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NOVODRILL / ONGC / TRANSOCEAN HIGH PRESSURE DRILLING REFRESHER APRIL 2012

1. WELL CONTROL REFRESHER 2. HP/HT WELL CONSIDERATIONS 2.1 Well Designs Nee !"# $%%&#$'e s("e )l$%e*en' L"ss $n +i%, )"'en'i$l 2.2 E-&i)*en' #e-&i#e*en's $n #es'#i%'i"ns Hig(e# )#ess&#es $n 'e*)e#$'&#es H. #$'es $n '(e *& g$s se)$#$'"# 2./ D#illing Fl&i s G$s En'#$in*en' Te*)e#$'&#e E!!e%'s 0 S'$'i% 1s D.n$*i% 2 2.3 O)e#$'i"n$l P#"%e &#$l #e-&i#e*en's !"# HP/HT 4ells Finge#)#in'ing5 Fl"4 C(e%,s5 C(e%, T#i)s $n %i#%&l$'ing +i%, De'e%'i"n $n Res)"nse /. WELL TO 6E DRILLED Well Design Dis%&ssi"ns P#"7le* P#e i%'i"n $n Res)"nse is%&ssi"ns 3. OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES TO 6E USED 8. E9ERCISES

1. WELL CONTROL REFRESHER

WELL CONTROL CONCERNS ARE THE SA:E AS FOR EVER; WELL T;PE CAUSES OF +IC+S 1. NOT +EEPING THE HOLE FULL 2. SWA66ING /. DRILLING INTO HIGHER PRESSURES PREVENTION OF +IC+S 1. +EEP THE HOLE FULL 2. DO NOT SWA6 /. 6E AWARE OF INCRESING PRESSURE TRENDS PRESSURE TREND INDICATORS < CHANGE IN ROP 0 )"si'i1e $n neg$'i1e 2 < = = E9PONENT < HOLE PRO6LE:S < 6AC+GROUND GAS < CONNECTION GAS < TRIP GAS < TE:PERATURE DOWNHOLE < SHALE DENSIT; < SHALE CAVINGS < DELTA FLOW < PIT GAIN IF IN DOUBT WE FLOW CHECK +IC+ INDICATORS < DELTA FLOW < PIT GAIN IF THE WELL IS FLOWING WE CLOSE IN THE WELL AND KILL IT +ILL :ETHODS < WAIT AND WEIGHT < DRILLERS :ETHOD < 6ULLHEADING

2. HP/HT WELLS - INTRODUCTION If a given rig and operation is deemed to be capable of handling conventional kicks then to determine the HP/HT requirement the differences between the two well types must be defined The additional requirements / considerations for HP/HT over conventional well control can be summarised as follows!" 21 #ell $esign % % % 22 &ore 'asing (trings / (tronger casings required) *ormation *racture +radients &uch 'loser to *ormation Pressures ,apid 'hanges in $ownhole Pressure / Temperature

$rilling and -ick Handling .quipment % % % % % (urface Pressures will be Higher (urface Temperatures will be Higher $ownhole Temperatures will be Higher +reater ,isk of Hydrates Influ/ 0olume to be Handled at (urface is Potentially +reater

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$rilling *luids % % % Heavier Higher ,heology to carry weighting material $ifferent Influ/ +as 2ehaviour in 3il &uds

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-ick $etection % % $ealing with *ormation 'harging .ffects 5uantifying (tatic and $ynamic #ell 'haracteristics

2.1
%

WELL DESIGN
:"#e %$sing s'#ings / S'#"nge# %$sings #e-&i#e > &ost wildcat wells are designed to use a final hole si6e of 7 1/28 so that in the event of well problems a contingency liner / casing can be set and the well finished off in 9 :/78 or ;8 hole :"s' HP/HT esigns 4ill ($1e '(e ? 8/@A / ? B/@C "# 10 //3A "# BA%$sings 7eing se' in '(e *$in )#ess&#e '#$nsi'i"n D"ne. The selection of this casing shoe in the transition between normally and overpressured formations is critical

