How Much Force Applied to Rig Tong To Get The Right

Torque at The Connection

One application of the rig tong is to use to make up connection. The question is
asked about how to get the right torque value to the connection if you use the rig
tong because you will not see the torque value on the gauge.

This article will describe how to determine the correct force applied to get the correct
torque value when you use the rig tong to make up the connection.

This formula below is used to determine torque value.

Torque = Force x Length of the tong

Where;
Torque in ft-lb
Force in lb

Length of the tong in ft

Force is perpendicular to the tong length. The illustration below demonstrates the
direction of force.

Example: Connection 4-1/2” IF – required make up torque = 30,700 ft-lb.

Tong length is 4 ft

How much pulling force do you require to achieve the required make up
torque?
Torque = Force x Length of the tong

Re arrange the equation:

Force = Torque ÷ Length of the tong

Force = 30,700 ÷ 4.0

Force = 7,675 lb

Ans: 7,675 lb pulling force is applied to 4-ft tong in order to get the torque at
connection at 30,700 ft-lb.
Barrels of slug required for desired length of dry pipe

What is slug? Slug: It is heavy mud which is used to push lighter mud weight down
before pulling drill pipe out of hole. Slug is used when pipe became wet while pulling
out of hole. This article will demonstrate you how to calculate how many barrel of
volume slug required for desired light of dry pipe.
Normally, 1.5 to 2 PPG over current mud weight is a rule of thumb to decide how
much weight of slug should be. For example, current mud weight is 10 PPG. Slug
weight should be about 11.5 to 12 PPG. Generally, slug is pumped to push mud
down approximate 200 ft and slug volume can be calculated by applying a concept
of U-tube (See Figure below).

Volume of slug required for required length of dry pipe can be calculated by
this following equations:
Step 1: Determine hydrostatic pressure required to give desired drop inside drill
pipe:
Hydrostatic Pressure in psi = mud weight in ppg x 0.052 x ft of dry pipe
Step 2: Determine difference in pressure gradient between slug weight and mud
weight:
Pressure gradient difference in psi/ft = (slug weight in ppg – mud weight in ppg) x
0.052
Step 3: Determine length of slug in drill pipe:
Slug length in ft = Hydrostatic Pressure in psi (in step 1) ÷ Pressure gradient
difference in psi/ft (step 2)
Step 4: Slug volume required in barrels:
Slug volume in barrel = Slug length in ft x drill pipe capacity in bbl/ft
Example: Determine the barrels of slug required for the following:
Desired length of dry pipe = 200 ft

Drill pipe capacity = 0.016 bbl/ft

Mud weight = 10.0 ppg

Slug weight = 11.5 ppg

Step 1 Hydrostatic pressure required:

Hydrostatic Prssure in psi = 10.0 ppg x 0.052 x 200 ft
Hydrostatic Prssure in psi = 104 psi

Step 2 differences in pressure gradient between slug weight and mud weight:
Pressure gradient difference in psi/ft = (11.5 ppg – 10.5 ppg) x 0.052
Pressure gradient difference in psi/ft = 0.078 psi/ft

Step 3 length of slug in drill pipe:

Slug length in ft = 104psi ÷ 0.078
Slug length in ft = 1,333 ft

Step 4 Slug volume required in barrels:

Slug volume required = 1333 ft x 0.016 bbl/ft
Slug volume required = 21.3 bbl
Reduce mud weight by dilution

You sometimes need to reduce your mud weight in hole. The method to reduce mud
weight is dilution. The concept of dilution is to add light weight fluid into heavy fluid
and when they mix together whole drilling fluid weight will decrease. The light weight
fluid frequently used are fresh water, sea water, base oil, diesel, synthetic oil, etc
which are normally your based fluid.

You can calculate how much light weight fluid in barrel required reducing original
mud weight to new mud weight with this following formula:

Mud weight reduction by diluting with light weight fluid

Light weight fluid volume in bbl = V1 x (W1 – W2) ÷ (W2 – Dw)

Where;

V1 = Intial volume in bbl

W1 = Initial drilling fluid weight in ppg

W2 = Final drilling fluid weight in ppg

Dw = Density of light weight fluid in ppg

Example: Determine the number of barrels of base oil 7.2 ppg (Dw) required to
reduce 200 bbl (V1) of 13.8 ppg (W1) to 10.0 ppg (W2):
Light weight fluid volume in bbl = V1 x (W1 – W2) ÷ (W2 – Dw)
Light weight fluid volume in bbl = 200 x (13.8 – 10) ÷ (10 – 7.2)

Light weight fluid volume in bbl = 271.4 bbl

You need to mix 271.4 bbl of base oil 7.2 ppg into 200 bbl of 13.8 ppg in order to
achieve final mud weight of 10.0 ppg
Kill Weight Mud

Kill Weight Mud or Kill Drilling Fluid Density is the mud weight required to
balance formation pressure. The kill weight mud may be pumped into the well at
different time depending on kill methods (Driller’s method, Wait and Weight, Bull
head, etc).
How to determine kill weight mud?

With the following equation, you can determine this figure.

Kill Weight Mud (KWM) = Current Mud Weight + (SIDPP ÷ 0.052 ÷ Well TVD)
Where,

Kill Weight Mud (KWM) in ppg

Current Mud Weight in ppg
SIDP stands for “Shut In Drill Pipe Pressure” in psi.
Well TVD is true vertical depth of the well in ft.
Example: Drilling with 9.5 ppg mud and current depth at 9,500’MD/9,000’ TVD. The
well takes influx. Operation is stopped and the well is shut in.
Shut in drill pipe pressure = 500 psi

.Shut in casing pressure = 700 psi.

What is the kill weight mud?

The kill weight mud required to balance formation pressure:

Kill Weight Mud (KWM) = 9.5 + (500 ÷ 0.052 ÷ 9,000)

Kill Weight Mud (KWM) = 10.6 ppg (round up number)

Why do we need to use SIDPP?

When you take a kick (wellbore influx), the density of fluid in the annulus is very hard
to predict because it is a mixture between drilling mud and influx. Therefore, you
don’t know exactly what the density in the annulus is. Moreover if you take gas kick,
shut in casing pressure will increase over time, and you will NOT be able to
identify the right shut in pressure to determine formation pressure.
Looking at the drill pipe side, there is only one pure fluid column so you know
exactly its density. With the precise mud density, you can apply hydrostatic pressure
concept in order to get the formation pressure and kill weight mud (the equation is
showed at the beginning of the topic).
Note: If your drilling string has a solid float, you will not be able to read SIDPP right
away. So you need to bump the float to get SIDPP. You can read more detail about it
via this > float bumping procedure.
Float Bumping Procedures To Get Shut In Drill Pipe Pressure

In order to get the correct value of drill pipe pressure, you need to have the correct
floating bumping procedure. In this section, I will show you how to bump the float
correctly.

These following procedures will demonstrate you how to bump the float
correctly in order to get SDPP.

1. Ensure well is properly shut in. No leak or whatever.

2. Record shut in casing pressure (SICP)

3. Pump as slowly as possible (5-10 stroke per minute) at constant pumping speed
down into the drill pipe and keep monitoring the drill pipe pressure and the casing
pressure.

4. You will see the drill pipe pressure increase while pumping. At this stage, you
need to monitor carefully for a “lull” in the drillpipe pressure, which will occur when
the float is opened. The drillpipe pressure showing when the lull is first seen is your
shut in drill pipe pressure (SIDPP).

5. You also need to verify that the float has been opened by continuing to pump
down the drillpipe slowly until you see an increase in the casing pressure. It should
happen very quickly after the lull was seen on the drillpipe gauge.

6. Shut down the pumping operation as soon as increase in casing pressure is

detected.

7. Check the shut-in casing pressure again. If there is any excess casing pressure,
you may bled-off some pressure in small increments until it equates or a little bit
above SCP in steps no 2.

If you see trapped pressure on drill pipe after bumping the float, you can
calculate the actual shut in drill pipe pressure with this following formula.
Shut in drill pipe pressure = shut in drill pipe pressure after bumping the float
– Shut in casing pressure increase while bumping float
Bullheading Well Control Method
Bullheading is one of the well control methods which may be utilized in some
occasions in order to control the well. Concept of bullheading is to pump kicks back
into formations by using kill weight fluid. People usually use this method when
normal circulation is impossible and volumetric method is not feasible to perform.

When May You Consider Using the Bullheading Well Control Method?
 When the kick size is very big so you may not be able to control the excessive
volume coming to the surface.
 When you need to reduce surface pressure in order to start further well control
operations.
 When there is a possibility to exceed surface pressure and volume gas on the
surface if the conventional methods (drillers’ method, wait and weight and
volumetric) are performed.
 When there is no pipe in the hole while taking influx.
 The influx contains high level of H2S which can cause safety of personnel on the
rig.
 When there is no feasible way to strip back to the bottom in order to kill in the flux
below.
For every drilling operation, decision to perform bullheading must be discussed
because if the well is shut in and wait for a long time before making decision to
bullhead the well, it might be very difficult to perform because the surface pressure at
that time may increase so high due to gas migration. The chance of pushing the kick
back into reservoir becomes smaller.
Note: Bullheading may or may not fracture formations.
There are some factors affecting the feasibility of bullheading as listed below;
Reservoir permeability – pumping fluid back into low permeability reservoir takes
longer time than pumping into high permeability zone. It might require breaking the
formation in order to successfully bullheading the well.
Surface pressure rating – rating of surface equipment as BOP, wellhead, casing,
etc will limit the maximum allowable pumping pressure.
Type of influx – Gas influx will migrate and it will increase surface pressure,
however, liquid influx (oil or water) will not cause increasing in surface pressure
because it will not migrate.
Procedure of Bullheading (Example)
This procedure below will give you only overview of how to perform bullheading
therefore you must need to add the site specific information before conducting the
actual work.

