KICK, CAUSES & IDENTIFICATION

INTRODUCTION
Kick can be defined as an influx or flow of formation fluid into the wellbore. It
generally occurs when the well goes underbalance, i.e. the formation pressure
becomes greater than the hydrostatic pressure of mud column.

CAUSES OF KICK

There are several reasons which may lead a wellbore to take kick.
Failure to keep the hole full during a trip
Swabbing & Surging
Abnormal formation pressure
Insufficient mud weight
Lost circulation
Gas cut mud
It is to be noted that improper hole fill up & swabbing are alone responsible
for more than 50% of kick cases.

Failure to keep the hole full during a trip

When the drill string is pulled out of hole, the volume of mud in the wellbore
decreases by a volume equal to the steel volume of tubular been pulled out. With
the drill pipe no longer in well the level of the mud in the wellbore reduces, thus
decreasing the overall hydrostatic pressure. The reduction in hydrostatic pressure
may bring the well-bore to underbalance condition. When the well is underbalance,
there is a good chance of wellbore to take kick.
To encounter this issue it is necessary to fill the hole periodically with mud while
making a trip. Calculated volume of mud equivalent to the steel volume should be
pumped into the well-bore at regular interval using trip tank. Trip sheets should be
prepared and the calculated & actual values should be incorporated there. It should
always be ensured that the hole is taking proper amount of mud. If the hole fails to
take the correct mud volume as per calculation, it is an indication that the influx has
entered the wellbore and has taken certain space in the wellbore.
It is of the utmost importance that drill crews properly monitor displacement and fill
up volumes when tripping. The lack of this basic practice results in a large amount
of well control incidents every year.

Surging & Swabbing

Surging & Swabbing is also a significant cause of kick. But it is relevant to write the
cause of surging & swabbing as given below:
Running the string too fast in the hole creates pressure surges in the borehole.
These downward pressure surges add to the Bottom Hole Pressure (+ve surge) and
if the net BHP exceeds the formation fracture pressure it may break down the
formation, resulting in mud losses. The mud loss causes reduction in level of mud in
the wellbore causing reduction in BHP, ultimately leading to kick.
Pulling out the string too fast creates swabbing effect which result in reduction in
Bottom Hole Pressure (-ve surge). If the BHP falls below formation pressure, it may
result in influx of formation fluid into the wellbore. Swabbing is a recognized hazard
regardless of low volume swabbing or high volume swabbing. If the influx fluid is
gas it can of course migrate and expand. Swabbing can also be caused by the
full gauge down hole tools (bits, stabilizers, reamers, core barrels, etc.) being balled
up. This can create a piston like effect when they are pulled through mud. This type
of swabbing can have drastic effects on BHP.

Abnormal Formation Pressure

Abnormal formation pressure may be one of the vital causes of the kick. While
drilling a wild cat or exploratory test well the details of the formation pressure are
often not known accurately and Driller suddenly encounters drilling break followed
by abnormal pressure. Practically abnormal pressure exceeds the hydrostatic
pressure causing influx of unwanted formation fluid into the wellbore known as kick.

Insufficient Mud Weight

While drilling if the pressure exerted by drilling fluid column is less than the
formation pore pressure, the wellbore goes underbalance and the formation fluid
may begin to enter the wellbore. The solution to cope with this problem is to use a
high density mud which provides overbalance and avoids the formation fluid to
enter the wellbore. It should be noted that the mud hydrostatic pressure should not
exceed the formation fracture pressure else it may result in mud loss.

Lost Circulation

Lost circulation can be defined as an uncontrolled flow of formation fluid into the
formation. The loss may range from partial to total loss. During loss circulation the
uncontrolled flow of drilling mud into the formation causes reduction in level of mud
in the wellbore which results in reduction of BHP. If the BHP falls below the formation
pressure, the wellbore may take considerable amount of kick. To encounter this
problem it is recommended that the wellbore should be continuously monitored and
always kept full of mud.

Gas Cut Mud

While drilling a formation containing entrapped gas, the gas resulting from the
drilled formation comes out of the pores of the cuttings and mixes with the drilling
mud. This gas present in the mud travels up the wellbore and expands, resulting in
reduction of hydrostatic pressure caused by mud column & BHP. In such situation if
the BHP falls below the formation pressure, it may allow wellbore to take kick.
Use of a de-gasser removes gas before the mud is re-circulated around the well.
Otherwise the percentage of gas in the mud rises and a progressively greater
reduction in hydrostatic head occurs.

