Introduction to Drilling

and Openhole Logging

October 2011

DRILLING OPERATION

Depth of Water Dictates Offshore

Rig Type

Electronics inside an LWD Tool

LWD refers to Logging While Drilling

10

Drilling bits

11

Role of Drilling In Field

Development

12

Personnel Involved In
Drilling A Well

13

Proposal For Drilling

Proposal for drilling prepared by
the geologist and reservoir
engineers
Provides information upon which
well will be designed and the
drilling program.
Contain:
Objective of the Well
Depth and location of target
Geological cross section
Pore pressure profile prediction

14

Drilling Program
Drilling program is prepared by
the Drilling Engineer
Containing:
Drilling rigs to be used for the well
Proposed location for the drilling rig
Hole sizes and depths
Casing sizes and depths
Drilling fluids specifications
Directional drilling information
Well control equipment and
procedures
Bits and hydraulic program

15

Drilling Rig

Rotary drilling is the

technique whereby the rock
cutting tool is suspended
on the end of hollow pipe,
so that fluid can be
continuously circulated
across the face of the
drillbit cleaning the drilling
material from the face of
the bit and carrying it to
surface.
To be covered more in
Drilling and Production
Technology

16

Drilling Rig

Drilling Fluid
Whilst drilling the a hole,
drilling fluid (mud) is circulated
down the drillpipe, across the
face of the drillbit, and up the
annulus between the drillpipe
and the borehole, carrying the
drilled cuttings from the face
of the bit to surface. At surface
the cuttings are removed from
the mud before it is circulated
back down the drillpipe, to
collect more cuttings.
Mud
Used as a carrying agent
Balance the formation
pressure
18

Introduction to Drilling
Conductor

Surface
casing

Intermediate
casing

Productio
n casing

Productio
n liner

19

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :
Rig up

Depth reference
below derrick floor - bdf
roller kelly bushing - rkb

Main deck

Cellar deck
depth reference

Sea level

20

Conductor

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :
Rig up
Pile Conductor Casing

Main deck
Cellar deck
Sea level

Conductor
21

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :
Rig up
Drill surface hole

22

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :
Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing

23

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :

Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing
Cement casing

24

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :

Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing
Cement casing
Drill intermediate hole

25

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :

Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing
Cement casing
Drill intermediate hole
Run and set intermediate casing

26

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :

Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing
Cement casing
Drill intermediate hole
Run and set intermediate casing
Cement casing

27

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :

Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing
Cement casing
Drill intermediate hole
Run and set intermediate casing
Cement casing
Drill production hole

28

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :

Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing
Cement casing
Drill intermediate hole
Run and set intermediate casing
Cement casing
Drill production hole
Run and set production casing

29

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :

Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing
Cement casing
Drill intermediate hole
Run and set intermediate casing
Cement casing
Drill production hole
Run and set production casing
Cement casing

30

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :

Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing
Cement casing
Drill intermediate hole
Run and set intermediate casing
Cement casing
Drill production hole
Run and set production casing
Cement casing
Drill production hole

31

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :

Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing
Cement casing
Drill intermediate hole
Run and set intermediate casing
Cement casing
Drill production hole
Run and set production casing
Cement casing
Drill production hole
Run and set liner

32

Drilling Process
Typical Sequence of Operations :

Rig up
Drill surface hole
Run and set surface casing
Cement casing
Drill intermediate hole
Run and set intermediate casing
Cement casing
Drill production hole
Run and set production casing
Cement casing
Drill production hole
Run and set liner
Cement liner

33

Typical Hole and Casing

Size

34

Drilling Rigs

35

Drilling Fluids
Types
Water-based mud (WBM)
Oil-based mud (OBM)

Functions:
Remove cuttings from the wellbore
Prevent formation fluids flowing
into the wellbore
Maintain wellbore stability
Cool and lubricate the bit
Transmit hydraulic horsepower to
bit

36

Drilling Fluids
Drill mud should be able to:
Carry cuttings to the surface while
circulating
Suspend the cuttings while not
circulating
Drop cuttings out of suspension at
surface

Selection considerations
Environmental impact of the fluids
Costs
Impact of the fluids on production
from the payzone
37