1. Determine surface pressure limitation of surface equipment.

2. Calculate surface pressure which will fracture formation during bullheading
operation.
3. Prepare a bullheading pressure chart representing strokes pumped vs pumping
pressure.
4. Ensure correct line up.
5. Bring the pump to speed at low rate to overcome surface pressure.
6. Slowly increase pump rate to the planned pump rate.
7. Closely monitor tubing, casing pressure to ensure that pressures will not exceed
the equipment limitation at any stage of operation.
8. Slow down pump rate when the kill fluid close to reservoir. You will see surface
pressure decrease over time while pumping kill mud into the well because the kill
weight mud will increase hydrostatic pressure.
9. Observed pressure increase when the kill weight fluid is pushed into formation.
10. Shut the pump down and shut in the well.
11. Monitor pressure. Bleed trapped pressure if required.
We wish you would get more understanding about the bullheading well control.
Additionally, we will demonstrate some calculations related to this topic. Please feel
free to leave any comments
Mud Storage and Tanks and Reserve Pit Overview
Mud storage and tanks / reserved pits are one of the critical rig equipment. It must
provide enough volume for drilling operation. It sounds simple however personnel
must really understand about it otherwise it will affect the overall operation. Today,
we would like to share this excellent vdo training in the topic of “Mud Storage and
Tanks and Reserve Pit Overview” and the full VDO transcripts is provided to help
someone gets full understanding on this subject. We wish you would enjoy this topic.

Mud is made up at the Rig location. Most Rigs have several steel Mud Tanks. Muds
and additives are mixed and held in the tanks. Some land Rigs also have a
Reserved Pit dug out of the ground. Mud tanks are also called Mud Pits, a carry-over
from the days of earthen pits. Mud Tank is the preferred term. The Rig does not
necessarily use all the Mud Tanks at once although it does use several. The Active
Tanks hold mud the pump actively circulates. Often mud components come to the
Rig in sacs.

Normally the crew stores the sacs in a special component called the Mud House or
Sac Room. The house or room keeps the sacs dry and allows them to be stored with
care. These silo like tanks are bulk tanks or P tanks. They hold mud additive like
Barite and Bentonite. Crew members use some additives in such large quantities
that suppliers load them into the bulk tanks to save time and money. Bulk tanks
usually have their own Hopper or Pneumatic system for transferring the additives to
the mud system. The pump takes the mud out of the active mud tanks and circulates
it through the system. Crew members connect the mud tanks with the piping and
manifolds.
The number of active mud tanks depends on the amount of mud needed to keep the
hole full. And the volume required on the surface to keep the mud in good condition
for circulating. The Sand Trap is the tank directly below the Shale Shaker. The
Shale Shaker removes most of the cuttings from the mud. But some are so small the
Shaker cannot trap them, these fall into the Sand Trap. The Sand Trap is the first
Settling Tank. Crew members have to clean it regularly to remove the built-up solids.
Some small or old Rigs may have two or more Settling Tanks in the tank system.
They allow solids in the mud to settle out but settling tanks do not do a very good job
as compared with newer generation solids removal equipment so today most Rigs
use a de-sander and de-silter. Reserve Tanks are not a part of the active mud tank
system. Instead the crew uses them to hold excess mud. Or they may use them to
hold a different type of mud than the pump is currently circulating. They may also
store heavy mud for emergency well control operations.

A Slug Tank is a relatively small separate tank or it may be small separate part of a
larger tank. The crew uses the Slug Tank to mix the slug. A slug is a small amount of
a heavy mud that is pumped down the String. Crew members may also use a slug
tank to mix a small amount of mud for a special purpose. For example the driller may
need place or spot a small quantity of high viscosity mud also called a Pill at some
point downhole. The Suction Tank is where the mud pump picks up mud ready to
circulate downhole. Mud in the Suction Tank should be clean, free of solids and gas
and be properly formulated or conditioned. Crew members use the Chemical Tank to
mix special chemicals such as Caustic that they will put into the Active Mud Tank.

On some land Rigs, the Rig owner digs a large pit next to the Rig. This pit is called
the Reserve Pit. The crew puts waste mud and the run-off from the work site in the
Reserve Pit. In an emergency they can also use it as a place to put more mud than
the tanks can hold. Often the Rig operator lines the Reserve Pit with a thick plastic
sheet to prevent Liquids from leaching into the soil. And if the Rig is on a migratory
bird fly way the operator covers it with netting to keep the water fowl from landing in
it. Land Rigs drilling in environmentally sensitive areas will not have a Reserve Pit.
Instead waste and run-off or hulled to an approved waste disposal area.

Gas Behavior and Bottom Hole Pressure in a Shut in well

This is a classic example demonstrating how bottom hole pressure will be due to gas
migration in a shut in well. This is very important concept in well control.

Assumption: For this example, since the volume of the well does not change, and
assuming that no mud or fluid is lost to the formation.
This example will demonstrate the gas behavior in a shut in well. The well is shut-in
without pipe in hole. 5 bbl of gas kick is taken and initial shut in casing pressure is
equal to 400 psi. Hydrostatic head on top of gas is 4000 psi (see figure below).

Even though the well is shut in, the gas influx is able to move upward due to gas
migration.
In this case, we will not allow any gas expansion and let the gas gradually migrate.

The well is shut in and gas is allowed to migrate up hole until hydrostatic pressure
underneath gas is 2000 psi (see the figure below).

What will happen to bottom hole pressure and casing pressure?

With Bolye’s Law concept, we will apply it see how much gas bubble should be.

According to this example,

Pressure of gas (P1) is 4400 which equates to the bottom hole pressure.

Volume of gas at beginning (V1) is 5 bbl

P1 x V1 = P2 x V2

4400 x 5 = P2 x 5

P2 = 4400 psi ->Gas pressure remains constant.

You have total of hydrostatic pressure of 4,000 psi at the beginning. Currently, you
have 2000 psi of hydrostatic at the bottom therefore you have 2000 psi of hydrostatic
on top of gas. See the figure below.

Let’s see how much casing pressure will be.

Apply hydrostatic pressure concept to solve this problem.

Gas influx pressure = hydrostatic pressure above the gas influx + casing pressure
4400 = 2000 + casing pressure

Casing pressure = 2400 psi

Moreover, you can find the bottom hole pressure by applying the same concept.

Bottom hole pressure = hydrostatic pressure of mud + casing pressure

Bottom hole pressure = 4,000 + 2,400

Bottom hole pressure = 6,400 psi.

Conclusion:
If the well is shut in and the gas influx is allowed to migrate, gas pressure will remain
constant; however, bottom hole pressure and casing pressure will increase. If
you let casing pressure (surface pressure) increase too much, you can break
formation or damage surface equipment.

Casing Size Selection – How To Select Casing Size to Match the Drilling
and Completion Goal

We’ve learnt several topics in regard to casing design and this article will
demonstrate you how to determine casing size in the well.

Casing size selection is determined from the inside outward and it starts from the
bottom hole.
The sequence of design is based on the following steps;

1. Proper sizing of tubing is determined by inflow performance analysis.

2. Completion equipment is planned to install with tubing string. Determine which

part has the biggest OD. This will directly impact of production casing.

3. Bit size for drilling the production section.

4. Casing size must be smaller than bit size and its ID must be bigger than the
biggest component in completion string.

5. Once you get the last casing string, the upper string is selected by repeating bit
selection and casing selection similar to step #3 and #4.

You may need to use the following table (Table 1) to determine bit size and casing
size. This is based on API casing therefore if you use special casing, you may need
to check with the casing company to give you exact casing ID.
Table 1 - Commonly Used Bit Sizes That Will Pass Through API Casing
Example: According to the previous example, this is the casing design based on
pore pressure and fracture gradient (Figure 1).

Figure 1- Casing Design Based On Pore Pressure and Fracture Gradient

The casing string should be set at 3000’ TVD, 6,000’ TVD and 12,000’ TVD.

The Rig needs to drill and set the conductor casing to 500’ TVD in order to rig up the
well control equipment.
Completion information
• Tubing string – 3-1/2” tubing
• Completion equipment – TRSV, Side Pocket Mandrel, Packer, etc.
• The biggest size of completion equipment is 5 inch.
According to the Table 1, the bit and casing plan for this well is described below.
Note: this plan is based on size selection only. The load cases are not accounted for
in this example.
Production Section
Bit size = 8-1/2”
Casing = 7”, 26 ppf, ID 6.276”
Intermediate Section
Bit size = 12-1/4”
Casing = 9-5/8”, 40 ppf, ID 8.835”
Surface Section
Bit size = 14-3/4”
Casing = 13-3/8”, 48 ppf, ID 12.715”
Conductor Casing
Bit size = 17-1/2”
Casing = 16”, 55 ppf, ID 15.375”

Figure 2 – Casing Details

In order to determine what casing grades to be used in the well, you need do the
detailed calculations based on several load cases as burst, collapse, tensile, etc. We
will cover the details later on.
Funnel Viscosity

The funnel viscosity is time in second of drilling mud flowing through the Marsh
Funnel Viscosity. The Marsh funnel is dimensioned so that the outflow time of one
quart of freshwater (956 cc) at a temperature of 70 F +/- 5 F (21 C +/- 3 C) in 26 +/-
0.5 seconds.

Marsh Funnel

For all drilling mud, especially oil base mud, temperate always affects on the
viscosity of base fluid. The base fluid will be less thick when the temperature
increases. It means that the funnel viscosity will decrease.

The funnel viscosity measures at only one rate of shear but the temperature each
time of measurement is not constant. This is the reason why the viscosity measured
from the Marsh Funnel does not represent the true drilling mud viscosity. On the
drilling rig, this measurement of the mud viscosity is still useful because it is a quick
and simple test for observing trends of drilling mud.
In order to use the funnel viscosity effectively, personnel must record the values
frequently. Please remember that only single point of the funnel viscosity cannot tell
you anything about a condition of drilling mud.
4-Way Valve Operation in Blow Out Preventer Accumulator (Koomey) Unit

4-way valves in the accumulator (Koomey) unit are used to control the position of
Blow Out Preventer (BOP). Today we will go into the detail of 3 positions of 4-way
vales in order to see how each position affects to the BOP.

