WELL CONTROL

Well control means an assurance of formation fluid (oil, gas or water) that does not

flow in an uncontrolled way from the formations being drilled, into the borehole and

eventually to the surface.

Why the well control is important in the hydrocarbon production industry?

• higher drilling costs,

• waste of natural resources and damage to the environment

• and the possible loss of human life when kicks and blowouts occur

One of the most pervasive problems with well control is the "kick."

What is the Kick?

A kick is a well control problem in which the pressure found within the drilled rock is

higher than the mud hydrostatic pressure acting on the borehole or rock face. When

this occurs, the greater formation pressure has a tendency to force formation fluids

into the wellbore. This forced fluid flow is called a kick.

If the flow is successfully controlled, the kick is considered to have been killed. An

uncontrolled kick that increases in severity may result in what is known as a

"blowout.

Factors Affecting Kick Severity

 Permeability of rock, which is known as the ability of the rock to allow fluid to move

through it.

 Porosity is the amount of space in the rock containing fluids. A rock with high

permeability and high porosity has greater potential for a severe kick than a rock with

low permeability and low porosity. For example, sandstone is considered to have
 greater kick potential than shale because sandstone, in general, has greater

permeability and greater porosity than shale.

 Pressure differentia involved. Pressure differential is the difference between the

formation fluid pressure and the mud hydrostatic pressure. If the formation

pressure is much greater than the hydrostatic pressure a large negative differential

pressure exists.

On occasion the formation will exceed the mud pressure and a kick will occur. Reasons for

this imbalance explain the key causes of kicks:

 Insufficient mud weight.

 Improper hole fill-up during trips.

 Swabbing.

 Cutting of mud by formation fluids

 Lost circulation.

Kick types
A kick can be labeled in several ways, including one that depends on the type of formation

fluid that entered the borehole. Known kick fluids include gas, oil, salt water, magnesium

chloride water, hydrogen sulfide (sour) gas, and carbon dioxide. For example, if gas enters

the borehole, the kick is called a "gas kick."

Well Control Principles

There are basically two ways in which fluids can be prevented from flowing, from the

formation, into the borehole:

Primary Control
Primary control over the well is maintained by ensuring that the pressure due to the
colom of mud in the borehole is greater than the pressure in the formations being
drilled i.e. maintaining a positive differential pressure or overbalance on the
formation pressures.
 Primary Control - Pressure due to mud colom exceeds Pore Pressure

Secondary Control
Secondary control is required when primary control has failed (e.g. an unexpectedly

high pressure formation has been entered) and formation fluids are flowing into the

wellbore. The aim of secondary control is to stop the flow of fluids into the wellbore

and eventually allow the influx to be circulated to surface and safely discharged,

while preventing further influx downhole. The first step in this process is to close the

annulus space off at surface, with the BOP valves, to prevent further influx of

formation fluids (Figure 2). The next step is to circulate heavy mud down the

drillstring and up the annulus, to displace the influx and replace the original mud

(which allowed the influx in the first place).

 Secondary Control -Influx Controlled by Closing BOP's

Ways in which the mudweight and/or the height of the colom of mud can
fall:

** Reduction in Mudweight
The mudweight is generally designed around 200-300 psi greater than the formation

pore pressure. This pressure differential is known as the overbalance. If the mud

weight is reduced, the overbalance becomes less and the risk of taking a kick

becomes greater. It is therefore essential that the mudweight is continuously

monitored to ensure that the mud that is being pumped into the well.

The mudweight will fall during normal operations because of the following:

• Solids removal

• Dilution of the mud (due to watering-back)

• Gas cutting of the mud.

**Reduced Height of Mud Colom

During normal drilling operations the volume of fluid pumped into the borehole should be

equal to the volume of mud returned. When the pumps are stopped, the fluid should continue
to flow from the well (this would indicate that a kick was taking place) or should the level of

the mud fall below the mud flow line.

The mud colom height may be reduced by;

• T ripping

• Swabbing

• Lost circulation