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Lecture #3 PeE 3321

Hydrostatic pressures in the

wellbore and the subsurface

Covered in Lecture 3
Concepts Calculations
• Difference between fluid pressure and • Volumes in the wellbore and
density displacements (Cont’d)
• Know the difference between pressure • The hydrostatic pressure in a liquid filled
and stress wellbore
• Understand the concept of equivalent • Pressures in mixed density columns
density • Hydrostatic pressure in a deviated and
horizontal well
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OUTLINE
• Volumes in the wellbore and displacements
• Pressure and stress
• Hydrostatic pressure in a liquid filledwellbore
• Fluid pressure and density
• Mixed density columns
• Equivalent density
• Hydrostatic pressure in deviated and horizontalwells

Volumes Calculations Example # 4

• Example : a) Calculate number of barrels of drilling fluid in a 5000 ft open
well bore with diameter of 8 ½”. When a 7x6 inch (OD-ID) casing is run in
the hole how many bbl will it displace?

8.52
OH Vol. = × 5000 = 351 bbls
1029.4

2 –6 2
CSG will displace = 7 × 5000 = 63.14 bbls
1029.4
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Definition of pressure and stress

The picture can't be
display ed.

Pressure is the weight of the column of fluid

above a unit area.

W For example, the fluid pressure at a bottom

of a well is the weight of the column of
drilling mud

Pressure = Force per Unit Area

P = (Weight of column)/(Area)
F=pA (Force = pressure *Area)

Fluid Statics
Basic Principles:
 When fluid is at rest pressure is the only force acting

What are the forces acting on the block?

 Air pressure on the surface - neglect
 Weight of the water above the block
 Pressure only a function of depth
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Pressures in a fluid column

• Since the fluid is at rest, no shear forces exist and the three
forces must be in equilibrium
F=0

0 = F1 + F2 + F3

 F  0  pA  pA  dp
dD
DA  F AD wv

 d p  F w v dD

Incompressible Fluids
When dealing with liquids such as drilling mud, fluid compressibility
can be neglected

dp  Fw v dD
Integrating, p  Fw v D  p 0
Where p0, the constant of integration, is equal to the surface
pressure, i.e. when D = 0
[ p  p 0 when D  0]

p  Fw v D Where:
FWV = the specific weight in psi/ft
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Calculating density
• P = pressure measured in pounds
per square inch = lb/in2 = psi

p  Fwv D • D = Depth in feet

• Fwv Weight in psi/ft

• psi/ft = lb/(in2 * ft)

Incompressible fluids
Since, F wv = 0. 052 q (in field units) p0

p  0.052ρD  p 0
 D

If p0 = 0 (The case except during well control

 p
or cementing procedures)
then,
p  0.052 ρ D {psig, lbm/gal,ft}
p
ρ=
0.052 D
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Drilling field units

lb / in2 lb
Fwv   2
ft in  ft

lb 1 ft
  1gal  231in3
in2  ft 12in
lb 7.48  7.48ft
1gal gal = 1ft33

1gal
12in3
231in 3

 0.052lb / gal

What is the pressure at 10,000 ft?

1 10,000 ft depth, density 8.34 lb/gal
Sol:
0.052 x 10,000 ft x 8.34 lb/gal = 4337 psi

2 10,000 ft well, density 0.4337 psi/ft

Sol:
10,000 ft x 0.434 psi/ft = 4337 psi

3 10,000 ft well, mudweight 62.38 lb/ft3

Sol:
62.38.7 lb/ft3 / 7.48 gal/ft3= 8.34 lb/gal
0.052 x 10,000 ft x 8.34 lb/gal = 4337 psi
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What is the pressure at the bottom of a 10,000 ft well with mud

density of?

1. 10,000 ft well, mudweight 12 lb/gal

= 6240 psi

2. 10,000 ft well, mudweight 0.624 psi/ft

= 6240 psi

3. 10,000 ft well, mudweight 89.85 lb/ft3

= 6240 psi

Fluid pressure and equivalent density plot

Fluid
Fluid density (lb/gal)
density(lb/gal) Pressure (psi)
Pressure (psi)
00 55 10
10 15
15 20
20 0 5000 10000
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
00 0
0

2000
2000 2000
2000

) 40004000 ) 40004000
te
Depth ( feet)

te
Depth ( feet)

e e
f(
f(
h h
t
t
p p
e 6000 e
D 6000 6000
D 6000

8000 8000
8000 8000

10000 10000
Example: In the density plot water at 8.33 lb/gal and a drilling fluid of 12 lb gal for each 1000 ft.
Plot the drilling fluid pressure in the pressure plot.
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Calculate pressure in mixed column

Example # 1 Mixed density Column

• An intermediate casing is to be cemented at 10,000 ft. The well
contains 10.5 ppg when the casing is placed on bottom. The
cementing operation is designed so that the 10.5 ppg will be
displaced by:
(1) 300 ft of 8.5 ppg mud flush,
(2) 1700 ft of 12.7 ppg filler cement ,and
(3) 1000 ft of 16.7 ppg high strength cement.

The high strength cement will be displaced from the casing with 9 ppg
brine.

Calculate the pump pressure required to completely displace the

cement from the casing
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Viewing the Well as a U-Tube

Ppump = ?
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Hydrostatic pressure in deviated wells