SPE-215029-MS

Successful Deepwater MPD Application in Drilling and Cementing Through

Depleted Formation with Wellbore Instability and Loss Circulation Challenge

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Offshore of Sabah

B. Benny, J. Tan, J. See, and J. Foo, Managed Pressure Drilling, Weatherford Asia Pacific, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia; F. Othman and M. Mathew, Sarawak Shell Berhad, Sarawak, Malaysia

Copyright 2023, Society of Petroleum Engineers DOI 10.2118/215029-MS

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2023 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in San Antonio, Texas, USA, 16 - 18 October 2023.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect
any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written
consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may
not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.

Abstract
Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) has become the essential drilling technique to drill problematic zones
in these past decades due to its ability to precisely manipulate downhole equivalent mud weight (EMW).
This ability empowers the operator to save time and cost when drilling through loss zone with lower drilling
fluid and at the same time, able to retain EMW above the wellbore instability or, if required, pore pressure
gradient.
This paper describes the crucial role of MPD in a drilling operation on a horizontal deep water oil producer
well in Sabah region, offshore of East Malaysia, to help the Operator recover from Wellbore Instability and
Loss Circulation issues and successfully drill and cement the problematic section. The main challenge of
the well is the tight drilling window between depleted sand formation and the interlayered shale formation.
Therefore, the MPD Integrated Riser Joint (IRJ) was deployed along with the riser string prior drilling 12.25
in hole section. Initially, the section was drilled conventionally with wellbore strengthening techniques, only
to encounter unmanageable static losses. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to cure losses, the section
was cement plugged to sidetrack the well.
Considering the substantial challenges encountered, the well was sidetracked with lighter drilling fluid
and applied surface back pressure (SBP) to maintain its bottom hole pressure above the wellbore instability
gradient and below the fracture gradient. After the well had reached target depth, the drilling assembly was
pulled out of hole in MPD mode without having to displace the well to heavier tripping mud and, once it
was above the Subsea Blowout Preventor (SSBOP), the well was then isolated with blind shear rams (BSR).
To continue maintaining SBP below the BSR, the MPD system was lined up on a surface loop circulation
in such a way that the SBP was applied to the well via kill line. With the casing string delivered to the
bottom, Managed Pressure Cementing (MPC) was utilized to cement the casing by having a schedule of
SBP against pumped strokes that was formulated by software simulation to give a minimum pressure surge
when the cement slurry entered the open hole.
In addition, the paper also describes the equipment setup required onboard a drillship for drilling with
MPD in a deep-water setting. The MPD setup enables the application of advanced flow detection system and
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riser gas handling which are critical in drilling deep water wells. With all these features, MPD Deepwater
application has successfully delivered the well to target depth which once was undrillable.

Introduction
This paper emphasizes the importance MPD in achieving objectives of the initial drilling section within a
broader drilling campaign. By implementing Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD), the operator effectively
overcame challenges related to wellbore instability and loss circulation, enabling the successful drilling, and

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cementing of the problematic section. The strategy deployed during this phase not only addressed immediate
issues but also laid the groundwork for the subsequent drilling and completion of the remaining wells in
the campaign.

