On completion of this module you will be able to:

Understand the main stuck pipe mechanisms causes

Explain the preventive actions to avoid sticking

Indentify the stuck pipe mechanism

Describe the first actions to free the pipe

 Cause
Solids Induced Packoff
Occurrence
Differential Sticking Rig Site Warnings

Wellbore Geometry Preventative Action

Freeing Guidelines
Hole Cleaning
Unconsolidated Formations
Reactive Shales
Naturally & Induced Over-Pressured Shales
Fractured and Faulted Formations
Tectonically Stressed Formations
Overburden Stress
Junk in the Hole
Green Cement and LCM Treatment
Cement Blocks
 Cuttings

PDC Roller Cone

Cavings

Blocky/Platy
Splintery Angular
Cause:
Low annular velocity
Poor mud properties
Insufficient rotation
Occurrence:
All the time but critical between 30-60
degrees.
Rig Site Warnings:
Increase in Torque and Drag
Increase in Pump Pressure / ECD
Preventative Action:
Maximize Annular velocity
Maximize Pipe Rotation
Pumping adequate pills
Ensure circulation times are adequate
Optimize mud properties (YP, LSRYP)
HOLE MAX GPM MIN GPM BEST RPM MIN
SIZE RPM

17 900 1200 800 gpm, with ROP at 20 120 180 120

m/hr (65 / hr)

12 800 1100 650-700 gpm, with ROP at 150 180 120

10-15m/hr (30-50/ hr)
800 gpm, with ROP at 20-30
m/hr (65-100 / hr)
9 700 900 500 gpm, with ROP at 10-20 120 150 100
m/hr (33-65 / hr)

8 450 600 350-400 gpm, with ROP at 70 100 60

10-20 m/hr (33-65 / hr)

These are Ideal Parameters and may not be achievable in every condition
 Torque and Drag

Mud Type
Hole Diameter

Hole Angle

VERY IMPORTANT ! Define the box size and what it will allow us to do
Apply a systems approach. Parameters cannot be singled out and optimized
separately
Box dimensions determined by various factors (Rig equipment, Solid control
equipment, well design, BHA, design, drilling practices and most importantly
personnel competency.
Cause:
The formation can not be supported by the hydrostatic
overbalance as the fluid simply flows into the formation
Occurrence:
While drilling shallower unconsolidated formations

Rig Site Warnings:

Increase in Torque and Drag
Increase in Pump Pressure / ECD
Fill on bottom
Shaker blinding

Preventative Actions:
Control-drill the suspected zone to allow time for the
filter cake to build up.
Avoid unnecessary reaming and backreaming
Use sweeps to help keep the hole clean
Slowdown trip speed across those formations
Cause:
Water sensitive shale /clays drilled with less
inhibition than required
Occurrence:
Poor shale inhibition (Occurs more often w/WBM
and less often with OBM)
The reaction is time dependent, from hours to
days depending on mud and formation
interaction

Rig Site Warnings:

Increase in LGS, filter cake thickness, PV, YP, MBT
Increase in T&D / Pump Pressure / ECD
Shale Shakers blind off

Preventative Actions:
Use inhibitive mud system
Perform wiper trips regularly
Monitor MBT
Barbados Shale Dry Sample Barbados Shale in 10.8 ppg CaCl2 (24 hrs)

Fortune Bay Dry Sample Fortune Bay 24 hrs in Fresh water

Cause:
commonly caused by geological phenomena ( under-
compaction, naturally removed overburden and
uplift).
Occurrence:
Using insufficient MW
Removal of ECD
Rig Site Warnings:
Cavings (splintery) at shakers
Increase in T&D / Pump Pressure / ECD / Gas level
An increase in ROP

Preventative Actions:
Use sufficient mud weight
Minimize hole exposure
After exposing shale, do not reduce MW
Cause:
Shale pore pressure becomes charged by
hydrostatic overbalance
Occurrence:
After a reduction in MW or a long exposure time
with constant MW
High ECD (small hole size) / While surging
In casing rat hole

Rig Site Warnings:

Cavings at shakers
Increase in T&D / Pump Pressure / Hole fill
Ballooning effect

Preventative Actions:
Control ECD properly to minimize ballooning and
inducing over pressure to sensitive formations
Do not reduce MW
Cause:
Rock near faults can be broken into small or large
pieces, and if lose can fall into the hole and
jam the drill string
Occurrence:
In tectonically active zones
Fractured limestone

