MBDCI

Summary of Drilling, Stresses,

Pressures, and Borehole Stability
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

Maurice Dusseault
 MBDCI

Understanding the Borehole

Borehole problems from sloughing and
breakout arise from brittle failure spalling

In situ stresses and drive failure
 Large stress differences in situ are the worst

is controlled by volume changes V
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

 arising from p, T and chemistry effects

Good +p]wall enhances stability

Plus: hydraulics, ECD control, cleaning, trip
policy, and so on
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Shales and Stresses

Instability caused by high on the borehole
wall = spalling, damage, sloughing

What reduces and shifts it away from the
wall?

Damage and softening cause reductions
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

Thermal shrinkage causes reductions

Dewatering shrinkage causes reductions

Potassium ions can shrink swelling shales

Also elastoplasticity & creep reduce , as in
salt drilling (no spalling occurs)
 MBDCI

Ductile or Fractured Shales?

Deep Basin, upper soft, lower fractured

OBM best higher up, WBM lower down!
WBM OBM

caliper caliper
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

ductile shales
mainly in-gauge
sloughing

fractured shale
in gauge massive sloughing
target
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Scale Effect in Fractured Shales

D = borehole diameter

Also in coals!

no
unstable
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

blocks unstable shale

blocks
increasing
stability L

intact

scale effect L = characteristic length

granular
L/D of shale fabric

Smaller holes arte always more stable

 MBDCI

What Keeps a Borehole Stable?

Favorable natural conditions
 Strong rock (carbonates, anhydrite)
 Low stresses and small stress differences

Good mud properties

 Good support of the wall (good filter cake)
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

 Proper hole cleaning, viscosity, gel strength

 Lower T, other effects

Good drilling practices & trajectory

 Tripping and connections practices
 Early identification of trouble (cavings volumes)

 Proper choice of trajectory

 MBDCI

Fractured Shales: Physics

High permeability fissures means that mud,

particularly OBM, penetrates far into wall

p/r rapidly becomes zero near the wall

Any positive undrained pore pressure effect
which took place when the shale was
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

penetrated dissipates rapidly

Natural open fractures are cohesionless
surfaces; thus, little resistance to sloughing

Plugging fissures is critical to stability
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Hole Enlargement, Breakouts

BHTV HMAX
reconstruction

poor mud
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

circulation gauge
caved hole

Sometimes, in very high stress regimes, massive hole enlargement

is inevitable: good hole cleaning, and do the best we can

Massive sloughing in fractured shales is common, and cures

are mechanical (e.g. plugging microfissures), not chemical
 MBDCI

Handling Ballooning

Common when pw ~ hmin + high ECD

When pump stops, track rate
danger!
Rate should slow

flowback


safe

If not, blowout?? time

Reducing ballooning
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

 Reduce ECD (OBM better than WBM)

 Increase carrying capacity, slow circulation rate

 Lower MW if still in safe range

 Live with it but monitor it carefully

 Drill with graded LCM to plug fractures

 MBDCI

Trajectory Choice (Avoidance?)

Selected trajectories and careful choice of drill

site can easily be applied to drilling on land.

mudline

Drilling to avoid crossing Drilling to cross fault and v = 3

fault in fractured shale fissile shale close to 90
HMAX = 1
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

extended reach
fault
deviated
well
troublesome fractured shale

reservoir
tight radius well

Drill through faults and fissile shales at 9025

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Understanding Stress, po(z), Fields

Stresses and pressures drive failure

Understanding these in detail is basic

Are stresses highly compressive?

Unusually low (normal faulting)?
Pressured zones, pressure reversion, depleted?
3-F Well Testing Geomechanics

Be prepared to update your prognosis as you

drill deeper and collect data

Watch the shaker chips (type, volume, source)

Gas detection, and so on