*ormation *racture / Pressure +radients The fact that these gradients get closer the deeper we go is well documented and impacts strongly on kick tolerance calculations #hen a well is engineered certain assumptions must be made about pressures and strengths of formations These can be right or wrong so the information we are gathering from the well as we drill it is vital to support or challenge the assumptions made

,apid 'hanges in $ownhole Pressure / Temperature These are common in HP/HT wells 3n #ildcat wells < e/treme caution must be e/ercised as the pressure transition can be as much as 1=== psi increase in only :=m of drilled depth >t the same time that the pressures rise downhole then so do the temperatures Increasing temperatures can be good indicator of rising pressure regimes 3nly certain formations are capable of trapping such pressures Typically these are (hales or &arls They must be fairly plastic They may have some porosity but it is unlikely that they will have any vertical permeability otherwise the pressure would have leeched away over +eological time Typically again< as the pressure gradient increases then so does the water content of the shales This can be spotted by two mechanisms *irstly reduction in (hale density and secondly increase in background gas levels for a given ,3P *or each foot drilled< more water is contained within the drilled cuttings This water contains gas and as this gas is released at surface the background gas levels will rise The skill required is to go far enough into the transition 6one to get a strong casing seat but not so deep as to having the well ?blowing around your ears?

2.2

ASSESSING EEUIP:ENT REEUIRE:ENTS

The salient HP/HT needs which will need to be met by this equipment are!" % % % % % (urface Pressure will be Higher @ This implies the use of 19<=== psi 23P and 'hoke &anifold It further implies the need for hydraulic assist to open and close valves when holding such pressures (urface Temperatures will be Higher @ this implies the use of elastomers in the (tandpipe< 'hoke manifold and 23P capable of functioning at temperatures in e/ces of 1:= deg ' $ownhole Temperatures will be Higher @ this means that the temeperature limitations of tools must be considered The tools most e/posed are A#$< &#$< electric logging tools and Bars This could eliminate the use of cofle/ip hoses +reater ,isk of Hydrates @ this implies recogni6ing the potential for these then having procedures and equipment in place to prevent these from becoming a maCor problem +reater (urface 0olume at (urface @ This also implies recogni6ing the high volumes of gas that can be brought to surface The main weak link in ,ig equipment is the Poor 2oy &ud +as (eparator

2./.

DRILLING FLUIDS

The differences between drilling fluids for HP/HT wells as against conventional wells are fourfold % % % % Heavier Higher ,heology $ifferent 'omposition to Provide Temperature (tability $ifferent Influ/ +as 2ehaviour in &ud

G$s En'#$in*en' in '(e :& >nother problem that comes hand in hand with heavier muds is gas entrainment >ny gel strength which is sufficient to hold barytes will have no difficulty holding gas This means that the mud will carry a residual amount of gas in it at all times Typical background gas levels are one or two percent 3ne way to illustrate this phenomenon is to circulate the well after setting casing or a liner .ven though no new hole has been drilled< the gas detector will be showing some residual level of gas In Production Tests the surface separation equipment usd to separate any gas out of produced oil will include a heater The heater is used to heat the oil >s the oil is heated it gives up the dissolved and entrained gas much more readily This phenomenon also applies to gas in mud I! '(e *& is ("''e#5 i' 4ill #ele$se g$s *"#e #e$ il. . In a circulated well the temperature of the mud coming out of the flow line will not vary much during constant circulation If the pumps are stopped at any time then the mud at the bottom of the well will heat up as heat soaks in from the surrounding rock This means that $n. 'i*e '($' %i#%&l$'i"n ($s s'"))e '(e#e 4ill 7e ("' s)"'s in '(e *& .These hot spots will give off entrained gas more easily than the constantly circulated mud and this will be picked up by the gas detector as an increase in +as Aevels 'are must be taken not to over"react to increasing gas levels from such situations #e e/pect that C"nne%'i"n G$s5 S&#1e. g$s $n T#i) G$s le1els 4ill 7e (ig(e# '($n 7$%,g#"&n g$s le1els #hat we have to respond to is a trend increase in these levels

2.3.

