SPE 38177

Characterization of Conductive Fractures While Drilling

F. Sanfillippo, M. Brignoli and F.J. Santarelli, Agip S.p.A., and C. Bezzola, Geolog s.r.l.
Copyright 1997, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1997 SPE European Formation Damage
Conference held in The Hague, The Netherlands, 23 June 1997.
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Abstract
When dealing with naturally fractured formations, the
knowledge of the location and the permeability of the
fractures intersecting the wellbore has a strong technical and
economical impact upon drilling, production and reservoir
management strategies.
This paper presents a methodology which allows to
perform a real time characterization of the conductive
fractures intercepted by the bit while drilling. Such fractures
are detected by monitoring continuously the mud losses at the
rig-site using flow-meters measuring both the ingoing and the
outgoing mud flow. The accuracy of such measurements is
very high (mud losses as small as 20 liters can be monitored),
and therefore also the smallest conductive fractures can be
pinpointed.
A simple analytical model describing the mud invasion
into a single fracture is used to invert the mud loss data in
order to estimate the aperture and permeability of each
fracture. This model has been validated with core
measurements, and it is used in real time to perform a quick
but sufficiently precise analysis.
The application of this technique to several field cases is
also illustrated and discussed in terms of:
1. interpretation of the process of fracture plugging;
2. real time evaluation of the hydraulic aperture of the
conductive fractures;
3. generation of a secondary permeability log.
Moreover some operative implications are discussed, such
as:

1. in the field of drilling, the muds, the lost circulation

materials (LCM) and the cement plugs can be selected
properly in order to avoid massive circulation losses and to
minimize the damage due to mud invasion;
2. in the field of production engineering, the completion
schemes and the stimulation operations can be optimized
through the knowledge of the most conductive intervals;
3. in the field of reservoir engineering, a better modeling can
be performed and a better exploitation of the naturally
fractured reservoirs can be achieved.
Introduction
Detecting mud gains and losses is a standard practice during
drilling, as it provides the quickest warning sign of dangers
due either to kicks or to massive circulation losses. Moreover,
when drilling naturally fractured reservoirs, mud loss data
provide one of the most effective means to assess the
existence of conductive fractures intercepting the wellbore
and therefore to identify potentially producing intervals1.
The most used technique is monitoring the level of the
mud tanks with floating sensors or acoustic reflectors and
measuring the cumulative volume of mud lost over a period of
time. In terms of formation characterization, the analysis of
such measurements is generally restricted to the detection of
the presence of natural conductive fractures within a certain
interval and to the qualitative estimation of their conductivity
on the basis of the cumulative volume of mud lost. However,
they are not accurate enough to be inverted in order to
characterize the hydraulic properties of the fractures causing
the losses, in fact:
these measurements cannot discriminate the contribution
of each single fracture;
they measure the cumulative volume lost within a certain
interval, which depends not only on the conductivity of
the intercepted fractures, but also on other factors, such
as the rheological properties of the mud, the fracture
density, the overbalance pressure, the plugging capacity
of the mud, etc.;
in the very best situations their accuracy is about 0.5
bbls, and smaller losses (and, consequently, smaller
fractures) cannot be detected.
A better accuracy and a quicker response in detecting
kicks and losses can be achieved by monitoring the changes of
the mud flow rate by using flow meters measuring the inflow

F. SANFILIPPO, M. BRIGNOLI, F.J. SANTARELLI, C.BEZZOLA

and the outflow mud rate, respectively2.