When the valve is turned into the open position, it directs hydraulic pressure from the
manifold into the BOP openning port therefore the BOP is in the open position. The
hydraulic fluid in the ram closing chamber will return back to the reservoir tank.
Figure 1 illustrates how the hydraulic pressure is lined up to open the BOP.
 Figure 1 - Open position of the 4-way valve

Four-Way Vale in Closed Position

The valve is turned into the close position. It means that the hydraulic pressure from
the manifold is transferred into the BOP close port. The hydraulic from the opening
chamber will return back to the reservoir tank. Figure 2 shows how the hydraulic
pressure is lined up to close the BOP.

Figure 2 - Closed position of the 4-way valve

Four-Way Vale in Block Position
When the four-way valve is left in the block position (central position – Figure 3),
there is no hydraulic pressure going into either the “close” or “open” port in the BOP.
You might not know exactly the position of the rams with the block position.
 Figure 3 – Block position of the 4-way valve
In normal drilling operation, you should never leave in the block position. However,
the valves can be left in the block position during rig move and repairing operation.

There is one special thing which personnel must consider about the handle of 4-way
valve used to operation the bilnd/shear rams (Figure 4). The control handle must be
protected to mitigate unintentional operation however it still allows to be remotely
operated from the BOP remote control panel.
How To Free Stuck Pipe (Oilfield)
by DRI LLI NGFORM ULAS. COM on MARCH 5, 2014

This article is a summary of how to free stuck pipe caused

by three main mechanisms which are wellbore geometry,
differential sticking and packing/bridging off. It will give you
some ideas which you can apply for your operation.

Free Stuck Pipe Caused By Wellbore Geometry

These following instructions are guide lines on how to free the stuck drill string
caused by wellbore geometry.

What should you do to free the stuck pipe caused by wellbore geometry ?
• If the drill string gets stuck while moving up, jar down with maximum trip load and
torque can be applied into drill string while jarring down. Be caution while applying
torque, do not exceed make up torque.

• On the other hand, if the drill string gets stuck while moving down, jar up with
maximum trip load. DO NOT apply torque in the drill string while jarring up.

• Flow rate must be reduced while attempting to free the drill string. Do not use high
flow rate because it will make the stuck situation became worse and you will not be
able to free the pipe forever.

• To free the string, jarring operation may take long time so please be patient.
• If a formation you get stuck is limestone or chalk, acid can be spotted to dissolve
cuttings around the pipe.
• If the drill string is stuck in a salt formation, spotting fresh water is another choice to
clear the salt in the annulus.

• Please always seriously consider regarding well control prior to spotting light weight
stuff (acid or fresh water) around the drill string. You must ensure that you are still
over balance formation pressure otherwise you will be dealing with well control too.

What should you do after the string becomes free?

• Increase flow rate and circulate to clean wellbore. Flow rate must be more than
cutting slip velocity in order to transport cuttings effectively.
• Reciprocate and work pipe while cleaning the hole.

• Ensure that the wellbore is clean prior to continuing the operation.

• Back ream or make a short trip the section that causes the problem.

Free Stuck Pipe Caused By Differential Sticking

These following instructions are guide lines on how to free the stuck drill string
caused by differential sticking.

• Apply maximum flow rate as much as you can.

• Apply maximum torque in the drillstring and work down torque to stuck depth.
Torque in the string will improve chance of free the pipe.

• Slack off weight of string to maximum sit down weight.

• Jar down with maximum trip load. Torque may be applied with jarring down with
caution. The chance of freeing the pipe by jarring down is more than jarring up.
Please be patient when a hydraulic jar trips because it may take around 5 minutes
each circle.

The secondary actions to free the pipe that you may try
• Reduce hydrostatic pressure by pumping low weight mud/pill. You must ensure that
overall hydrostatic pressure is still able to control reservoir fluid to accidentally come
into the wellbore.
• Continue jarring down with maximum trip load and apply torque into drill string.

• It may take long time to free the pipe therefore personnel must be patient.

What should you do after the string becomes free?

• Circulate at maximum allowable flow rate. Flow rate must be more than cutting slip
velocity in order to transport cuttings effectively.
• Reciprocate and work pipe while cleaning the hole. Ensure that you can work pipe
with full stand or joint while circulating.

• Condition mud prior to drilling ahead because if you still drill with poor mud
properties, the differential sticking will be re-occurred.

Free Stuck Pipe Caused by Pack off / Bridging

These following instructions are guide lines on how to free the stuck drill string
cause by packing off or bridging off.

What should you do to free the stuck pipe caused by Pack off / Bridging?
• Circulate with low flow rate (300 – 400 psi pumping pressure). This is very
important to apply low flow rate because if high flow rate is applied, the stuck
situation becomes worse.

• If the drill string gets stuck while moving up or with the string in static condition, jar
down with maximum trip load and torque can be applied into drill string while jarring
down. DO NOT JAR UP. Be caution while applying torque, do not exceed make up
torque.

• On the other hand, if the drill string gets stuck while moving down, jar up with
maximum trip load. DO NOT apply torque in the drill string while jarring up.
• To free the string, jarring operation may take long time (10 hours +) so please be
patient.

What should you do after the string becomes free?

• Increase flow rate and circulate to clean wellbore at maximum allowable flow rate.
Flow rate must be more than cutting slip velocity in order to transport cuttings
effectively.

• Reciprocate and rotate while circulating to improve hole cleaning ability. Work the
drill string with full stand if possible.

• Ensure that the wellbore is clean prior to continuing the operation. You can see
from the sale shaker whether the hole is clean or not.

• Sweep may be utilized to improve hole cleaing.

• Back ream or make a short trip through the area where causes the stuck pipe
issue.

Why Do We Need To Minimize Influx (Kick)?

As you know, we’ve always been trained or told to minimize influx (kick). Nowadays,
there are several tools and procedures guiding us to prevent large influx; however,
interestingly there are quite a lot of people who don’t understand why we need to do
this. In this topic, we will demonstrate how kick volume will affect wellbore and
surface casing pressure.

Main concept of minimizing kick coming into the wellbore is to minimize surface
casing pressure when shut in. If you have excessive surface casing pressure, you
will have a chance to fracture the weakest formation in the wellbore such as
formation at casing shoe. You need to remember that more influx equals to more
surface pressure. We will do basic calculation to see the effect of kick volume and
surface pressure.

Example: Use the following information and compare the result of 2 cases.
Well Information (figure 1)

Figure 1 - Well Information

 9-5/8” casing shoe was set at 5,000’MD/5,000’TVD.
 The well is drilled to 10,000’MD/10,000’TVD with 8.5 bit.
 The well is assumed to be a gauge hole.
 Current mud weight is 9.2 ppg water based mud.
 Leak off test performed at 9-5/8” casing shoe is 13.5 ppg equivalent.
 Reservoir pressure at 10,000’ TVD is 10.5 ppg equivalent.
 Average gas gradient is 0.1 psi/ft.
 5” DP is used to drill this section and 6-1/2” DC is used as BHA for 1,000 ft.
What will happen if the wellbore influx is 10 bbl and 50 bbl?
First of all, we need to determine influx height of 10 bbl and 50 bbl.

Influx Height = Kick Volume ÷ Annular Capacity

Annular Capacity between 8-1/2” hole and 5” DP = (8.52 – 52) ÷ 1029.4 = 0.04590
bbl/ft
Annular Capacity between 8-1/2” hole and 6.5” DC = (8.52 – 6.52) ÷ 1029.4 =
0.02194 bbl/ft
Height of 10 bbl
Influx Height @ 10 bbl = 10 ÷ 0.02194 = 343 ft

Figure 2 – Height of 10 bbl kick

Height of 50 bbl
For this case, we need to check see if 50 bbl will be more than annular volume
between hole and drill collar.

Volume between hole and 6.5” DC = Annular Capacity x DC Length

Volume between hole and 6.5” DC = 0.02914 x 1,000 = 29.14 bbl

As you can see from the figure, it tells us that there is kick volume in the annulus
between hole and 5” DP.

Kick Volume between Hole and 6.5” DC = Total Kick Volume – Volume between hole
and 6.5” DC

Kick Volume between Hole and 6.5” DC = 50 – 29.14 = 20.86 bbl

We know that we will have 20.86 bbl of kick between hole and 5” DP and then we
need to calculate height of that volume.

Influx Height @ 20.86 bbl = 20.86 ÷ 0.04590 = 454 ft

Total Influx Height = Influx Height between DC and Hole + Influx Height between DP
and Hole

Total Influx Height = 1000 + 454 = 1454 ft

Figure 3 – Height of 50 bbl kick

What is formation pressure at 10,000’MD/10,000TVD?
Formation pressure = 0.052 x 10.5 x 10,000 = 5,460 psi

What is Maximum Initial Shut-in Casing Pressure (MISICP)?

