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Keyseat problems are most
common with unstabilized
drill string, but can cause a
problem with smaller casing
strings in a large hole.
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Bridging can be from cuttings slump, formation cave-in or formation
extrusion around a tectonically active area or salt diaper.
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Both keyseats and doglegs may result
when drilling from a soft formation into
a harder formation or as hole deviation
is built.
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Added clearance may be
required for:
1. High build angles in
deviated wells.
2. Very large casing
3. Thicker casing
couplings
4. Severe doglegs
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Dogleg Problems - Completions
Problems
Dogleg Problems:
difficult to run close clearance casing.
difficult to get any large piece of equipment through the
open hole or cased dogleg - can be a more severe
problem than a short radius departure.
Increased drag with coiled tubing
Increased cutting of the wall of tubular by wireline
(coating killer)
Increased incidence of jump-out and collapse
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The clearances between hole
and casing are not just
dependent on the casing OD and
the hole diameter; the clearance
is affected by the coupling OD
and other equipment such as
centralizers.
V2 DP2
Nominal clearances are 1.5 to
over 2. Too small a clearances
interferes with running the
casing; too large a clearance
DP1
prevents cement from reaching
turbulence and removing mud. V
1
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Differential Sticking -
Completion Problems
Initial Completion:
difficult to pass casing, particularly tight
clearance casing strings.
Problems with open hole completions, running
screens, packers.
Sight of early bridging during gravel placement
Workovers/Interventions:
sticking of tubulars, large tools and equipment.
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Drill-In Fluids
Function - low damage drilling of the pay.
Fluids - surprisingly wide choice of options.
Set mostly by operator preference and effect
of a specific pay zone. Look at:
fluid and solids damage to zone
cuttings support and removal
cleanup (how much damage remains after back-flow)?
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Functions of a Drill-In or
Cleanout Fluid
1. Well Control (20% of well control
problems occur during compl. & W.O.)
2. Cuttings removal check the hydraulics
(cleaning) before the job.
3. Fluid loss control (remember stuck pipe)
4. String lubrication (deviated well slides)
5. Bit lubrication and cooling
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Well Control
The mud density is selected for a
window:
to control the highest pore pressure (lower limit
of mud weight), and
To avoid fracturing the weakest exposed
formation
BUT! its the dynamic or equivalent
circulating mud density that the formation
feels.
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Equivalent Circulating Density
ECD or equivalent
circulating density is
created by friction 10
backpressure as the fluid is
circulated. ppg Friction Pressure
(example an annular friction
In a static (no pump rate) (resistance to flow) of 52
well, the bottom hole psi/1000 ft produces 520 psi in a
pressure, BHP, is from the 10,000 ft well or 1 pound per
mud density. When the gallon, ppg, extra pressure at
pumps are started, the 10,000 ft.
annular friction increases
the BHP.
BHP is further increased by 11 ppg effective circulating
use of a choke.
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Depth (ft) vs Mud Weight (ppg)
Progression of mud weight
6 8 10 12 14 16
over time during drilling of 0
Casing 30'' (30 ft)
2000
3000
4000
5000
Why does it occur? 6000
7000
Why is it a problem? 8000 Casing 11 7/8'', 11
3/4''
9000 (Surf-13735
What does it cause 10000
ft)
15000
Slotted Liner
16000 7'' (17025-
17878 ft)
17000
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18000
An example of rate of drilling penetration with
overbalance pressure.
30.00
25.00
ROP (FT/HR)
20.00
15.00 y = 3561.5x -0.9192
10.00
5.00
0.00
0.00 500.00 1000.00 1500.00 2000.00 2500.00 3000.00
O VERBALANCE PRESSURE (PSI)
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Depth (ft) vs Rheology (lb/100ft2)
Change in rheology during
drilling Colombia well. 0 10 20 30 40 50
0
1000
YS is yield strength
2000
PV is plastic viscosity 3000
YP (lb/100ft2)
4000
YP is yield point
5000
High yield strength and plastic 6000
viscosities are good for carrying 7000
PV (lb/100ft2)
solids but generate higher friction 8000
during flow. 9000
YS (lb/100ft2)
10000
Yield point is a measure of the
11000
stress needed to start fluid
flowing this is an element of 12000
13000
what helps keep solids in
14000
suspension, but creates higher
15000
start-up loads.
16000
17000
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18000
Pressure Balance
Injection
BHP = Ph + Ps - Pfct
Circulation
BHP = Ph + Pfann
Reverse Circulation
BHP = Ph + Pfct
Surface Pressure is = Pfct + Pfann
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Drill-In Fluids
Examples (all fresh mixed to drill zone - no
hold-over mud):
Low solids OBM
Sized salt
Sized carbonate pills
HEC pills
Water foams
Base oils
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Drill-In Considerations
Underbalance or near balance
Reverse circulation
Hole unloading or cleaning
What comes next?
production flow
stimulation or cleanup fluid
mechanical operations (lubricity, surging, etc.)
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Mud Damage
Common problems
fines in the mud - physical plugging
wetting of formation by mud surfactants
emulsions
reactions with the formation fluids
reaction with the formation clays
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OBM, oil based mud, and acid
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OBM and acid mixture the
solution turns solid.
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The solid mass created by the
mixing of acid and some brines can
be removed by aromatic solvents.
The solid mass or sludge may be
prevented by circulating a solvent
pill before brine contact or by
flowing the well before acidizing.
The sludge created from this
reaction is very damaging and may
not clean up in normal flow.
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Fluid Loss Control
Hydrostatic (fluid) overbalance in
permeable formation causes fluid loss
Three choices
keep adding fluid
build a filter cake (form a barrier at formation)
gel the fluid (viscosity control)
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Fluid Loss Control
Viscosity - slows the loss proportional to
viscosity rise - see Darcy law.
Filter cake
clays, inorganic solids, etc - removal?
Drill-in fluids
carbonate particles
sized salts
resins
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Filter or Mud Cake
Three Requirements
permeability
outward differential pressure
solids in the wellbore fluid
Actual Fluid Loss Control Considerations
range of sizes
the 1/7th rule for invasion
stability of the solids over time/fluids
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Building a filter cake:
Requires three things:
1. Permeability
2. Solids in the fluid
3. Pressure differential toward the formation
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Fluid loss may be severe through wide natural
fractures.
How can fluid loss be controlled in these cases?
Fibers, flakes, large particles used to form a
second matrix then use finer particles.
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Good Fluid Loss Control Cakes
Form a barrier quickly (use a range of
particle sizes)
Forms a thin, hard cake (minimizes pipe
contact)
Can be removed by normal circulation
methods before cementing
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Drilling and Completion Overbalance -
how much is enough?
Overbalance is the amount of fluid density applied
at the formation in excess of the pore pressure in the
formation.
Mud Pore
Mud density determined by: density press
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Surge or swab loads the result of BHA movement in
viscous muds.
How much pressure? may be 1000s of psi change over a
few seconds.
Maximum effect:
1. Large BHA
(minimum
clearances)
2. Viscous fluids
3. Fast pipe
movement
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Inflow Indicators
1. Pit gain
2. Any returns increase
3. Gas cut fluids
4. Reduction in circulating pressure
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