Actually, the most accurate devices on the market are
electromagnetic flowmeters. Their measuring principle is
based on the Faradays law, that is the measure of the
magnetic field created by an electrically conductive fluid in
movement. For this reason, when installed on drilling rigs,
they can work only when water-based muds are used, as the
small percentage of water contained in the oil-based muds
provides a too low signal for the devices currently available.
Such sensors have been installed while drilling in several
Agip wells where naturally fractured formations were
expected. This paper presents the methodology developed to
interpret such flow rate measurements in order to perform a
more precise characterization of the naturally fractured
formations around the wellbore. The results, obtained during
the first two field applications of the technique, will be
presented. It was possible to demonstrate that the new
methodology was able to provide:
an accurate localization of the conductive fractures
intercepting the wellbore wall;
an estimate of the hydraulic aperture (and, consequently
also of the permeability) of each fracture;
a qualitative description of the process of plugging of the
natural fractures by the mud filtrate.
Real-time mud losses monitoring
Description of the studied formations. Two electromagnetic
flowmeters, measuring the inlet (Qin) and the outlet (Qout) mud
flow rates have been installed during the exploration and
appraisal phase of several Agip fields in the same
geographical zone in order to quickly detect kicks and losses.
Oil-bearing formations are tight and naturally fractured
limestones all along the pay zones. Because primary porosity
and permeability can be considered as negligible, the
detection and the characterization of the most conductive
intervals is compulsory in order to optimize the exploitation of
such fields. Furthermore, because of the presence of numerous
faults due to the high tectonic activity in this area, reservoir
modeling is very difficult and such analysis must be
performed on a well-by-well basis.
Mud losses data appear to be the only way to detect and
characterize the conductive fractures in these reservoirs. In
fact, the cores show that almost all the natural fractures are
cemented and only a few partially open fractures can be seen.
When coring operations are not fully successful, it is difficult
to assess if poor recovery was due to the presence of open
fractures or to other causes.
Furthermore, it is impossible to use image logs in order to
individuate potentially producing intervals, as they cannot
discriminate between open and closed fractures. Comparisons
between the cumulative volume of mud lost within a certain
interval and the fracture density computed from image logs
were attempted, but no significative results were obtained.
Field evaluation of the sensors accuracy. The electronic

SPE 38177

components of electromagnetic flowmeters available on the

market were modified in order to perform high frequency
measurements (up to 100 Hz), which are less affected by
eventual anomalies of the flow.
Preliminary tests performed by the Mud Logging
Company showed that the flowmeters used on rig are able to
measure the mud rate with an accuracy of 12 litres/min at the
best operating conditions, that is when only water-based fluids
flow inside the measuring chamber. However, their accuracy
is lowered by the presence of gas bubbles or solids, because
they can alter the flow pattern inside the sensors.
During drilling it was observed that flowmeters measuring
the inlet mud flow rate always provided a stable signal. In
fact, air bubbles (if any) are very small because of the pressure
applied by the pumps and suspended solids are prevented to
settle down and to be blocked inside the sensors, because they
can be easily installed in the standpipe in vertical position.
Sensors measuring the outlet mud flow rate have generally
a higher background noise. This is due to two factors: (1) the
poorer quality of the mud, which can dirt the electrodes and
lower the intensity of the measured signal; and (2) the
presence of drill cuttings, which can settle down inside the
sensors, as it was unavoidable to install them in horizontal
position just before the shakers, due to the rig normal
configuration (fig. 1).
This has two consequences: to lower the accuracy of the
second sensor (up to a worst accuracy of circa 50 litres/min)
and to affect the measurements of the absolute value of the
outflow rate by slowly drifting the signal. The sensor
measures an apparent higher rate if settled solids are present
or, more often, an apparent lower rate if the electrodes have
been dirted. For these reasons the two sensors can measure
apparently different flow rates even in absence of mud losses
and, when analyzing their data, a manual recalibration has to
be performed.
Flow data were recorded during drilling with an average
sampling rate of one measurement every 5 seconds. All the
other drilling parameters (bottom hole depth, bit position,
hook load, rotary speed, torque, weigth-on-bit, standpipe
pressure, etc.) were recorded with the same frequency and
their analysis allowed to reconstruct precisely every event
sequence. Moreover, it was possible to transmit these data in
real time to central offices in Milan via a network connection
with the rig-site.
Individuation of conductive fractures around the wellbore.
The discovering of open natural fractures produces a sudden
decrease of the outlet mud flow rate (fig. 2), and each event
can be identified by plotting the mud flow rate difference vs.
time or vs. the bottom hole depth.
Apparent losses due, e.g., to a temporary blockage of the
annulus by drill cuttings, short trips, etc., can be also
identified by analizing the other recorded drilling parameters.
Furthermore, losses caused by hydraulically induced
fractures - e.g. because of a packed annulus - can be

