OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DRILLING CONTRACTORS

Drilling
C O N T R A C T O R
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

W W W. D R I L L I N G C O N T R A C T O R . O R G

Rigs
&
Equipment
Dual-BOP systems emerge on deepwater
rigs as ultra-mobile rigs carve niches
in land, offshore applications

REGIONAL FOCUS:
AUSTRALIA

Industry players Down Under step up

infrastructure, technologies to tap
coal seam, shale gas potential

P L

SUBSEA WELL
INTERVENTION

Light-duty intervention risers, riserless light

well interventions may be next gamechangers for deepwater production

Health, Safety & Environment

Safe drilling operations

come full circle
Closed-loop
system provides
real-time, accurate
data for proactive
management of
downhole pressures
BY BRIAN GRAYSON, WEATHERFORD
INTERNATIONAL
Closed-loop drilling systems are
scalable to the task and can help
minimize risk to personnel and the
environment. Additionally, kicks
and losses become more readily and accurately diagnosed in
closed-loop systems.

lthough securing safe working

conditions and creating efficient
operating processes may imply
laborious efforts and cumbersome equipment, Weatherford Internationals
approach leverages a fundamental
aspect of all drilling operations the
mud system. Fluids in and out of the wellbore provide valuable information about
downhole conditions, which leads to safe
and efficient operations.
Common oilfield technologies, such
as rotating control devices (RCDs),
mass flow meters, automated drilling
chokes and downhole isolation valves,
individually provide incremental safety
and efficiency in downhole operations.
When combined to work conjunctively,
the tools can create a closed mud-return
system that captures and redirects the
free flow of drilling fluids, cuttings and
hydrocarbons from the wellbore annulus. Closing this loop establishes a contained circuit of incompressible drilling
fluid.

When an intelligent control unit (ICU)

is added to the closed-loop configuration, the result is a self-contained system
capable of detecting minute downhole
pressure and volume changes.
The Microflux system helps the mud
system to become a highly sensitive
instrument to implement proactive managed pressure drilling (MPD) strategies.

CLOSING THE LOOP

ON RISKS AND HAZARDS
A kick during drilling and completion
operations poses a major risk to rig personnel, the environment and the equipment. That risk can be exacerbated by
inadequate downhole data.
With a closed-loop system, kicks and
losses are more readily and accurately
diagnosed. This is a significant advantage given that slow detection or a misdiagnosis can jeopardize the safety of
personnel and the viability of drilling
operations. A slow or incorrect response
can also inflict irreparable damage to the

Health, Safety & Environment

environment and cost millions of dollars
in nonproductive time (NPT).
The capability of monitoring, detecting
and quickly reacting to pressure changes in the standpipe and at the surface
enables the downhole pressure profile to
be proactively managed and manipulated. More control helps the operator and
driller to navigate safely and successfully
through known and unknown hazards.
To ensure the most accurate and expeditious response, more downhole knowledge and control is a must, especially as
drilling reach extends to greater depths,
higher temperatures and pressures, and
more extreme locales.
Early detection of wellbore pressure
fluctuations can have particularly significant impacts on deepwater operations,
where it is not uncommon to encounter
high temperatures and high pressures or
formations bearing H2S. In these operations, drilling windows are typically narrower and more difficult to drill, and the
rig rate constitutes a significant expenditure.
Acquiring real-time data at the surface
yields a better understanding of downhole pressure and how the formation and
wellbore are responding to the drilling
program. The speed and effectiveness
of pressure management are enhanced
for both conventional mitigation methods
(i.e., mud weight and chemistries and
BOP procedures) and MPD methodologies
made possible by the closed-loop system.

CONTROLLING EQUIPMENT
WITH INSTRUMENTATION
Proactive pressure management via
the fluid system starts with an RCD
placed above the BOP to close the circulating fluid loop. The RCDs elastomeric
sealing elements and bearing assembly
provide a pressure-tight barrier between
the wellhead and the drill string. This
barrier eliminates open-to-the-atmosphere mud returns to create the closedloop system. With the RCD in place,
drilling fluids, cuttings and hydrocarbons
are safely circulated away from the personnel on the rig floor.
A variety of RCDs have been developed to work with different pressures,
temperatures and wellhead diameters.
Weatherford recently developed the first
marine RCD for riser applications on
floating rigs, which is also the first RCD
to receive API certification. It addresses
deepwater requirements for installation

An MPD system with an intelligent control unit is a self-contained system that

allows engineers to distinguish between ballooning, breathing, and inuxes and
losses to make more informed drilling decisions.

and maintenance and accounts for heave

compensation in the riser.
Another key element of the closed-loop
system consists of standard pressure
sensors and mass flow meters to acquire
wellbore mass balance information.
These meters measure mass flow past a
fixed point per unit of time. The closedloop system denotes minute changes
in bottomhole pressures at the surface
within seconds, while volume variations
of only gallons can be detected almost
immediately.
Adding an annular choke manifold to
this scalable closed-loop system marks
a shift to pressure management using
an MPD approach. The choke enables
manipulation of backpressure, which
provides dynamic control of the wellbore
pressure and flow.
An ICU completes the equipment circle
for the closed-loop system. This control
unit houses the necessary data to measure and analyze physical properties and
to react to adverse well events. The ICU
uses proprietary algorithms to identify
and relay the slightest downhole change
and allows the engineer to distinguish
between different events, such as ballooning, breathing, influxes and losses.
In automated mode, the ICU controls the
MPD chokes to regulate backpressure
as needed. If, for instance, a small influx
is detected, applying backpressure can
minimize the influx to small volumes and
allow the gas to safely circulate out of
the system.

The integration of instruments and

software enables automation of the system and the acquisition of real-time data.
In difficult wellbore environments, this
feature proactively identifies and manages influxes and losses for potentially
faster responses to help retain control.
The result is safer operating conditions.
Additionally, mud weights can be optimized to improve drilling efficiencies and
lower fluid costs.
The accuracy and immediacy of the
data provides a high degree of insight
into whats happening downhole and
improves the options to respond with
more flexibility than simply weighting the
mud system. On a fixed rig, the closedloop system detected kicks at just 0.25
bbl of influx. On a floating drilling unit,
where vessel heave movement introduced
a 25 bbl/min peak-to-peak variation, a
kick was detected at less than 3-bbl
influx.
Because the majority of well control
incidents occur during tripping, a downhole isolation valve (DIV) is commonly
employed in closed-loop operations.
The DIV protects against swabbing
while pulling out of the hole and can be
installed as a permanent or retrievable component to selectively isolate the
wellbore. The valve is opened or closed
as needed to enable tripping at conventional speeds. Maintaining tripping
speed helps to prevent delays that can
aggravate well control events and cause
excessive NPT.

Health, Safety & Environment

The Model 7875 below-tension-ring RCD is integrated with a oating vessels riser system below the surface of the water,
enabling the use of a closed-loop drilling system in deepwater applications.

DATA FLOW IN REAL TIME

Avoiding trouble rather than mitigating causes of NPT and well control issues
is a cost-effective strategy, especially
considering the expenditures associated
with offshore operations.

OFFSHORE EGYPT
HPHT conditions and wellbore ballooning in a tight operational window led
some to question the economic viability of a field offshore Egypt. Several
attempts to drill offset wells in this field
were unsuccessful as a result of kicks
and losses. Any sign of loss or gain was
treated with caution because the potential consequences of a gas influx and subsequent expansion at surface could have
resulted in a well control incident. Pore
pressure ranged from approximately 17.6
ppg to 18.4 ppg, and the fracture gradient
ranged from approximately 18.0 ppg to
18.6 ppg.
To continue with the drilling campaign,
the operator revised its approach and
employed a closed-loop system. During
the operators first application, the
closed-loop system detected kicks and
losses with a semi-automated choke,
enabling the necessary pressure management.
The operators second application
used the fully automated capabilities of

the system. The MPD approach enabled

the operator to use a statically underbalanced mud weight and adjust annular
backpressure at the surface to create a
virtual mud weight. Adding or releasing
annular surface pressure on the closedloop system resulted in an almost immediate response in bottomhole pressure.
The 10 5/8 in. x 12 1/4 in. and 8 1/2 in. hole
sections were successfully drilled to total
depth (TD). In addition to helping reach
the targeted casing points, the closedloop system was used to fingerprint wellbore ballooning and breathing during
connections.
Previously used drilling methods misdiagnosed these incidents as kicks and
losses. However, the accuracy of the data
obtained with the closed-loop system
enabled the operator to continue the
drilling campaign with a more effective
and safer strategy.

