Introduction to Underbalanced Drilling Technology

Lesson 2
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Wellsite UBD Equipment

UB operators

Nitrogen
Separator

Geology

Rotating Head

Camp

Mud Treatment

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UB Drilling - Jobs
1997 Underbalanced Drilling Jobs Geographic Distribution
Canada

US Far East

M iddle East Europe South America

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Underbalanced Drilling in the United States

16,000

14,000
12,000 10,000 8,000

LOW HIGH

6,000
4,000

2,000
0 95 96 97 98 99

YEAR

00

01

02

03

04

05

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Underbalanced Drilling
Wells by Region

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UBD Definition
Formation Pressure is Equal to or Greater than Circulating Pressure.

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UBD - Types
Normally Pressured Reservoirs.
Applications for normal to above normal
pressured reservoirs utilizing fluid systems in a controlled flow (mudcap) drilling technique.

Depleted Reservoirs.
Where a multi-phase circulating fluid is
necessary to achieve required Bottom Hole Circulating Pressure (BHCP)- underbalanced or with minimal overbalance.
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Barriers to UB Drilling

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Regulatory Barriers
to

Underbalance Drilling

The regulators need assurance and details.

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Barriers To UB D&C
Regulatory
Lack of standards. Lack of knowledge. Little statistical history. Concern about well control. Environmental questions.

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Operators Barriers
The operator needs experience and confidence.

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Operators Problems
Unfamiliar with the system: Risk of the new. Lack of experienced people. Economics - Too expensive. Concern- liability. Concern- well bore stability.
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Reasons For UB Growth

There are driving economic reasons.

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UBD Forecast by Region

US

UBD Forecast by Region

1,200

Can Eur SoAm ME/Afr

1,000

FE

800

Wells

600

400

200

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

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Reasons For UB Growth

Depleted reservoirs. Awareness of skin damage. Limits of lost circulation material. Cost of differential sticking.

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Reasons For UB Growth

Service company competition. Trade journal publications. Horizontal drilling. Consultants available.

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Technical Improvements
We were not ready to put all of this together until the 1990s.

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Technical Improvements
Compressor evolution. Hammer drills. Nitrogen.
Increased availability. Reduced cost. On site generation.

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Technical Improvements
Recyclable foam systems. Better gas separators. Closed loop circulation. Hydraulics models. Improved rotating heads. Wire line wet connect.
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Technical Improvements
Improved MWD. Rig assist snubbing units. Coiled tubing equipment. Non-damaging drilling fluids. Top drive.

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Working On
Well control concepts. Deployment valves. Casing drilling. Expandable casing. Expandable sand screens. Retractable bit.
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Completion Techniques
Improved gravel packing fluids. Improved completion fluids. General technique improvement.

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Reasons For UB Drilling

Lost circulation.

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Reasons For UB Drilling

Lost circulation. Faster drilling.

Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering

Reasons For UB Drilling

Lost circulation. Faster drilling. No differential sticking.

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Reasons For UB Drilling

... Reduce reservoir damage

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Reasons For UB Drilling

... Reduce reservoir damage. Improve production evaluation.

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Effect Of Skin On Production Rates

BOPD
1,000 800

600
400 200 0

-3 -2 -1 0

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SKIN

10

15

Physical Limits to UB Drilling

Borehole instability Poor casing point

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Physical Limitation to UBD

Borehole Instability.
Unconsolidated sands. Weak formations. Geopressured shales. Salt beds.

Inadequate Casing.
UBD is another tool in the toolbox, not a Panacea.
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Production Limits to UBD

Permeability is so low the zone needs to be fractured. Zones must be isolated.

