Principles & Procedures

113

Top Hole Drilling

Shallow gas
Statistically, shallow gas is the most likely single cause of kicks leading to blowouts. Because of
the difficulty in early detection of an influx while drilling top hole sections and the shallow nature of
the hole, the gas, upon entering the wellbore, expands and reaches the surface very rapidly and
with little warning.
A shallow seismic survey is one of the best methods available today to identify possible shallow
gas accumulations. Exploration wells in general and wells drilled in shallow gas prone areas are
most likely to encounter shallow gas.
Shallow kicks in wells drilled offshore from semi-submersible drilling rigs should not be closed-in.
The reason for this is the risk of causing an underground blowout, and the risk of gas rising to the
sea floor outside the conductor.
Kicks in shallow formations cannot be closed-in and killed using conventional procedures due to
the low formation fracture gradients.
The normal well control procedure to use in such cases is diverting the influx to allow the reservoir
to deplete or bridge.
The success of the above mentioned method is somewhat doubtful because it has led to several
blowouts. Success is also limited due to the limited lifetime of the diverter systems with the severe
flow rates.
Drilling a pilot hole is a technique to detect potential problem zones and to limit the effect of this
type of kick. A small diameter hole, normally 9-7/8" or / 250mm or less, is drilled prior to casing
point and then opened up to the required diameter for the next casing size. By drilling a small
diameter pilot hole the large quantities of pore volume gas in the annulus can be reduced
drastically. This will improve the capability of controlling a shallow gas kick with a dynamic kill
operation.
Shallow Gas Procedures
Procedures for dealing with shallow gas should be based on the identification of the causes of
shallow gas kicks and the preparation for and prevention of kicks.
Shallow gas kicks can be caused by:
x

Gas Cutting

Swabbing, and

Lost Circulation

Preparation for and prevention of kicks can be dealt with by paying attention to the following areas:
x

Having a reserve of heavy mud for a shallow gas kill.

Controlling drilling rates.

Following strict tripping procedures.

Performing flow checks whenever necessary.

Checking out and dealing with mud losses.

Monitoring downhole pressures by using PWD/LWD/MWD tools and

Monitoring Active Mud System

Kick Warning Signs

Principles & Procedures

114

Subsea Top Hole Drilling

The diverter system and riser is exposed to extremely large flow rates of gas and solids which can
cause heavy erosion throughout the system within minutes. This has led to dangerous gas leaks. It
should therefore be considered only to use the diverter as long as it takes to disconnect the marine
riser and pull the rig off location. A riser and diverter system should not be used in water depths of
more than 450-500,150 m unless a pilot hole has been drilled to TD for the shallow section of
the hole.
The best way to avoid taking a shallow gas kick to surface is to drill the top hole section with
returns to seabed. By using a floating drilling unit, it will be possible to move the rig safely off
location in cases where Shallow gas is encountered.
In water depths of 150 m and deeper, drilling riserless with return to seabed is a good practice. By
having returns going to the seabed we lose the ability to monitor return flow and surface volumes.
Instead, we can have a submarine ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) next to the hole and visually
monitor for signs of gas, or use sonar to monitor for gas flow. The signs of gas coming from the
well bore shall then initiate agreed safety procedures.
Another way of limiting the effect of the influx and the rate of influx in shallow depths is to have
heavy mud available in the mud pits. The mud should not be so heavily weighted that the
downhole formations are broken down when circulation is initiated to kill the well. Pumping heavier
mud will also reduce the differential pressure and therefor reduce the influx rate. If the well is not
killed with the heavier mud, circulation should continue. As long as circulation takes place with
maximum circulating rate, the annulus pressure loss (although minimal) can reduce the rate of
influx entering the well bore. If the rate of influx can be reduced, the Diverter system can be
expected to last longer.
When tripping out of subsea top-hole formations, circulating while pulling the drillstring out of the
hole is recommended, as a positive pressure is maintained below the bit and swabbing can be
avoided.
The influx rate from an exposed formation can also be reduced by reducing the drilling Rate of
Penetration. If the ROP is reduced, we will see the kick without having too much of the kicking
zone exposed.
It has been experienced that most formations at those shallow depths are normally pressurised
and the blowouts occur as a result of large quantities of pore volume gas. This results in gas cut
drilling fluid to surface. The gas cut drilling fluid reduces hydrostatic pressure allowing formation
fluids or gas to enter the well.
As a general rule, a shallow gas zone should not be knowingly penetrated without in-depth prespud planning of equipment and operational procedures.

Kick Warning Signs