Maximum Initial Shut-in Casing Pressure (MISICP) = (LOT – Current MW) x 0.052 x
Shoe TVD
Maximum Initial Shut-in Casing Pressure (MISICP) = (13.5 – 9.2) x 0.052 x 5,000 =
1,118 psi

Then we need to apply the hydrostatic pressure concept to determine casing

pressure as per the relationship below.
Formation Pressure = Hydrostatic Pressure + Casing Pressure
Re-write to the equation below

Casing Pressure = Formation Pressure – Hydrostatic Pressure

Hydrostatic Pressure with 10 bbl of Kick in The Well
Hydrostatic Pressure = Hydrostatic from Gas + Hydrostatic from Mud
Hydrostatic Pressure = (Gas Gradient x Height of Gas) + (0.052 x MW X Height of
Mud)

Hydrostatic Pressure = (0.1 x 343) + (0.052 x 9.2 x (10,000 – 343)) = 4,654 psi

Casing Pressure with 10 bbl of Kick in The Well

Casing Pressure = 5,460 – 4,654 = 806 psi (Figure 4)

Figure 4 – Casing Pressure with 10 bbl gas kick

Hydrostatic Pressure with 50 bbl of Kick in The Well
Hydrostatic Pressure = Hydrostatic from Gas + Hydrostatic from Mud

Hydrostatic Pressure = (Gas Gradient x Height of Gas) + (0.052 x MW X Height of

Mud)

Hydrostatic Pressure = (0.1 x 1454) + (0.052 x 9.2 x (10,000 – 1545)) = 4,233 psi
Casing Pressure = 5,460 – 4,233 = 1,227 psi (Figure 5)

Figure 5 - Casing Pressure with 50 bbl gas kick

Based on the same assumption, we will get the surface pressure as listed below

Casing Pressure with 10 bbl kick = 806 psi

Casing Pressure with 50 bbl kick = 1,227 psi

If we compare with MISICP of 1,118 psi from the calculation above, we will see that
50 bbl kick will break the casing shoe (Figure 6).
 Figure 6 - Shoe Fracture
Conclusion
More Kick = More Surface Pressure = Less Safe
Less Kick = Less Surface Pressure = Safer
Hydro-Pressured Shale Causes Stuck Pipe
Hydro-pressured shale is a common problem in some area and it could cause
stuck pipe.
How does it happen?
With mud weight in the wellbore higher than formation pressure, pore pressure of
shale is always charged by hydrostatic pressure from drilling mud.

(Charged pressure due to hydrostatic pressure)

When the well has been drilled for a period of time, shale formations become
unstable due to charged pressure and finally shale breaks apart and falls down into

the hole.
(Shale becomes unstable.)

Finally, a drill string gets stuck due to hydro-pressured shale which accumulates in
the annulus.

(Pipe becomes stuck by unstable shale)

This process is time dependent like shale instability. It may take days before the
stuck pipe situation will be occurred.
Warning signs of hydro-pressured shale
• Torque and drag increase.

• Over pull may be observed.

• Observe shale caving on shale shakers

Indications when you stuck due to hydro-pressured shale

• When it happens, the hole will be either partially bridge off or packed off; therefore,
circulate is restricted or impossible in some cases.

• It could be happened while tripping and drilling.

What should you do for this situation?

1. Attempt to circulate with low pressure (300-400 psi). Do not use high pump
pressure because the annulus will be packed harder and you will not be able to free
the pipe anymore.

2. If you are drilling or POOH, apply maximum allowable torque and jar down with
maximum trip load.

3. If you are tripping in hole, jar up with maximum trip load without applying any
torque.

4. Attempt until pipe free and circulate to clean wellbore.

Preventive actions:
1. Use oil based mud instead of water based mud because oil will not react with
shale.

2. Minimize surge pressure and equivalent circulating density (ECD) in the wellbore.

3. Keep mud properties in good shape. Avoid drilling and circulating with thick mud
because it creates additional surge pressure.
Accumulator (Koomey)
An accumulator or Koomey unit is a unit used to hydraulically operate Rams BOP,
Annular BOP, HCR and some hydraulic equipment. There are several of high
pressure cylinders that store gas (in bladders) and hydraulic fluid or water under
pressure for hydraulic activated systems. The primary purpose of this unit is to
supply hydraulic power to the BOP stack in order to close/open BOP stack for both
normal operational and emergency situation. Stored hydraulic in the system can
provide hydraulic power to close BOP’s in well control operation, therefore, kick
volume will be minimized. The accumulator should have sufficient volume to
close/open all preventers and accumulator pressure must be maintained all time.
According to API RP53, your reservoir tank should have a total volume at least 2
times of usable volume to close all BOP equipment.

Pressure based on 3,000 psi surface stack system that you should check on
BOP remote panel and koomey unit is listed below:

• Manifold pressure at +/- 1,500 psi

• Accumulator pressure at +/- 3,000 psi
• Annular preventer at +/- 500 – 1,500 psi
• Rig Air at +/- 100 – 130 psi

There are 4 main components of the Koomey unit as follows:

• Accumulators

• Pumping system (electric and pneumatic pumps)

• Manifold system

• Reservoir tank

According to API RP 53, there must be 2 or 3 independent sources of power .

• Hydraulic with pressure charged in the bottles.

• Pneumatic

• Electric

The diagram below demonstrates how the accumulator is lined up for the surface
stack.

A: Pressure regulator is used to maintain pressure at annular side at 500-1500 psi

B: Pressure regulator is used to maintain the manifold pressure at 1,500 psi

Blue line for opening equipment as VBR’s, Blind/Shear Rams, Annular, HCR.

Red line for closing equipment as VBR’s, Blind/Shear Rams, Annular, HCR.
What Are Differences Between Possible and Positive Well Control Indicators?

Many people tend to confuse between possible and positive well control indicators
therefore we would like to differentiate between these two well control indicators.

Possible Well Control (kick) Indications

Possible well control (kick) indicators mean that there is possibility to get influx into
wellbore. ItMAY or MAY NOT be a kick.The indications can be either kick or just
formation react while drilling. You need to remember that just only a single possible
indicator cannot may not good enough to identify underbalanced condition in
wellbore and the possible kick indicators must be used collectively. Therefore, drilling
team on the rig needs to closely monitor the well and prepare appropriate action
plans.
The possible well control (kick) indications are as follows;
Change in drilling breaks (ROP change) – If the differential between formation
pressure and hydrostatic pressure created by drilling mud decreases, there is
possibility to increase rate of penetration because the hold down effect is decreased.
Increase drag and torque – Increasing in drilling torque and drag are usually
noticed while drilling into overpressured shale formation because underbalanc
hydrostatic pressure exerted by drilling fluid column cannot to hold back the
formation intrusion into wellbore. Shale normally has low permeability so formation
fluid will not come into wellbore. Anyway, if we drill ahead pass high shale pressure
into overpressured high permeability zones such as sand or carbonate, the formation
fluid will flow into wellbore resulting in kick. This is very important to record frequently
drilling torque and drag because it could be your well control indicator.
Decrease in Shale Density – Typically, shale density will increase as we drill
deeper. If we see decrease in shale density, it may indicate that your well is in
underbalance condition because high pressure zones (abnormal pressure) develop
within large shale section. Practically, density of shale must be measured frequency
and plot against drilling depth. You can see from a chart if there is any deviation in
trend that could be an indication of change in pore pressure.
Increase in cutting size and shape – Pieces of formation may break apart and fall
into wellbore because of underbalance situation. Because rocks pieces broken by
underbalance condition are not ruined by bit, they will be more angular and bigger
than normal cutting. Larger of cutting size will be result in difficulty to circulate them
out of wellbore, hence, there will be more hole fill and torque and drag will increase.
In addition, without a proportional increase in ROP (rate of penetration), cutting
volume coming over shale shakers will increased noticeably.
Decrease in d-Exponent Value - Normally, trends of d-Exponent will increase as
we drill deeper, but this value will decrease to lower values than what we expect in
transition zones. By closely monitored d-Exponent, d-Exponent chart will be useful
for people on the rig to notify the high pressure transition zones.
Read and understand about d-Exponent and learn how to calculate d-
Exponent and normalized d-Exponent (corrected d-Exponent)
Change in Mud property- Without any chemical added into drilling fluid system, its
property change due to increasing in water and/or chloride content indicates that
formation fluid enters into the wellbore.
For some drilling mud, when salt water enters into the wellbore and mix with drilling
fluid, the mud viscosity will increase.
In water base mud with low Ph salt saturated, the mud viscosity will decrease
because of water from formation mixing with mud.On the other hand, water
contamination in oil base mud will result in viscosity increases.
Increase in Temperature from Returning Mud - By observing trend of temperature
coming from mud return, temperature trend showing deviation from the normal
temperature trend can be an indication of abnormal pressure zones, especially while
drilling into transition zones.
There are some factors that you need to account for when you try to evaluate mud
temperature changes as listed below;

 Surface temperature conditions

 Elapsed time since tripping
 Mud chemicals used
 Wellbore geometry
 Circulating rate
 Cooling effect when drilling fluid flows through a long riser (deep water
consideration)
Increase in trip, connection and/or background gas – Gas in mud, normally
called gas cut mud, does not be a sign of a well flowing because it could be gas
coming from formation. Nonetheless, personnel on the rig should keep in mind as a
possible kick indicator. Hence, flow show and PVT (pit volume total) must be closely
monitored.
Gas in the mud can come from one or more of the reasons listed below:
 Drill into a formation that contains gas or hydrocarbon.
 Temporally reduce in hydrostatic pressure due to swabbing effect.
 Pore pressure in a formation is greater than the hydrostatic pressure provided by
drilling fluid in a wellbore.
Positive Well Control (kick) Indications
Positive well control (wellbore influx) indications mean indications showing almost
100% kick(wellbore influx) into wellbore. We can classify the positive indicators the
following categories.
Positive Well Control Indicators While drilling
Increase in flow show – Without any increasing in flow rate in, increase in return
flow indicates something coming into wellbore while drilling. Therefore, flow show
instrument provided by the rigs or service companies must be checked and
calibrated frequently.
Increase of active pit system (Pit gain) - Because drilling fluid system on the rig is
a closed system, increasing in flow show without adjusting flow rate in will cause pit
gain in a pit system. Nowadays, with high technology sensors, detecting change in
pit level is easily accomplished at the rig site. However, visually check the pit level is
importance as well for double checking figure from the sensors. Sometimes, change
in pit level may be detected after the increase in flow show because it takes more
time to accumulate volume enough to be able to detect by pit sensors.
Continue flowing while the pumps are off – When pumps are turned off, bottom
hole pressure will decrease due to loss of equivalent circulating density (ECD). If
there is any flow coming after pumps off, it indicates formation influx into wellbore.
Positive Kick Indicators While Tripping
Trip log deviation such as short fill up while tripping out and excess pit gain while
tripping in. For tripping operation, it is very important to have a filling system via trip
tank that provides continuous hole fill all time. With utilizing that system, we can
compare fluid that is filled in or returned from wellbore with steel volume of tubular
(drill pipe, drill collar, BHA, tubing, casing, etc). If drilling fluid volume is less than
theoretical pipe displacement while tripping out or more return fluid while running in,
you need to flow check and monitor the well.
• If flow check indicates wellbore influx, crew must quickly shut the well in.
• If flow check does not show any influx, drill string must be run back to bottom in
order to circulate at least bottom up to ensure hole condition.
Positive flow when pipe is static. Every time that pipe in static condition. Trip tank
with correct filling system must be monitored all time by both rig personnel and mud
logger. If volume in trip tank increases, personnel must confirm flow check and
prepare to shut the well in.
We wish this article will clear your mind about the possible and positive well control
indicators.