MPD Drilling Background and Challenges

MPD system was rigged up and tested prior to drilling 17.00 in hole section and was a contingency plan for
drilling 12.25 in hole section. With the 13.625 in casing set at 7,410 ft Measured Depth (MD) / 7,298 ft True
Vertical Depth (TVD), the 12.25 in hole section was drilled conventionally with a statically overbalanced
mud of 10.3 ppg Synthetic Oil Based Mud (SOBM) and additionally, wellbore strengthening material was
streamed to the mud system for mitigating the risk of losses in this section. The casing shoe strength was
tested to 11.56 ppg EMW and the drilling operation resumed without any significant issue until 8,581 ft MD
where Measured While Drilling (MWD) pressure points planned to be taken. While back reaming for the
MWD operation, a severe loss of circulation was encountered in the well. Despite the attempts to mitigate
the losses by reducing pump rates and eventually ceasing pumping altogether, the severe losses persisted
and 550 bph static loss rate was recorded.
The strategy to cure the losses began by pumping down multiple Loss Circulation Material (LCM) pills
and squeezed them to the formation but only managed to reduce the static loss rate to 135 bph. As an
alternative approach, a mixture of 6.7 ppg viscosified base oil was used, which was then spotted in the riser
through the integration of Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) riser joint primary flow line hoses to establish
the equivalent loss-free density and 9.91 ppg was calculated. The annular ram was then opened, and a flow
check of the well was performed. Subsequently, the 12.25 in Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) was pulled out
of the hole to a depth of 450 ft inside the 13.625 in casing. Downward circulation was attempted, and efforts
were made to establish returns up the riser. Unfortunately, immediate losses were observed, leading to the
decision to shut in the well using the annular ram.
Eventually, cement was squeezed to the formation and successfully cured the losses prior pulling out the
BHA. A cement stinger was then run in to set a cement plug inside the 13.625 in casing shoe for sidetracking
the well. The whole operation for controlling the losses took approximately ten operating days before the
well was ready to be sidetracked.
After successfully addressing the losses in the 12.25 in section, several challenges remained to meet the
objectives of the section:

• Limited sidetrack trajectory: Due to the limited options available for a sidetrack trajectory, there
was only one more attempt remaining before a walk-away scenario would need to be considered.
This limitation added significant pressure to execute the subsequent steps effectively and achieve
the desired outcomes.
• Wellbore Stability: Initial prognosis of 10.4 ppg EMW to maintain wellbore stability, however
severe losses occurred at a value much lower in the main bore.
• Leak-off test (LOT) at 13.625 in casing shoe: next challenge was to perform a leak-off test at the
13.625 in casing shoe as there was a potential risk of wellbore flexing, particularly at the kick-
off junction. This could potentially cause cement breakouts and result in the cement falling onto
SPE-215029-MS 3

the sidetrack wellbore. It was crucial to carefully manage this risk to ensure the integrity of the
wellbore and the success of subsequent operations.
• Open Hole Formation Integrity Test (OH FIT): Another challenge was to perform an open hole
FIT to establish the window required for displacing the well to an overbalance fluid. This step was
essential to allow operations to continue conventionally, without the need of MPD techniques. The
challenge here was to conduct the FIT successfully and obtain the necessary data while ensuring
the stability of the wellbore and preventing any potential issues.
• Displacing the well to statically overbalanced SOB depend on the OH FIT result, displacing the

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well to a higher mud weight of 10.4 ppg SOBM introduced the risk of excessive circulation that
could result in wellbore washout at the target depth (TD). The team needed to carefully monitor
and control the circulation rates and pressures during the displacement process to mitigate this risk.
Additionally, a complicated displacement and tripping schedule might be required, which would
demand meticulous planning and coordination to execute successfully.
Addressing these challenges would require careful planning, risk assessment, and meticulous execution
to overcome any potential setbacks and continue with the drilling operations.

Engineering Planning
During the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) phase, it was determined that three out of eight sections
would require MPD as a contingency due to a narrow drilling margin. Originally planned for conventional
drilling, a precautionary measure was established in case the drilling margin in the open hole was insufficient
for displacement Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD). The plan involved plugging back the open hole with
cement and isolating it at the previous casing shoe. This ensured the maintenance of an overbalance drilling
mud weight. The subsequent operation included running the BHA, displacing the well to a lighter mud
weight, and drilling to TD with the MPD approach. If the depleted sand could be adequately strengthened,
the well would then be displaced to an overbalance mud weight at the section TD before conventionally
tripping out the drilling BHA.
Following severe losses encountered during the initial 12.25 in section, the losses were remedied by
squeezing cement into the loss zone. The squeezed cement was carefully tagged and dressed, and a leak-
off test was conducted to confirm the hydraulic isolation of the loss zone. Subsequently, a balanced cement
plug was placed as a kick-off cement plug.
With limited alternative sidetrack options available, the team recognized the significance of their
remaining opportunity to meet the objectives. Consequently, the primary focus shifted towards securing
the hole section and ensuring the successful completion of the drilling operation. The contingency plan
underwent a meticulous reassessment, resulting in an optimized strategy that incorporated both MPD
techniques and wellbore strengthening strategies. This approach ensured a more robust and resilient path
forward. The optimized strategy included the following elements:

• Light mud weight: To optimize the selection of the starting light mud weight and ensure wellbore
stability with MPD, extensive analysis and modeling were conducted. The resulting starting light
mud weight of 9.2 ppg SOBM was determined through Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD)
modeling. This mud weight was chosen based on the criteria of maintaining wellbore stability
within the limits of the minimum wellbore stability requirement of 10.4 ppg EMW, as shown in
Fig. 1.
The selection of the starting light mud weight also considered the ability to achieve the maximum
loss-free ECD in the event of severe losses, as shown in Fig. 2. By starting with 9.2 ppg SOBM
and carefully managing the SBP, the team will be able to reduce the ECD to 9.91 ppg EMW which
was the loss-free ECD established on the initial 12.25 in section.
4 SPE-215029-MS

Meanwhile, continuous monitoring of MPD Early Kick Detection (EKD) and downhole
conditions such as pressure while drilling (PWD), were also implemented to detect any signs of
severe losses on the sidetrack bore. This will enable the drilling team to respond earlier to loss
events and adjust the drilling parameters accordingly to maintain loss-free downhole circulation.
In the event of encountering losses, the team planned to promptly reduce the ECD to the loss-
free ECD by adjusting the SBP. This flexibility allowed for a rapid response to mitigate losses and
maintain wellbore stability. By continuously monitoring the well conditions and adjusting the SBP
as needed, the team aimed to minimize the impact of losses and prevent any potential issues that

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could compromise the success of the operation.
The optimized plan of drilling with a starting light mud weight of 9.2 ppg SOBM while
maintaining a minimum ECD of 10.4 ppg EMW with SBP demonstrated a proactive approach to
managing wellbore stability. This strategy provided the necessary flexibility to respond to potential
challenges and maintain control over the drilling process, ultimately increasing the likelihood of
achieving the objectives of the operation.
• No Leak-Off Test (LOT) at the 13.625 in shoe: it was established that the competent shale across
the casing shoe has the capability to withstand up to 11.56 ppg EMW which is more than sufficient
to meet the abandonment philosophy. ECD modeling demonstrated that the MPD Constant Bottom
Hole Pressure (CBHP) technique allowed for the maintenance of ECD at 10.6 ppg EMW at the
casing shoe throughout all operations.
• No Open Hole Formation Integrity Test (OH FIT): Conducting an OH FIT was deemed too risky,
as there was a possibility of opening fractures excessively and washing away the existing Lost
Circulation Material (LCM) in place, which could result in severe losses.
• All subsequent operations were executed using MPD techniques: MPD allowed for enhanced
efficiency and reduced time spent on circulating and mixing kill mud. This approach eliminated the
need for an OH FIT and enabled a seamless transition between operations. The process involved
pulling out of the hole (POOH) the 12.25 in drilling BHA above SSBOP in MPD then followed by
the Run-In-Hole (RIH) of the 9.625 in liner under MPD conditions. Extensive surge modeling was
conducted to determine the maximum allowable speed for pulling out the BHA & running in the
liner, while also establishing a SBP schedule to ensure ECD remains within the limits of minimum
wellbore stability and maximum ECD during drilling. These measures ensured that the liner could
be safely and efficiently run to setting depth while mitigating the risk of surge-related issues.
• Furthermore, Managed Pressure Cementing modeling was extensively utilized to guarantee the
successful cementation of the 9.625 in liner. This modeling process aimed to maintain the annular
pressure profile within the limits of minimum wellbore stability and maximum ECD the hole
had been exposed to during drilling. By carefully managing the pressure during the cementing
operation, the risk of compromising wellbore integrity was minimized, ensuring a robust and
reliable cement job. The implementation of MPD techniques throughout these operations not only
streamlined the process but also enhanced the overall safety and efficiency of the drilling operation.
By leveraging surge modeling and Managed Pressure Cementing, the risks associated with liner
installation and cementation were effectively mitigated, allowing for a successful completion of
these critical steps.
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Figure 1—MPD Hydraulic Simulation to Maintain EMW above 10.4 ppg with no loss circulation event.

