediments derived from weathered
rocks, biogenic activity or precipitation from solution.
• Clastic sedimentary rocks such as conglomerates,
sandstones, siltstones and shales form as older rocks
weather and erode, and their particles accumulate and
lithify, or harden, as they are compacted and
cemented.
• Biogenic sedimentary rocks form as a result of activity
by organisms, including coral reefs that become
limestone.
• Precipitates, such as halite (salt) and gypsum can
form vast thicknesses of rock as seawater evaporates.
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 Sedimentary Rock
• Sedimentary rocks can include a wide variety
of minerals, but quartz, feldspar, calcite,
dolomite and evaporite group and clay group
minerals are most common because of their
greater stability at the Earth's surface than
many minerals that comprise igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
• Sedimentary rocks, unlike most igneous and
metamorphic rocks, can contain fossils
because they form at temperatures and
pressures that do not obliterate fossil
remnants. 35
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 Source Rock
• Normally source rocks are shale or limestone
• Source rock may contain 1 % organic material
and minimum of 0.5 % TOC (Total organic
carbon). Rich source rock may have up to 10 %
organic material
• When this organic matter is heated from 60 –
1200C under high pressure, converted into
hydrocarbon (oil),
• Sometimes temperature may be as high as
2000C, then gas is formed
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 Source Rock
• With more and more sedimentation, source
rock gets compacted due to overburden
pressure and hydrocarbon gets squeezed
and moves out

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 Reservoir Rock
• Hydrocarbon squeezed out from source rock
start migrating
• It needs reservoir rock where this hydrocarbon
can be stored
• Sandstones, limestones and dolomites are
reservoir rocks
• Reservoir rocks need sufficient porosity and
permeability to store and transmit fluids
• Normally sedimentary rocks are reservoir rocks
as they have more porosity in comparison to
igneous and metamorphic rocks
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 Porosity
• Porosity is relative amount of void space
within a rock
– Rock containing void space 1/3rd of its total
volume has 33 % porosity
• Porosity determines capacity for having
reservoir fluids
• Porosity range
– From less than 5 % in tightly cemented
sandstone or carbonate to more than 30 % for
unconsolidated sands

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Porosity

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Fracture Porosity

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Vugular Porosity

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 Porosity
Porosity category Porosity %

Negligible 0–5%
Poor 5 – 10 %
Fair 10 -1 5 %
Good 15 -20 %
Very good 20 – 25 %
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 Permeability
• Besides porosity, it is must to have
permeability
• Permeability means interconnectedness of
pore of rocks
• These interconnected pores allow
hydrocarbon to move from one place to
another place e.g. in the well when the
well is drilled
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Permeability

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 Permeability
• Permeability determines the ease with which
reservoir fluids can move out or flow within
rock
• Permeability depends on porosity but not
directly related to it
• If porosity 0 %, permeability will also be 0 %
• If porosity 20 %, permeability may be 0 to
any per cent depending on porosity, particle
size, shape
• Open fractures have very good permeability

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 Permeability
• Permeability measured in darcies
• One darcy permeability means 1 cc water
flow thru 1 cc cube of rock in 1 second under
differential pressure of 1 atm (1.0 kg/ sq cm)
• Permeability is reservoirs in the range of milli
darcies
• High porosity often accompanied with high
permeability when pores are interconnected
• Shale has good porosity but low permeability

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• Some people think that oil is in big pools
underground.
• Actually, most oil is trapped in the tiny pore spaces
between grains of rock or sand. Most of these pores
are too small to be seen with the naked eye.

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 MECHANICAL FACTORS

• Weight on bit
• Rotary speed
• Bit type

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 EFFECT OF WOB ON ROP

• At lower WOB, ROP responds slightly to

increase in weight.
• At weight range above this critical weight-
ROP increases rapidly .Finally it becomes
constant. This continues till complete
burial of teeth in formation.
• With increased WOB- wear of teeth
increases & bearing life decreases.

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 EFFECT OF RPM ON ROP

• RPM increases- ROP also increases but

not linearly alike increase in drilling rate
with WOB.
• with increase in RPM- wear of teeth
increases & bearing life decreases.
• There is an optimum value of RPM for
which cost is minimum.

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 PRACTICAL LIMITATIONS ON ROP

• On any formation max. WOB = 80% OF

total buoyed drill collar weight
• operational limit imposed by economic drill
string & bit life

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