Why Does Drillstring Fail? Basic Understanding of Drill

String Failure
In drilling industry, it is common that drill string will fail while drilling. Two main factors
causing drillstring failure are stresses and corrosion.
Stress Affects on Drillstring
Drillstring is exposed to the following stresses:

Tension – Suspended weight of drillstring sometimes can be several thousand

pounds. Additionally, overpull weight while pulling out can be over drill string limit
resulting failure (see Figure 1).
 Figure 1 – Drillstring in Tensile
Torsion (torque) – While drilling, the drillstring is being rotated therefore torsion is
occurred in the opposite direction of rotation and torsion can damage anywhere of
string (see Figure 2). There are several factors affecting torque as RPM, well depth,
well trajectory, well bore condition, formation, etc.

Figure 2 – Drillstring in Torsion

Cyclic Stress – In directional wells, the drillstring is exposed to both compression
and tension at the same time. Because the string is bent along the curvature of the
well, one side is in compression however the opposite side is in tension. As the
string is being rotated, each joint absorbs a cycle of compressive and tensile forces
(see Figure 3).

Figure 3 – Cyclic Stress on Drillstring

Corrosion Affects on Drillstring
Corrosion is another factor which can silently damage the drillstring. Many people
don’t realize this point and tend to focus on the mechanical way when they want to
prevent failure. Chemicals dissolved in the drilling mud that can cause the issue are
as follows;

Oxygen (O2) – Small amount of oxygen (less than 1 ppm) still can cause pitting and
rusting. Eventually, it leads to twist off (parting the string) and wash out issue (small
holes in the pipe). This gas can be removed from the mud by adding chemical to
deactivate O2 (oxygen scavenger).
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) – Carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid which will corrode
steel. There are several ways introducing CO2 as formation gas, surface water and
bacteria). CO2 can be removed from the drilling fluids by adding excess lime
(Ca(OH)2) into the system will control acid gases as CO2. CO2 and lime will
chemically react as the following chemical reaction:
Ca(OH)2 + CO2 -> CaCO3 + H2O

Dissolved Salts – Dissolved salts can come from several sources as formation fluid,
chemical additives, mixing water, etc. This chemical increases corrosion rate which
will accelerate the failure. You need salts in the mud to control clay swelling,
therefore, in order to minimize this problem; controlling salt content is the best way to
do.
Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) –Hydrogen is absorbed on to the surface of steel in the
presence of sulphide. This process is called “hydrogen embrittlement” or “sulphide
stress cracking”. This will lead a rapid brittle of drill string. Adding lime (Ca(OH)2 into
drilling fluids is a typical procedure to remove H2S. Lime (Ca(OH)2) will control acid
gases as H2S and CO2. These following chemical equations demonstrate how lime
reacts with H2S and CO2, respectively.
Ca(OH)2 + H2S -> CaS + 2(H2O)

Ca(OH)2 + CO2 -> CaCO3 + H2O

Organic Acids – The organic acids will remove protective films therefore other
dissolved chemical can chemically react with steel and cause the drillstring failure.
We wish you would get more understanding about the string failure.

Surface Pressure During Drill Stem Test

Drill stem test or well test is mostly conducted for exploration wells in order to see
how much hydrocarbon can be produced for the reservoir, estimate reservoir
boundary, determine rock properties, etc.

This topic will teach you how to estimate surface pressure during drill stem test.
First step: Determine Formation Pressure
Formation pressure = 0.052 x Formation pressure equivalent mud weight x
Well TVD
Where;

Formation pressure in psi

Formation pressure equivalent mud weight in ppg

Well TVD in ft

Second step: Determine Hydrostatic Pressure of Reservoir Fluid

Hydrostatic pressure of reservoir fluid = 0.052 x Reservoir fluid density x Well
TVD
Where;

Hydrostatic pressure in psi

Reservoir fluid density in ppg

Well TVD in ft

Third step: Determine Surface Pressure During Drill Stem Test

Surface pressure = Formation pressure – Hydrostatic pressure of reservoir
fluid
Where;

Surface pressure in psi

Formation pressure in psi

Hydrostatic pressure of reservoir fluid in psi

Example: Oil reservoir at 12,000’MD/10,000’TVD and its formation pressure

equivalent to 12.0 ppg. A specific gravity of oil in the reservoir is 0.6. What is the
pressure at the surface that you will see while performing drill stem test?
First step: determine formation pressure
Formation pressure = 0.052 x 10,000 x 12 = 6240 psi

Second step: determine hydrostatic pressure of reservoir fluid

Reservoir fluid density = oil specific gravity x fresh water density

Reservoir fluid density = 0.6 x 8.33=5.0 ppg

Hydrostatic pressure of reservoir fluid = 0.052 x 5 x 10,000 =2600 pis

Third step: Determine Surface Pressure During Drill Stem Test

Surface pressure = 6240 – 2600 = 3640 psi.

You will see surface pressure of 3640 psi during the test.

Basic Understanding About Positive Displacement Mud

Pumps in Drilling Industry

Positive displacements pumps are generally used on drilling rigs to pump high
pressure and high volume of drilling fluids throughout a drilling system. There are
several reasons why the positive displacement mud pumps are used on the rigs.

• The pumps can work with fluids with high solid content.

• There are wide ranges for pressure and flow rate.

• They are more reliable and able to pump at tough conditions.

• They are easy to operate and maintain.

Duplex and Triplex pumps are positive displacement pumps which are commonly
used in the oilfield.

Duplex pumps – 2 cylinders, double acting

Figure 1 Duplex Pump

The duplex pumps have two cylinders with double acting. It means that pistons move
back and take in drilling mud through open intake valve and other sides of the same
pistons, the pistons push mud out through the discharge valves.

The following diagrams demonstrate how the duplex mud pumps work.

Figure 2 Position of Piston Rod and Fluid Movement of Duplex Pump

When the piston rod is moved forward, one of intake valves is lift to allow fluid to
come in and one of the discharge valve is pushed up therefore the drilling mud is
pumped out of the pump.
 Figure 3 Position of Piston Rod and Fluid Movement of Duplex Pump
On the other hand, when the piston rod is moved backward drilling fluid is still
pumped. The other intake and discharge valve will be opened.

Triplex plumps – 3 cylinders, single acting

The triplex pumps have three cylinders with single acting. The pistons are moved
back and pull in drilling mud through open intake valves. When the pistons are
moved forward and the drilling fluid is pushed out through open discharge valves.

Figure 4 Triplex Pump

The following diagrams demonstrate how the triplex mud pumps work. Each
diagram shows the action of one cylinder.
 Figure 5 Position of Piston Rod and Fluid Movement of Triplex Pump (Discharge)
When the piston rods are moved forward, the intake valves are in close position and
the discharge valves are in open position allowing fluid to discharge.

Figure 6 Position of Piston Rod and Fluid Movement of Triplex Pump (Suction)
On the contrary when the piston rods are moved backward, the intake valve are
opened allowing drilling fluid coming into the pump.

Which one is the most practical mud pump on the rig nowadays?
Triplex pumps are more popular than duplex pumps because of being lighter,
smoother discharge and lower maintenance cost.

Calculations Related to Positive Displacement Mud Pumps

Hydraulic Horse Power (HPP)
Hydraulic Horse Power (HPP) formula is listed blow

HHP= (P x Q) ÷1714
Where;

HHP = hydraulic horsepower

P = circulating pressure, psi

Q = circulating rate, gpm

Because each pump has power rating limit as 1600 hp, this will limit capability of
pump. It means that you cannot pump at high rate and high pressure over what the
pump can do. Use of a small liner will increase discharge pressure however the flow
rate is reduces. Conversely, if a bigger liner is used to deliver more flow rate,
maximum pump pressure will decrease.

The figure below shows the performance of mud pump National 12-P-160 TRIPLEX
MUD PUMP.

Figure 7 Pump Performance Chart

As you can see, you can have 7500 psi with 4.5” liner but the maximum flow rate is
only 297 GPM. If the biggest size of liner (7.25”) is used, the pump pressure is only
3200 psi.

Pump Output at 100% Efficiency

Triplex Pump Output Formula
Triplex Pump Output in bbl/stk = 0.000243 x (liner diameter in inch) 2 X (stroke length
in inch)
Duplex Pump Output Formula
Duplex Pump Output in bbl/stk = 0.000162 x S x [2(D)2 - d2]
Where:

D = liner diameter in inch

S = stroke length in inch

d = rod diameter in inch

Estimated mud weight required to safely drill the well

by DRI LLI NGFORM ULAS. COM on FEBRUARY 24, 2011

I have an interesting question to share with you about how to estimate minimum mud
weight required to safely TD the well.

The question is shown below.

7” casing shoe was set at 6,500’MD/5,000’ TVD. The geologist team in town expects
2 hydrocarbon reservoirs and information is listed below;

Formation sand A: Expected depth 5,500’ TVD, pressure gradient is 0.48 psi/ft.
Formation sand B: Expected depth 8,800’ TVD, pressure gradient is 0.49 psi/ft.
The planned TD is 9200’MD/9000’TVD and the drilling team requires 250 psi
overbalance while drilling.

What is the mud weight required to drill the well with 250 psi overbalance?
First of all, let’s draw a simple diagram like this.
Knowledge required for this example:
Calculate formation pressure from pressure gradient
Convert pressure in to equivalent mud weight

Let’s take a look at each point.