HP/HT OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES

The foregoing te/t has highlighted the problems we might face on High Pressure wells These factors are now taken into consideration when detecting and handling kicks 2asic kick indications and response are the same for all wells< ie!" % % % *low ,ate or Pit 0olume Increase #hen the kick has been detected the well will be closed in in the same manner for all wells *inally the methodology which must wells will be killed Dtypically the wait and weight method but increasingly the $riller?s &ethodE is the same for all wells

+i%, In i%$'"#s High pressure wells e/hibit additional characteristics which confuse kick detection These are!" % % *ormation 'harging (tatic vs $ynamic $ownhole Temperatures

F"#*$'i"n C($#ging 0 %"*7in$'i"n "! 7$ll""ning $n !il'#$'e inFe%'i"n 2 +iven that with the effects of .'$< the formation is e/posed to a greater hydrostatic head during circulation than when the well is static< formation charging must be e/pected

Static well conditions

Effects of ECD pushing wellbore back

How this manifests itself is in the wellbore giving back fluid once the pumps have been switched off The speed at which mud is returned and the volumes vary from well to well and even within a given well as mud weight and well depth increases This flow back is a product of the ballooning effect shown in the figure above and possibly the release of any filtrate which has been forced into the wellbore formations due to the e/tra hydrostatic head applied by the .'$ &ost &ud *ilter 'akes are not totally effective in preventing filtrate invasion into the wellbore formations If there is any invasion then there will be local ?charging? of these formations up to the prevailing .'$ pressure at that point in the wellbore #hen the pumps are stopped< the local formation pressure will be be higher than the hydrostatic head of mud at that point so flow back from the formation into the well bore can occur C$n 4e )#e i%' eG$%'l. 4($' '(ese '4" )(en"*en$ 4ill 7e in $ 4ell > P#"7$7l. N"' H Therefore to quantify these it is necessary to carry out e/tensive flow checks on the well until a pattern emerges These flow checks could be 1= or 49 minutes but should be observed and recorded diligently It is typical that the 8flow back8 rate from formation charging should decrease with time during a given flow check ./actly how this manifests itself will only be evident when the flow check is carried out >t first< rig crews can find watching the well apparently flowing an alarming e/perience so it is advisable to discuss this effect in detail and illustrate by carrying out regular checks on what constitutes normal behaviour for the well

S'$'i% 1s D.n$*i% D"4n("le Te*)e#$'&#es $n '(e i*)$%' "! '(is 3n HP/HT wells< downhole temperatures are typically in the range of 1== " 19=F* >t the well design stage these are estimated and during drilling electric logs will confirm or deny the accuracy of these estimates If the well is left uncirculated then it is a reasonable assumption that the mud in the borehole will assume the temperature of the surrounding formation This phenomenon is important to consider when looking at the tools that can be run in HP/HT wells >ny tool with electronics< elastomers or oil in them will be sensitive to high temperatures This means we need to consider our choice of electric logging tools< A#$/ &#$ and even Bars The most powerful Bars are typically Hydraulic Cars 3n some wells the hydraulic poil can boil and in these cases the more traditional mechanical Car D eg the $ailey AI Bar E is a better choice The strike blow is less than a Hydraulic Bar in normal wells which is why they are not used so much but the hydraulic Bar may not be striking at all when used in very hot wells It may seem GalienH to be circulating for no apparent reason but on such wells sometimes its safer to keep circulating and cooling the well down rather than run the downhole components right up to their designed temperature ratings *rom the $rilling 'ontractors perspective the same concerns apply to any ,ig based .quipment which have elastomers in them This means the 23P and surface manifolding needs to have elastomers capable of coping with the anticipated temperatures (ubsea 23PHs have a ready supply of cooling water around them and will reduce the temperatures being e/perienced by the 23P when compered to those on say a Aand ,ig or Back up rig > lot of ,igs now are putting temperature sensors on the 23PHs to eliminate some uncertainty *rom the #ell Production Testers perspective< again the higher temperatures need to be considered #hen the well is flowing on a production test the produced fluid is all at ambient reservoir temperature $ownhole tools need to be designed to cope with the high temperatures and the surface equipment will see almost as high temperatures as the downhole equipment when in flowing mode This is why there are very few HP/HT Test (preads around the world and why when planning a well with the intent to Test it is important to Glock inH a (pread which can be available at the time required In practice this may mean committing to an HP/HT Test (pread for quite a while before it is actually needed I The mud sitting in the tanks on the rig is probably in the range 7=F* " 19=F* depending on circulation pattern< water depth< tank capacity< ambient temperature etc