SPE 38177

CHARACTERIZATION OF CONDUCTIVE FRACTURES WHILE DRILLING

individuated by performing a double check:

by computing the bottom hole pressure and verifying if it
was or not around the estimated fracturing pressure;
by verifying if the value of the standpipe pressure
decreased or not while the loss was occurring.
Because of the adopted high sampling frequency, each
single loss, caused by the discovering of natural conductive
fractures, can be identified and pinpointed. Furthermore,
because of the high accuracy of the flowmeters used, losses as
small as 20 liters could be detected. Each event was associated
with a single conductive fracture. In the cases which have
been analyzed, this is a reasonable assumption because the
instantaneous ROP is low, and therefore the position of the bit
can be measured with a precision of a few millimeters. There
were only a few cases of two or more merging signals due to
the presence of closely spaced fractures.

the squeezing of the mud is a process having a radial

symmetry; in case of an inclined fracture an equivalent
geometry was considered;
matrix conductivity is negligible with respect to fracture
conductivity;
the effects of the plugging of the fracture by the mud
filtrate can be considered as negligible in the first stages
of the loss;
the fluid is Newtonian;
the flux is laminar;
the Poiseuille law is valid; therefore the hydraulic
aperture of the fracture is linked with its permeability via
the following equation:

Characterization of conductive fractures

Description of the model estimating the aperture of the
fractures. The hydraulic aperture of the natural fractures,
which caused the circulation losses, has been estimated by
developing a model which describes the process of mud
squeezing into each fracture, after its discovering by the
drilling bit.
This problem has been tackled renouncing to make a
description which takes into consideration all the governing
factors. Instead, it was decided to develop a model based on
simple assumptions, thus allowing to solve its equations
analytically or with simple numerical techniques. This
decision was dictated by several considerations, such as:
the real physical process is extremely complex and not
known in all the details: it deals with a non-Newtonian
fluid squeezed into a system having an irregular and nonsymmetric geometry;
most parameters necessary for a complete modelling are
not measured or available with the required precision;
the scope of this work is to develop a versatile and quick
tool in order to be able to perform the analysis of
characterization of the fractures within times consistent
with the operative requirements, in particular from a
drilling perspective.
Therefore, the results obtained are affected by these
intrinsic simplifications and they have significance only in
relative terms. As it will described below, it was possible to
perform a calibration in only one case, where a circulation
loss occurred during a coring operation.
The simplifying assumptions can be summarized as
follows:
every circulation loss has been associated with the
discovering of a single conductive fracture by the
drilling bit;
the fracture is plane and of uniform aperture; therefore it
forms on the internal wellbore wall a circular profile (if it
is perpendicular with respect to the well axis) or an
elliptical one (if it is inclined);

The output of the model is the hydraulic aperture of the

fracture. Its detailed description is given in appendix A.

k=

h2
.......................................................................(1)
12

Field applications of the technique.

Real-time estimations of the hydraulic aperture of the
conductive fractures intercepted by the wellbore are currently
performed during drilling the reservoir section of each well of
interest.
The values of the input parameters are choosen according
to the following criteria:
mud flow rate into the fracture is:
Qloss = Qin - Qout..........................................................(2)
bottom hole pressure is computed as the algebraic sum of
the hydrostatic mud column, the standpipe pressure and
the friction losses within the drillstring;
fracture pressure is provided by RFTs performed on
adjacent wells or calculated;
viscosity is given by the value of the plastic viscosity,
measured several times per day on the rig according to
API standards;
mud compressibility is assumed to be the same of water;
having assumed the rock matrix as impermeable, the
value of porosity is put equal to unity;
the inclination of the fractures with respect to the
wellbore axis is provided by core observations or, later,
by image logs.
Only the ascending part of the curve Qloss vs. time (that is
the part not yet influenced by the mechanisms of plugging) is
used as input into the model.
The hydraulic aperture of all the conductive natural
fractures around two wells, A and B, has been estimated as
first two field applications of this technique. Tables 1 and 2
and fig. 3a and 4a summarize the results of such analysis in
the two wells. It should be noted that, except in a few cases,
conductive fractures were identified by measuring very small

