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Excessive BHP(bottom hole

pressure)/DHP(down hole pressure)

• “Excessive bottom hole pressure or down

hole pressure overbalance may cause loss
of circulation (mud loss) in weak formation.”

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 Excessive BHP / DHP causes
while drilling
• High mud weight
• High ECD
• High mud circulation rate
• Pressure surges due to mud pump
pressure.
• Pressure surges due to string movement
• Dispersible mud system / formation.

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 contd.
• Thick mud cake.
• Excessive annulus loading.
• Drilling too fast.
• Balled up BHA (bottom hole assembly) /
down hole drilling tools.
• Mobile formations
• Under gauged hole

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 High mud weight

• Each formation has a certain fracture

strength.
• If hydro static head due to mud column
exceeds this strength, formation may get
fractured.

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 Control measures

• Keep mud weight in the median range

between pore pressure and fracture
Pressure.
• Run solid control equipments regularly to
keep LGS (low gravity solids) to minimum
level.
• Monitor mud weight very closely.

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 High ECD

• “ Equivalent circulating density (ECD)

is always higher than running mud
weight due to resistance to flow of mud
across well bore wall and presence of
cuttings in the annulus.”

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 Control measures
• Excessive viscosity and gel strength to be
avoided.
• Formation cutting loading in well annulus to
be restricted.
• Thickness of filter cake to be limited to
avoid reduction of annular clearance.
• Mud weight to be optimum and any increase
of MW to be slow & gradual.

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 Control measures (contd.)

• Fluid columns in the well bore / annulus to

be balanced.
• Barites sag to be avoided by controlling
mud rheology .
• LGS (low gravity solids) & MBT (methyl blue
test ) values to be kept at minimum possible
level.

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 High mud circulating rate

• It causes increase in ECD.

• High rate of flow across weak formation

causing hole erosion and mud loss.

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 Control measures

• Use optimum flow rate for efficient hole

cleaning.

• Virtual hydraulics may be used for this.

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 Mud pump pressure surges

• Mud circulation after running in to

bottom to be started at slow circulation
rate of mud pump.
• After gellation of mud is broken, pump
SPM is increased gradually keeping
string under rotation.
• Maximum recommended discharge
should be given after gellation of mud
is broken completely.
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 Practices to avoid pressure
surge
• Take 45-60 sec. to run in and pull out
one stand of drill pipe (vertical well).

• This will help to avoid pressure surges

and swabs and prevent fatigue failure
or sudden fracture of vulnerable
formations.

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 Dispersible mud /formation

• Dispersible mud / formation also causes

increase in viscosity / mud weight .

• This effectively increases mud wt. / annular

friction losses.

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 Control measures

• Intermediate mud circulation for gel –

breaking.

• Periodicity, duration and depths for

circulation to be decided by drilling crew in
consultation with the mud engineer on case
basis.

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 Contd.

• Preferably circulate just before and

after drilling of dispersible formation.

• Suitable non-dispersible mud system

may be used.
 Thick mud cake

• Thick mud cake can also cause mud loss as

clearance between drill string and well bore
wall decreases depending upon thickness
of the cake.
• Frequent wiper trips , preferably once in 24
hrs of continuous drilling to be done in
general.
• Water loss of drilling fluid should be kept to
a minimum.
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 Excessive annulus loading
• This can happen due to insufficient
discharge and improper hole cleaning.

• Drilling at a very fast rate-it is not feasible to

clean the hole with recommended pump rate
in general.

• Thick cutting beds Causing Hole pack-off.

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 Balled up BHA/drilling tools
• This may cause swabbing while POOH
(pulling out of hole) and surges while RIH
(running in hole).

• Swab may cause destabilization of well bore

& exposure of weak formation.

• Surge may increase BHP/DHP , causing

fracture / loss circulation.
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 Control measures
• Use of proper mud systems to prevent
dispersion of gumbo like clay in the mud.
• Use proper discharge to prevent re-grinding
and floating of cuttings in the annulus.
• Use chemical sweeps to clear ball up from
the BHA.
• POOH & RIH slowly if ball up of BHA is
suspected.

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 Mobile formation

• Mobile formations like salt , plastic shale

and some coals have a tendency to flow
inside the well bore under overburden
pressure.

• This results in tight and under gauged hole.

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 Control measures

• Maximum allowable mud weight may help.

• Frequent wiper trips may help.

• Use of suitable mud system may also help.

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 Under gauged hole

• Can be caused by undergauged drill bit.

• TCR bit run after PDC bit run.

• Mobile formations.

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 Control measures

• “On each run a pulled out bit should be

gauged and while lowering new bit reaming
should be done very slowly to avoid hole
pack-off and mud loss in weak formations.”

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 Clearing hole pack-off/bridge

• Using high pump rate to clear bridge/ pack

off not only aggravates bridge further , it
may also cause formation fracture and mud
loss.
• Torque and slack drill string with only 300-
500 psi pump pressure to regain circulation
and increase pump rate slowly till bridging
is cleared completely.
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 Pump reaming rate

• Avoid pushing through tight spots with

pump running at high discharge rate.

• Ream slowly to avoid pack-off.

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 Causes of excessive BHP / DHP
while casing lowering
• Lowering casing too fast.
• Very little clearance between casing and
well bore wall.
• Highly viscous mud.
• Improper hole cleaning before casing
lowering

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 Control measures
• Virtual hydraulics can be used to simulate
surface pressures & ECD while circulating
mud based on annular clearances.

• Necessary adjustments to be made to

provide sufficient annular clearances to
avoid high pressures during mud
circulation.

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 Contd.

• Mud parameters to be optimized to avoid

gellation of mud during casing lowering.
Intermediate circulation as decided between
DIC & mud chemist may be given.

• Hole to be thoroughly cleaned to remove

cuttings from the well bore.

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 Controlled drilling

• “In known weak areas it is a good practice

to drill slowly and allow healing time for
formation of protective layer of mud cake on
the well bore wall.”

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 CONTROLLED DRILLING

FAST DRILLING

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 Controlled drilling technique
• Drill very slowly in the suspected thief zone.

• Observe well behavior after every ½- 1 m of

drilling.

• Stop and take remedial measure if loss is

encountered.

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 Controlled drilling technique(contd.)

• This will allow for time to heal the suspected

formation.

• It will also prevent instant cutting loading in

the well annulus.
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