Well Control

Lab#9
Well Control
PETE 225-lab
© Copyright, 2005, TAMU
Geology
PETE 225-lab
Sedimentation
3 PETE 225-lab
Pore Pressure
• Normal formation
pressure is equal to the
Column of formation fluid

column of formation fluid.
• Abnormal pore pressure is
defined as a pore pressure
greater than normal
• Subnormal pore pressure
is defined as pore pressure
less than normal.
4 PETE 225-lab
Normal Pore Pressure
MW Gradients Example area
Fresh water 8.3 ppg .433 psi/ft Rocky mountain
Brackish water 8.4 ppg .437 psi/ft
Salt water 8.5 ppg .442 psi/ft Most sedimentary basins

worldwide
Normal salt 8.7 ppg .452 psi/ft North sea
water
Salt water 8.9 ppg .465 psi/ft GOM
Salt water 9.2 ppg .478 psi/ft GOM
5 PETE 225-lab
Overburden Pressure
• Overburden pressure is
total pressure exerted
Column of formation
by the formation
weight (fluid + rock)
• Overburden pressure
usually is in the range
of 19 – 21 ppg.
6 PETE 225-lab
Example 1
• Assume Normal pore
pressure to calculate
formation /overburden
pressure at the bottomhole
• Ppore = 8.5 ppg
5500 ft
• Poverburden = 1 psi/ft
Ppore = 0.052 × 8.5 × 5500

= .442 × 5500
Solution
= 2430 psi
Poverburden = 1 psi/ft × 5500
= 5500 psi
7 PETE 225-lab
Fracture Pressure
• High bottomhole pressure can

fracture the formation.
• The amount of pressure needed to
fracture the formation is equal to the
sum of downhole stress pressure and
tensile strength of rock.
8 PETE 225-lab
Example 2
• If the fracture gradient at the
bottomhole is 0.8 psi/ft
estimate the required
bottomhole pressure to
5500 ft
fracture the formation.
Pfracture = 0.8 psi/ft × 5500
Solution
= 4400 psi
9 PETE 225-lab
Basics of Well Control
PETE 225-lab
Equivalent Mud Weight
• Pressure usually is expressed in equivalent
mud weight (ppg) or gradient.
HP  0.052  ppg  TVD
HP
ppg 
0.052  TVD
 psi 
PressureGradient    0.052  ppg
 ft 
11 PETE 225-lab
Example 3
• What is the equivalent mud weight for a
reservoir at the depth of 12000 ft with
8000 psi pressure? What is the minimum
mud weight to drill into the reservoir?
HP
ppg 
0.052  TVD
8000
ppg   12.82 Equivalent mud weight
0.052  12000
Solution
• Minimum mud weight = 12.9 ppg
12 PETE 225-lab
Pressure Calculation
• The general pressure calculation Psurface
equation considers pressure at the
surface.
HP  Psurface  0.052  ppg  TVD 
• If surface pressure is 300 psi,

TVD = 9000 ft, mw = 12 ppg and
calculate the BHP.
HP  300  0.052  12  9000
HP  5920 psi
Solution
13 PETE 225-lab
Example 4
• Calculate the surface pressure ?
– Formation pressure = 13730 psi
– MW = 17.6
– Depth = 14500 ft
HP  Psurface  0.052  ppg  TVD

Psurface  HP  0.052  ppg  TVD
 13730  0.052  17.6  14500
Solution
Psurface  460 psi
14 PETE 225-lab
U-Tube
Drill String Annulus
• U-tube is a simple
schematic of the
well used for well
control purposes.
• The simple concept
of u-tube is
consistent BHP from
drillstring and
annulus.
BHP
15 PETE 225-lab
Example 5
350 psi
? ppg
14 ppg
Calculate the mud weight
6000 ft
in the left column to
balance the pressure at
the bottomhole.
BHP
16 PETE 225-lab
Example 5 - Solution
350 psi
BHP  350  0.05214  6000

? ppg
 4720 psi 14 ppg
6000 ft
4720  0.052 ? ppg  6000
? ppg  15.12
MW of drilling fluid  15.2
If you workout LHS and RHS parametric
Psurface
? ppg  MWppg 
0.052 TVD
BHP
17 PETE 225-lab
Frictional Pressure
• To circulate the mud in the well, energy is
needed to overcome frictional pressure in
the circulation system
– Drillstring
– Nozzles
– Annulus
• In most cases during well control operation,
annular pressure drop can be ignored.
18 PETE 225-lab
Pressure Drop Estimation
• Killing is done using a heavier mud.
• Heavier mud has higher pressure drop
• If the rheological properties of mud stays
the same, the pressure loss in the system
estimated using
MWKill
Pkill  Poriginal
MWoriginal
Slow Pump Rate
19 PETE 225-lab
Goal of Well Control
• Safely circulate out the kick with the

kill weight mud.
• Keep the BHP equal to or slightly

higher than the formation pressure.
20 PETE 225-lab
Kill Weight Mud
• Kill weight mud calculation is the same
as the one in Example 5.
• From Example 5
Psurface
MWkill  MWoriginal 
0.052 TVD
21 PETE 225-lab
Keep The BHP Constant
• To keep the BHP constant we have to

consider the following factor
– Gas expansion
– Pressure drop in the system
– Higher hydrostatic pressure due to the
heavier mud
22 PETE 225-lab
Initial Circulating Pressure
Pstandpipe
• Initial circulating pressure
is equal to the sum of
System frictional loss pressure

standpipe pressure and
system pressure drop
Pinitial  Pstandpipe  PSPR
23 PETE 225-lab
Final Circulating Pressure
Pstandpipe
• The pressure required to circulate
the mud at the SPR, when the kill
System frictional loss pressure

mud passes the nozzles is called the
final circulating pressure.
• This pressure is maintained while
circulating the kill mud up the
annulus.
MW kill
FCP  SPR
MWoriginal
24 PETE 225-lab
ICP - FCP
• Initial circulating pressure is greater than
FCP.
• As the kill mud displaces the original mud
in the drillpipe
– Hydrostatic pressure increases.
– Frictional pressure increases.
• The HP is greater than frictional pressure
increase.
• As the result of these two factors
circulating pressure drops.
25 PETE 225-lab
ICP – FCP (cont.)
• for operational purposes a linear

behavior between ICP and FCP vs.
drillstring displacement stroke is
used.
26 PETE 225-lab
Drillpipe Pressure Schedule
ICP = 1100 psi

