Fundamental Drilling Engineering

Introduction and Rig Basics

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Orientation

1. Instructor introduction.
2. Student name, current job, expectations
for this course, main hobby or interest
outside of work.
3. Classroom procedures and timings
4. What we will be doing all week.

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Class Rules

If there is anything you do not understand during

the lectures, say so. We constantly build on
ideas so if you do not understand the basics you
will soon be lost
We will break every hour or so. Please return on
schedule in consideration for the others.
Computers are to be on the honor system during
lectures. Check you mails on breaks.

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WHAT THIS COURSE IS AND IS NOT

This will not make you a DE in a Week

Aimed at giving you the concepts
Allows you to understand how Cementing
Fits into the larger process
Provides a basis for understanding what
you will see on rigs and in client offices

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Schedule
Day 1. Overview of the Well Construction
Process, Geology, Pore pressure fracture
gradients, .
Day 2. Pore and Frac Pressure, leak off Testing
Kick Tolerance, well control fundamentals
Day 3. Steel Properties, Basic Shoe design
Basic Casing Design
Day 4. Casing Design Con’t, Wellbore Stability
Lost Circulation
Day 5. Stuck Pipe and Hole cleaning, final test

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TWO QUESTIONS

WHAT IS WELL CONSTRUCTION?

WHAT IS A DRILLING ENGINEER?

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Well Construction
The process creating of a hole in the ground, for
the finding or exploitation of natural resources.

Mines are holes dug to find valuable minerals. We

efficiently remove the overburden to get at the ore-
body

Wells are holed drilled to find valuable liquids or

gases (Gas, Oil, Water, Helium, CO2 etc). We
efficiently remove the overburden to get at the liquid
for extraction

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Well Construction
A construction project to build a hole in
the ground

To Build the hole we must understand

The material we are building in (the Earth)
The material we are building with (Steel)
The Hole Construction Equipment (Rig)
The services and subcontractors needed to
efficiently execute to plan (SLB and others)

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The Drilling Team
Drilling manager: The overall manager of
many projects
Drilling Superintendent The Project Manager
Drilling Supervisor The on-Site Boss

ƒ Drilling Engineer:
The planner and designer. Understands the structural
properties of the earth and the materials and equipment needed
to drill the well. The DE interfaces between all
parties…Geophysical.. Geology.. Reservoir.. Completions..
Produciton.. Drilling Operations.. Civil Construction.. Legal..
Procurement.. Services, to producee all programs required to
plan license and execute the construction process

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Drilling Rigs- A Review
Composed of
Hoisting System
Drilling System
Circulating System
Safety (BOP) system

Service Companies provide Specialty systems

Formation evaluation
Production Testing
Casing and pipe handling
Cementing Stimulation and specialty pumping

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Drilling is a repetitive Process

Drill a hole until the earth is no longer

strong enough to support the loads that you
are imposing
Evaluate the hole you have drilled by
looking at the dirt, using electrical logs,
cores and samples
Run and cement protective casing to
reinforce the earth and allow drilling to
proceed
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The Overall Drilling Process
Prepare location for rig
ƒ Dig cellar
ƒ Dig Pits install liners
ƒ Install conductor pipe
ƒ Prepare support pad for
rig, camp etc
ƒ Build roads, fencing, dig
pits
ƒ Sometimes drill water
well

Move rig on to location, rig

up and prepare to
start drilling.
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Setting Conductor

Large, thick walled pipe drilled, jetted

or driven in to the ground
Purposes;
1. Supports the weight of the well and
BOPs etc.
2. Prevent washing out surface soil so
the well can be circulated
3. Formations are weak no well is
control possible

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Drill Surface Hole

Drill a hole through the conductor

Drill until
1. Formations cannot support the hole
2. Deeper formations have pressures
higher than the strength of the rock
at the top

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Set Surface Casing

Pull Bit out, Run Casing in And Cement

1. Install a Wellhead
• Support axial loads, isolate the annulli and
casings from each other
2. Install a blow out preventer (BOP).
• Plan will control formations not divert them
3. Casing protects freshwater sources.
4. Reinforces the rock allowing more
drilling

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Drill Intermediate Hole

Drill through the Surface pipe to

extend the well

• Directional work is often used

• While drilling possibly cut cores
• After drilling Run electrical logs,
Sidewall cores etc to evaluate
formations

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Run the Intermediate Casing

Run the casing and cement the

annulus.
Note that each casing is smaller
than the previous one.

1. Increased shoe strength to drill

ahead.
2. Protect drilled hole.
3. Protect any oil and gas found

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Production Hole Section

Drill remaining overburden and into

the main pay sections
Purposes:
1. Penetrate the reservoir.
2. Allow sufficient over-hole to
provide a sump (logging tools,
casing, drop guns etc)
3. Logs are run to evaluate
formations

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Run Liner or Casing
Cement a liner in to the reservoir.

Liners are partial casing strings

Run for economics where the main
casing is strong enough but the
formations below are not
Liners are run on Drill pipe and “hung”
on modified packer systems cemented
through the drill string to provide
isolation

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Drilling & Casing; Completion

Run completion tubing.

Perforate the production liner.

Purposes:
1. Allow hydrocarbon production.
2. Form a conduit for tools to be run.

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The Complete Well
Concentric strings of casing
Sealed at the top using mechanical
packoffs
Sealed at the bottom and in the
annulus using cement

Innermost string is the production

string, and is usually perforated to
allow production
A packer and tubing string are run
inside the P Csg.

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Major Rig Components - Overview

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Hoisting System

A Vertical Crane.
Allows pipe to be moved in and out of the hole efficiently

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Drawworks

Control the
movement of
the travelling
block up and
down the
derrick.

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Circulating System Mud pumps

Provides energy to move Fluids at

high pressures and high rates
through the wellbore

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Major Rig Components – BOP’s

Allow the top of the well to be

sealed against very high pressures
and allow fluid to be pumped in.

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Rig Types

ALL RIGS HAVE THE SAME BASIC PROCESS SYSTEMS

RIGS ARE DIFFEENTIATED BY SIZE AND OPERATIONAL
ENVIRONMENT

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Land rigs

Capable of drilling
from 500 ft to more
than 40,000 ft

Typically sized by
hole depth capability,
and pipe racking
capacity

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Platform Rigs
Land rig installed on
platform
Once drilling finished, rig
can be removed

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Barge Rig

A land rig packaged

to sit on a
submersible
Allows holes to be
drilled in sheltered
shallow inland waters

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Jackup Rig

A Barge rig with legs

Hull is lowered and
legs raised for rig
moves
Can drill in shallow
waters up to 300-
400 ft

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Semi-Submersible

A different Concept
BOPs and wellhead
is on the seafloor
Rig Floats over top
Moored or DP.

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Drillship

Ship hull with a rig on

top
self-propelled for rig
moves
Anchored or DP
Large storage and
weight capability

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Marine Rigs – Bottom Supported

Other Platform Types

Tension Leg Platform Concrete Gravity Platform Guyed Tower

Platform

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INTRODUCTION AND RIG BASICS

End of Module

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