Well Control

CASING
 Objectives
On completion of this module you will be able to:

Describe the causes, detection, prevention and minimization of kicks

Understand the concept of ‘U’-tube and how it applies to well control

Be familiar with the Shut-in procedures

Explain the function of various Well control equipment

Understand Constant BHP well control and other methods of well
control
Well Control Incident
Examples of Operator Blowout Costs (1976-89)
Operator/Well Name/Location Year Amount
Phillips, Ekofisk Platform, Norway, North Sea 1976 $56,000,000
Pemex, Abkatun-91, Mexico 1977 $12,000,000
Mobil, Arun C-II-2, Indonesia 1978 $93,000,000
Aramco, Berri-34, Saudi Arabia 1978 $65,000,000
Gulf Oil, Angola 1978 $90,000,000
Pemex, Ixtoc, Mexico 1978 $85,000,000
Pemex, Giraldas-22, Mexico 1978 $20,000,000
Pemex, Juspi-2A, Mexico 1979 $15,000,000
Mobil, Arun C-II-8, Indonesia 1980 $53,000,000
Aramco, Hasba-6, Saudi Arabia 1980 $22,000,000
Apache, Key #1-11, Texas, USA 1982 $52,000,000
Mobil, West Venture, Nova Scotia, Canada 1985 $124,000,000
Texas O&G, Marshall Well, Texas, USA 1985 $50,000,000
Total, Bekepai, Indonesia 1985 $56,000,000
PRC Oil, Manchuria, PRC 1986 $22,000,000
Elf, Tcebuila, Congo 1986 $45,000,000
Pemex, Yum-2, Mexico 1987 $46,000,000
Pemex, Luna-11, Mexico 1987 $18,000,000
Oil India, Bay of Bengal, India 1987 $25,000,000
PetroBras, Anchove Platform, Brazil 1988 $530,000,000
Saga Pet, 2/4-14, Norway, North Sea 1989 $285,000,000
$1,764,000,000
Main “Root Causes” in Well Control Incidents

1. No compliance with standards and procedures

2. Lack of knowledge and skills of rig personnel
3. Lack of commitment and leadership of the Person In Charge
4. Poor work practices
5. Inadequate well design
6. Not following drilling parameters trends
7. No alignment with service providers
8. Inadequate risk management / management of change process
9. Lack of communication / clarification of work instructions
 Some definitions

Kick: Influx of formation liquids or gas that results in an increase in pit

volume. It is physically observed by the well flowing (i.e. kick) as a
result of insufficient overbalance. Without corrective measure, this
condition can result in a blowout.

Blowout: An uncontrolled flow of well fluids and/or formation fluids

from the wellbore or into lower pressured subsurface zones
(underground blowout)
 Well Control

Primary well control :

The use of the drilling/completion fluid’s weight to provide
sufficient hydrostatic pressure to prevent an influx.

Secondary well control:

When primary well control is lost, BOPs are closed and and a kick
control method (using a kill mud weight) is implemented to kill the
well.

“Tertiary” well control:

Relying on the formations’ strength below surface to contain the
wellbore fluids

(Gunk) plugs, barite plugs, cement plugs may be used, and
ultimately well capping and / or a relief well.
 Barriers
Typically, where drilling is in progress, the following barrier status will
normally exist:

A (primary) barrier consisting of a homogenous mud column with a

hydrostatic overbalance on the pore pressure.

A (secondary) barrier consisting of a cemented casing, wellhead, pipe
ram or annular preventer and drill string with kelly valve or check
valve.

During testing, completion, workover and P&A operations (Plugging

and Abandonment), the principle of a double barrier remains similarly
applicable.
Well Control Equipment
BOP Stack
Surface BOP Stack Configuration

ANNULAR

TOP RAMS

BLIND RAMS

Choke line
HCR
Kill line BOTTOM RAMS

BOTTOM RAMS

VR plug
may be
installed in
casing head
 SubSea BOP Stack Arrangement
Kill line Choke
UPPER ANNULAR
line
LMRP CON

LOWER ANNULAR Inner/Outer

BOTTOM RAMS choke line

SHEAR RAMS
Outer/Inner kill valve
line valves BLIND RAMS
BOTTOM RAMS

UPPER RAMS
Inner/Outer
BOTTOM RAMS
MIDDLE RAMS
choke line
Outer/Inner kill valve
line valves BOTTOM RAMS
LOWER RAMS

Stack
connector
Wellhead
 Annular

Close/seal on any object in the wellbore

Sizes from 7-1/16 to 29-1/2 in.

