Drilling Hazard Mitigation

Controlled Pressure Drilling®

CPD®

A better way to drill

Controlled Pressure Drilling
December 06, 2007

Presented by JOSE DANILO MORALES

Hazards Causing Non-productive Time (NPT)
Conventional Drilling Operation
Hazard
Tight Hole Conditions
Directional Deviation
Well Control
Hard Formations
Wellbore Ballooning
Lost Circulation
Hole Cleaning
Equipment and/or Tool Failure
Reservoir Impairment
Excessive Mud Weight
Nuisance Gas
H2S
Non-Productive Time (NPT)
Reduced ROP, mechanically stuck pipe, LIH,
sidetrack or abandon well
Pull back, set whipstock or cement, sidetrack
Reduced ROP, HSE concern
Reduced ROP
Uncertain flow conditions lead to multiple well
control events
Differential sticking, LIH, cementing time, sidetrack
or abandon well
Reduced ROP, stuck pipe, jarring time or LIH,
cementing time, sidetrack or abandon well
Reduced effective ROP
Loss of well, reduced reservoir productivity and
ultimate recovery
Reduced ROP
Well control
Well control
CPD™ Optimization Mitigates Hazards
CPD™ Drilling Operation
Hazard
Tight Hole Conditions
Directional Deviation
Well Control
Hard Formations
Wellbore Ballooning
Lost Circulation
Hole Cleaning
Equipment and/or Tool Failure
Reservoir Impairment
Excessive Mud Weight
Nuisance Gas
H2S
Non-productive Time (NPT)
Reduced ROP, mechanically stuck pipe, LIH,
sidetrack or abandon well
Pull back, set whipstock or cement, sidetrack
Reduced ROP, HSE concern
Reduced ROP
Uncertain flow conditions lead to multiple well
control events
Differential sticking, LIH, cementing time, sidetrack
or abandon well
Reduced ROP, stuck pipe, jarring time or LIH,
cementing time, sidetrack or abandon well
Reduced effective ROP
Loss of well, reduced reservoir productivity and
ultimate recovery
Reduced ROP
Well control
Well control
Redefined Time to Drill Well

Conventional Well

Invisible Lost Drilling Conventional Drilling

Perfect Well Time
Time Hazards NPT

Time to drill a well Lost ROP intrinsic to Unplanned Lost time due to
without any lost time weight drilling fluid drilling events unplanned events
Redefined Time to Drill Well

Conventional Well

Invisible Lost Drilling Conventional Drilling

Perfect Well Time
Time Hazards NPT

Conventional Normal
Well Time Removable Time

Technical Limit CPD™ Can Remove

CPD™ Redefines
Normal Well Times
Controlled Pressure Drilling®
(CPD®) Wheel
 What is Underbalanced Drilling?

• Underbalanced reservoir drilling is defined by the IADC UBO committee as:

A drilling activity employing appropriate equipment and controls where

the pressure exerted in the wellbore is intentionally less than the pore
pressure in any part of the exposed formations with the intention of
bringing formation fluids to the surface.

The hydrostatic head of the fluid may naturally be less than the
formation pressure or it can be induced.

The induced state may be created by adding natural gas, nitrogen or air
to the liquid phase of the drilling fluid.

Whether the underbalanced status is induced or natural, the result may

be an influx of formation fluids which must be circulated from the well
and controlled at surface.
 Underbalanced Drilling

Underbalanced Drilling P reservoir > P bottomhole = P hydrostatic + P friction + P surface

Managed Pressure Drilling

• Managed Pressure Drilling is an adaptive drilling process used to

more precisely control the annular pressure profile throughout the
wellbore.

• The objectives are to ascertain the downhole pressure environment

limits and to manage the annular hydraulic pressure profile
accordingly.”

• It means that we control the annular pressure profile in such a way

that we balance the well at all times
Managed Pressure Drilling

• An adaptive drilling process used to precisely control the annular pressure

profile throughout the wellbore. The objectives are to ascertain the
downhole pressure environment limits and to manage the annular hydraulic
pressure profile accordingly.

• MPD is intended to avoid continuous influx of formation fluids to the

surface. Any flow incidental to the operation will be safely contained using
an appropriate process.

Technical Notes

• MPD process employs a collection of tools and techniques which may mitigate the risks
and costs associated with drilling wells that have narrow downhole environmental
limits

• MPD may include control of back pressure, fluid density, fluid rheology, annular fluid
level, circulating friction, and hole geometry, or combinations thereof.

• MPD may allow faster corrective action to deal with observed pressure variations. The
ability to dynamically control annular pressures facilitates drilling of what might
otherwise be economically unattainable prospects.
Managed Pressure Drilling

• Reactive or “Contingency” MPD

– Tool up with closed & pressurizable returns system
– The technique is effectively on Stand-by as enhanced form of well
control to manage unexpected pressures.
– Attempt drilling with conventional casing & fluids program
– Apply backpressure to control kicks, keep drilling when circulating out,
e.g., drill through kicks, reduce drilling flat time
– Enhanced HSE (required by some underwriters)

• Proactive MPD
– Design fluids program around ability to apply backpressure, e.g.,
nearer-balanced than conventional
– Design casing program (deeper set points, maybe eliminate a size)
– The technique is used to its maximum effectiveness to mitigate a wide
range of drilling hazards.
Proactive MPD Variants

PMCD
Pressurized mud-cap. Mitigate extreme losses and
reduce associate NPT when drilling highly depleted zones,
avoiding well control issues resulting from the inability to
maintain a full column of mud in the annulus