Formation sand A:
Formation pressure of sand A = 0.48 x 5500 = 2,640 psi

With over balance of 250 psi, the hydrostatic pressure required is 2,890 (2640 + 250)
psi.

Convert pressure into mud weight = 2890 ÷ (0.052 x 5500) = 10.2 ppg.

Formation sand B:
Formation pressure of sand B = 0.49 x 8800 = 4,312 psi

With over balance of 250 psi, the hydrostatic pressure required is 4,562 (4312 + 250)
psi.

Convert pressure into mud weight = 4562 ÷ (0.052 x 8800) = 10.0 ppg
Please always use round up number for the mud weight.
For this case, you must use 10.2 ppg mud weight in order to drill to TD safely.

Gas Behavior and Bottom Hole Pressure in a Shut in

well
by DRI LLI NGFORM ULAS. COM on FEBRUARY 28, 2011

This is a classic example demonstrating how bottom hole pressure will be due to gas
migration in a shut in well. This is very important concept in well control.

Assumption: For this example, since the volume of the well does not change, and
assuming that no mud or fluid is lost to the formation.
This example will demonstrate the gas behavior in a shut in well. The well is shut-in
without pipe in hole. 5 bbl of gas kick is taken and initial shut in casing pressure is
equal to 400 psi. Hydrostatic head on top of gas is 4000 psi (see figure below).

Even though the well is shut in, the gas influx is able to
move upward due to gas migration.
In this case, we will not allow any gas expansion and let the gas gradually migrate.

The well is shut in and gas is allowed to migrate up hole until hydrostatic pressure
underneath gas is 2000 psi (see the figure below).

What will happen to bottom hole pressure and casing pressure?

With Bolye’s Law concept, we will apply it see how much gas bubble should be.

According to this example,

Pressure of gas (P1) is 4400 which equates to the bottom hole pressure.

Volume of gas at beginning (V1) is 5 bbl

P1 x V1 = P2 x V2

4400 x 5 = P2 x 5

P2 = 4400 psi ->Gas pressure remains constant.

You have total of hydrostatic pressure of 4,000 psi at the beginning. Currently, you
have 2000 psi of hydrostatic at the bottom therefore you have 2000 psi of hydrostatic
on top of gas. See the figure below.
Let’s see how much casing pressure will be.

Apply hydrostatic pressure concept to solve this problem.

Gas influx pressure = hydrostatic pressure above the gas influx + casing pressure
4400 = 2000 + casing pressure

Casing pressure = 2400 psi

Moreover, you can find the bottom hole pressure by applying the same concept.

Bottom hole pressure = hydrostatic pressure of mud + casing pressure

Bottom hole pressure = 4,000 + 2,400

Bottom hole pressure = 6,400 psi.

Conclusion:
If the well is shut in and the gas influx is allowed to migrate, gas pressure will remain
constant; however, bottom hole pressure and casing pressure will increase. If
you let casing pressure (surface pressure) increase too much, you can break
formation or damage surface equipment

Basic Understanding about Drill Pipe

Drillpipe is seamless steel pipe made up in the drill string and it is the major
component of the entire drillstring. Typically, 90% – 95% of the total length is drill
pipe. Thread connection of drill pipe is called “Tool Joint”. One end of drill pipe has
a female end which is named as “Box” (see Figure 1).
 Figure 1 - Box End of Tool Joint
Another end of drill pipe is a male end known as “Pin” (see
Figure 2).

Figure 2 - Pin End of Tool Joint

Component of Tool Joints – Pin (Figure 3)

Figure 3 - Pin End Component

Component of Tool Joints – Box (Figure 4)
 Figure 4 - Box End Component
Figure 5 shows when the drill pipes are made up together.

Figure 5 - Drillpipe Make Up

Each joint of drill pipe is sometimes called “Single” and the length of each single is
classified based on three API length range in the table below (see Table 1).
 Table 1 - API Range of DrillPipe
The most common drill pipe length is commonly in “Range 2 (R2)”. Each joint of drill
pipe does not have the same length therefore all drill pipes must be measured to get
an exact length. Drilling depth is measured by length of drill string (drill pipe, drill
collar, BHA) hence the right measurement is the key of the right depth.
The drill pipes are manufactured in various sizes, material, etc. In order to standard
pipe grade, API classifies drill pipe into several classes based on the table below
(Table 2).

Table 2 - API Drill Pipe Grade

In the industry, there are several drill pipes manufactured from several companies.
Therefore, in order to get the detailed specification of particular pipe, it is
recommended that you need to find data from the manufacture spec sheet.
 Figure 6 - 4.000″ WEAR KNOT 14.00ppf 0.330″ wall IU

What are differences between Full Opening Safety Valve (TIW valve) and Inside
BOP valve (Gray Valve)?
Two types of stabbing valves that must be prepared for well control are Full Opening
Safety Valve (TIW valve) and Inside BOP valve (Gray Valve). We would like to
describe what the differences between two valves are.

Full Opening Safety Valve or TIW valve

Full Opening Safety Valve or TIW valve is a ball valve designed for high pressure
condition and it can hold pressure from both directions. It is called “Full Opening”
because when the ball valve is opened; the flow path through the valve has a
smooth inside diameter. One thing that you need to remember is that the term “Full
Opening” does not mean that the ID of the valve is the same of drill pipe ID.

Figure 1 Full Opening Safety Valve

The valve should be always located on the rig floor and left in the open position.
Additionally, you need to ensure that personnel on the rig have a right wrench to
close the valve. The valve left in the open position is critical because the valve can
be stab into drill string if the well flows through drill pipe.
For good drilling practices, you must have all size full opening safety valves which
can be screwed into each size of drill pipe, drill collar, tubing, etc on the rig. When
there is any string in the hole, the correct connection of the valve must be ready on
the rig floor to stab in. Furthermore, it is a good practice to install the valve when
there is a sting left on the rotary table during rig performs any tasks. The full opening
safety valve should be used for shutting the well in while tripping.

Inside BOP valve (Gray Valve)

Insider blowout preventer (IBOP) valves have several industrial names as drill pipe
float valves, Gray valves, Omsco valves and drop-in dart valves.
 Figure 2 Inside BOP (Dart Type)
This valve is a non-return valve (check valve) allowing pumping through the valve
into the drillstring but it prevents upward flow and the more widely used type is “dart-
type”. The dart is used to hold the tool open therefore it is possible to stab the valve
while the fluid is flowing through the drillpipe. With the IBOP valve installed in the drill
string, it allows you to strip in hole without mud flowing through the drillsting. The
IBOP valve should not be used for shut the well in while tripping.

Maximum influx height to equal the maximum allowable shut-in casing pressure
by DRILLINGFORMULAS.COM on JANUARY 24, 2011

You know how the maximum allowable shut in casing pressure (MASICP) from the
leak off test data and your current mud weight in the well. Moreover, you can use
the MASICP to determine the maximum influx height that you can be able to control
in the well control situation.

The following formula shows how to determine the figure:

Influx Height = MASICP ÷ (current mud gradient – influx gradient)

The unit of each parameter is listed below:
Influx height in ft
maximum allowable shut in casing pressure (MASICP) in psi
current mud gradient in psi/ft
influx gradient in psi/ft
Note: if you can convert mud weight into psi/ft, please read this link, convert mud
weight to pressure gradient.
With this following information, determine the maximum influx height.
maximum allowable shut in casing pressure (MASICP) = 900 psi
Mud gradient = 0.55 psi/ft
Influx gradient = 0.13 psi/ft
Maximum influx height = 900 ÷ (0.55-0.13) = 2143 ft

Full Opening Safety Valve (oilfield name = TIW valve) is designed to stab into the drill pipe or tubing
at the rig floor and close quickly in case a well kicks. When it is on the rig floor, it must be at the open
position. Always check its position.
Maximum Initial Shut-In Casing Pressure (MISICP)

Maximum Initial Shut-In Casing Pressure (MISICP) or Maximum allowable shut in

casing pressure is the initial shut-in casing pressure that will exceed formation
strength at the casing shoe resulting in broken formation at the shoe.

How can we know and calculate the MISICP?

Leak Off Test (LOT) will tell you the maximum pressure which the shoe can
withstand before breaking formation at the shoe. The LOT is the combination of
surface pressure and hydrostatic pressure therefore you can apply this principle to
calculate the MISICP.
The MISICP formula is listed below:
MISICP, psi = (LOT, ppg – Current Mud Weight, ppg) x 0.052 x TVD of shoe, ft
Please see the example demonstrating how to calculate the MISCIP by using the
following information:

LOT = 15.0 ppg

Current mud weight = 10.0 ppg
Casing shoe depth = 4526’MD/4200’TVD
MISICP, psi = (15 – 10) x 0.052 x 4200
MISICP = 1,092 psi
Note: Please ensure that you use the TVD for calculating the MISICP.
What is Closing Ratio in Blow Out Preventor (BOP)?

People asked me about what the closing ratio is and what it tells us. Closing ratio is
defined as the cross sectional area of the ram piston (cylinder) divided by the cross
sectional area of the ram shaft. The closing ratio is used to determine Ram closing
pressure which will overcome wellbore pressure acting to Ram body.

Closing Ratio = Ram Piston Area ÷ Ram Shaft Area

Before going into the detailed calculation, we would like to show you where the
cylinder and the ram shaft are in BOP. In Figure 1, the yellow shaded parts
demonstrate these two areas which will be used to calculate the closing ratio.

