Analysis of Alternative Well-Control Methods For Dual-Density Deepwater Drilling
Analysis of Alternative Well-Control Methods For Dual-Density Deepwater Drilling
Analysis of Alternative Well-Control Methods For Dual-Density Deepwater Drilling
Introduction
Deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM)
resources are especially important for
reversing the decline in U.S. production.
However, a narrow margin between
formation pore and fracture pressure
exists in many overpressured basins
including the GOM. This limited margin between pore and fracture pressure
often becomes narrower with increasing
water depth as a result of the reduced
overburden pressure and shallow onset
of abnormal pressure. As a result, reaching the target depth while retaining a
useable borehole size often is difficult,
which can limit deepwater resource
development. Dual-gradient drilling
methods have been proposed as a means
to overcome this. A dual-density drilling
concept using riser gas lift was studied
as a way to implement a dual-gradient
system. The new system would proThis article, written by Assistant
Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains
highlights of paper SPE 98957, Analysis
of Alternative Well-Control Methods for
Dual-Density Deepwater Drilling, by M.
Stanislawek, SPE, Ensco Offshore Co.,
and J.R. Smith, SPE, Louisiana State
U., prepared for the 2006 IADC/SPE
Drilling Conference, Miami, Florida, 21
23 February.
Fig. 1Riser bottom pressure with various mud and nitrogen rates.
For a limited time, the full-length paper is available free to SPE members at www.spe.org/jpt. The paper has not been peer reviewed.
JPT JANUARY 2007
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caused by the loss of hydrostatic pressure in the annulus as the gas volume
increases. The initial pressure peak is
the result of gas entering the well annulus and pushing the mud ahead of
it, causing additional annular friction.
Over time, hydrostatic effects tend to
dominate the whole system, and BHP
decreases significantly. These pressure
changes become conclusive only when
the pressure decrease is large and therefore are likely to be a slower indicator
than flow rate out or pit gain. For the
specific conditions examined, the kick
should be detected after no more than
3 to 6 minutes of drilling.
Stopping Formation Inflow
Two alternatives were considered for
stopping formation inflow in dual-density gas lift drilling. The first is reducing
the nitrogen rate used for riser gas lift
to increase the hydrostatic pressure
in the annulus. The second is closing
a subsea blowout preventer (BOP) to
stop flow from the well.
In a simulation where the kick was
detected and nitrogen injection shut
down 4 minutes after the gas kick
entered the well, the BHP continues to
decrease and kick volume continues
to increase. The gas kick is never controlled in this case. Given the failure to
control this kick with a reaction time
of approximately 4 minutes, shutting
down nitrogen injection is not likely to
be an effective means to control even a
moderately severe gas kick.
The second alternative for stopping
formation inflow was to close the subsea BOP, as in conventional well-control operations. For this simulation,
the rig pumps and nitrogen injection
at the seafloor were stopped at 4 minutes (778 minutes), and the BOP was
closed at 5 minutes (779 minutes),
after the gas kick began. When the
BOP is closed, BHP starts to increase
and the formation flow decreases. Flow
was essentially stopped at 790 minutes,
after 16 minutes of gas influx. The total
kick volume taken was 18.5 bbl.
A relevant issue in any well-control
situation, especially important for the
narrow margins between pore and fracture pressure, is the risk of exceeding
the fracture pressure at the casing shoe.
A specific advantage of dual-density
operations is the potential to maintain
a larger kick margin. The example presented as representative of a realistic
deepwater well in this study provides
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