Basic well control 1

At the end of this lecture, YOU will be able to;

1.

Define the term kick.

2.

State two possible causes of a kick.

3.

Calculate the kill mud density for a Balanced kill from

shut in well data.

4.

Describe the major difference between a Balanced

kill and a Drillers Method kill.

5.

Explain why the annulus pressure rises when

circulating out a gas kick.

Kick - definition
A kick occurs when formation pore fluid flows in to
the wellbore due to insufficient mud hydrostatic
pressure.

Kick causes
Insufficient mud hydrostatic pressure might be caused by:

Drilling in to an overpressured formation

Not keeping the hole full of mud

Swabbing

Mud gradient reduces due to contamination or

poor maintenance

Unplanned disconnect of a marine riser.

Immediate actions
Kick is detected by

Increase in flow rate

out of the hole

Increase in surface
mud volume

Driller has to close the

Blowout Preventer asap!
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Overpressure - well closed in

What next?
Before normal operations resume;

The influx has to be removed from the annulus

Mud hydrostatic has to balance the formation

Formation pressure
Mud gradient to balance =
True Vertical Depth
Formation pressure = mud hydrostatic + Pdp
So kill mud gradient =

(mud gradient x TVD) + Pdp

TVD

Example
A well kicks. The true vertical
depth of the kicking formation is
10,000. The mud gradient in
use is 0.6 psi/ft. The well kicks
and after closing the BOP, the
drill pipe pressure stabilises at
1,000 psi. What is the formation
pressure and what mud gradient
is required to balance it?
Formation pressure = mud hydrostatic + Pdp
Pf = (10, 000 0.6) + 1, 000 = 7, 000
So kill mud gradient =

7,000
= 0.7 psi/ft
10,000

Exercise
A well kicks. The true vertical
depth of the kicking formation is
10,000. The mud gradient in
use is 0.6 psi/ft. The well kicks
and after closing the BOP, the
drill pipe pressure stabilises at
1,000 psi. What is the formation
pressure and what mud gradient
is required to balance it?
Formation pressure = mud hydrostatic + Pdp
Pf = (10, 000 0.6) + 1, 000 = 7, 000
So kill mud gradient =

7,000
= 0.7 psi/ft
10,000

A well kicks. The true vertical

depth of the kicking formation is
8,000. The mud gradient in use
is 0.5 psi/ft. The well kicks and
after closing the BOP, the drill
pipe pressure stabilises at 400
psi. What is the formation
pressure and what is the kill mud
gradient to balance it?

Answer
A well kicks. The true vertical
depth of the kicking formation is
10,000. The mud gradient in
use is 0.6 psi/ft. The well kicks
and after closing the BOP, the
drill pipe pressure stabilises at
1,000 psi. What is the formation
pressure and what mud gradient
is required to balance it?

A well kicks. The true vertical

depth of the kicking formation is
8,000. The mud gradient in use
is 0.5 psi/ft. The well kicks and
after closing the BOP, the drill
pipe pressure stabilises at 400
psi. What is the formation
pressure and what is the kill mud
gradient to balance it?

Formation pressure = mud hydrostatic + Pdp Formation pressure = mud hydrostatic + Pdp
Pf = (10, 000 0.6) + 1, 000 = 7, 000
So kill mud gradient =

7,000
= 0.7 psi/ft
10,000

Pf = (8, 000 0.5) + 400 = 4, 400

So kill mud gradient =

4,400
= 0.55 psi/ft
8,000

Balanced method kill

Also called wait and weight method

10

The well is kept closed in while the surface mud

density is increased.

When kill mud is prepared, it is circulated around

the well in one circulation.

This circulation removes the influx and kills the

well.

Drillers method kill

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The well is kept closed in while the pressures

stabilise.

When ready, the well is circulated with original

weight mud to remove the influx. Meanwhile kill
mud is prepared.

After completing the first circulation, kill mud is

circulated around to kill the well.

Differences between Balanced and Drillers

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Balanced Method

Drillers Method

Completed in one
circulation.

Completed in two
circulations.

Lower pressures on the

wellbore.

Can be started very quickly

as no weighting up initially.

Takes less time overall.

Requires calculation of
circulating pressures
throughout the kill.

Easier operationally - only

two calculations are needed
(kill mud density and hole
volume).

The preferred method in

most cases.

Annular gas expansion

Pressure in the gas
reduces as it rises, so Gas expands as it rises
(Boyles Law), so Gas height increases,
mud height decreases.
Hydrostatic of gas +
mud decreases, so Pan must rise to
compensate if the BHP
stays the same.
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Annulus pressure rises

Annulus pressure rises when circulating out a gas
kick because gas expansion reduces the height of
mud in the annulus.

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Basic well control 1

Now, YOU should be able to;

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1.

Define the term kick.

2.

State two possible causes of a kick.

3.

Calculate the kill mud density for a Balanced kill from

shut in well data.

4.

Describe the major difference between a Balanced

kill and a Drillers Method kill.

5.

Explain why the annulus pressure rises when

circulating out a gas kick.

Any questions before the test?

This is a closed book test. Please put

away your notes and handouts.
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