Formation Pressures

for Well Design

Formation Pressures for Well Design
Lecture Contents;
• Lecture Objectives,
• Introduction,
• Hydrostatic Pressure,
• Pore Pressure,
• Fracture Gradient.
• Overburden Pressure,
• Bottom hole pressure and gas behavior
Formation Pressures for Well Design
Lecture Objectives;
By the end of this lecture YOU will be able to:
understand the relevance of pressures in relation to
the drilling process:
• Pore pressure,
• Formation fracture gradient.
• Overburden pressure,
• Gas behaviour
Formation Pressures for Well Design
The Study of Pore, Fracture Gradients and
Overburden, Will assist in the Following:

• Mud Design
• Casing Design,
• Well Control,
• Avoid stuck drill string
• Rate of Penetration (ROP)
Formation Pressures for Well Design

Hydrostatic Pressure (HP);

• Can expressed as:
– HP (psi) = 0.052 x TVD (ft) x MW (ppg),

– MW = Mud Weight

– 0.052 is a conversion factor

– MW of 1 ppg has a gradient of 0.052 psi/ft

Formation Pressures for Well Design
Pore Pressure;
– It is defined as the pressure acting on the fluids in
the pore spaces of the rock,
– It is equal to the hydrostatic pressure of a column of
formation fluid extending from the surface to the
subsurface formation,
– The magnitude of normal pore pressure varies with
concentration of dissolved salts, type of fluid, gas
present and temperature gradient.
– Normal pore pressure = 0.465 psi/ft (80000 ppm Cl2)
Formation Pressures for Well Design
Safety Margin in the Mud Weight is the overbalance of
Mud Gradient in relation to Pore Gradient.
0-

500 -

1000 -

1500 -

2000 -
Depth (m)

2500 -

3000 -

3500 -

4000 -

4500 -
0 250 500 1000 1250
Pressure (kg/cm2)
Formation Pressures for Well Design
Fracture Gradient;
• It is defined as the pressure at which
formation break down occurs,
• Accurate prediction of fracture gradient is
essential to optimize well design wrt casing
series and setting depth.
• At planing stage it can be estimated from
offset well data.
– If no data is available, than empirical methods
are used.
Formation Pressures for Well Design
Fracture Gradient;
Formation Integrity Tests (FIT):
• Purpose:
– To investigate well bore capability to withstand
pressure below the casing shoe,
– To approximate fracture gradient, (Leak Off Test),
– To collect regional information on the formation
strength for optimization of well design on future
wells.
– To investigate cement strength around the shoe
(Cement Integrity Test)
Formation Pressures for Well Design
Fracture Gradient;
• Formation Integrity Test (FIT):

D
C
E
B
Bleed-off
Pressure

E: Propagation Pressure
D: Formation Breakdown Pressure
C: Leak-off pressure is reached
B -C: Mud Penetrating the formation
B: Start of Leak-off
A-B: Linear Increase

A BBLS
Formation Pressures for Well Design
Overburden Pressure;
• Definition:
– It is defined as the pressure exerted by the total
weight of overlying formations above the point of
interest,
– It is function of:
• Bulk density,
• Porosity,
• Connate fluids.
– It can also be defined as the hydrostatic pressure
exerted by all materials overlying the depth of
interest.
Formation Pressures for Well Design
Overburden Pressure in relation to drilling process:
• Bore hole stability

• the bore hole may cave in

• higher deviations less stability

• Exerts pressure on mobile formations (salt dome)

• drill string may get stuck

• higher forces on casing strings (casing collaps)

 Formation Pressures for Well Design

Overburden
pressure
Cement
Casing

Mobile Formation

Hydrostatic
pressure
Gas behaviour
• Imagine equal quantities of gas being injected into
two tubes full of mud.
One is open to the atmosphere and one is closed,

0 ?

One bubble of Gas

Open Closed
Gas behaviour
• Open tube scenario:

0 0 0
• P1 = 5000 psi
• T1 = 240oF,
• V1 = 1 bbl (assumed) ,
• P2 = 14.7 psi
• T2 = 60oF,
• V2 = ?.

P1 V1 / T1 = P2 V2 / T2
5000 * 1 / (240 + 460) = 14.7 V2 / (60 + 460)
V2 = 253 bbls! as pressure reduces from 5000 to 14.7 psi.
Gas behaviour
• Closed tube scenario:

0 ? 5000

Mud = 9.6 ppg,

Depth = 10000 ft,
Mud hydrostatic pressure = 0.052 * 9.6 * 10000 = 5000 psi ,
Gas pressure on bottom = 5000 psi.
Gas behaviour
• Closed tube scenario:

0 ? 5000

BHP2 = 5000 + 5000 = 10000 PSI

In reality the hole will be
fractured before gas reaches
surface

BHP= Surface Pressure + Hydrostatic pressure

BHP1 = 0 + 5000 = 5000 PSI

Kick Control
If gas enters bore hole;
• Hence gas expansion must be allowed to reduce
wellbore pressure. This is the basis of well kill
methods,

Gas

• Gas expansion is carried out in a controlled manner

by manipulating the choke at surface to prevent
fracturing open hole section.
Formation Pressures for Well Design
Now YOU should understand the concepts:
• Pore Pressure,
• safety margin
• Formation Fracture Gradient,
• FIT
• Overburden Pressure,
• borehole stability and casing desing
• Gas behaviour in open and closed tube
• Kick control