F. SANFILIPPO, M. BRIGNOLI, F.J. SANTARELLI, C.BEZZOLA

losses, not detectable with any other technique. Furthermore,

it is evident from fig. 4a that a faulty zone was reached during
drilling of well B and it must be mentionned that the last event
recorded is the only case experienced of a total circulation
loss. In this case the estimated value of the aperture (0.8mm)
is only an approximation by defect.
These estimations have been validated in the case of well
A, where two close losses were measured during a coring
operation while the bit was moved circa 4cm forward. While
the corresponding fractures were estimated to have an
hydraulic aperture of 0.32mm and 0.35mm respectively, on
the core a 4cm thick band of parallel, partially cemented
fractures, whose mechanical aperture was comprised between
0.2mm and 0.8mm, have been seen.
Then, using the estimated value of the hydraulic aperture
of each fracture, the fracture permeability can be estimated
through the Poiseuilles law. Fig. 3b and 4b show the derived
secondary permeability logs for both cases, where the
average permeability per meter is plotted. These values are in
agreement with the estimated permeability of the producing
intervals in the reservoir models as obtained from well testing
and early production data.
Interpretation of the process of fracture plugging
Data, concerning a massive circulation loss occurred during
drilling of well A, have been used to analize the mechanism of
plugging of the natural open fractures by the invading mud.
The main observations are summarized in Table 3 and in fig.
5. This loss occurred into a single natural fracture, which,
according to the image logs interpretation, has an inclination
with respect to the wellbore axis of about 70 and an
estimated hydraulic aperture of 0.62mm.
According to the drilling daily reports, no specific
plugging solids were used and therefore only standard
weighting solids, having an average diameter of circa 50
microns, were suspended in the mud. The total amount of
fluid which entered into the fracture was between 14 and 18m3
and the loss was stopped only the day after. It is difficult to be
more precise because, at the end, the loss was monitored in
static conditions, and therefore the flowmeters were not
working anymore.
The analysis of these data led to define an important
feature of the mechanism of plugging natural fractures: that is
the plugging occurs several meters away from the wellbore.
In fact this loss reached its peak value of 1270
liters/minute after 20 seconds and then the mechanism of
plugging began to be effective. At the end of this period of
time circa 300 liters of mud were lost into the fracture:
assuming no leak-off through the fracture walls, the radius of
invasion can be estimated to be circa 10m. At this distance the
velocity of the mud was around 15cm/sec, that is low enough
to allow the suspended solid particles to be blocked within the
asperities in the interior of the fracture, while near the
wellbore they were much more likely to be eroded away.
Having in mind this mechanism, four observations can be
made:

SPE 38177

the plugging started almost immediately, because the

radius of invasion increased rapidly and therefore the
particles started to be blocked very soon;
the mud loss rate decreased despite the fact that the bit
moved forward, thus increasing the section of flow at the
wellbore wall. This is because the plugged zone was far
away in the fracture and therefore it was not removed by
the action of the bit;
the first stages of the plugging are governed by the laws
of static filtration, that is the cumulative volume of mud
lost in the fracture was proportional to the square root of
time (fig. 6):

Vcum ( t ) = V0 + C t ...................................................(3)
This confirms that in the plugged zone the moving fluid
could not erode away the blocked particles.
Moreover it could be observed that the coefficient of
proportionality C depends on the differential pressure
between the wellbore and the interior of the fracture
(Table 4), as it happens typically in the process of static
filtration.
The plugging process was very effective in the first
stages, but the loss was stopped very late. In fact, the
solid particles could be easily blocked in the asperities
within the fracture, and therefore they reduced its
aperture in the initial stages of the loss. However, being
the solids 12 times smaller than the hydraulic aperture of
the fracture (and probably, even less in comparison with
the mechanical aperture), they were not coarse enough to
block the biggest channels.
According to this interpretation, it should be concluded
that the granulometric distribution of the suspended solids in
the mud is the most important factor which determines the
ability of controlling losses into natural fractures. Therefore in
order to prevent drilling problems and an unrecovable damage
of the most conductive fractures due to large volumes of
squeezed mud, it should be recommended to use coarser
particles than standard weighting materials while drilling
fractured formations, thus allowing the solids to be blocked
within the fracture as near as possible from the wellbore.
However, as already pointed out by Lietard et al.3, the
process of fracture plugging can be interpreted also as an
effect of the rheological properties of the mud, which
increases its viscosity when its velocity inside the natural
channels is reduced.
Both mechanisms explain qualitatively the field
measurements and in the authors opinion only by analyzing
more field data about massive losses into natural fractures and
of the remedial operations done in order to cope with them it
could be possible to discriminate which mechanism is more
effective.
Conclusions
This paper showed that high accuracy flowmeters provide an

SPE 38177

CHARACTERIZATION OF CONDUCTIVE FRACTURES WHILE DRILLING

effective mean to characterize naturally fractured reservoirs.

