8.3 Special Well Control Techniques 8.3.1 Bullheading Bullheading is a method to displace the influx back into the formation using available kill weight drilling fluid and surface pressure. If normal well killing techniques with conventional circulation are not possible or will result in critical well control conditions, bullheading may be considered as a useful method to improve the situation. Mud / influx are displaced / squeezed back down hole into the weakest exposed open hole formation Well Control Manual Section 8 - Special Well Control Situations / Potential Problems However bullheading is not a routine well control method when drilling. In many cases, it will be doubtful whether the well can be killed by squeezing back the influx into the formation, which may not be the formation that originally kicked (for this reason bullheading is more successful if the open hole section is relatively short) and permanent lost circulation may be created by pumping fluid immediately below the shoe into the formation. The method should in_most_cases be considered only as a last resort 8.3.1.1 Prior to Bullheading Prior to bullheading the following should be considered: © Consider using the volumetric method to eliminate the complication of migrating gas. If the gas can be largely removed this way, the bullheading operation is likely to be much easier and more effective in killing the well. * The pressure limitations of pumping equipment, wellhead equipment, casing and open hole must be known. Maximum allowable pressures must be pre-established and not exceeded © If a gas influx is suspected (shut in pressures continue to rise indicating migrating gas), the pumping rate for bullheading must be fast enough to exceed the rate of gas migration. If pump pressures increase instead of decreasing, it is an indication that the pumping rate is too low to be successful. This can be a problem in large diameter holes. Note that increasing the viscosity of the kill mud may or may not be helpful in controlling this problem and could possibly even make it worse. © There is often a chance, particularly with relatively long open hole sections below the last casing shoe, that bullheading could break down the formation at the shoe rather than at the producing formation. In this event, rather than killing the well, this procedure may aggravate the development of an underground blowout that could pose risks to nearby wells in communication with the formations involved, It could also increase risk of a blowout around casing in place with subsequent obvious risks. Thus, this method should be considered when these risks are considered the lesser of the potential evils © Consider bullheading down both the annulus and the drill pipe simultaneously. © Acheck valve is required between the pumping unit and the well to act as a failsafe valve in the event surface equipment should fail during the procedure. If possible, the cementing unit should be used for better control and adequate pressure rating. * Large mud volume and LCM pills should be available in case major losses are experienced during the operation 8.3.1.2 Procedure for Bullheading In general bullheading procedures can only be drawn up bearing in mind the particular circumstances at the rig site. During a workover operation a procedure for bullheading will be drawn up along the following lines: 1. Calculate the surface pressure that will cause formation fracturing during the bullheading operation. 2. Calculate the tubing (or drill pipe) burst pressure as well as casing burst (to cover the possibility of tubing failure during the operation) 3. Calculate static tubing head (or drill pipe) pressure during bullheading. 4. Slowly pump fluid down the tubing. Monitor pump and casing pressure during the operation As an example consider the following well which is to be killed by bullheading brine down the tubing: Depth of formation / perforations TVD 10,171 feet Formation pressure 8.8 ppg Formation fracture pressure 13.8 ppg Tubing 4 %" N80, Intemal capacity 0.0152 bbitt Internal yield 8,430 psi Shut-in tubing pressure 3,650 psi Gas density 0.1 psifft Total internal volume of tubing 10,171 ft x 0.0152 bblift = 155 bbl Maximum allowable pressure at pump start up (13.8 ppg x 10,171 ft x 0.052) - (0.1 psifft x 10,171 ft) = 6,281 psi Maximum allowable pressure when the tubing has been displaced to brine at 8.8 ppg: (13.8 ppg - 8.8 ppg) x 10,171 ft x 0.052 = 2.644 psi Static tubing head pressure at initial shut-in: 3,650 psi Static tubing head pressure when tubing has been displaced to brine: 0 psi (ie. the tubing should be dead) The above values can be represented graphically (as shown in figure 8-3). This plot can be used as a guide during the bullheading operation. 10,00: 2 2 a 2 2,000 of 20 100 180 ‘Volume oftubing dslaced (te KEY: <= Sialic ting =-M-~ Inckude 500¢8) alm Static tubing ME Tubing burst pressure at safety factor to pressureto presse ‘would ature sod acting Eaiance fermanon formation) ‘exmaton pressure Figure 8-3. Surface pressure vs volume of tubing displaced Note: Remember that bullheading is a primary well control method in cased hole operations, but it is also a well control method if: an underground blowout is established in an open hole situation, or * only a short interval of open hole exists and most, or all of it is the permeable zone from which the influx came, or © when normal well Killing techniques with conventional circulation are not possible or will result in critical well control conditions. Bullheading should not be considered anything except a last resort procedure in any drilling situation where significant open hole exists. In this circumstance it might result in an underground blowout. However, in some cases such as high pressure / high temperature or H2S wells, killing of well after a well test or before workover operations, bullheading will be considered as the prime method of well control; this will be clearly stated in the well operation program.