• Statistics

• Rock Types that may cause problems

• The Fourteen causes of Stuck Pipe
• Hole Cleaning
• Discussions
 UNSCHEDULED EVENTS
% TIME BY PROBLEM
WELLHEAD PRO BS.
WELL CO NTRO L PRO BLEMS
BO P EQ UIP PRO BLEMS
EQ UIP.FAILURE-DRLG
CASING PRO BLEMS
DIR RELATED PRO BLEMS
LO ST CIRCULATIO NS
RIG REPAIR
CEMENT PRO BLEMS
MISC.
DRILL STRING FAILURE
WEATHER
EQ UIP FAILURE-EVAL.
HO LE PRO BLEMS/RMG
STUCK PIPE

0 1 2 3 4 5 6
% OF TOTAL TIME
130 WELLS IN 15 COUNTRIES 25.9% avg.
 Stuck Pipe Incidents
Crew Change
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
 The Effect of Shift Change
40 68% More Incidents Occur
During Crew Handover
35
30
Average number of Incidents
25 Without Handover effect
20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15
10
5
0
+/- 0-2 +/- 2-4 +/- 4-6

Time of Crew Handover (Hours)

 Statistics

• 65% related to planning.

• 25% Operational problems.

• 68% of incidents first 2 hours between

crew change.
• 10% unavoidable.

• Highest incident rate crew change day.

• 15% success rate in fishing.

• 80% failure backoff 1st attempt..

• 60% GOM incidents were Differential.

• North Sea. (hole cleaning)

 Rock Groups: Carbonates
Their relationship to hole
problems
Fracture Faulting: May
cause differential sticking.
• Dolomite
Hard: May cause
undergauge hole or key
seating.
• Limestone
• Chalk
May be beds of Chert in the
chalk.
 Rock Groups: Non-Carbonates
Their relationship to hole
problems
May have boulders in hole, how
to drill or disperse.
• Sandstone
Can be hard to drill and if
permeable can lead to
differential.
• Claystone
• Conglomerate
May be reactive
• Shale
Brittle over pressured shales
will have caving problems.
 Rock Groups: Evaporites
Their relationship to hole
problems
Mobile formations.
• Anhydrite
Hard embedded in salt
and may form ledges.
• Potassium/Magnesium
salts can make mud
properties harder to
control.
• Rock Salts. (halite)
• Gypsum
Same material as
plasterboard.
 Who is JUGWICCK D. GRUMF?

He’s the fourteen causes

of stuck pipe !

Junk Differential Sticking Geo-pressured Formation

Under gauge Hole Reactive Formations
Green Cement Unconsolidated Formation
Well bore Geometry Mobile formations
Inadequate Hole Cleaning Fractured/Faulted Formations
Collapsed Casing
Cement Blocks
Key Seating
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 Effects of Buoyancy

Buoyancy for Steel

BF = ( 65.5 - MW )
65.5

For Cuttings

BF = 20 - MW
( )
20

16
X 100 = 76%
21
 Effects of Annular Velocity
• Mass X Velocity = Momentum
• Friction

F1 = MW2
MW1
 Annular Velocity is dependant on Mud Weight
Laminar

Lifting We loose lift in turbulent

Force flow because the particles
are moving in all directions

0 mud wt
0 lift
Mud Weight
 Disadvantages
• The Heavier the mud
the lower ROP.

• Cost increases.

• More difficult to clean

heavy muds.
 Median Mud Weight Principle

Median mud weight line

Is good for shales.
Just heavy enough to
support the well bore
Depth

Fast drilling cheap

muds but problems
with hole cleaning

Pressure
 Yield Point
• Yield Point is a - + - +
measure of muds
resistance to flow due
to the types of solids + - + -
in the mud.
- + - +
• The higher the yield
point the better the
carrying capacity of + - + -
the mud.
- + - +
 Gel Strength
• Gel strength is a measure
of the attractive forces
between the solids in the
mud when its stationary.
• They keep the solids in
suspension and it
increase over time.
• Gel strength is a function
of the amount of solids in
the mud.
Problems caused by excessive Gel
Strength
• Higher pump pressures
required to break
circulation.
• Higher pump pressure is
required to circulate mud.
• Higher swab and surge
pressures.
• Increase difficulty to
remove solids.
• And increase gas and
entrainment.
 Optimum Gel Strengths

Progressive gel
• The 10 minute gel
Very progressive
is the best 30 gel
indication of Gel
strength. 25

Gel Strength (Ibs/100ft2

• Gel should stay the
OPTIMUM
same or improve 20

when static. Fragile

Gel
• Getting stronger, 15

will be harder to
10
break circ.
• If weaker, cuttings
5
support problems. Time (minutes)
0
10 20 30 40 50 60
 Marsh Funnel Viscosity
• Viscosity is a measure of the The effect of Temperature on
resistance to the flow of a Viscosity
liquid and indicates the
thickness of the mud.
• Funnel viscosity allows us to
monitor changes in the mud,