From an economical point of view, such analysis has a
strong impact; due to the fact that:
the productivity impairment of natural fractures due to
the mud invasion can be prevented or reduced;
mud volumes lost during drilling can be reduced;
the completion strategy can be optimized;
a more precise reservoir modeling can be performed,
thus allowing a better field management.
For these reasons the installation of the electromagnetic
flowmeters has became a standard for every Agip well in
naturally fractured formations.
Nomenclature

a=
b=
c=
ct=
D=
h=
k=
l=
p=
Qin=
Qloss=
Qout=
r=
Rw=
req=
t=
tD=
VD=
xb=
=
=
=
P=
=
=
=
=

mayor semiaxis
minor semiaxis
coefficient defined in eq. A-14
total compressibility
distance between the extreme points of the
elliptical profile already discovered
fracture aperture
permeability
length of the arc of ellipse already discovered
pressure
inlet mud flow rate
mud loss flow rate (= Qin-Qout)
outlet mud flow rate
radial coordinate
wellbore radius
equivalent radius
time
adimensional time
adimensional volume
abscissa described in eq. A-4
term defined in eq. A-17
term defined in eq. A-18
wellbore inclination
pressure difference
eccentricity
mud viscosity
angle defined in eq. A-4
porosity

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Agip S.p.A. for permission to
publish this paper. Geolog s.r.l. engineers are particularly
acknowledged for the work done in order to modify and test
the electromagnetic flowmeters, and for the acquisition of the
field data.
References
1. Dyke, C.G., Wu, B., Milton-Taylor, D.: Advances in
Characterizing Natural Fracture Permeability From Mud Log
Data, paper SPE 25022 presented at the European Petroleum

Conference, Cannes, France, 16-18 Nov. 1992.

2. Shafer, D.M., Loeppke, G.E., Glowka, D.A., Scott, D.D.: An
Evaluation of Flowmeters for the Detection of Kicks and Lost
Circulation During Drilling, paper IADC/SPE 23935, presented
at the IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, New Orleans, USA, 1821 Feb. 1992.
3. Lietard, O., Unwin, T., Guillot, D., Hodder, M.: Fracture Width
LWD and Drilling Mud / LCM Selection Guidelines in
Naturally Fractured Reservoirs, paper SPE 36832, presented at
the European Petroleum Conference 1996, Milan, Italy, 22-24
Oct. 1996.
4. Craft, B.C. and Hawkins, M.: Applied Petroleum Reservoir
Engineering, Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 212.

Appendix A - Analytical model for the estimation of

the the hydraulic aperture of the natural fractures.
Introduction. The process of squeezing the mud within a
single fracture has been described through the diffusion
equation in radial coordinates as follows:

2 p 1 p ct p
+
=
..............................................(A-1)
k t
r 2 r r
A fracture inclined with respect to the wellbore axis
describes an elliptic profile on the internal wall. Therefore, in
order to use the above equation, an equivalent geometry was
assumed by considering a system composed by a wellbore
intercepted by a perpendicular fracture (thus describing a
circle on the internal wall). The equivalent radius of the
wellbore is such that the length of the profile of the fracture is
the same in the two systems.
Computation of the equivalent radius. The equation of the
ellipse described by an inclined fracture can be written in the
standard canonical form:
2
x2 y
+ 2 = 1 ...............................................................(A-2)
2
b
a

where the semiaxes a and b are function of the inclination

angle and the wellbore radius Rw:
a=

Rw
cos ..................................................................(A-3)

b = Rw

The position of the bit when it has partially discovered the

fracture can be described by the abscissa xb and the angle
(see fig. 7):
= a 2 x2b .............................................................(A-4)