Encountering Shallow Gas Sands

Drilling into shallow gas pockets is one of the most dangerous situations that can
be encountered.
In a shallow well, gas can travel to the surface very rapidly, giving little warning.
While drilling shallow hole, the short surface casing string is set in a relatively weak
formation. It is normally necessary to divert the flow rather than shut the well in,
risking fracture at the casing shoe and the possibility of gas coming up around the
outside of the well.
As the bottom-hole times involved are short, the drill crew should be alert for
signs of a kick.
The flow sensor may be the only item of equipment able to give an early enough
warning of a shallow gas kick in progress which allows the diverter to be put into
use. This sensor should be kept working whenever possible. If in doubt shut off the
pumps and carry out a flow check.
Pit level gains, although a valuable indication, are generally noticed too late.
Most shallow gas pockets are found in exploration wildcat wells, through shallow
gas-charged sands may be found in field development wells.
In latter case the shallow formations have been charged with high pressure gas
from deeper zones in nearby wells, which has migrated due to a failure on the
previous well. Poor cement jobs, casing failures, inadequate abandonment

procedures, downhole blowouts and injection well operations are all possible
causes.

Drilling Into Adjacent Wells

A large number of directional wells may be drilled from the same offshore platform
or onshore drilling pad. If a drilling well penetrates the production string of an
existing well, the formation fluid from the existing well may enter the well bore of
the drilling well or the drilling fluid of the well being drilled may be lost to the
penetrated well bore; either of which can lead to a kick.

KICK IDENTIFICATION
Warning signs and possible kick indicators can be observed at the surface. Each
crew member has the responsibility to recognize and interpret these signs and take
proper action. All signs do not positively identify a kick; some merely warn of
potential kick situations.

Flow rate increase

Pit volume increase

Flowing well with pumps off

Pump pressure decrease and pump stroke increase

Improper hole fill-up on trips

String weight change

Drilling break

Cut mud weight

Each is identified below as a primary or secondary warning sign, relative to its

importance in kick detection.

Flow rate increase (primary indicator)

An increase in flow rate leaving the well, while pumping at a constant rate, is a
primary kick indicator. The increased flow rate is interpreted as the formation aiding
the rig pumps by moving fluid up the annulus and forcing formation fluids into the
wellbore.

Pit volume increase (primary indicator)

If the pit volume is not changed as a result of surface-controlled actions, an increase
indicates a kick is occurring. Fluids entering the wellbore displace an equal volume
of mud at the flowline, resulting in pit gain.

Flowing well with pumps off (primary indicator)

When the rig pumps are not moving the mud, a continued flow from the well
indicates a kick is in progress. An exception is when the mud in the drillpipe is
considerably heavier than in the annulus, such as in the case of a slug .

Pump pressure decrease and pump stroke increase

(secondary indicator)
A pump pressure change may indicate a kick. Initial fluid entry into the borehole
may cause the mud to flocculate and temporarily increase the pump pressure. As
the flow continues, the low-density influx will displace heavier drilling fluids, and the
pump pressure may begin to decrease. As the fluid in the annulus becomes less
dense, the mud in the drillpipe tends to fall and pump speed may increase.Other
drilling problems may also exhibit these signs. A hole in the pipe, called a
washout,
will cause pump pressure to decrease. A twist-off of the drillstring will give the same
signs. It is proper procedure, however, to check for a kick if these signs are
observed.

Improper hole fill-up on trips (primary indicator)

When the drillstring is pulled out of the hole, the mud level should decrease by a
volume equivalent to the removed steel. If the hole does not require the calculated
volume of mud to bring the mud level back to the surface, it is assumed a kick fluid
has entered the hole and partially filled the displacement volume of the drillstring.
Even though gas or salt water may have entered the hole, the well may not flow
until enough fluid has entered to reduce the hydrostatic pressure below the
formation pressure.

String weight change (secondary indicator)

Drilling fluid provides a buoyant effect to the drillstring and reduces the actual pipe
weight supported by the derrick. Heavier muds have a greater buoyant force than
less dense muds. When a kick occurs, and low-density formation fluids begin to
enter the borehole, the buoyant force of the mud system is reduced, and the string
weight observed at the surface begins to increase.

Drilling break (secondary indicator)

An abrupt increase in bit-penetration rate, called a drilling break, is a warning sign
of a potential kick. A gradual increase in penetration rate is an abnormal pressure
indicator, and should not be misconstrued as an abrupt rate increase.
When the rate suddenly increases, it is assumed that the rock type has changed. It
is also assumed that the new rock type has the potential to kick (as in the case of a
sand), whereas the previously drilled rock did not have this potential (as in the case
of shale). Although a drilling break may have been observed, it is not certain that a
kick will occur, only that a new formation has been drilled that may have kick
potential.
It is recommended when a drilling break is recorded that the driller should drill 3 to
5 ft (1 to 1.5 m) into the sand and then stop to check for flowing formation fluids.
Flow checks are not always performed in tophole drilling or when drilling through a
series of stringers in which repetitive breaks are encountered. Unfortunately, many
kicks and blowouts have occurred because of this lack of flow checking.

Cut mud weight (secondary indicator)

Reduced mud weight observed at the flow line has occasionally caused a kick to
occur. Some causes for reduced mud weight are:

Core volume cutting

Connection air

Aerated mud circulated from the pits and down the drillpipe.