D
P
P
FCP = 830 psi
p
s
i KWM to Bit KWM to Surface
Cum Volume of Mud Pumped, strokes

PETE 225-lab
Gas expansion
Psurface = 100 psi Psurface = 2600 psi Psurface = 5100 psi
5100
2500
5000 5100 5000
2500
5100
BHP = 5100 psi BHP = 7600 psi BHP = 10100 psi
28 PETE 225-lab
Casing Pressure
PETE 225-lab
Kill Sheet
• TVD=6000 ft • Pump factor = 0.09 bbl/stk
• Borehole = 9.875” • System pressure loss @ 30

stks = 300 psi
• Casing:
– Length = 4000 ft • Shut-In Drillpipe pressure =
– 11.75”, 42 #/ft K55 350 psi
• Drill pipe: • Shut-In casing pressure = 500

– Length = 6000 ft psi
– 5”, 25.6 lb/ft
Mud weight=12.5 ppg • Gain = 10 bbls
PETE 225-lab
Pre-recorded Information
5 4.276 9500 0.0177 19.5 10000
6 2 500 .0049 9.875 10000
11.75 11.084 8000 8000 42/k55
0.1
14.0
Kill sheet is courtesy of Well Control School

31 PETE 225-lab
Kill Rates (Slow Pump Rate)
30 420 30 420
32 PETE 225-lab
Wait & Weight Worksheet
Round up to the accuracy of 0.1 ppg
500 10000 14.0 15.0
1 30 0.1 3.0 420
500 420 920
420 15.0 14.0 450
33 PETE 225-lab
Drill String Volume & Stroke Calculations
9500 0.01776 168.74 500 0.0049 2.45
168.74 2.45 171.19 0.1 1712
Round up to a whole number
34 PETE 225-lab
Annular Volume & Stroke Calculations
11.0842 52 0.0951 8000 760.8
9.8752 52 0.0704 1500 105.6
9.8752 62 .0597 500 29.88
760.8 105.6 29.88 896.27
35 PETE 225-lab
Annular Volume & Stroke Calculations
105.6 29.88 0.1 1354.8
896.27 0.1 8962.7
1712 8962.7 10674.7
36 PETE 225-lab
RECORDED KICK INFORMATION
10000 15.0
10000 920
500 450
750 171.19
20 1712
14.0 896.27
1354.8
30 8962.7
3.0 10674.7
37 PETE 225-lab
Pressure
920
Chart 171.2 873
342.4 826
513.6 779
684.8 732
856 685
1027.2 638
1198.4 591
1369.6 544
1540.8 497
1712 450
10674.7 450
1712 171.2 920 450 47

38 PETE 225-lab
Well Information
• TVD=10000 ft • Mud weight=14.0 ppg
• Borehole = 9.875” • Pump factor = 0.1 bbl/stk
• Casing: • System pressure loss @ 30

– Length = 8000 ft stks= 420 psi
– 11.75”, 42 #/ft
• Shut-In Drillpipe pressure =
• Drill pipe: 500 psi
– 5”, 19.5 lb/ft
• Drill collar: • Shut-In casing pressure =
– Length = 500 ft 750 psi
– 6×2
• Gain = 20 bbls
PETE 225-lab

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Lab#9

Column of formation fluid

Brackish water 8.4 ppg .437 psi/ft

Salt water 8.5 ppg .442 psi/ft Most sedimentary basins

Salt water 9.2 ppg .478 psi/ft GOM

Ppore = 0.052 × 8.5 × 5500

• High bottomhole pressure can

Pfracture = 0.8 psi/ft × 5500

• If surface pressure is 300 psi,

HP  Psurface  0.052  ppg  TVD

Calculate the mud weight

BHP  350  0.05214  6000

Slow Pump Rate

• Safely circulate out the kick with the

• Keep the BHP equal to or slightly

• To keep the BHP constant we have to

System frictional loss pressure

Pinitial  Pstandpipe  PSPR

System frictional loss pressure

• for operational purposes a linear

ICP = 1100 psi

Cum Volume of Mud Pumped, strokes

5000 5100 5000

BHP = 5100 psi BHP = 7600 psi BHP = 10100 psi

• Borehole = 9.875” • System pressure loss @ 30

• Drill pipe: • Shut-In casing pressure = 500

5 4.276 9500 0.0177 19.5 10000

6 2 500 .0049 9.875 10000

11.75 11.084 8000 8000 42/k55

Kill sheet is courtesy of Well Control School

500 10000 14.0 15.0

1 30 0.1 3.0 420

500 420 920

420 15.0 14.0 450

9500 0.01776 168.74 500 0.0049 2.45

168.74 2.45 171.19 0.1 1712

Round up to a whole number

11.0842 52 0.0951 8000 760.8

9.8752 52 0.0704 1500 105.6

9.8752 62 .0597 500 29.88

760.8 105.6 29.88 896.27

105.6 29.88 0.1 1354.8

896.27 0.1 8962.7

1712 8962.7 10674.7

1712 171.2 920 450 47

• Casing: • System pressure loss @ 30

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