The length l of the arc of ellipse already discovered is

F. SANFILIPPO, M. BRIGNOLI, F.J. SANTARELLI, C.BEZZOLA

SPE 38177

therefore:

l = 2a E ; E( ; ) ..........................................(A-5)

where E(;) is the elliptic integral of second kind:

tD =

h2 t
.......................................................(A-13)
12 ct r 2eq

The tabulated values have been interpolated with the

following analytical function (obtained correlation coefficient:
r2 = 0.99):

E( ; ) = 1 2 sin2 d .........................................(A-6)
0

with being the eccentricity of the ellipse.

The length of the profile described by the fracture below
the bit depends on the shape of the bit itself. In the cases
considered in this paper it was assumed to be equal to the
distance D between the extreme points of the already
discovered arc of ellipse:
D = 2b 1

x2b
.........................................................(A-7)
a2

The total length of the profile of the fracture already

discovered is l + D. So, in order to compute the equivalent
radius of the wellbore, it must be:
2req = l + D ............................................................(A-8)
and therefore:
l+D
................................................................(A-9)
2

req =

Particular solution of the diffusivity equation. The

diffusivity equation was solved by considering the solution in
the case of transitory flux and by applying a constant pressure
difference as boundary condition. In this case the solution
cannot be given analytically and it can be found in literature4
in tabulated form in terms of adimensional time (tD) and
adimensional volume of fluid entered (VD):
tD =

kt
ct r 2eq

VD =

...........................................................(A-10)

Vcum
.................................................(A-11)
2 ct r 2eq hP

The fracture permeability was considered as a function of

its aperture according to the Poiseuille law:
k=

h2
...................................................................(A-12)
12

and therefore the adimensional time can be rewritten as

below:

VD = c

tD
............................................................(A-14)
ln t D

with c = 2.01.
And finally, the following equation was obtained:

h2 t
12 c t r 2eq

h2 t
ln

12 ct r 2eq

Vcum
= 0 .....................(A-15)
2 ct r 2eq hP

which can be reduced in terms of the aperture of the

fracture as below:
a

h2
= 0 .................................................(A-16)
ln( h2 ) h

where:
=

t
........................................................(A-17)
12 ct r 2eq

Vcum
.....................................................(A-18)
2 ct r 2eq P

For every measurement of circulation loss, the root of eq.

A-16 was computed through a numerical iteration using the
Newton-Raphson formula.

TABLE 1 - WELL A: LIST OF MUD LOSSES

AND ESTIMATION OF THE HYDRAULIC
APERTURE OF THE CORRESPONDING
FRACTURES
Depth (m)
3621.4
3892.8
3892.85
3979.8
3981.1
4009.7
4009.9
4010.1
4029.9
4048.75
4049.3
4065.3
4096.8
4097.8
4098.6
4098.7
4098.9
4101.7
4101.8
4102.3
4102.4
4103.8
4104.2

Total mud lost

3
(m )
18
0.018
0.042
0.4
0.4
0.02
0.028
0.018
0.022
0.038
0.06
0.029
0.038
0.05
0.053
0.03
0.031
0.022
0.019
0.035
0.025
0.055
0.057

TABLE 2 - WELL B: LIST OF MUD

LOSSES AND ESTIMATION OF THE
HYDRAULIC APERTURE OF THE
CORRESPONDING FRACTURES
Depth (m)

Aperture of the fracture

(mm)
0.62
0.32
0.35
0.28
0.32
0.22
0.22
0.21
0.21
0.21
0.21
0.25
0.19
0.20
0.19
0.18
0.18
0.21
0.17
0.20
0.23
0.22
0.23

2896.1
2930.6
2934.6
3027.3
3028.3
3028.6
3029.2
3032.1
3032.3
3032.5
3032.6
3032.9
3033.1
3033.8
3034.1
3034.8
3035.5
3035.7
3036.1
3036.4
3036.5
3037.9
3038.8
3039.2
3039.3
3039.7
3040.1
3041.0
3044.3
3045.8