Well Control
The purpose of well control is to ensure that fluid (oil,
gas and water) does not flow in an uncontrollable way
from the formations being drilled, into the borehole
and eventually to surface.
This flow will occur if the pressure in the pore space of
the formation being drilled (the formation pressure) is
higher than the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the
column of mud in the wellbore

 It is essential that the borehole pressure

exceeds the formation pressure but below
__________ pressure at all times during
drilling.
If formation pressure is greater than the
borehole pressure an influx of fluid into the
borehole will occur. Well taken a _________ .
If no action is taken to stop the influx of fluid
once it begins, then drilling mud will be
pushed out of the borehole and the formation
will be flowing in an uncontrolled manner at
surface known as __________.

Definition
Kick
An unwanted influx of formation
fluids into the wellbore

Blowout
An uncontrolled flow of wellbore
fluids

Well Control Principle

Primary Control
Pressure exerted by column of mud in the
borehole is greater than the pressure in
the formations being drilled

Secondary Control
Primary control fail
The aim of secondary control is to stop
the flow of fluids into well bore and
eventually allow the influx to be
circulated to surface and safely discharge,
while preventing further influx down hole

Primary Control Pressure due

to mud Colum exceed pore
pressure -

Secondary Control Influx

controlled by closing BOPs

Well Control Principle

The bore hole pressure becomes less than the formation
pressure in two ways :

1.

The formation pressure in a zone which penetrated is

higher than that predicted by reservoir engineer and
geologist.

2.

The pressure due to the colum of mud decreases for

some reason and bottom hole pressure drops below
the formation pressure.
p = 0.052 x mw density x height of mud colum

Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD)

The pressure provided by the rig pump is the sum of
all of the individual pressure in the circulating system
Overcoming friction losses between mud and
whatever it is in contact with results is;

Pressure loss in surface line

Pressure loss in drill string
Pressure loss across bit nozzle
Pressure loss in annulus

Pressure losses in the annulus acts as a backpressure

to the formation, consequently the total pressure at
the bottom hole is higher with the pump is on than
with the pump off.
ECD = Static bottom hole pressure + annulus pressure
losses

CASING SETTING DEPTHS

Main factors that govern the setting depths are:
Formation pressures (normally, abnormally)
Fracture Pressures
Government Legislation or Company Policy

Casing setting depths are selected for the deepest string to

be run and then successively from the base of the well to
surface
The first selection criteria for selecting deeper setting
depths is to permit the mud weight to control formation
pressures without fracturing any overlying formations
Plot pressure (pore, fracture and mud weight) against
depth profile

CASING SETTING DEPTHS

(contd)

CASING SETTING DEPTHS

(contd)
Surface casing is
set here to prevent
fracturing

Required mud
density to drill to
c
Intermediate
casing is set here
to prevent
fracturing

Required mud
density to drill to
a

Prodn casing is set

here

Directional Drilling
Reasons for Drilling a non-vertical
(deviated well)
Multi-well platform drilling
Fault Drilling
Inaccessible locations
Sidetracking and straightening
Salt dome drilling
Relief wells

49

Directional Drilling
Multi-well platform drilling
Feasible in drilling a large number of
wells from one locations (platform)
Deviated well are designed to
intercept a reservoir over a wide
aerial extend.

50

 Fault drilling
To avoid damage by fault slippage
Can be minimize by drilling parallel
to a fault and then changing the
direction of the well across the
target

51

 Inaccessible locations
To avoid obstacle at surface (eg.
River, mountain range, city)
A well directionally drilled into the
target from distance away form the
point vertically above the required
point of entry into the reservoir

52

 Sidetracking and straightening

To correct the course of the well
In the event of drillpipe stuck in the
hole, alternative course required.

53

 Salt dome drilling

To recover the accumulated
hydrocarbon beneath the flank of
the salt dome
To avoid potential problems (eg.
Severe washout, moving salt, high
pressure of dolomites)
Well is drilled alongside the salt
dome to reach the reservoir

54

 Relief wells
In the event of blow-out, the rigs is
damaged.
To kill the wild well, another
directionally drilled well is required.
Wild well can be killed by
circulating high density fluid down
the relief well, into and up the wild
well.