Rig Site Warnings:

Possible losses or gains (or ballooning)
Fault damaged cavings at shakers
Hole fill on connections
Sticking can be instantaneous

Preventative Actions:
Limit the rotary speed and tripping speeds
Monitor ECDs
E. Folding and faulting
associated with Salt
dome diapirism
Cause:
Due to the movement of earths crust, natural lateral
stresses are present
Occurrence:
In mountainous locations / tectonic active zones

Rig Site Warnings:

Cavings at shakers
Increase in T&D / Pump Pressure

Preventative Actions:
Maintain mud weight and ECD within planned mud
weight window
If possible drill these formations in smaller hole sizes
Plan to case off these formations as quickly as
possible
Cause:
The overburden or vertical stress, sV , is usually a
principal stress. MW is insufficient to support the
overburden and is not adjusted as hole angle
increases.
Occurrence:
In deviated wells mainly

Rig Site Warnings:

Increase in Torque and Drag
Increase in Pump Pressure / ECD
Fill on bottom
Preventative Actions:
Maintain mud weight and ECD within planned mud
weight window
Cause:
Down hole equipment failure
Poor housekeeping on the rig floor
Hole cover not being installed
Inattention
Occurrence:
Any time!!

Rig Site Warnings:

Sudden erratic torque
Inability to drill ahead
Circulation not restricted

Preventative Actions:
Inspect all handling tools regularly, especially rig
tongs and slips.
Practice good housekeeping
Install drill pipe wiper
Cause:
Circulation attempted with the bottom of the drill string
in soft cement which dehydrates the cement due to
differential pressure
Cleaning LCM treatment with insufficient flow rate and
high penetration rates.
Occurrence:
When using LCM or cement (Dress cement plug)

Rig Site Warnings:

Increase in pump pressure leading to inability to circulate
Loss of string weight
Green cement in mud returns, discoloration of mud

Preventative Actions:
Give cement enough time to set and estimate the TOC
Start circulation several joints above the TOC and run
down slowly. Do not rely on WOB to show TOC.
Drill out cement with low WOB and high flow rate
Cause:
Hard cement chunks fall into the well bore and jam the
drill string
Occurrence:
Around the casing shoe
Open hole squeeze plugs
Kick-off plugs

Rig Site Warnings:

Large Cement fragments at the shakers
Rotation and downward movement may be possible.
Erratic torque

Preventative Actions:
Limit casing rat hole length to minimize a source of
cement blocks.
Slow the trip speed down before the BHA enters the
casing shoe or the plug depth.
 Filter cake

Overbalance
pressure Mud

Drill pipe
Porous
and
Sticking Force = DP x A x C Permeable
Porous
andzone
DP = Overbalance (kg/cm2) Permeable
zone
Ph= Hydrostatic Pressure
Pf= Formation Pressure
A = Contact Area (m2)
C = Friction Factor
FF WBM = 0.2 - 0.4
FF OBM = 0.15 - 0.25
 70 kg/cm2 Overbalance (997.5 psi)
1) Contact Area (A) = Wall contact x Length of Permeable Formation
= 5 in x 0.0254m/in x 10 m =1.27 m2 (1968.5in2)
2) Sticking Force = 70 kg/cm2x 1.27m2x(100 cm/m)2 x 0.15
= 133 Tons=294,500 lbf approx.
Cause:
High overbalance applies a differential sticking force to the drill string contact area
Drill string contacts a permeable zone
When motion stops, static filter cake develops

Occurrence:
With a stationary or very slow moving drill string
When contact exists between the drill string and the well bore
When an overbalance is present across a permeable formation
In a thick filter cake or cuttings bed

Rig Site Warnings:

Increasing over pull on connections and after surveys
Full unrestricted circulation
High overbalance (losses, MW..)
 Other Preventative Actions :

Well design
Optimize casing setting depths to minimize overbalance across
potential sticking zones
Design for adequate overbalance for hole stability and well control
Porous
and Mud
Permeable
zone
Use OBM where possible. Keep fluid loss to a minimum
Utilize bridging agents such as sized CaCO3 and asphalts/gilsonite
Maintain a low concentration of LGS. Keep gels low

Operations
KEEP THE STRING MOVING. Pre-plan to minimize
operational downtime that requires static drill string
(connections, surveys, minor repairs, etc.)
Consider rotating the drill string during drilling, tripping
and connections while BHA is opposite to high risk zones
(CAUTION)
 Preventative Action :