Figure 2—MPD Hydraulic Simulation to Maintain max EMW of 9.91 ppg in the event of loss circulation.
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Figure 3—MPD Swab Simulation for pulling out of hole 12.25 in BHA with various pulling speed.

Figure 4—MPC Simulation to maintain EMW of 10.4-10.6 ppg during 9.625 in liner cementing operation.

By implementing these strategies and conducting thorough modeling and analysis, the team were able
to overcome the challenges and maintain the integrity and stability of the wellbore, ensuring the successful
completion of section objectives.

Deepwater MPD Equipment Setup

The Deepwater MPD system was integrated on a Drillship during the planning stage for the development
wells on the Shell Drilling Campaign in offshore of Sabah. The system is designed into the rig conventional
setup without any change in the existing well control equipment and has the flexibility to switch between
MPD system application and conventional drilling without restrictions at any time required.
SPE-215029-MS 7

MPD Integrated Riser Joint (IRJ)

In this campaign, the MPD Integrated Riser Joint (IRJ) was deployed 70 ft underwater which consist of
Rotating Control Device Below Tension Ring- Slim (RCD BTR-S) body, a Drill String Isolation Tool
(DSIT), a flow spool, and upper and lower adaptor that connects the full RCD joint to the last riser joint
(lower adaptor) and the termination joint (upper adaptor).

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Figure 5—MPD Integrated Riser Joint (IRJ) consist of Upper Crossover,
RCD Joint, DSIT Joint, Flow Spool Joint and Lower Crossover.

During MPD operations, the RCD bearing assembly is installed on the RCD that seals the top of the
annulus and allow the return flow to divert into two flowspool outlets with 5″ coflex hoses connecting to the
MPD surface equipment. A 2″ coflex hose is connected to the side flange of the RCD that allows to bleed
off trapped pressure between the RCD and the DSIT or flowspools. The DSIT serves as a conventional riser
gas handling and also, acts as a barrier to keep the well under pressure if there is a need to replace the RCD
bearing assembly during MPD operations. Six hydraulic piper valves, DSIT and the RCD hydraulic latches
are controlled from surface using the Umbilical Reels.

MPD Buffer Manifold

The return flow from the flowspool is diverted into the MPD Buffer Manifold, which is connected to various
path, thus it acts as a flow diversion to divert the flow to the required flow path depending on the operations.
The valves are hydraulically controlled with a pneumatic power unit which is operated from a control panel
inside driller's cabin or also can be manually operated from the Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU). MPD Buffer
Manifold also equipped with two Pressure Relief Valves (PRVs) on each flowline which are programmable
to relief at a pressure input in the control panel.

Junk Catcher Manifold

The junk catcher is installed at the upstream of the MPD Choke Manifold that helps to screen the return
flow. Different screen sizes can be installed, and its function is to protect the downstream equipment from
plugging by big chunks of cuttings returned from the well. If the junk catcher needs to be cleaned during
MPD operation, the system can be lined up to the bypass line on the fly without having to stop MPD
operation while the screen is being removed and cleaned.