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Types of Flow Regimes

LIQUID

AERATED LIQUID

FOAM

MIST

GAS

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Fluid Phase Continuity

AIR/GAS WATER

FOAM (0-97 % AIR)

MIST (97-100 % AIR)

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Generalized Fluid Systems

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Equipment - Rotating Head

Shaffer rotating blow-out preventor. 2,500 psi rotating - 5,000 psi static.
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FLARESTACK

Closed Loop Circulation System

SEPARATOR SAMPLE CATCHERS

OIL TANKS

NITROGEN PUMPERS

TOP DRIVE SYSTEM R-BOP

CHOKE MANIFOLD

WATER TANKS RIG MUD TANKS RIG PUMPS RETURN CUTTING N 2 / FLUID MIX

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Choke Manifold

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Equipment - Separators

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Equipment - Gas Source

Carbon Steel

Vaporizer Liquid Nitrogen (-320OF) Pump

Stainless Steel

Gaseous N2 to well 80OF, 0-10,000 psi

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Equipment - Lots More

To shale shaker ESD Manifold Sample catchers Willis choke Flare Rig Manifold Choke HCR

Separator 200 psi vessel

Oil storage/transport Water returned to tanks

Choke

Flare pit

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AIR DRILLING
A Brief Summary

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Air Drilling
Air/Gas drilling (dust) is a technique used in areas where the formations are Dry i.e., there is no influx of water or liquid hydrocarbons. This medium requires significant compressed gas volumes to clean the well with average velocities of over 3,000 ft. per minute.
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Air Drilling Dusting

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Air Drilling Benefits

Increased Rate of Penetration. Reduced Formation Damage. Improves Bit Performance. Lost Circulation Control. Continuous Drill Stem Test.

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Air/Dust Drilling Layout

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Air Drilling Waited Upon Large Portable Compression

Simple and convenient to drill with air inexpensively and anywhere.

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Misting
Addition of 6 to 30 bbl/hr of fluid to the air stream. Clean and lubricates the bit. Carries the cuttings to the surface as a mist or more normally in a modified two phase flow.
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FOAM DRILLING

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Foam Drilling Basic Comments

The most versatile of the gas-generated systems. Effective operating range from 0.2 to 0.6 s.g. Mixture of gas phase and foaming solution. Foam flow varies with depth in the hole.

Adjustable effective BHP.

Enhanced lifting and well bore cleaning. A displacing medium, not a propelling medium.
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Foam (Heading)

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Improved Hole Cleaning

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Foam Drilling Benefits

Faster penetration rate. Low air requirements. Low fluid requirements. Low hydrostatic head. No damage to formation. Continuous Drill Stem Test. Best for large holes.
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Mist or Foam Drilling Layout

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Foam Drilling

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Gaseated or Aerated Drilling

Mist

Water
Gas

Transition
Gaseated

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Aerated Fluid
Gasification of primary drilling fluid. Initially designed as a technique to lighten mud to reduce lost circulation. Methods.
Standpipe injection. Jet Sub. Parasite String. Dual Casing String.

As an UB fluid, it is easiest to control in small holes.

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Parasite String
Small injection string run simultaneously with intermediate casing. Injected gas does not affect bit hydraulics. Injected gas does not effect MWD.

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Jet Sub
Similar to parasite string. Gas induced thru drill pipe.

Selective jet sizing dictates amount of air to be injected. Jets are Similar to Bit Jets.

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Parallel Casing String (Teichrob)

N2 /air N2 /water N2 /air/water/oil
150 m TVD, 150 m MD

89-mm (3-1/2 in.) Drill Pipe 244.5-mm (9-5/8 in.) Intermidiate Casing
o

177.8-mm (7 in.) Tie Back Liner 724 m MD at 64o inclination 12 m Slotted Joint 159-mm (6-1/4 in.) Hole Diameter

892 m MD at 90 o Inclination 694 m TVD

Foam Cement
o

TD = 1,440 m MD at 90 o Inclination, 696 m TVD

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Aerated Fluid Layout

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Aerated Drilling Problems

Compressor/N2 Cost

Rotating BOPs Solid/Liquid/Gas Separation

Corrosion Hydraulic Calculations Vibration

Cuttings Lifting Fluid Influx

Fire/ Explosions Underbalanced Completion

High Torque/ Drag Borehole Stability

MWD Transmission

Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering

UB Drilling & Completions Manual

Candidate selection. Air/gas/N2/mist drilling. Foam drilling. Aerated fluid drilling. Flow live drilling.

Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering

UB Drilling & Completions Manual

Surface equipment. Downhole equipment. Field operations. Downhole problems. Environment, safety, regulations.
Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering

Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering