Well control operations

By
Eng. Muhammad Abdelraouf
mohamedabdelrouf664@gmail.com
 Agenda

Basic concepts
Causes and signs of kick
Well control equipment
Well control barriers
Shut in procedures
Kill methods
Negative test
 Basic concepts

• Small quantity of formation fluid enters wellbore, resulting in

Influx
change of mud properties.

• Considerable quantity of formation fluid enters wellbore, resulting

Kick
in well flow and pit gain.

• The well fluid reaches the surface at high pressure causing a blow
Blowout
or fire.
• Is the maximum gas volume for a given degree of underbalance
Kick tolerance which the circulation can be performed without exceeding the
weakest formation in the wellbore.
• Is the effective density that combines current mud density and
Equivalent circulation density (ECD)
annular pressure drop.

Maximum allowable annular surface • Is the margin between the fracture pressure and the hydrostatic
pressure (MAASP) pressure.
 Cont.

• Is the hydrostatic pressure plus the pressure losses into the

Bottom hole pressure
annulus.

Surge • An increase in bottom hole pressure due to trip in.

Swap • A decrease in bottom hole pressure due to trip out.

• The small amount of additional mud weight carried over that

Trip margin needed to balance formation pressure to overcome the pressure
reduction effects caused by swabbing when a trip out of the hole

• A drilling mud that has entrained formation gas, giving it a fluffy

Gas cut mud
texture.

Kill mud weight • The mud weight required to kill the well.
 Cont.

• The mud weight that should not be exceeded when kill the well.
Maximum allowable mud weight

• Pump kill fluid thru tubing or drill string and squeeze influx into
Bullhead formation, We use this method in emergency, and the squeezing
pressure should not exceed the fracture pressure.

• Is an increase of gas above a normal background gas level when

bottom up occurs after a connection.
Connection gas
• The first action to take is to increase mud weight and minimize the
connection time.

• Is an emergency well control procedure, and it’s used when the

pipe weight is sufficient to overcome the upward force created by
Stripping
well pressure acting on the cross-sectional area of the pipe to
maintain a constant BHP.
 Causes and signs of
kick

Signs of kick
Causes of kick (if you observe any of these situation, close the mud
pumps and check if there is a back flow from the well or
not “flow check”)

• Drop in mud level. • Drilling break (fast drilling).

• Reduction in mud weight. • Change in size and shape of cuttings.

• Abnormal pressure zones. • Increase in flowline temperature.

• Connection gas and trip gas.

• Increase in pit volume (pit gain).

 Well control
equipment

Diverter system: (in

shallow depths to divert
shallow gases, but it
does not close the well)

Other well control

Blowout preventer (BOP) Choke manifold Mud gas separator equipment: full opening
safety valve, inside BOP
 1. Blowout preventer
(BOP)

 Provides a primary closing of the well in kick

situations and selected based on the
maximum expected wellbore pressure,
consists of:
o Annular preventer: it closes on any type or
size of tubular into the well and the closing
pressure should be less than the closing
pressure of rams to avoid rubber failure.
o Pipe ram: fits on a certain size of tubular.
o Blind ram: closes on the tubular but does not
shear it.
o Shear ram: shears the pipe that close on it.
 Cont.

BOP tested using cap tester or test plug

BOP codes
 Cont.

 The koomey unit: the opening and closing of BOP is

controlled by the closing unit called the koomey unit
which contains accumulators that supplies the hydraulic
power required to control all elements of the BOP stack
and consists of:
 The accumulators: each bottle contains pressurized
nitrogen (the hydraulic fluid required to open or close
BOP) at 3000 psi, it shall be located at a remote
location, at least 60 feet distance from the wellbore for
oil wells and 100 feet for gas wells, shielded from the
wellhead and protected from other operations around
the rig.
 The pumps: there are two types of pumps; the electric
pump to maintain pressure at nitrogen cylinders at 3000
psi and the air pump in case of the failure of electric
pump to increase the pressure quickly.
 Pressure regulator: to regulate the pressure to the
valve required to close BOP element.
 4 way valve: open or close manually.
 Cont.
 Cont.

 Remote control panel: remotely control functions that

operates BOP.
 There must be at least two (2) sets of remote controls for
operating the accumulator to activate the BOPs.
 One remote control shall be on the rig floor, accessible to
and visible by the driller and the other shall be located 100’
from the wellhead and near the Company Representative’s
office.
 Master Controls shall be at the accumulator.
 Cont.

 Pit Volume Totalizer (PVT):

 Various devices will indicate gain or loss of drilling
fluids from the mud pits.
 The volumes should be integrated or totaled from all
pits to read out on a chart (or charts) near the
driller’s position.
 Warning devices (horns, lights) are necessary to alert
the crew to a change in pit volume.
 Several of these charts and warning devices should be
installed in places such as the mud logging unit, the
Toolpusher’s office, or the Drilling Representative’s
office.
 Cont.
2. Choke manifold

 This manifold may bleed off well bore

pressure at a controlled rate or may
stop fluid flow from the well bore
completely, as required.
 Cont.
3. Mud gas separator
(gas buster)

 Generally is the first line of defense from gas

around the location.
 It is an open top vessel normally connected to
the end of the choke manifold.
 Most mud gas separators are constructed from
a length of large diameter pipe with a series
of interior baffles to cause a rolling/spreading
of the drilling fluid.
 A siphon arrangement at the bottom permits
mud to flow to the shale shaker while
maintaining a fluid head to hold the gas in the
upper part of the vessel.
 The gas vent pipe at the top shall be large
enough to permit gas to be vented at a safe
distance away from the rig, without much
back-pressure.
 Cont.
4. Other well control
equipment

 Full opening safety valve: Safe operations require that a

Full-Opening Safety Valve fit each size of drill pipe/ drill
collar in use and be kept in the open position on the rig
floor (including a closing/opening wrench), then, should
the well begin to flow when the Kelly is detached, such as
during trips or when making connections, the correct size
can be stabbed into the drill pipe tool joint and made up.