Pressures from 2K to 20K psi

Often called “the Hydrill”
Pipe Ram
 Pipe ram

Fit a specific pipe size

Need pipe to make a seal

Reliable and field proven

Only hold pressure from below
 Shear/Blind ram

Both shears drill pipe and seals the hole

Capacity to cut through 5” drill pipe

Emergency equipment
Top seal

Top seal and side packers

Can seal on open hole
Side Packers

Large frontal area

Accumulator
Choke manifold and kill line
 Choke Manifold

An assembly of HP flanged fittings

Several lateral outlets

Attached to the BOP stack with choke line

Choke helps to maintain back pressure

This prevents further influx

The fluid from well can be diverted

The choke is operated manually or remotely

A choke panel is usually on rig floor
 Mud Gas Separator

GAS
1 - Diameter and length of the vent line
controls the amount of back pressure in
Baffle Plate MGS

From Choke
Manifold 2 - Diameter, height and internal design
controls the separation efficiency in MGS

Siphon Breaker

Mud
To Shakers
3 - Height of the “U” tube control the
working pressure and the fluid level
to stop the gas going out of the MGS

Drain Line with valve

The function of the MGS is to mechanically separate gas from the mud.
 IPM BOP Pressure Test
Low Pressure Test
• 200 – 300 psi for 5 minutes prior to high pressure test.

High Pressure Test

• Rams-type BOPs and related control equipment including the choke
manifold and the wellhead packed-off shall be tested at the
anticipated surface pressure but not to exceed the working pressure
or the ram BOPs.
• Annular BOPs with a joint of drillpipe installed should be tested to
70% of their working pressure or to the test pressure of the ram
BOPs whichever is the lowest.
• When a cup tester is used, the above test should not exceed 80% of
the internal yield pressure of the exposed casing.
• All high pressure tests will be conducted for 10 minutes.
* Stabilized pressure.
Type of float valves
Inside BOPs
 Diverter

DIVERTERS,
is not the answer for shallow gas.
If any, move the rig off location.
Major Weaknesses Associated with Diverters
Causes and Prevention of Kicks

There is ONE
condition that allows
a kick to occur:
The pressure in the wellbore
becomes less than
the pressure in the formation
 Most common Kick Causes
Most
Common

1. Failure to keep hole full of proper weight fluid

2. Drilling into zones of known pressure with mud weight too low

3. Drilling into unexpected, abnormal formation pressure

4. Lost circulation

5. Unloading mud by pulling balled assembly

6. Mud weight high enough to drill, but not to trip

Least
Common
 Low density drilling fluids
Causes

Accidental dilution of drilling fluids

Weighting material settling out (barite, carbonate)

Elimination of weighing

Gas Cutting and oil saltwater cutting (Which one of the two is the
worst?)

Prevention

Diligence on the mud pits

Investigate any reduction of mud weight

Keep mud properties in good shape / monitoring parameters

Perform drills
Effect of gas-cut mud on bottom hole
pressure
BHP reduction (psi) with MW cut back (ppg)
Depth 10 ppg – 5 ppg 18 ppg – 16.2 ppg 18 ppg – 9 ppg

1,000 ft 51 31 60
5,000 ft 72 41 82
10,000 ft 86 48 95
20,000 ft 97 51 105
 Abnormal formation pressure
Causes

Permeable barrier or rapid deposition preventing normal pressure

Uplift of a normally pressured zone to a higher depth

Charged up zone due to channeling

Prevention

Seismic data and offset well logs studied

Plotting dexponent (obsolete)

Pore pressure detection and monitoring

Monitor cavings (splintery)
 Swabbing
Causes
• Balled-up bottom hole assembly
• Pulling pipe too fast (string or wireline tool)
• Poor mud properties (high gel strength, progressive gels)
• Heaving or swelling formations
• Large OD tools (ie casing)
• Slim hole

Prevention
• Use trip tank and trip sheets

Keep mud in good condition (especially gel, PV/YP)

Pull pipe at reasonable speed

Use effective lubricant and hydraulics to reduce balling

Estimate swab/surge pressure
 Not keeping the hole full
Causes

Not correctly monitoring the displaced volume by drill string

Prevention

Proper use of trip tank and a trip sheet

Use of mud logging unit (pipe displacement monitoring)

Use pump stroke counter (strokes to fill the well when POOH)

Pit volume monitoring (total volume of mud active system)

Use “Echo meter” if required

Monitor the well all the time (ie logging ops)
 Lost circulation
Causes

Formation prone to take fluid

High mud weight

High surge pressures

High ECD
Prevention

Monitor and keep mud properties in good condition

Estimate surge pressure (critical with large OD tool, use trip
tank/sheet)

Cure losses before resuming drilling

Consider setting intermediate casing

Monitor delta flow

Use of “echo meter” if required

Manage ECD in low clearance annulus
 kicks while tripping

75% of well control incidents reported world wide occurred

while tripping pipe in or out the hole

WHY?