Total mud lost

3
(m )
0.03
0.04
0.15
0.55
0.27
0.28
0.42
0.13
0.03
0.24
0.09
0.09
0.21
0.42
0.44
0.10
0.26
0.18
0.48
0.18
0.37
0.07
1.33
0.30
0.04
1.56
0.08
0.33
1.13
total circ. loss

Aperture of the
fracture (mm)
0.29
0.34
0.29
0.34
0.29
0.31
0.30
0.37
0.30
0.72
0.46
0.44
0.38
0.48
0.55
0.36
0.43
0.44
0.45
0.37
0.37
0.33
0.50
0.42
0.35
0.49
0.36
0.40
0.46
>0.80

TABLE 3 - SUMMARY OF THE EVENTS OCCURRED DURING THE MASSIVE MUD LOSS IN WELL A
EVENT #
TIME

BOTTOM
HOLE DEPTH

STANDPIPE

(m)

(Kg/cm2)

PRESSURE

MUD RATE IN
(L/min)

MUD LOSS RATE

(L/min)

1
2

8:23
8:25

3621.44
3621.57

92
92 to 0

1700
1700 to 0

8:31

3621.57

28

860

0 - 1270
200 (while
circulating)
180

8:48

3621.57

50

750

120

8:53

3621.73

28

860

100

9:27

3621.73

28

860

90

10:00

3621.73

NOTES
Sudden loss increasing within 20
seconds, then progressive decline.
Short trip and static survey.
End of static survey and beginning of
dynamic survey.
Attempt of drilling, mud loss slightly
increases.
Stop drilling, then dynamic survey.
Dynamic survey goes on. Since this
time the flowmeters were recalibrated,
and
therefore
their
measurements cannot be used from
now on.
Beginning of the static survey.

F. SANFILIPPO, M. BRIGNOLI, F.J. SANTARELLI, C.BEZZOLA

SPE 38177

TABLE 4 - DECREASE OF COEFFICIENT C (eq. 3) WITH

DECREASING DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE DURING THE MASSIVE
MUD LOSS OCCURRED IN WELL A (see also figure 6).
Time
8:23 - 8:25
(events 1 - 2)
8:53 - 9:27
(events 3 -6)

Standpipe pressure
2
(kg/cm )
92

Estimated differential
2
pressure (kg/cm )
103

28

39

Coefficient C (m /s

-1/2

180
161

Figure 1: Installation of the flowmeter measuring the outlet mud flow rate.

900

Qin

800

Mud flow rates (L/min)

700
600
500

Qout

400
300
200
100
0
0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Time (sec)

Figure 2: Example of detection of mud losses using the electromagnetic flowmeters.

SPE 38177

CHARACTERIZATION OF CONDUCTIVE FRACTURES WHILE DRILLING

Hydraulic Aperture (mm)

Average Permeability (D/m)

0.5

3600

3600

3700

3700

3800

3800

Depth (m)

Depth (m)

3900
4000

10

20

3900
4000

4100

4100

Figures 3a and 3b: Well A: localization of all conductive fractures and estimation
of their hydraulic aperture and permeability.

Hydraulic Aperture (mm)

0.5

Average permeability (D/m)

0

2890

2890

2910

2910

2930

2930

2950

2950

Depth (m)

Depth (m)

2970
2990

40

60

2970
2990
3010

3010

20

3030

3050

3030
3050

Figures 4a and 4b: Well B: localization of all conductive fractures and estimation
of their hydraulic aperture and permeability.

1400
1200

Qloss (L/min)

1000
800
600

400
3

200

4 5

0
0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Time (s)
Figure 5: Massive loss occurred in well A (numbered events are described in Table 3).

10

F. SANFILIPPO, M. BRIGNOLI, F.J. SANTARELLI, C.BEZZOLA

SPE 38177

Cumulative Lost Volume (L)

12000
6

10000
8000
5

6000
4000

2000
1

0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

time (s1/2)
Figure 6: Linear trend between the cumulative mud lost volume and the square root of
time observed during the massive loss occurred in well A. It can be explained with a
mechanism of static filtration (numbered events are described in Table 3).

Moving bit
P

D 2b
P
xb
2a

PP = l
PP = D

Figure 7: Parameters used to describe the geometry of the profile of a fracture intercepted by the bit.