Viscosity
but does not tell us the cause
of these changes.
• Viscosity results from the
solids in the mud. The smaller
the solids the higher the
viscosity.
• Remember cold mud will make Temperature
the viscosity higher.
 The Filtration Properties of Mud
Fluid Loss
• A measure of the fluid lost from the
mud to the formation.
• In order for the fluid loss to occur a
permeable formation is required.
Filter Cake (well cake)
• Results from a build up of solids as
filtration progresses. In general high
fluid losses result in thick filter cakes.
Nature of filter cake is important.
Ideal filter cake is:
A. Thin
Maximising effective hole diameter.
B. Hard
Ensuring that it stays in place.
C. Impermeable
Preventing filtrate from the mud
entering the formation.
 Hole Bridge and Packoff
Definitions and Terminology
Wellbore Stability Problem Areas

 Reactive Shales (Gumbo)

 Geo-pressured Shale
 Overburden Stress
 Tectonic Stress
 Unconsolidated Formation
 Fractured Formations
CAUSE:
DRILLED CUTTINGS SETTLE ON THE LOW SIDE OF THE
HOLE, & FORM A CUTTINGS BED.THE CUTTINGS BED
SLIDES DOWN HOLE PACKING OFF THE D/STRG.

WARNING:
HOLE ANGLE > 35O . DRILLING WITH A DOWN HOLE MOTOR & NO
ROTATION
HIGH ROP, LOW PUMP RATE, INCREASED TORQUE & DRAG, ERRATIC
PUMP PRESSURE & LOW CUTTINGS RETURNS.

INDICATIONS:
LIKELY WHEN POOH, POSSIBLE WHILE DRILLING.
INCREASED O/PULL ON TRIPS, CIRCULATING PRESSURE
RESTRICTED OR IMPOSSIBLE.

FIRST ACTION:
REDUCE PUMP PRESSURE 100-400 PSI. JAR DOWN WITH MAX TRIP
LOAD, APPLY TORQUE WITH CAUTION, CLEAN HOLE TO AVOID
TROUBLE

PREVENTATIVE ACTION:
MONITOR TREND INDICATORS. CONTROL ROP. MAINTAIN MUD
PROPERTIES, CIRCULATE AT MAX RATE, MAXIMISE STRING
ROTATION. CIRCULATE BOTTOMS UP WITH STRING ROTATION
BEFORE POOH. ESTABLISH AN O/PULL LIMIT, HIGH DENSITY/LOW VIS
SWEEPS.
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CAUSE:
DRILLED CUTTINGS ARE NOT TRANSPORTED OUT OF THE HOLE DUE
TO LOW ANNULAR VELOCITY AND/OR POOR MUD PROPERTIES
WHEN CIRCULATION IS STOPPED , THE CUTTINGS FALL BACK DOWN
THE HOLE AND PACK-OFF THE DRILL STRING.

WARNING:
HIGH ROP , LOW PUMP RATE, LITTLE TO NO CIRCULATING
TIME ON CONNECTIONS. TORQUE, DRAG & PUMP
PRESSURE INCREASE, O/PULL OFF SLIPS, PUMP SURGE TO
BREAK CIRCULATION.
FILL ON BOTTOM.

INDICATIONS:
LIKELY TO OCCUR ON CONNECTIONS, POSSIBLE DURING

TRIPS. CIRCULATION RESTRICTED OR IMPOSSIBLE .

FIRST ACTIONS:APPLY LOW PUMP PRESSURE ( 200-400 PSI)

APPLY TORQUE & JAR DOWN WITH MAX TRIP LOAD.
CIRCULATE CLEAN WITH ROTATION.

PREVENTATIVE ACTION:
CONTROL ROP, MAXIMISE AV. MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT GEL
STRENGTH & YP. CIRCULATE 5-10 MINS ON CONNECTIONS.
CIRCULATE HOLE CLEAN WITH STRING ROTATION BEFORE
POOH.
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 Exercise:
Inadequate hole cleaning.

1. List the 4 main reasons why good hole cleaning may not
be achieved.

2. What factors can account for these reasons?

3. What is the effect of inadequate cleaning on down hole

conditions.

4. What are the effects of this problem on the drill string

while:

a) Drilling
b) Tripping

5. How can stuck pipe occur as a result of inadequate hole

cleaning.
 Answers.
Inadequate Hole Cleaning.
1. i. Uncontrolled penetration rate.
ii. Incorrect mud properties.
iii. Insufficient circulation time.
iv. Insufficient annular velocity.

2. i. Directional considerations in soft formations.

ii. Poor solids control / reactive formations.
iii. Only circulating bottoms up.
iv. Nozzles to small / Pump down / hole washed out.

3. Increased pressure / possible lost circulation slower

drilling rates.

4. a. Increase torque / increase drag on connections.

b. Higher swab pressure and surge pressure high drag
factors.

5. Settling of cuttings around bit and on low side of hole.

 Lets Talk
Discussion Time