Loss of ECD

Risk of swabbing

Not adequately filling the well

Risk of surging/loss circulation

Less focus from rig crew

Insufficient drilling fluid density
 Trip tank and Trip Sheet
Kick Prevention while tripping is best performed by the use of a TRIP
TANK to keep the hole full mud
Kick detection while tripping is done by monitoring pipe displacement
with a TRIP SHEET and trained personnel
The TRIP TANK is the most important device on the rig for kick
prevention and detection
The use of a trip tank in IPM well operations is mandatory
If the well cannot be filled, a good fluid level meter is the best device
to monitor the fluid column
Trip tank
 Trip tank spec as per API RP 53

Independent (or isolated) compartment from the active mud
system

30 to 100 barrel capacity, calibrated

The readout maybe direct or remote, preferably both.

Designed (geometry and dimensions) to detect volume variations
of at least ½ barrel (sensibility)

Types:

a) Re-Circulating Trip Tank

b) Gravity Trip Tank
Kick detection while drilling
 Kick Detection while Drilling

Earliest Sign How to check it:

1. Increase in flow-line Stop pumps &
CHECK FOR FLOW
discharge

2. Increase in pit volume Stop pumps &

CHECK FOR FLOW

3. Increase in SPM/Speed & Stop pumps &

decrease in circ press CHECK FOR FLOW

Very late
 Kick Detection while Drilling

Earliest Sign How to check It:

4. Drilling break Stop pumps & CHECK FOR
FLOW (circ bottoms up??)

5. Water-cut mud, salinity

Stop pumps &
increase (fresh water CHECK FOR FLOW
muds)
Stop pumps &
6. Gas-cut mud
CHECK FOR FLOW

Very late
 Flow Checking
When should a flow check be performed (as a minimum)??

After all drilling breaks

When tripping

Just off bottom

At the lowest casing shoe

Prior to pulling drill collars through the BOP stack

Note: While tripping out of the reservoir with a core barrel the geometry

of the BHA will be close to full bore & the tendency to swabbing will be

far greater
 Flow Checking
If the well continues to flow after the pumps are off, then:

SHUT THE WELL IN

There are other reasons that can cause the well to flow:

Unbalanced U-Tube

Flow-back from fractures (caused by increased pressure in the

wellbore while circulating)

Ballooning

Until you are certain the flow is NOT caused by underbalance

SHUT THE WELL IN

The U tube
 The “U” Tube Model
A “U” tube system is present when two side by side tubular columns or
pipes containing fluids of same or different density and height. The two
columns are communicated at their basis

A C B

Pressures on bottom of both columns are equalized at the

communication point. That is:
Pressure at A = Pressure at C = Pressure at B
 Basic Concepts: Static “U” Tube

Concept one:

The sum of pressures on the bottom of one pipe of the “U” tube
is exactly equal to the sum of pressures on the bottom of the
second pipe

Concept two:

In any static “U” tube, the sum of pressures exerted above a
given point or depth in either of the two pipes, is exactly equal to
the sum of pressures exerted below the same point or depth
 Static “U” Tube - Concept One
SIDPP = 500
Given: psi

Well shut-in after a gas kick

Depth: 10,000 ft
SICP = 700

MW: 10 ppg psi
Calculate:

BHP on the DP side

BHP on the annulus side

Kill Mud Weight (KMW)

Gas density: 1.923 ppg

476
ft
P1 = P2
 Bottom Hole Pressure Calculations
What is the physical meaning of SIDPP?
Why the SIDPP reading is currently used for well control
calculations instead of SICP?

Your are taking a kick:

In which cases do you have SIDPP = SICP?
What does it mean when SIDPP = 0 and SICP has a value?
What does it mean when SIDPP=SICP=0?
The well seen as a “U” Tube
(dynamic)
+P +P
DP DHT
 Dynamic “U” Tube – circulating fluid
CDPP
What does the circulating drill pipe pressure
(CDPP) measure? CCP

• It is a measure of the mechanical force

supplied by the mud pump to move the fluid
through the circulating system
• It is the sum of all pressure drops due to
restriction to flow in the system components –
when fluid is the same in both sides.
• The concept 1 of the static “U” tube is still
valid but the pressure losses need to be taken
into account for BHP calculation.
 Dynamic “U” Tube – circulating fluid
CDPP
∆PSurf
CCP

CDPP = ∆PSurf + ∆PDP + ∆Pbit + ∆PA + ∆Pch

∆PDP
where, ∆Pch = CCP
∆PA

∆Pbit
 Dynamic “U” Tube – circulating fluid
Example of calculations: CDPP = 2000
psi

