Deepwater

Drilling Practices
Akshar Thakkar
Senior Engineer, Shell India
Safety Briefing
Index

• Deepwater and HPHT

• Drillships
• Operations - Top Hole
• Operations - Main Hole
• Temporary Plug & Abandon
• Q&A
Deepwater and HPHT

• Depth: >4000 ft
• Pressure: 10,000 psi (Deepest Point)
• Temperature: 150 degC (Deepest Point)
Drillship
• Primarily used for DW operations
• Equipped with dynamic positioning system
• Thrusters: 6, propellers and gyrocompasses
• Used for drilling, completion, workover and P&A
• Used for installing Wellheads and Xmas Trees
Operations: Top Hole (Summary)

• Riser-less Section
• Drills without Blow out Preventer and Xmas Tree installed
• Used to isolate loose formations before commencing deeper drilling
Top Hole: Set 36” Conductor Casing

• Rig arrives at location, positions over the well

• Runs in with conductor casing string (with bit inside)
36” LPWHH
• Spuds the well with ROV monitoring
Mudline
• Jets the conductor casing (No Cemening)
• Sets 36” Low Pressure Wellhead Housing (LPWHH)
• Releases the 26” TCR bit using Drill Ahead Tool (DAT)
36” Shoe
• Drills next section
 Top Hole: Drill 26” Hole & Set 20” Casing
• Drill 26” Hole to Section TD (Usually Vertical)
• POOH BHA 18-3/4” HPWHH

36” LPWHH
• RIH with 20” casing to Shoe Depth
• Line up cement unit
• Cement the casing
• Set 18-3/4” High Pressure Wellhead Housing (HPWHH)
36” Shoe

20” Shoe

Wellhead Housings
• Supports casing strings and tubing strings
• Used to latch BOP and Xmas tree during later stages
 BOP
Main Hole: Land BOP
18-3/4” HPWHH

• RIH BOP on marine risers 36” LPWHH

• Land and Latch BOP on HPWHH

• Perform latch test on BOP
• Displace riser with drilling mud
• Pressure test BOP 36” Shoe

• M/up next drilling BHA 20” Shoe

 BOP
Main Hole: Drill 17” x 20” Hole & Set 16” liner
18-3/4” HPWHH

• RIH 17” drilling BHA to last casing shoe 36” LPWHH

• Drill out cement inside the shoe, shoetrack and rathole

• Drill 3m of new formation
• Perform LOT / FIT
• Open 20” underreamer and ream beneath casing shoe 36” Shoe

• Drill 17” x 20” hole to Section TD (Kicked off) 20” Shoe

• RIH with 16” liner to shoe depth
16” Shoe
• Cement liner
• M/up next drilling BHA
 BOP
Main Hole: Drill 14-3/4” x 17-1/2” Hole & Set 13-7/8” Casing
18-3/4” HPWHH
• RIH 14-3/4” drilling BHA to last casing shoe
36” LPWHH
• Drill out cement inside the shoe, shoetrack and rathole
• Drill 3m of new formation, Perform LOT / FIT
• Open 17-1/2” underreamer and ream beneath casing shoe
• Drill 14-3/4” x 17-1/2” hole to Section TD
36” Shoe
• RIH with 13-7/8” casing to shoe depth
• Cement casing 20” Shoe

• Set Lock Down Sleeve 16” Shoe

• M/up next drilling BHA
13-7/8” Shoe
Main Hole: Set Lock Down Sleeve (LDS)

• LDS guards against uplift forces generated

during production of HCs at the well
• It locks 13-7/8” casing hanger to HPWHH, so
that forces generated during HC production do
not lift casing hanger out of the place
 BOP
Main Hole: Drill 12-1/4” Pilot Hole & Perform Logging
18-3/4” HPWHH
• RIH 12-1/4” drilling BHA to last casing shoe 36” LPWHH

• Drill out cement inside the shoe, shoetrack and rathole

• Drill 3m of new formation, Perform LOT / FIT
• Drill 12-1/4” pilot hole to Section TD
• Perform Wireline Logging 36” Shoe
• Abandon Pilot Hole
20” Shoe
• M/up next drilling BHA
16” Shoe

13-7/8” Shoe
CP 4
CP 3
CP 2
12-1/4” Hole TD CP 1
 BOP
Main Hole: Drill 12-1/4” Sidetrack Hole & Set 9-7/8” Liner
18-3/4” HPWHH

• RIH 12-1/4” drilling BHA and tag CP4 36” LPWHH

• Sidetrack and Perform LOT / FIT

• Drill 12-1/4” Hole to Section TD
• Run and Set 9-7/8” liner
• Cement 9-7/8” liner 36” Shoe
• Place Cement Plug 1 while cementing 9-7/8” Liner
20” Shoe

16” Shoe
CP 1

13-7/8” Shoe

9-7/8” Shoe
 BOP
Main Hole: Temporary Plug & Abandon
18-3/4” HPWHH

• RIH and Set Mechanical Bridge Plug inside 13-7/8” casing 36” LPWHH

• Place second balanced cement plug on top

• Perform Inflow Test CP 3

• Pump low MW Base Oil on top of BP, step by step

• Check for flow
36” Shoe
• Set a third balanced cement plug (Surface Plug) CP 2
BP
• Unlatch BOP and Pull out to Surface 20” Shoe

16” Shoe
CP 1

13-7/8” Shoe

9-7/8” Shoe
Q&A