 Inside BOP: The Inside BOP is a back-pressure type valve

(or float valve) that allows stripping or running drill pipe
into the hole without mud flow upward through the valve.
It can be stabbed and made up on the drill pipe only at
very low flow rates. The best method is to stab and close
the Full-Opening Safety Valve first, then install the Inside
BOP if the decision is made to go back into the hole. Inside BOP Full opening safety valve
 Cont.
Diverter system

 will be installed on the conductor and/or next

casing of all onshore exploration wells and
development wells in the shallow gas area or
areas where offset data indicates possible shallow
gas.
 In addition, this diverter stack will also be
required on the conductor of all offshore
exploration wells and wells where offset data
indicates possible shallow gas.
Well control
barriers
 Shut in procedures

 The first action when take a kick is shut in the well (soft or hard shut in) to prevent blowout
and to record shut in data (SIDPP and SICP).
 SIDPP and SICP are important to calculate the hydrostatic pressure in drill pipe and annulus and
to know the type (influx gradient) and size of influx.
 Cont.

Soft shut in procedures Hard shut in procedures

Install an open drill Install an open drill pipe

pipe safety valve safety valve

Close the safety valve Close the safety valve

Position drill string Position drill string

Open HCR Close BOP

Close BOP Open HCR

Close adjustable read and record, SIDPP,

choke SICP. & Pit gain

read and record, SIDPP,

SICP. & Pit gain
 Cont.

Soft shut in Hard shut in

• Slower • Quicker (but so much hammer effect on

Vs. formation)
• Larger influx
• Easier to remember
• No hammer effect on formation
• Smaller influx
 Cont.

Gas migration
effect
Stabilized

pressure
Time

 The SIDPP is nearly constant during the shut in period, while the SICP will start to increase.
 To reach a stabilized balanced pressure the bottom hole pressure into the drill pipe (SIDPP +
the hydrostatic pressure into the drill pipe) = bottom hole pressure in the annulus (SICP + the
hydrostatic pressure into the annulus).
 After stabilization, if there is an increase in SICP or SIDPP (if there is no floating), then it will
because of the effect of gas migration.
 SIDPP equals SICP when the drill bit is off the bottom, in horizontal section and after first
circulation in drill’s method.
 Kill methods

Wait and weight method Driller’s method Volumetric method

 Cont.
1-wait and weight
method

 Consists of one complete cycle using kill mud:

• Pump kill mud from start.
• Drill pipe pressure decreasing until reach FCP, then remain constant.
• Casing pressure decreasing while the kill mud moving into the casing, then reach zero.
 Note: Pump the kill mud at a slow pump (circulation) rate (SCR) to allow kick fluid to be handle at surface and
minimize the pressure being exerted on the open hole. SCR should be recorded after well killing, when there is a
change in mud weight and/or properties and at the beginning of every shift.
 Cont.
2-driller’s method

 Consists of two circulations:

 1st Circulation:
• Clean out influx by original mud weight till bottom up (SIDPP=SICP) and drill pipe pressure remains constant at (ICP).
• Shoe pressure reaches its maximum value when the gas reaches the casing shoe and decrease while gas moves from below
the shoe until all gas inside casing, then remain constant.
• Casing pressure increasing due to the expansion of gas, then it reach a constant value at SIDPP.
 Cont.

 2nd Circulation is a complete cycle by kill mud weight (like wait and weight
method):
• Drill pipe pressure decreasing from the (ICP) to (FCP).
• Shoe pressure decreasing while the kill mud enters the casing, then it remains
constant.
• Casing pressure decreasing while the kill mud moving into the casing, then reach zero.
 Note: Pump the kill mud at a slow pump (circulation) rate (SCR) to allow kick fluid to
be handle at surface and minimize the pressure being exerted on the open hole. SCR
should be recorded after well killing, when there is a change in mud weight and/or
properties and at the beginning of every shift.
 Cont.
3-volumetric
method

 procedures:
• It does not kill the kicking well, but it can be used to bring the migration gas inside casing and exclude it.
• It is also, a way to keep BHP Constant if the kick is gas and migrated up the annulus, and casing pressure approaches
MAASP.
• So to keep BHP Constant, the gas should be allowed to expand by controlled way by bleeding a certain amount of
mud.
• This Continues until circulation can be resumed or until gas reaches surface.
 Cont.
Wait and weight method
• Lowest casing pressure
• Lowest casing shoe pressure
• Less lost circulation
• Shortest circulating time
Comparison between kill methods
Driller’s method
• Very few Calculation
• Simple to teach and under
stand
Volumetric method
• Used when the size of influx is
small
• Can be used in case that the
crew can not pump through the
drill string
 Cont.
 The inflow test
(negative test)

 Inflow testing is performed to verify the ability to withstand a pressure differential.

 Inflow test is the test on the formation strength, after running casing and cement job.
 Inflow test is generally carried out to verify if there is a communication with the formation
throw the casing, a liner that past a cement plug, BOP and accumulator.
 Performed by reducing the hydrostatic head above the item to be tested by circulating a
lighter fluid.
 If there is an increase in the pressure after the test then, there is a communication.