'onsequently< as the mud system goes from static to dynamic< a cooling effect on the wellbore is unavoidable This means that $!'e# eG'en e %i#%&l$'i"n '(e 4ell7"#e 4ill 7e s&7s'$n'i$ll. %""le# '($n 4(en '(e 4ell ($s 7een le!' s'$'i% !"# s"*e 'i*e. .very time the pumps are stopped then the heat source from the surrounding rock will heat up the transition 6one towards the wellbore and finally heat up the mud that is sitting in the wellbore This is a natural phenomena and is to be e/pected If the well were to be closed in after e/tended circulation then as the mud could not e/pand as it heated up it is reasonable to e/pect the shut"in pressure at surface to rise This is in fact what happens in practice >s with *ormation 'harging it is phenomenon that rig crews are not necessarily familiar with< so again a demonstration of the effect is desirable This can be done at the casing leak off test If the cement/floats/pocket drill out takes a few hours then this circulation will have cooled the surrounding formations sufficiently for the phenomenon to be observed Having drilled the pocket and circulated to an even mud weight< quickly pullback into the casing shoe< shut off the pumps and close the well in The pressure build up gives a 8finger print8 for the well
Press. Build Up following Kick dditional !ud"eight #e$uirement %ingerprinting Press. Build Up

Time

This temperature effect acts in addition to the formation charging effect and the only readily discernible difference at surface is that the temperature effect will give a straight line relationship between closed in surface pressure and time for longer than might be e/pected for *ormation 'harging .ffect In some cases the straight line relationship can indicate potential required mud weights in e/cess of 2= ppg to regain 8control8 of the well 'ommon sense must prevail and it must be remembered that pore pressure will not e/ceed overburden pressure in a well otherwise the reservoir fluids would already have escaped

1=

In practice we may not actually know how much of the effect is due to 'harging and how much to Temperature It really does not matter too much anyway< provided that we check the behaviour and have established what constitues normal behaviour $espite understanding why we have these apparent well flows on HP/HT wells < it still goes against all we have been taught to pull out of the hole on a well which has apparently flowed 9 or 1= barrels once the pumps were switched off 'onsequently< it is therefore e/pedient on trips to observe the flow check as mentioned above and then carry out a 9 or 1= stand wiper trip The bit should then be put back on bottom and bottoms up circulated &ud salinity< weight< temperature and gas levels should be observed during this circulation If the well is flowing hydrocarbons< gas levels will rise If the well is flowing formation water< salinity and mud weight will change The only fluids we are going to find in these wells will be water< gas< condensate< oil or a mi/ of these #hen our drilling fluid weighs 19 7 ppg and resembles toothpaste in te/ture then any of the above influ/es are easily spotted by loss in mud return weight and huge differences in background gas levels and Hydrocarbon 'hromatograhic breakdown > lot of HP/HT wells have ended up Gchasing their tailsH because higher gas levels are seen when circulating bottoms up after a wiper trip The response has been to increase &ud #eight to control the gas This would in a regular well Gdo the trickH but on HP/HT wells the gas levels will stay the same or even go up >ny time that the well has been static< the mud at the bottom of the well will heat up and when we circulate it to surface we will see higher gas levels This on its own should not be your cue to raise the mud weight :& :$n$ge*en' "n Hig( P#ess&#e Wells *rom the above te/t it can be seen Cust how many confusing effects could be taking place in the well $espite anything you may be told to the contrary< in a #ildcat well these phenomena are not predictable with any degree of accuracy 'onsequently< the only practical way to handle these phenomena in a safe manner is to!" aE bE Try to keep all mud properties and drilling parameters as constant as possible for as long as possible >lways circulate bottoms up following a short< check trip prior to pulling out of the hole completely