MPD Choke Manifold

The MPD Choke Manifold is the heart of the MPD system that consist of dual 3″ chokes and a Coriolis mass
flowmeter that allows early kick detection and automated pressure controls on the wells. In a closed loop
drilling system, the automated MPD chokes apply desired SBP to precisely manipulate required downhole
EMW. Digital and analog pressure sensors and mud pump stroke counters are connected to the Intelligent
Control Unit (ICU) and integrated to control software, thus provides real-time monitoring of the wellbore
parameters during operations.
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Figure 6—P&ID for MPD Deepwater Equipment Setup on a Drillship.

MPD Deepwater Drilling

Following severe losses encountered during the initial stage of 12.25 in section, the drilling strategy to
sidetrack the well was shifted to utilize the MPD system by essentially reducing the mud system to 9.20
ppg and this underbalance mud was compensated by applying a certain amount of SBP, to hold 10.40 ppg -
10.50 ppg EMW at the 13.625 in casing shoe depth. To activate the MPD system, a series of fingerprinting
procedure and exercises must be conducted prior to drilling out the cement plugs. This procedure and
exercises were meant to verify the functionality of all components in the system and to familiarize the drill
crews with the MPD operation. Among the exercises, DSIT stripping practice was performed to record the
minimum stripping pressure required for stripping out 6.625 in drill pipe while holding surface pressure
underneath DSIT elements. This practice was essential in the event of riser gas handling or changing out
RCD Bearing Assembly under surface pressure.
After the completion of the MPD fingerprinting procedure, the cement plug was drilled out in MPD
mode by applying 300 psi of SBP (equivalent to 10.5 ppg at the bit) from 7,310 ft MD to 7,438 ft MD.
The well was then sidetracked in the similar manner, but the MPD set point depth was anchored at the
13.625 in casing shoe depth. This anchor point will allow the maximum ECD exerted on the well to be at
the casing shoe depth which will minimize the chance of fracturing weak formation. During connections,
the MPD system automatically compensated the loss of pump friction by adding additional SBP to maintain
10.5 ppg EMW at the casing shoe depth. Fig. 7 shows a screenshot of MPD Connection performed with
Weatherford's control software.
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Figure 7—MPD Connection at 8724.79 ft MD with 9.2ppg mud, maintaining 10.5 ppg EMW at casing shoe

The drilling operation in MPD mode successfully reached the section target depth at 9300 ft MD which
was deeper than originally planned at 9058 ft MD, holding 10.5ppg (See Fig. 8) at the casing shoe depth
and took 44.5 drilling hours with a total of fifteen MPD connections performed. No circulation loss or pack
off event was encountered throughout the drilling operation in MPD mode.

Figure 8—SBP & Bottom Hole ECD (PWD) profile during 12.25 in drilling operation.
10 SPE-215029-MS

MPD Tripping Out of Hole

Due to narrow margin between the fracture gradient and wellbore instability gradient, the well was not
displaced with trip mud after drilled to section target depth. Instead, the BHA was back reamed out of hole
in MPD mode until the bit was inside 13.625 in casing and to maintain 10.5 ppg EMW at the casing shoe
depth, MPD system applied 350 psi SBP during the back reaming and ramp up to 465 psi SBP during
connection. There was no significant drag or overpull observed during the back reaming operation which
indicated the open hole was in good condition.

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Once the bit was inside 13.625 in casing, the BHA was pulled out of hole on elevator while MPD system
continue to apply 350 psi SBP to maintain 10.5 ppg EMW at casing shoe depth. The bit was then pulled
out until three stands above the SSBOP, at which point the well must be isolated with the blind shear rams
(BSR) before RCD Bearing Assembly could be retrieved. Once the BSR was closed, the trapped pressure
on the riser was bled off via MPD bleed-off line to the mud gas separator. Then, an extended flow check
on the trip tank must be performed to ensure the BSR had sealed properly. MPD system was lined up to
maintain 450 psi SBP below closed BSR as per Fig. 9.