Figure 1 – Shaffer SL-Ram BOP

Example: Ram has a piston cylinder of 12 inch and 4” of ram shaft (see Figure 2).
Ram piston area = (π x 122 ) ÷ 4 = 113.1 square inch
Ram shaft area = (π x 42 ) ÷ 4 = 12.6 square inch
Closing Ratio = 113.1 ÷ 12.6 = 9.0

Figure 2 – Basic Diagram of Rams

How To Use Closing Ratio To Determine Minimum Operating Pressure

When you know the closing pressure of the BOP ram, you can use the figure to
determine the minimum operating pressure. The following equation is used to
determine the minimum operating pressure from the accumulator unit (koomey).
Minimum Operating Pressure = Working Pressure ÷ Closing Ratio
Example: What is the minimum operating pressure would be needed to close the
ram against 10,000 psi maximum anticipated pressure on BOP? Please use the ram
details from the example above.
Minimum Operating Pressure = 10,000 ÷ 9 = 1,111 psi

With operating pressure of 1,111 psi, hydraulic force will equal to force acting from
the wellbore in this case (see Figure 3).
 Figure 3 – Force Acting at Ram Shaft and Force At Piston
In this case, a standard accumulator (3,000 psi system) with minimum operating
pressure of 1,200 psi is good enough to shut the well in with 10,000 psi surface
pressure.

API Ring Gaskets Used in BOP Connections

There are several API types of ring gaskets used in BOP connections and this is
very important to personnel involving in drilling operation to know about it. API 6A:
Specification for Wellhead and Christmas Tree Equipment is the standard which
every manufacture refers to their equipment.
API Type R Ring Gasket
The API type “R” rig gasket is not a pressure energized gasket therefore this type
does NOT recommend for BOP equipment or safety critical equipment as x-mas
tree, wellhead valves, etc. Sealing area is along small bands of contact between the
gasket and the ring gasket on both ID and OD of the gasket. Shape of type “R” may
be oval or octagonal in cross section (see Figure 1). Additionally, face to face
between flanges will not touch when the flanges are tightened (see Figure 2). The
“R” gasket is compatible for 6B flanges.
 Figure 1 - Type R ring gaskets (shape and groove)

Figure 2 - Type “R” Gasket When Energized

API Type “RX” Ring Gasket
RX ring gasket is a pressure energized ring joint gasket and sealing area when
energized is along small bands of contact between the groove and the OD of the ring
gasket (see Figure 3). This gasket is manufactured a little bit bigger in diameter than
the ring groove therefore when it is compressed, it will deform and seal the pressure.
The “RX” is also not a face to face contact (see Figure 4). This gasket must be
utilized only one time. The “RX” gasket is compatible for 6BX flanges and 16B hubs.
 Figure 3 - Type RX Ring Gasket (Shape and Groove)

Figure 4 - Type “RX” Gasket When Energized

API Face-to-Face Type “RX” Ring Gasket
The face-to-face “RX” ring gasket is similar to “RX” gasket except it has increased
groove width to ensure face to face contact between flanges or hubs (see Figure 5).
However, this leaves the gasket unsupported on its ID. It is pressure-energized
gasket which was adopted by API. This gasket may not remain in a perfect round
shape when it is tightened because it does not have the support from ID of the ring
groove.
 Figure 5 – Face-to-Face Type “RX” Ring Gasket
API Type “BX” Ring Gasket
API Type “BX” (Figure 6) is a pressure energized ring and it is designed for face-to-
face contact between hubs or flanges. When energized, small contact bands
between OD of the ring gasket and the rig groove is the sealing area. This ring
gasket is slightly bigger than the ring groove. Therefore, when the hubs or flanges
are tightened, the gasket will be slightly compressed into the rig groove to seal
pressure (see Figure 7). Since this is face-to-face contact type, the tolerance of the
gasket and ring groove is vital. If you have the gasket at the high side of tolerance
and the groove at the low side of tolerance, it will be quite difficult to achieve face-to-
face contact. The “BX” gasket is compatible for 6BX flanges and 16BX hubs.

Figure 6 - API Type “BX” Ring Gasket

 Figure 7 – API Type “BX” Ring Gasket When Energized

Basic of Drillpipe Tensile Capacity and Its Calculation

This article demonstrates basic knowledge understanding of tensile capacity of the

drill pipe and some calculation. First of all we need to know basic of material strength
and for our case is strength of metal.

There are few simple terminologies which we would like to explain.

Stress (σ)
Stress (σ) equals to force divided by cross sectional area of the material (F/A). For
our case, we will discuss about only stress in tensile because the drill pipe is almost
always designed to work in a tensile condition.
 Stress (σ) = F/A

Figure 1 - Stress (σ) = F/A

Strain (ε)
Strain (ε) is a change of material per an original length. From the definition, it equals
to ∆L/L (see Figure 2).

Strain (ε) = ∆L/L

Figure 2 – Strain Relationship

 Young’s Modulus (Modulus of Elasticity)
Young’s modulus (the tensile modulus or elastic modulus) is a ratio of stress and
strain along the axis and we can write into the following equation.

Young’s modulus = Stress (σ) ÷ Strain (ε) = (F x L) ÷ (∆L x A)

Where;

F is pulling force.

L is an original length of pipe.

∆L is an amount by which the length of the pipe changes.

A is a cross sectional area of object.

The Young’s Modulus of material represents the factor of proportional in Hook’s Law
therefore it will valid under the elastic zone. There are several units for Young’s
Modulus as N/m2 (Newton), Maga Pascal (N/mm2) and Pound per Square Inch
(psi).

Stress-Strain Curve
A stress-strain curve is a graph derived from Stress (σ) versus Strain (ε) for a sample
of a material. The nature of the curve varies from material to material. The following
curve shows a behavior of metal.
 Figure 3 – Stress-Strain Curve
Yield Point or Yield strength, is defined as the stress at which a material begins to
plastically deform. Before the yield point the material will deform elastically and it will
return to its original shape when the stress is released. If the tension applied is over
the yield point, the deformation will be permanent and non-reversible.
Ultimate strength is the maximum stress applied before the material is completely
parted.
Young’s Modulus (modulus of elasticity) is the slope of the Stress-Strain curve
within the elastic limit (see Figure 4). It means that once tensile is less than Yield
Point, the Young’s Modulus is valid for the calculation.
Young’s Modulus of steel is 30 x 106 psi.

Figure 4- Young’s Modulus in The Elastic Zone

In drilling operation, we must operate within Yield point
because the metal will become the original shape. For
example, if you get stuck, the maximum tension applied to
free the stuck drillstring must be always under yield point
with a designed safety factor for the operation.
 Drill Pipe Body Grade
API RP7G classifies a grade of drill pipe body according to
yield strength and tensile requirement (see Table 1 and
Table 2). Four grades of drill pipe are “E”, “X”, “G” and “S”.

Table 1 – API Drill Pipe Grade US customary unit

 Table 2 – API Drill Pipe Grade SI unit
Drillpipe Tensile Capacity
Tensile capacity of drill pipe is maximum tension applied before the elastic limit is
reached and the formula is below;

Tensile Capacity = Cross Sectional Area x Yield Strength

In this article, we refer to US customary unit therefore the units for calculations are
as follows;

Tensile Capacity is in lb.

Cross Sectional Area is in square inch.

Yield Strength is in psi.

Example
API 5”, S-135, NC50, Class New (100% Wall Thickness)

OD = 5 inch

Nominal ID = 4.276 inch

Minimum yield strength = 135,000 psi

What is the tensile capacity of this new pipe (100% wall thickness)?
 Figure 5 – Diagram of new pipe (100% wall thickness)
Wall thickness = (5-4.276) ÷2 = 0.362 inch

Figure 6 – Wall Thickness of New Pipe

Cross Sectional Area of New Pipe = π x (OD2 – ID2) ÷ 4 = π x (5.02 – 4.2762) ÷ 4

Cross Sectional Area of New Pipe = 5.275 square inch

Tensile Capacity = Cross Sectional Area x Yield Strength

Tensile Capacity = 5.275 x 135,000 = 712,070 lb.

What is the tensile capacity of the premium class (80% wall thickness)?
Premium class is defined as the minimum of wall thickness is 80% of new pipe. We
will discuss a little more about class of pipe later.

Wall thickness of new pipe = 0.362 inch

Wall thickness of premium class pipe = 0.8 x 0.362 = 0.290 inch therefore the OD is
4.856”.

Figure 7 – Wall Thickness of Premium Class Pipe

Cross Sectional Area of New Pipe = π x (OD2 – ID2) ÷ 4 = π x (4.8562 – 4.2762) ÷ 4
Cross Sectional Area of New Pipe = 4.154 square inch

Tensile Capacity = Cross Sectional Area x Yield Strength

Tensile Capacity = 4.154 x 135,000 = 560,764 lb.

As you see from the calculation, premium class drill pipe has approximately 79% of
tensile of new pipe. This figure is very important for engineering design and drilling
operation. For instant, if you get stuck with the premium class pipe, you must apply
tension less than the tensile capacity of 560 Klb in order to ensure that you will not
deform or damage your drillstring.

Please always remember that in our drilling operation, we must operate the drillstring
within the tensile limit.
Estimate Type of Influx (kick)

From the previous topic, estimate Height of Influx, you can use influx height to
estimate type of influx.
The following equation is used for estimating type of influx:

Note: You can prove the equation by using the U-tube concept.

Where;

Influx weight in ppg

Current mud weight in ppg
SICP stands for Shut In Casing Pressure in psi.
SIDPP stands for Shut In Drill Pipe Pressure in psi.
Influx height in ft
Once you know weight of influx, you can compare with these figures below to
determine type of influx.

1 – 3 ppg most likely gas influx.

3 – 7 ppg most likely oil kick or combination between gas and oil kick
7 – 9 ppg most likely water influx
With these given information, please determine type of influx.
Shut in casing pressure = 1050 psi

Shut in drill pipe pressure = 750 psi

Height of influx = 450 ft

Current Mud Weight = 14.0 ppg

Influx weight = 1.2 ppg

According to the criteria above, the influx is most likely gas kick.