(ince we can only measure the mud at surface and guess what is happening downhole then the yardstick to apply is " ADi 4e ($1e P#i*$#. C"n'#"l >A If the answer is A;esA

then the mud system has been effective in that role

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O)e#$'i"n$l P#"%e &#es !"# S$!e H$n ling "! Hig( P#ess&#e +i%,s H$n ling +i%,s "n Hig( P#ess&#e Wells The main mechanical weakness in the system in most cases is the Poor 2oy &ud +as (eparator $ifferent 3perators took different views on the safe throughput of a given Poor 2oy .arly Poor 2oys had ;K vent lines which clearly put more back pressure on the system when venting gas than say a 12K vent line would create (ome companies would produce graphs showing how much gas could be produced through the Poor 2oy These graphs are Cust based on theoretical modelling >s we know this is not always correct and since if the graph is not right then you will only find out when the liquid seal blows then a safer option is to Cust reduce the kill speed so that the gas throughput is decreased drastically to a level that is not even close to what could blow a seal In practice when circulating out an influ/ the 'hoke manifold is warm or hot as mud passes through it If there is gas breakout then the effect is like a refrigeration cycle The choke manifold gets colder downstream of the chokes >t first this looks like condensation but even when working on the equator the choke manifold will then develop a coating of frost on it 'ondensation can be e/pected and is not something to be concerned about however if when circulating frost develops on the 2P& then its time to slow the circulation rate down until the gas cut mud has been circulated out If gas is coming through the chokes then to maintain the kill the choke will need to be closed In most normal kills once they get under way theres very little adCustment of the choke required D because you are circulating a homogeneous fluid around @ the mud that was in the annuus above a potential influ/ E >nother indication of gas coming through the chokes is a different noise coming from the choke manifold >t times there is slugging too $uring kills attempts to shut down as much background noise as possible There is no e/cuse for not knowing what is going through the 'hoke manifold at any time >ny well kill operations must be planned as multiple speed kills This means checking slow circulation rates not only of 1= strokes per minute as is usual but also of 1=< 19 and 2= strokes per minute (ometimes the pumps can not run as slowly as 1=spm but the minimum reliable running speed should be determined well ahead of time and not left to finding out Gthe hard wayH during an incident >s a policy it is suggested that the well be killed at 1= (P& until frosting appears on the &anifold < the well starts slugging or theres a change in the sound coming from the manifold 2etter (afe than (orry I > further precaution is to discuss the deficiencies of the Poor 2oy with the ,ig 'rew and e/plain what happen if the equipment capabilities are e/ceeded >s mentioned earlier the temperature sensors on the 23P and choke equipment must be monitored during well killing operations The manufacturers of the elastomeric products specify a continuous working temperature and a short term e/posure temperature that the equipment is designed for 12

-illing operations should be carried out within the 2 3 P working temperature envelope If temperatures begin to e/ceed the designed levels then the only recourse available is to slow down the kill operation or stop it completely until the 23P components cool +lycol should be employed as the gas reaches the choke line D.asily recognisable by a rise in Pchoke together with a change in tone and a chilling effect downstream of the choke itself E +iven the known weaknesses in the kick handling system< measures should be put in place to spot failures in this equipment< should they occur we must ask ourselves 8If there is going to be a failure< how will I detect it and how can I make it safe)8 There are well documented #ell 'ontrol $isasters which could have been contained had the ,ig 'rew been in a position to trace the immediate source of gas around the rig floor and implement a contingency plan Practically speaking this implies!" aE bE -eeping a (ubsea T0 camera at the 23P during killing operations &onitoring of the liquid seal blow off area at the Poor 2oy &ud +as (eparator