Well bore contact

Minimize BHA length when possible
Maximize BHA stand off. Use spiral drill collars and HWDPs
Rig team awareness
Porous
and The rig team should be made aware of the depth of
Permeable permeable formations and the estimated overbalance in
zone those zones.
Ledges & Doglegs
Under gauge hole
Mobile formation
Stiff Assembly
Key Seating
Cause:
Ledges at interface hard/soft formations
Too high doglegs
Occurrence:
Hard/soft interbedded layers
Faulted/fractured formations
Frequent angle/direction changes

Rig Site Warnings:

Sudden erratic over pull or set down
Problems are at reoccurring fixed depths

Preventative Actions:
Minimize excessive directional changes in the well
bore.
Slow trip speeds before BHA enters the suspected
ledge zone or dogleg.
Avoid prolonged circulation across soft inter bedded
formations
Cause:
Hard abrasive rock wears bit gauge and results in an
under gauge hole
Occurrence:
After running a new bit
Running a PDC after a tricone
Drilling abrasive formations
After coring
Rig Site Warnings:
Pulled bit or stabilizers are under gauge
Occurs only when RIH
Sudden set down weight
Circulation not restricted
Preventative Actions:
Slow the trip speed
Gauge all BHA components when RIH and POOH
Ream suspected under gauge sections
 Cause:
Overburden weight squeezes formation out because
OVERPULL!! the mud weight is not sufficient
Occurrence:
Salt or plastic shale formation

Rig Site Warnings:

Over pull when moving up, takes weight when
running in
Sticking occurs with BHA at mobile formation depth

Preventative Actions:
Maintain sufficient mud weight.
With mobile salts consider using a slightly under-
saturated mud system to allow a controlled
washout
Minimize the open hole exposure time of these
formations
Cause:
Stiffer BHA is run into a previously drilled hole and
can not negotiate hole angle and directional
changes
Occurrence:
Where doglegs are present
With a different BHA and stabilizer design
Most likely while tripping in hole

Rig Site Warnings:

Erratic over pull / set down and torque

Preventative Actions:
Consider running same or similar BHA configurations
Slow the trip speed down before the new BHA
enters a problematic zone
Consider reaming tight spots with sufficient flow
rate and rotation
Cause:
By the drill pipe rotating against the wellbore wall at
the same point and wearing a groove or keyseat
Occurrence:
At abrupt changes in angle or direction
After long drilling hours with no wiper trips in dogleg
section

Rig Site Warnings:

Cyclic over pull at tool joint intervals on trips
Sudden over-pull when BHA reaches DL depth
Free string movement below key seat depth possible
if not already stuck in key seat

Preventative Actions:
Minimize dogleg severity
Perform reaming and/or wiper trips if a dogleg is
present
Consider running reamers or a key seat wiper if a key
seat is likely to be a problem
Instructions:
Answer the questions by
circling all the numbers in
the row with the correct
answer
Add the columns
The one with the highest
total is the sticking
mechanism
Back
Pressure
Back
Pressure

Jar!
Freeing:
Initial Action:
1. Establish that Differential Sticking is the mechanism
2. Initially circulate at the maximum allowable flow rate.
This may erode the filter cake. In slim hole conditions
this might not be possible due to ECD constraints. It Porous
may not be effective in directional wells. and
3. Slack off the string weight while holding 50% of make- Permeable
zone
up torque of surface pipe
4. Use an action similar to what would be used with a
bumper sub
5. Pick up to just above the up weight and perform step
4 again.
6. Repeat 4. & 5. Increasing to 100% make-up torque Filter cake
Allow sufficient time for hydraulic jars to trip Overbalance
7. If the string does not come free hold torque in the pressure Mud
string and continue jarring with the maximum trip
load while preparing the pipe releasing pill Drill pipe
 Filter cake

Overbalance
pressure Mud

Drill pipe
Differentially Work/ Yes
Work Free ?
Stuck Jar Pipe
No

Select alternate Is U Tubing

Spotting method Possible?
No
fluid at rig?
Yes
Yes
Is over balance Prepare U Tube
Yes No
Mix Spot & Spacer needed for
Well control/
stability U Tube

Pump Spot & Spacer

No
U Tube second Time Pipe Free??
Yes
Pipe Free??
Yes
No

Cut pipe/Fish/ No Yes

Pipe Free?? Cond Mud
Sidetrack/P&A & Drill Ahead


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100 300

0
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100 300

Backreaming Bit