Figure 9—Line up for MPD system to trapped pressure below closed BSR

With the riser system isolated from the well and MPD system, RCD Bearing Assembly was then retrieved,
and the BHA was pulled out and laid down for 9.625 in liner run.
SPE-215029-MS 11

Run Liner and MPC

The 9.625 in casing and hanger assembly were made up and run-in riser on 6.625 in drill pipe, while MPD
system continuously applied 450 psi SBP under the closed BSR. When the liner string was three stands
above the SSBOP, the RCD bearing assembly was installed and then, the MPD system was lined up back
to the riser to equalize the pressure across the closed BSR by applying the same amount of SBP, 450 psi.
Once equalized, the BSR was opened, and the liner run was continued in MPD mode.
While running the liner assembly in open hole, it is imperative to account the surge effect to minimize

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the risk of fracturing the weak formation. Therefore, the SBP was reduced to 320 psi while running the
liner assembly at a controlled speed of 40 ft/min and this was acquired from the swab and surge simulation
discussed earlier in this paper. After running in the liner assembly to 9,215 ft MD, a rotating cement head
was then made up to the string to tag the bottom of the well. The 9.625 in liner was successfully delivered
to the bottom in MPD mode in 8.5 hours without encountering any significant obstruction.
The cementing operation was performed in MPD mode or simply known as MPC and its objectives were
to maintain the wellbore stability and to avoid losses, if possible, during the cementing operation. To achieve
these, a simulation was performed with Weatherford's control software to acquire the SBP ramp table for
each critical steps in the cementing operation. Table 1 shows the ramp table generated from the simulation.

Table 1—Ramp Table generated from Weatherford's control software.

The cement unit was lined up to the cement head and pump 80 bbls of 9.7 ppg lead spacer, followed
by 136 bbls of 14.5 ppg cement slurry before pumping another 10 bbls of mixwater as tail spacer. While
pumping with cement unit, MPD applied 310 psi of SBP and increased to 460 psi SBP when pumps are off
to switch between fluids. The cement unit continue to displace the string by pumping 9.2 ppg SOBM at 4
bpm while MPD continue to apply 310 psi SBP. Due to much heavier cement slurry (14.5 ppg) compared
to SOBM in the annulus (9.2 ppg), a significant U-tubing was observed during the displacement.
After displacing 201 bbls of 9.2 ppg SOBM which was the theoretical volume of the string, SBP was
gradually reduced to compensate the hydrostatic of cement slurry coming out to annulus. Once top plug was
bumped and cement unit stopped pumping, SBP was ramped up again to 230 psi to hold the casing shoe
at 10.5 ppg EMW until 9.625 in liner packer was set and tested. With a comparison of the volume pumped
and returned on cement tank, no loss was observed during the MPC operation.
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Figure 9—Summary of MPC Operation as per pumping schedule.

Conclusion
The integration of the MPD system in deepwater operations has provided significant advantages and
technical capabilities for the Operator to overcome downhole challenges and achieve successful drilling and
cementing of the well without encountering losses in the depleted formation. The use of MPD has allowed
for efficient navigation within the tight pressure window, and the full spectrum of MPD operations from
drilling to cementing has proven to be a time and cost-saving approach by eliminating the need for additional
overbalance mud and reducing the time required for well and riser displacement.
Furthermore, running casing and performing cementing operations in MPD mode have been successful,
with no losses or significant hole collapse experienced throughout the operations. This success has
reinforced the decision to integrate the MPD Deepwater system for future narrow window drilling
wells originally planned for conventional drilling. By adopting the MPD strategy, the Operator can save
costs, minimize time spent on addressing losses that require LCM squeezing, cement plugging, and well
sidetracking, which were unexpected challenges faced in previous wells.
Overall, the application of MPD in deepwater drilling has proven to be an invaluable setup, providing
a wide range of capabilities to the operation. It has successfully enabled the drilling of wells that were
previously considered undrillable, ensuring the delivery of wells to the target depth. This success highlights
the effectiveness and reliability of MPD in deepwater operations, demonstrating its ability to enhance
efficiency, mitigate risks, and improve overall drilling performance.