SPE 68491
Underbalanced Operations Continue Offshore Movement
Don M. Hannegan, P.E., SPE
Weatherford International, Drilling & Intervention Services, Enabling Technology Group
Copyright 2001, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing Roundtable held in
Houston, Texas, 7–8 March 2001.
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Abstract
About 20% of the world’s known offshore reserves of
natural gas and oil are economically undrillable with today’s
conventional tools and technology. Major barriers to
conventional methods and equipment must be overcome to
economically drill for these vast reserves. The barriers to
conventional deepwater drilling methods are:
1. Narrow margin between the formation fracture
and pore pressures requiring excessive casing
programs and larger, more expensive rigs to
drill.
2. Depleted reservoirs relative to water depth
where hydrostatic head of conventional mud
and cuttings cause gross overbalanced and
resulting damage to well productivity.
3. Shallow water flow hazards.
4. Limited ability to adjust equivalent circulating
density while drilling ahead.
The tools and technology associated with underbalanced (UB)
drilling are seen as key to economically and safely drilling
into these reserves. Further, it is expected that by the end of
this first decade of this millennium, offshore applications of
underbalanced drilling tools and technology will play a
profound role in the industry, particularly in deeper waters.
For example, to deal with the conventional drilling barrier
described in Item 1., above: The ability to drill offshore with
lightweight fluids, perhaps while incurring annulus pressure at
the surface in the marine riser (if drilling from a floating rig)
or surface BOP stack (if drilling from a jack up), is seen as a
viable and attractive method for overcoming this conventional
overbalanced drilling barrier. The objective in many cases
may not be to achieve true underbalance, but to drill nearer
balanced than one would wish to do if drilling conventionally.
For dealing with the barrier described in Item 2., above: Dual
density (aka dual gradient) deepwater drilling methods provide
an additional attractive option. In the application of this
technology, a state of underbalanced is not achieved or
desired, but the tools and technology one normally associated
with underbalanced drilling are required to practice this
technology.
For dealing with the barrier described in Item 3., above: Use
of a subsea rotating control head is an option. In this case, one
considers shallow water flow hazards as a well control issue
and tools up to deal with it accordingly.
For dealing with conventional drilling barrier described in
Item 4., above: Underbalanced operations require specialized
surface equipment. In the case of dual density drilling,
specialized subsea equipment. E.g., Rotating diverter control
head, choke manifold, fluids separation and a means of
dealing with produced hydrocarbons. The addition of this
equipment usually provides at least one and sometimes several
additional methods of adjusting equivalent circulating density
while drilling ahead.
WHO BELIEVES THERE IS A FUTURE FOR OFFSHORE
APPLICATIONS OF UNDERBALANCED DRILLING?
To name a few: Shell NAM, Shell U.K., Shell SEIP,
ExxonMobil, BPAmoco, Amerada Hess, Chevron, Petrobras,
Pemex, Chinese National Petroleum Corporation, PDVSA,
Texaco, EEX, Weatherford, Baker Hughes, TransOcean, etc.
WHAT IS UNDERBALANCED DRILLING?
True underbalanced drilling is defined as “Drilling Ahead with
a fluid whose equivalent circulating density (ECD) is LESS
than the pressure of the reservoir being drilled.” Hydrocarbons
therefore flow into the wellbore at a rate controlled by the
ECD and specialized equipment. It is interesting to note that
the use of UB tools and technology to drill nearer balanced
than normally one would attempt…is seen as the nearer term
objective by many offshore operators.
2 DON M. HANNEGAN
IS IT A PROVEN TECHNOLOGY?
Underbalanced drilling has been defined by Harts E&P
publication as one of the Top 10 Technologies of the 20th
Century:
Reflection Seismology
Electric Logging
Horizontal Drilling
Roller Cone Bits
Jet Perforating
Top Drives
Coiled Tubing
Offshore Drilling
Underbalanced Drilling
UB IS PRIMARILY A WELL CONTROL TECHNOLOGY
Primary point of well control when drilling conventionally is
down hole with heavy fluids. Primary point of control when
drilling UB is at the surface with specialized equipment:
a. Rotating Diverter Rotating Control Head
b. Choke Manifold
c. Mud/Gas/Oil/Cuttings Separator
d. Equipment and provisions to handle produced
hydrocarbons (except when practicing Mud Cap
variation of UB).
Hydraulic flow modeling to estimate dynamic variables is
important to UB drilling safety and efficiency except when
UB is used for exploratory wells and/or where highest-
pressure capable equipment is used. (It is interesting to note
that the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation has safely
drilled over 80 exploratory wells underbalanced onshore. The
CNPC sees the greatest near-term benefit of the technology to
discover heretofore masked-by-overbalance productive zones,
and have made the largest discoveries in decades doing so.)
HISTORY OF UBD
Underbalanced drilling is the oldest method of drilling. Cable
tools were used. A blowout meant a discovery. No blowout,
no discovery. Well Control requirements prompted
development of overbalanced drilling, now considered
conventional method. However, conventional overbalanced
drilling brings with it a list of faults:
a. Allows all but the most productive zones to be
masked from discovery.
b. Slow rate of penetration of the drill bit.
c. Excessive bit wear.
d. Damaged production formations from invasive
mud and cuttings damage.
e. Differential sticking of the drill string.
f. Allows blowouts when encountering more
pressure than the fluid column can contain.
g. Allows drilling and well control problems when
drilling horizontally into vertically fractured
reservoirs.
SPE 68491
To date, 10’s of thousands of wells have benefited from the
use of the tools and technology of underbalanced drilling since
the late 80’s.