OFFSHORE INDIA
The complex geology in the Asia
Pacific region is prone to tectonic activity, heavily faulted and folded strata,
lost circulation zones and uncontrolled
mud flows. The conglomerates, igneous
and carbonates prevalent in this region
present many drilling challenges. MPD
is the preferred methodology to mitigate
severe circulation losses associated with

fractured carbonate formations. More

than 100 MPD wells have been drilled
since 2005. Wells that experience kick/
loss and near- or total-loss scenarios are
now being drilled safely and efficiently.
An MPD application offshore India significantly reduced time lost to downhole
problems to one day. Mitigation of similar
problems in previous offset wells averaged 10 days. The significant reduction in
troubleshooting was achieved by reducing kick/loss cycles and other flat time
associated with narrow pore pressure/
fracture gradient. Time was also saved
when more control of the mud weight led
to an increase in ROP.
Fractured carbonate reservoirs offshore North Africa are being drilled using
MPD methodologies. In one well, low
bottomhole pressure and H2S gas contributed to mud losses of 1,400 bbl/hr and a
low ROP. MPD methods eliminated expensive mud losses, prevented sour gas from
reaching the surface and increased the
ROP from 40 ft/day to 220 ft/day (12
meters/day to 67 meters/day).

ONSHORE SHALE PLAYS

Although the daily rig rate is not as
high and depths are shallower, drilling
objectives for land operations mirror
those set for offshore campaigns safely
reach the planned depth, within budget,

Health, Safety & Environment

and find enough producible reserves for
adequate return on investment.
The shale gas plays in Northwest
Louisiana and East Texas have seen
wells drilled into formations with low
permeability and high porosity. These
characteristics typically create overpressured zones that have obvious drilling concerns. The unconventional gas
target known as the Haynesville shale
requires a horizontal step-out in excess
of 10,000 ft MD. A recent successful drilling strategy employed MPD techniques
to target this Upper Jurassic formation
that contains significant microfracturing.
RCDs without a flow meter or software
have been used as a means to apply backpressure on an as-needed basis. Wells
typically employed 16.5-ppg oil-based mud
(OBM) when drilling out the 7-in. casing
shoe and making 6 1/8-in. hole. With the first
deployment of the closed-loop system, the
shoe exited with just 14.8-ppg OBM. The
intent was to hold that mud weight through
the build section and horizontal to TD.
Better downhole visibility and control
in gas-prone sections resulted in several
improvements. By enabling the use of a

lighter mud weight, the rate of penetration (ROP) increased from about 15 ft/hr
to as high as 60 ft/hr. Improved drilling
rates and less NPT associated with well
control cut drilling time in half. The well
reached TD in 16 days as opposed to the
planned 31 days. This time reduction was
attributed to an increase in the ROP as a
result of drilling with a lower mud weight
and detection/depletion of microfractures
in a controlled and safe manner.
The Barnett Shale in East Texas also
yields significant gas reserves. MPD has
reliably identified high-pressure kicks,
allowing the wells to be safely shut in. In
one instance, an overbalanced well lost
200 psi when the pumps were stopped.
When flow declined as expected and then
unexpectedly began to increase, the well
shut in.
In the three minutes that transpired
from stopping the pump to shut in, the
well gave a 35-bbl kick. The ability to
immediately see the flow and to expeditiously react by closing the BOP prevented the kick from becoming a major
well control event an all too frequent
outcome in the area.

BEYOND THE HORIZON

Although drilling objectives are being
pushed further and into more complex
conditions, they are attainable without
putting personnel at risk or jeopardizing
the environment. Continual development
of enabling technologies and processes,
including both the closed-loop system
and MPD methodologies, has put previously inaccessible reserves within reach.
A subsea RCD close to commercialization will be installed above the subsea BOP and enable riserless drilling
while enhancing operational safety. A
sub-based continuous flow system in
development will reduce wellbore instability issues and enhance HSE. More
sophisticated monitoring, analysis and
management software will further extend
the capabilities and applications of the
technology.
Access to more accurate downhole data
and the ability to manage drilling pressures will allow operators to not only see
beyond the horizon but to produce it.
Microflux is a registered trademark of
Weatherford International.