The goal of managed CBHP

pressure drilling (MPD)
is to use a closed and Constant bottomhole pressure MPD reduces NPT and
pressurizable mud- enables fewer and deeper casing strings when pore- to
fracture-pressure gradient windows are narrow,
return system to
control bottomhole
pressure (BHP) in a
way that eliminates DG
many of the drilling and
wellbore stability issues Dual gradient MPD enables total well depth in the right
that are inherent to hole size in deep-well and deepwater drilling.
conventional drilling

HSE
Returns-flow-control (HSE) MPD reduces risk to
personnel and the environment from drilling fluids and well
control incidents.
 Managed Pressure Drilling
Managed Pressure Drilling P reservoir = P bottomhole = P hydrostatic + P friction + P surface
Performance Drilling

• This is normally air drilling technique to increase penetration rate.

• In Air Drilling the bottomhole pressure is as low as possible to

increase drilling performance.

• The objective of Air Drilling is to reduce the drilling costs by drilling

faster. This is normally achieved by using gas or air as a circulation
medium. Reducing the bottom hole circulation pressure significantly
increases the penetration rate.
Air Drilling

Air Drilling P formation >>>P bottomhole = P hydrostatic + P friction + P surface

Emerging Technologies

• Semi & Automatic Choke systems

• Solid expandables
• Drilling with casing
• Downhole Isolation Valves
• Continuous Circulation Systems
• RCH
Alternate methods to trip during CPD
Operations

• Kill the well with heavy weight fluids

• Utilize Snubbing Unit to overcome forces

• Flow the well to reduce surface pressures and reduce forces

• Downhole Isolation Valve

Downhole Isolation Valve

• There's no need to kill the well so formation damage

is minimized.

• Eliminates time required to circulate kill fluid into and

then out of the well

• Protect against potential swabbing and kick while

tripping

• No fluid loss

• Eliminates the need for snubbing operations,

enhancing safety

• Pipe can be tripped at conventional tripping speeds,

reducing rig-time requirements and improving
personnel safety.

• Allow for installation of long complex assemblies, such

as whipstocks, slotted liners, and expandable sand
screens
UBD + Downhole Isolation Valve

Hole Size 6-1/8”

Formation James Lime Trend
Depth 6,400 TVD
Pore Pressure 3,400 psi
Well Type Gas Reservoir - Multilateral

Objectives:
Previous wells had to be killed to avoid the cost and risk of snubbing

¾ Isolate the formation and allow for safe and economic means of
tripping the drill string in and out of the well during UBD operation.
¾ Minimize rig time and cost associated with loading the hole
¾ Improve production rate by preventing formation damage
Results:
¾ 19,200’ (4 lat.) of 6-1/8” hole drilled through Valve over a period of 14 days
¾ Reduced operators tripping procedure time by an average of 7.75 hrs. per trip (45 -
52%)
¾ Valve successfully isolated formation pressure for the three required drillstring trips
and allowed for the subsequent underbalanced installation of tubing completion
string
PMCD + Downhole isolation Valve

Formation Fracture Limestone

Annular pressure 3,400 psi
Well Type Wet Gas

Objectives:

¾ Drill safely through formations that

typically cause total loss of circulation.
¾ Reduce Well control incidents
¾ Use MPD in tandem with downhole
isolation valve to intersect multiple
productive fractures and handle severe or
total loss of returns while drilling.
¾ Run the completion without killing the well
¾ Reduce the cost of mud materials
PMCD + Downhole Isolation Valve

Results:

• The well was drilled, using pressurized mud-cap drilling

(PMCD), a variant of MPD. Drilling was able to continue for an
additional 167 ft (51 m) after total loss of circulation began.
• Total depth was declared after massive hydrocarbon-producing
fractures were intersected.
• A maximum of ~3,400 psi was observed in the annulus before Downhole
isolation valve was closed for tripping.
• Use of the Isolation valve eliminated the need for killing the well
before setting the completion string
• Use of MPD (PMCD) reduced consumption of lost-circulation material.
• The volume of drilling mud lost to the formation was estimated at 2,500
bbl before the shift to PMCD was made. This is a fraction of the mud lost
on similar drilling campaigns.
• Conveting to a PMCD system generate savings in mud materials
by using aprox. 12.000 bls or water rather than mud.
 UBD + Rotary Drilling With Casing

Casing 5-in., 18 lb/ft, L-80, DwC/C

Formation Sand/shale
Distance Depth in: 483 ft MD depth out: 2,300 ft MD (1,817 ft)
Well type CO2 Injection Well

Costly and challenging from a well control perspective due to

induced lost of circulation and resultant formation influx
Parameters:
Objectives:
•Minimize drilling induced formation damage Bit 6-3/4 in
WOB 6-12 klbs
•Minimize induced losses and differential sticking. formation integrity would
be compromised if 18 ppg MW used in conventionally drilled well. Distance 1,817 ft
•Integrate DwC and CPD technology to accomplish completion objective. RPM 80
Avoid potential well control problems due to surges form conventional ROP 54 ft/hr
tripping (condition the well for csg running) Flow 300 gpm (water)
with 450 – 800 psi
Results:

• 121 ft of cement and 1,696 ft of new hole and was set at planned depth
2,300 ft.
• Reduced flat time
• Eliminated fluid lost into the formation
• Penetration rates were doubled compared with offset wells.
• CBL showed improved cement bonding over conventionally drilled wells
in field. Eight