Having taken a kick and handled it safely the equipment must be prepared for the ne/t one To ensure that the equipment is ready two main checks are required!" 1 2 'heck for erosion due to the high solids content of the mud *lush the system with water to clear any residual barytes to prevent blockages

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WELL TO 6E DRILLED

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Well Schematic (DRAFT)

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/.2 Well S)e%i!i% P#"7le* P#e i%'i"n 1. +i%,s The area we are drilling in is fairly well mapped with close outstep wells +iven the three known D or predicted E pressure ramps we will be controlled drilling as we approach these so are unlikely to go flying into over pressures #e will have 3il based mud in the hole for all of these ramps so can use the usual detection tools of gas levels< amounts of cavings etc to indicate pressures coming up Laturally we have to be super careful when drilling ahead but probably the main source of any kick would be if DiE we swabbed in the well or DiiE didnHt appreciate the difference between static and dynamic bottom hole pressures DiiiE $rilled into losses < causing a drop in hydrostatic head which reduced the primary control on a 6one above this 2. L"sses Aosses could be e/pected in the well These would most likely L3T be catastrophic but more probably Cust down to the .'$ created when circulating a heavy mud around /. H"le Cle$ning Lot e/pected to be a problem in this well given that it is 0ertical and the high mud weights will have high rheology If the mud weight did not follow the pressure ramp properly there could be e/cessive caivings produced and these could create a hole cleaning / hole pack off problem 3. Di!!e#en'i$l S'i%,ing 'are needs to be taken once the reservoir section has been penetrated #e anticipate high pressures in the reservoir but there is always the chance that the modeling has given us a mud weight considerably heavier than we needed +iven oil based mud and drilling in a shale< it will be hard to detect this 3nce the sands are penetrated then the differential sticking effect can be considerable The usual precautionary practices should be used -eep string moving and if we need to shut down for whatever reason try and do so with no 2H> across this section

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3. E9ERCISES 3.1. #e are drilling away in 12 MK hole at 1<9==m at 1= m/hr with 11 ppg mud 3ver the last few hours the torque on the string has been slowly but steadily increasing The bit is a P$' and has 12 hours on it #hat do you think is causing this slow increase in torque and how could you confirm your theory 3.2. #hilst drilling through the reservoir in ;K hole at 91==m we need to make a connection The flow back from the well seems a little heavier than the previous few stands so a decision is taken to close the well in and to circulate around using the $rillers method This takes place without incident and after 1<1== bbls pumped D 11=N of hole volume E we have seen no pressure spikes at the chokes< or cooling at the chokes P$P and P choke pressures stayed constant all the time through the circulation Is it safe to shut the circulation down< flow check the well and if 3- go back to drilling ) 3./. #e are drilling at 919=m and based on the A#$ +amma ray Tool we have penetrated around 1==m of good sands since penetrating the reservoir at 9<=9=m The &ud Aogger has been reporting around :N gas whilst drilling but this level drops back to 2N after bottoms up circulation >t 9191m the A#$ crashes out The A#$ .ngineers figure they can sort the problem in five minutes so the $riller picks up and slowly works the string >fter ten minutes the A#$ still isnHt working so the A#$ .ngineer figures that the problem must be more comple/ than he thought and reckons he could need an hour or so to try a few things out #hat instructions should we now give the $riller 3.3. Oou are drilling ahead at 94==m when you get a call from the ,ig *loor The $riller says he thought the well was flowing on a connection so has flow checked< then shut the well in on the >nnular 23P ThereHs no real pressure to be seen on drill pipe or choke HeHs not sure how much flowed back on the connection because someone opened the drain on the trip tank Cust at the wrong time He asks if its 3- Cust to circulate around $rillers &ethod and see if theres any influ/ Oou say that he should shut in on the rams before killing the well and he says that if he does that he canHt work the pipe therefore we could get differentially stuck in the sands Oou are the 'ompany &an #hat are your Instructions to the $riller and why )

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