Effect of Frictional Pressure on ECD while reverse circulation

by DRILLINGFORMULAS.COM on FEBRUARY 22, 2011

A reverse circulation is another way to circulate by circulating into annulus up to a bit

and drill string. The fluid outlet is at stand pipe side. For drilling operation, we almost
use forward circulation; however, in completion operation, the reverse circulation is
utilized more often. For more understanding, I would like to shoe an image below
which demonstrates a flow path of the reverse circulation.
For the topic today, I would like to show the effect of frictional pressure on the bottom
hole pressure and equivalent circulating density while the reverse circulation is
performed.
Under a static condition: The bottom hole pressure is equal to hydrostatic pressure
from the drilling fluid.
BHP = Hydrostatic Pressure
Under a dynamic condition: Stand pipe pressure equates to summation of
pressure loss of whole system. See the diagram below.
Stand pipe pressure = Pressure loss in the annulus Pressure + Pressure loss across
the bit + Pressure loss in BHA + Press loss in drill string
Please remember that the pressure loss acts opposite way while fluid is being
moved.
For this case we can write the relationship of bottom hole pressure as shown in the
following equation.
Bottom hole pressure = Hydrostatic Pressure + pressure loss across the bit +
pressure loss across the BHA + pressure loss in drill string.
The bottom hole pressure can be expressed in terms of the equivalent circulating
density:
ECD = Current Mud Weight + [(pressure loss across the bit + pressure loss across
the BHA + pressure loss in drill string) ÷ (0.052 x TVD of the well)

Effect of Frictional Pressure on ECD while Forward

Circulation

You may now already that the equivalent circulating density is a combination
between current mud weight and frictional pressure. However, this post I would like
to share more detail in regard to the bottom hole pressure when the well is in static
and dynamic condition when the forward circulation is performed.
For forward circulation, we circulated from mud pump into drill pipe and the mud is
returned from the annulus as you can see in the diagram below.
Under a static condition: The bottom hole pressure is equal to hydrostatic pressure
from the drilling fluid.
BHP = Hydrostatic Pressure
Under a dynamic condition: Stand pipe pressure equates to summation of
pressure loss of whole system.
Stand pipe pressure = Pressure loss in drill string + Pressure loss in BHA + Pressure
loss across the bit + pressure loss in the annulus
The pressure loss acts opposite way while fluid is being moved; therefore, if you look
at the annulus side, you will be able to determine the bottom hole pressure at the
dynamic condition as per the equation below.

Bottom hole pressure = Hydrostatic Pressure + pressure loss in the annulus

Under the dynamic condition, the only effect on the bottom hole pressure is the
pressure loss in the annulus. This is the reason why the ECD while forward
circulation is expressed like this;

ECD = Current Mud Weight + [(pressure loss in the annulus) ÷ (0.052 x TVD of the
well)]
Lubricate and Bleed in Well Control

In some special well control cases, you will not be able to circulate kick out of the
well then the kick is brought up to the surface using special well control procedure
like “Volume Metric Method”. At this point, surface pressure is the height because
of decreased hydrostatic pressure in the well bore.

How can we remove the gas out of the well bore without allowing more influx
coming into the well bore for this scenario?
This is the time that we must perform a special well control procedure called
“Lubricate and Bleed”. Lubricate and bleed procedure is the way to remove the gas
when the circulation is impossible to conduct. The basic theory is the same
as Volumetric Well Control Method but it is just a reverse process. Surface
pressure will be replaced with hydrostatic pressure by pumping drilling fluid into the
wellbore. The gas and drilling mud are allowed to swap the places and amount of
surface pressure will be bled off later.
If you use the current mud weight to perform the lubricate and bleed procedure, the
well will not be killed and there is remaining surface casing pressure. Only surface
casing pressure will be decreased to where it balances to formation pressure. In
many cases, it is sometimes desirable to pump heavier mud in to the wellbore and
hopefully it will kill the well too.
You will wonder why I use the phase “hopefully kill the well”. The reason is you may
not have enough hydrostatic height to create extra hydrostatic head to just balance
the formation pressure. This is based on case by case.

The lubricate and bleed procedure is listed in the following steps:

Step 1 – Determine hydrostatic pressure
Determine hydrostatic pressure of 1 bbl (I use the oil field unit) of mud that will be
pumped into the well.

Step 2 – Lubricate
Slowly pump a desired volume into the well. The amount of volume depends on well
conditions and it may change during the process. Increasing in surface pressure can
be estimated by utilizing Boyle’s Laws (P1V1 = P1V2) and every one bbl of mud
pumped into the well, the gas size is reduced by one bbl.
During lubricating, surface casing pressure will be definitely increase. The amount of
pressure increase will depend on the volume of gas being compressed. Small
pressure increase indicates large volume of gas. Additionally, Maximum Allowable
Surface Casing Pressure (MAASCP) will reduce because the increase in hydrostatic
pressure during lubrication. Since gas volume also decreases every time that gas is
bled off, you may reach the point to stop lubricating operation in order to prevent
breaking out the wellbore. At this point you will have gas in the wellbore but the
lubricate and bleed procedure cannot be performed any more. In order to know this
figure, you may need to play with the kill sheet to find this stopping point. By
adjusting parameters in the kill sheet, you can minimize this issue.

Step 3 – Wait
Wait for awhile to allow gas and mud swapping out. Drilling mud properties as mud
weight and rheology affects on this step. You need to be patient.

Step 4 – Bleed off pressure

Bleeding gas from the surface until the amount of pressure is equal to hydrostatic
pressure of mud pumped in hole. If you know that you lubricate in 50 psi, only 50 psi
of gas must be bled off. It is very important to bleed only gas. During this process if
you see mud on surface, you must stop and allow gas to swap out. For instant, you
plan to bleed a total of 50 psi but you observe mud coming out when you bleed only
30 psi, you stop the bleeding process and shut the well in. Then, you continue
bleeding the remaining 20 psi later.

If the mud is accidentally allowed to come out during this bleeding process, the
bottom hole pressure will reduce resulting in more influx coming into the wellbore.

Step 5 – Repeat step 2 to 4

Repeat step 2 – 4 until you get the gas out of the well or the desired surface casing
pressure is reached. As you know, you may not be able to kill the well with this
method because total hydrostatic head is not sufficient to balance the wellbore.

Bottom hole pressure change while performing well control operation with driller’s
method
by DRILLINGFORMULAS.COM on FEBRUARY 16, 2011

In the first circulation of driller’s method, driller circulates gas kick with 25 spm and
the initial circulating pressure (ICP) is 1600 psi. The initial shut in drill pipe pressure
is 450 psi. After shift change, another driller accidentally changes pump rate to 30
spm but he still holds drill pipe pressure constant.

What will happen to bottom hole pressure?

Let’ start with the basic formula
ICP = SIDDP + SCR
When the pump speed is increased, slow circulating rate (SCR), which is caused by
friction, will increase in order to maintain constant bottom hole pressure. However,
for this case, the drill pipe pressure is maintained constant with while increasing
pump rate therefore the bottom pressure will decrease.

How much bottom hole pressure will decrease?

Current SCR = ICP – SIDPP = 1600 – 450 = 1150 psi

New SCR = 1656 psi

With new pump rate at 30 spm, the new SCR should be 1656psi but the driller
maintains the old SCR, 1150 psi. Therefore, the bottom hole pressure will decrease
by 506 psi (1656 – 1150).
Conclusion: The point that I would like to mention is that when you change your
pump rate while performing well control operation. You must ensure that you do
proper way to maintain bottom hole pressure. Otherwise, you may accidentally either
decrease or increase the bottom hole pressure. If you accidentally decrease the
bottom hole pressure, the influx will continue coming into a well and you will be in the
big trouble. On the other hand, if you accidentally increase the bottom hole pressure,
you may break wellbore and end up with lost circulation issue.

Rig Derrick Load Calculation

The drilling line is reeved over a set of crow block and down to another set of
sheaves known as travelling block. The hook connected to travelling block is used to
suspend the drilling load. One end of drilling line is wound onto the drawworks and
this line is called “Fast Line”. Other end of the drilling line is tied into an anchor point
on the rig floor and this line is named as “Dead Line”. The drilling line is reeved
around the blocks several times in order to meet required load.
According to the diagram above, we can use basic physic to determine derrick load.

Static Derrick Load

Load Analysis Using Free Body Diagram on Travelling Block Under Static
Condition
W = N x Tf
Tf = W/N
Where,

W – Hook load

N – Number of drilling lines in a travelling block

Tf = Td (Tf and Td are the same value because the same tension in the drilling line)

Load Analysis Using Free Body Diagram on Derrick Under Static Condition
Static derrick load equates to summation of fast line tension, dead line tension and
hook load. We can describe into the following equation.

FD = Tf + W + Td

Where,
FD – Static derrick load
Tf – Fast line tension
Td – dead line tension
W – hookload
Note: Neglect a small effect of small angle of the fast line and the dead line.

FD = W/N + W + W/N
FD = (N+2) x W ÷ N
Dynamic Derrick Load
Under dynamic condition, friction in sheave bearings and block lines make the fast
tension higher than the dead line tension. It means that the fast line tension will
increase under a dynamic condition; however, the dead line tension will remain the
same because it is still in static condition.

The fast line tension under the dynamic environments can be described as the
equation below;

Tf = W ÷ ( E x N )
Where,

Tf – The fast line tension.

W – Block weight
N – Number of lines
E – Efficiency

Table#1 – Efficiency Factor for Wire Rope Reeving for Multiple Sheave Blocks
(API RP9B)

Derrick load under dynamic condition is also equal to summation of hook load,
dynamic fast line tension and dead line tension as described in the equation below

FD = Tf + W + Td
Exercise for Derrick Load Calculation
Buoyed weight of the drill string is 260,000 lb which will be pulled out of hole. Weight
of travelling block and hook is 40,000 lb. The rig has 10 lines strung in crown block
and travelling block.

Solution:
Efficiency of 10 lines = 0.811

Total hook load = 260,000 + 40,000 = 300,000 lb

The fast line tension:

Tt = 300,000 ÷ (10 x 0.811)

Tt = 36,991 lb

The dead line tension:

Td = 300,000 ÷ 10

Td = 30,000 lb

Derrick load under the dynamic condition:

FD = Tf + W + Td

FD = 36,991 + 30,000 + 300,000

FD = 366,991 lb

Derrick load in dynamic condition equates to 366,991 lb