55

Well Logging Operation

Openhole wireline well logs are recorded when
the drilling tools are no longer in the hole.
They are recorded immediately after drilling and
before the casing setting.
MWD (measurement while drilling) or LWD
(logging while drilling) logs, by contrast, are made
as a formation is drilled.
The first logging toll is attached to the logging
cable and lowered into the hole to its maximum
drilled depth.

56

Cost Versus Information

Collected
Cost (%)

Geological Information

Drilling (10%)

Logging (90%)

(Source: Serra, 2003)

57

 Onshore, Wireline
electrical logging is done
from a logging truck
sometimes referred to as
a mobile laboratory
Offshore, the same
equipment is installed in
a small cabin left
permanently on the rig.
Both truck and cabin use
a variety of
interchangeable logging
tools, which are lowered
into the well on the
logging cable.

58

 Most logs are run while pulling the tool up from

the bottom of the hole.
The cable attached to the tool acts both as
support for the tool and as a canal for data
transmission.
The outside consists of galvanized steel, while the
electrical conductors are insulated in the interior.
The cable is wound around a motorized drum on
to which it is guided manually during logging.
The drum will pull the cable. As the cable is
pulled in, so the depth of the working tool is
checked.
Logging cables have magnetic markers set at
regular intervals along their length and depths
are checked mechanically, but apparent depths
must be corrected for cable tension and elasticity

59

Logging operation
Logging units, drill floor, catwalk
3 types of logging:
Mudlogging more in the next class
M/LWD what, how, why
Wireline logging what, how, why

MUD LOGGING

MWD or LWD
MWD
Survey + GR? + Resisitivity?

LWD
Survey + GR + Res + Density +
Neutron

Wireline logging

Wireline logs ie..

GR
Resistivity
Sonic
Density
Neutron
Imaging
Sidewall core
Formation pressure & fluid sampling
Vertical seismic

Logging operation..
Tool calibration
Rig up, RIH, log, POOH, download
data
Rathole
Log up, logging speed
Repeat section
Depth reference SS, RT, DFE
MD vs TVD
Resolution vs depth of
investigation

Depth in logs
Ft/m
MD/TVD
Usually in log correlation.. mSS
TVD-DFE
Reference to MSL, not ML

TOOL COMBINATIONS

DEPTH OF INVESTIGATION &

RESOLUTION

THE LOG

CORING

CORE ANALYSIS

conventional coring

Sidewall coring

Drilling to PNA

Drill
Case
Cement
LOT, drill ahead, repeat
Log
Case
Cement
Test?
PNA

Well plan and drilling activities

Group exercise
6 groups each group must have
Girls, boys, >1 nationalities, >5
states

Write name & details behind

question paper (14-15 pax/group)
20-30 mins prepare
Selected presenter

Q1
Which is the correct well profile?
Why? Explain briefly how a well is
drilled..

Q2
Draw, label the main components
of a drilling rig
Discuss the use/relevance to
drilling & logging operation

Q3
Define & differentiate LWD and
Wireline logging
Discuss their pros & cons
Which is better?

Q4
You are logging a deviated well on
an offshore jack-up rig with the
following details:
Sketch your depth references and
label the followings:
MSL 150m
DFE 50m
TD at 1500 mMD, 1200mTVD

What is the TD of your log in

mSS?

Q5
Explain why do we sometimes
combine logging tools for the
same run.
Would you combine sampling tool
& sonic tool? Discuss.
Sketch a logging tool with
following combination- ie.
Tool zero Resistivity (15m)
Density (20m) Neutron (25m)
GR (27m) - tool head (30m)
How much of a rathole would you
need?

Q6

What is the most common use of log data by a

geologist?
What is the most common use of log data by a
reservoir engineer?
Hypothetically, consider why a 6-ft thick oil sand in
a well at 10000-ft depth would be considered
noncommercial, but a 6-ft oil sand in a well at 1000ft depth would be considered commercial?
As a log user, why is it important that you know and
understand the drilling & logging operation?

For geologists:
formation tops/depth,
thickness,
for correlations, cross sections,
structural and isopach maps,
depositional model

For reservoir engineers:

besides geological model
petrophysical parameters =
porosity,
permeability,
Shc,
HC type,
viscosity..

For volumetrics & producibility