WELL CONTROL TRACK RECORD OF UBD
The well control track record of UB is 24% to 30% better than
conventional overbalanced drilling (ref. IADC UBO
Committee, December 2000). Given you are drilling ahead
under conditions of what is sometimes called a “controlled
blowout”, how can UB provide a better well control track
record?
a. Surface equipment is sized and pre-tested to
assure fit-for-purpose before drilling
commences.
b. BOP stacks are usually more thoroughly tested
and maintained because they are expected to be
used more frequently when drilling UB.
c. The element of surprise is eliminated – Flow
from the well is expected when drilling UB.
d. UB wells are generally more thoroughly planned
and contingency plans are usually in place.
e. The primary point of well control is not just a
single column of fluid.
f. Redundant barrier protection can be incorporated
in surface equipment selection.
HOW WIDESPREAD IS THE PRACTICE OF UB?
About 1/3rd of all wells drilled onshore today in the U.S.
are drilled using UBD tools (namely, a rotating diverter
control head) and technology. In Canada, about 43% in 2000.
China expects, from a recent announcement, 25% of all wells
by the year 2005.
a. Most are drilled true underbalanced at some point in
the drilling program.
b. Many are drilled nearer balanced than conventional
practices would safely permit.
c. Benefits of UB counter most of the faults of
conventional overbalanced drilling.
d. UB Drilling programs are sometimes more
expensive, but net present value considering earlier
and greater extraction of reserves indicate in many
cases one cannot afford not to drill underbalanced.
e. The Production Drilling variation of UB for natural
gas is poised to grow significantly in the next 5
years. (Rather than wasting produced gas to flare, it
is instead produced into a collection pipeline or re-
injected in a nearby well while drilling continues.)
WHEN IS UB NOT APPLICABLE?
Formations that display wellbore instability (unconsolidated
shales and sands) are not candidates for a state of true
underbalance. However, in those cases UB tools and
technology often permit nearer balanced conditions of benefit
to the drilling program and reservoir.
SPE 68491 UNDERBALANCED OPERATIONS CONTINUE OFFSHORE MOVEMENT
THE MOVEMENT OFFSHORE
Royal Dutch Shell (NAM) drilled the first offshore UB well
from a jack up rig in the Southern North Sea in 1998. To date,
84 overwater wells have been drilled safely and efficiently
using the tools and technology of UB. The objective in about
one-third of these was to achieve a true state of underbalance.
The rest was to drill with a lighter-than-conventional fluid to
achieve drilling benefits such as ROP, avoidance of
differential sticking, mud loss, enhanced bit life, drill with a
more environmentally friendly fluid,and/or avoid production
zone damage. To date:
22 in southern North Sea (Dutch and U.K. Sectors)
from jack up rigs.
19 in Lake Maracarbo from barge mounted rigs.
42 in intercoastal waterways and bays from jack up
rigs.
1 from a floating rig (Petrobras XVII in 1000’ water
in Campos Basin offshore Macae Brazil).
Current efforts are to expand the tools and technology of UB
to deeper waters:
1. Petrobras, ExxonMobil, Shell, Amerada Hess,
and Weatherford Joint Industry Project to drill in
deepwater (from a floating rig) with lightweight
fluids (underbalanced). The first well of a 3-well
field trial successfully completed Dec. 2000 and
mentioned above.
2. Dual density deepwater drilling field trials are
planned for 2002 in the GOM.
3. The first application of the Flow Drilling
variation of UB is planned in the GOM 2002
from a jack up rig.
4. Numerous UB applications from jack up and
platform-mounted rigs are being planned for
2001 and beyond.
All applications of UB have one tool in common, whether
onshore or offshore – a rotating control head. A rotating
control head permits drilling ahead with annulus pressure
below its drill string sealing elements (stripper rubbers).
Offshore, from a jack up rig with a surface BOP stack,
conventional design dual stripper rubber type rotating control
heads are most often used. From a floating rig, a proprietary
design (RiserCap™) rotating control head contains annular
pressure while also handling the heave movement of the vessel
while drilling ahead.
3
In the practice of Dual Density deepwater drilling from a
floating rig, an Internal Riser Rotating Control Head serves as
an annulus barrier within the lower sections of a marine riser.
The tool separates seawater in the marine riser from the
drilling mud and cuttings in the subsea BOP and well bore.
Subsea mud pumps complete the annulus returns circulation
loop from off the subsea BOP stack to the rig, greatly reducing
the hydrostatic head conventionally caused by the presence of
heavy mud and cuttings in the column of the marine riser.
Shallow water flow hazards that may be encountered when
jetting in (riserless with seawater, single pass) and cementing
initial casing are being approached 3 ways:
1. Have plenty of mud readily available should one
drill into an abnormally pressured aquifer and
hope to get past the shallow water flow zone
before the well location is lost to erosion.
2. Use state-of-the-art seismology to hopefully spot
and avoid shallow water flow risk areas.
3. Recognize SWF hazards as a well control issue
and tool up with a subsea rotating control head,
which permits mud pumps to match the pressure
of the SWF and drill through the zone.
Relative to option 3., above: A subsea rotating control
head (Virtual Riser™) secured to a jetted-in mudline casing
via inflatable packer permits the use of mud pumps to cause a
wellbore pressure equal to or greater than the abnormally
pressured aquifer that may be encountered. This approach may
permit setting deeper initial casing and having a better chance
of a good cementing job.
CONCLUSION
With one-fifth of the world’s known offshore reserves of
hydrocarbons economically undrillable with conventional
tools and methods, offshore applications of the tools and
technology associated with underbalanced operations is
expected to revolutionalize deepwater drilling methods during
the first decade of this millennium.