Given: CCP = 500

psi
• Well depth: 10,000 ft
• Mud weight, MW: 10 lb /gal
• Circulating DP Pressure, CDPP = 2,000 psi
• Circulating Casing Pressure, CCP = 500 psi
(back pressure imposed with choke)
• Drill Pipe Pressure Losses, ∆PTP = 1,300 psi
• Annular Friction Losses, ∆PA = 200 psi
• Pressure zone, P2 = 5,700 psi

Calculate: P1 ≥
P2
• Bottom Hole Circulating Pressure using DP &
annular sides
Well Control by design
 Well control by design

Obtain an adequate pore pressure / fracture

gradient prognosis from the G&G
department
 Well control by design

Casing seat selection

Proper casing program should separate weak
formations (with low fracture pressure) from higher-
pressured formations. This allows drilling into high-
pressure formations with higher-density drilling fluid,
while eliminating the risk of lost circulation into weaker
formations (and a possible subsequent well kick).
Well control by design
 Well control by design

Casing design
For well control purposes, the internal pressure rating
(burst resistance) of casing should be designed to
handle the anticipated surface pressure, imposed by
the load case used which depends on the casing type
(intermediate, production, etc).
 Shut In Procedure

Hard shut-in vs soft shut-in

 Hard Shut-In Manifold Alignment
Open Choke
valve
Closed Remote
valve At operator
stack
At manifold

Full working pressure

Reduced working
pressure allowable
To MGS, pits, flare or Bleed off line to flare To MGS, pits, flare or
overboard or overboard overboard
 Soft Shut-In Manifold Alignment
Open Choke
valve
Closed Remote operator
valve At stack
At manifold

Full working pressure

Reduced working
pressure allowable
To MGS, pits, flare or Bleed off line to flare To MGS, pits, flare or
overboard or overboard overboard
 Hard Shut-in vs Soft Shut-in
Conclusions
Soft shut-in:

Little improvement to pressure pulse.

Significant effect from additional influx.
Hard shut-in:

‘Water hammer’ smaller than shut-in pressure rise.

Formation exposed to lower net pressure.

Results favor hard shut-in.

Minimum confusion, less influx volume, lower annular
pressure.

Safety of personnel and equipment without risk to well.
Constant BHP – Well Control
 Constant BHP – Well Control

Drillers method.

Circulating kick out.

Pumping kill weight mud.

Wait and Weight method.

Comparison of the two methods.

 All Well Control Methods

Pre-measure Slow Circulation Rate (SCR).

Determine the friction losses.

Measure at rates that you plan to pump.

Measure several rates (e.g. 20, 30, 40 spm).

Measure with all rig mud pumps.

Pre-calculate.

Pipe capacities.

Hole capacities.

Pre fill a kill sheet.
 Driller’s Method
Step 1: circulate gas out holding constant BHP
C.P.

First circulation
(original mud)
C.P. = Constant until
influx is out of the
hole

P1 = P2
 Driller’s Method
Step 2: circulate KMW in holding constant BHP

Second circ.: kill mud

Circulation pressure
decreases from initial
circ. pressure to final
circ. pressure (while
heavier mud fills up the
DP)
Final circ. constant until
the kill mud reaches P1 = P2
surface
 Wait and Weight Method
Circulate gas out with KMW in holding constant BHP

Only one circulation:

Circulation pressure decreases
from initial circ. pressure to final
circ. pressure (while heavier mud
fills up the DP)

P1 = P2
Pressure Changes at Casing Shoe
Case 1 Case 2 Case 3a Case 3b

Driller’s Method Wait and Wait and Weight

First circulation Weight
(No gas migration) (Gas migration)
 Driller’s Method
Advantages:

Simplicity – Less calculations are required than Wait and Weight
method.

Can start circulation immediately – Effect of gas migration reduced.

Removes influx and stabilizes wellbore pressure at earliest possible
time.

Viable option if limited barite is available.

Disadvantages:

Method will require at least two circulations.

Under certain conditions the highest shoe pressure.

Two circulations may cause damage to well control equipment.
 Wait and Weight Method
Advantages:

In some circumstances, it generates the lowest pressure on the
formation near casing seat.

In a long open hole section, it is the least likely method to induce lost
circulation.

Requires one less circulation, therefore less damage to equipment.

‘De facto’ standard for majority of our Clients.

Disadvantages:

Requires longest waiting period prior to circulation. In a case where a
significant amount of hole is drilled prior to encountering the kick, the
cuttings may settle out and plug annulus.

Gas migration is a problem while the density of the system is
increased.