CGE578: DRILLING ENGINEERING II

§ Hole and Formation Problem

§ Pipe and Other Equipment Problem

§ Fishing Technique and Tools

§ The problems in drilling are mainly due to hole, formation,
pipe or other equipment problems. It has been observed that
the drilling mud is the source of most encountered hole
problems and drilling hazards.
§ When such problems happens, drilling operation has to be
stopped and the remedies for these problems are usually
costly.
§ Among the common drilling problems are:
§ Pipe sticking
§ Lost circulation
§ Verticality of hole
§ Drillpipe failures
§ Borehole instability/ Shale Problem
§ Shallow hydrocarbon zones
§ High bottom hole temperature
§ Corrosion
§ A pipe is considered stuck if cannot be freed without
damage to the pipe.

Types of Pipe
Sticking

Differential Mechanical Pipe

Pressure Pipe Sticking
Sticking
§ While drilling the drill string cannot be rotated and cannot
be pull out. However, the mud pump operates normally
and the mud can be circulated as usual.
§ A drillpipe called differential stuck when it is motionless
and forced against a permeable formation (mud cake) due
to excessive differential pressure (overbalance).
§ The higher mud pressure acting on the outside wall of the
drillpipe as compared to formation pressure will push the
drillpipe to the borehole wall (video).
To minimize of the differentially stuck,
following precautions should be applied:
1. Minimize the differential pressure
(overbalance pressure) between
borehole pressure and formation
pressure (allowance for surge and
swab pressures during tripping
operations).
2. Maintain the efficient of control of the
mud properties (e.g.: density, fluid
loss).
3. Minimize the friction factor (oil based
mud & low water loss mud).
4. Minimize contact area between
drillstring and borehole (e.g.: Using
stabilizer on the drill collar, using non
circular drill collar, minimize filter
cake thickness).
1 - Hydrostatic Pressure Reduction:
The amount of low density fluid to be pumped
into drillstring. Reduction of mud weight is done
by dilution or gasifying with nitrogen.

2 - Spotting organic
fluid:
A mixture of diesel oil 3 - Back off
and surfactant is pump operations
to the location where the (Final
drillstring stuck. Since Solution) :
the mixture is meant to
reduce the thickness of Parting the
the mud cake and the drillstring
friction factor, sufficient above the
time has to be allowed so free point
that the mixture can be part of the
dissolved and the mud drillstring
cake destroyed. and fish the
remaining.
1. After the drillstring is separated, fishing
operations can commence. First so called
“lead impression blocks” are run to check
how the fish’s surface looks alike.
2. Afterwards special catching tools like ones
listed below are run:-
§ Overshot dressed with basket grapple (video)

§ Overshot dressed with spiral grapple

§ Box tap & Taper tap, etc.

3. When the fishing operations are not

successful, the well has to be plugged back
leaving the fish in the hole. Subsequent
operations are sidetracking or, depending on
the well economics and objectives,
abandoning.
§ Could result from accumulation of soft drilled cuttings at
the drillbit (bit balling), high accumulation of drilled
cuttings in the annulus, the caving or collapsing of the
borehole wall and key seating problem.
§ The poor hydraulic system could cause the bit balling
problem whereby soft drilled cuttings will accumulate
around the drillbit tooth and preventing the bit from
drilling further.

Bit  Balling
§ High accumulation of drilled cuttings
in the annulus: -
§ In the directional drilling, most of the
cuttings will accumulate at the low side
of the borehole and such excessive
accumulation will cause pipe sticking
issue.
§ Hydraulics system and mud viscosity
should be improved to avoid
mechanical sticking related to drilled
cuttings accumulation.
§ Drillstring rotation at high enough
speed – to agitate any stationary
cuttings.
 § The caving and collapsing of the borehole could be
more severe when drilling into shale and salt
formation.

§ This is due to the plasticity characteristic of the

formation and has tendency to flow inward causing
mechanical pipe sticking.
§ In this case, the drilling mud must be carefully
programmed so that it can provide enough
density and viscosity to avoid such problems.
§ Key seating – phenomenon occurs at the
dogleg where a new hole is created by
drill string until the drillpipe is stuck to
the wall.
§ The key seating mostly happens in soft
formation.
§ Can be identified when the drillstring
can be moved downwards but not
upwards
§ To remove key seating:
§ The hole should be reamed
§ Organic fluid can be spotted
§ Backing off. The fish could be retrieved
after that.
§ Prevention:
§ Use Stiff BHA- reduce doglegs
§ Avoid sudden changes in hole inclination
in deviated well
§ Loss of circulation could be either total
loss or partial loss
§ It is referring to the uncontrolled flow
of mud into the formation
§ In total loss all the mud flow into
formation and there is no mud return
to the surface.
§ In partial loss, there is some mud
return to the surface but the mud pit
volume is decreasing.
§ The loss of circulation normally
happens in fractured, depleted or
highly permeable formations.
§ Two conditions for for lost circulation to
occur:-
1. A formation with flow channels that
allow passage of hole fluid from the
wellbore
2. An overbalance or positive pressure
differential between the wellbore and
the formation.
• B – Caverns
Most severe LC occurs in this type of formations.
Cavernous or extremely vugular formations are
typically limestones that have been leached by
water. The void spaces in these formation can
be large enough, as the drillstring may actually
drop by as much as several ft., proceeding a
sudden complete loss of return. Rough drilling
may occur just before a bit encounters these
formations

• C – Natural Fractures
Secondary porosity & permeability, naturally
occurred in fractured sand, shales and
carbonates. It can be in horizontal natural
fractures, where LC may occur with gradual
lowering of the pit level, with a complete loss of
returns occurring as additional fractures are
encountered. For vertical fractures, LC will take
progressively increasing amount of mud as
drilling progress and as more of the fractures
exposed.
• A – Permeable Zones (naturally LC)

Due to their high primary porosity and

permeability, at unconsolidated formation,
gravel beds, loose conglomerates and shallow or
highly depleted sandstoned. LC occurs by a
gradual drop in pit level, although continued
drilling time and additional exposure to the
wellbore may result in partial or complete mud
losses.

• D - Induced Fractures

Lost returns in an area where offset wells have

not experienced LC. Induced fractures are
related to drilling –fluid or cementing programs
or sometimes the due to the well architecture
itself. Mechanical failures – e.g. leaks in shallow
casing string can also contribute to LC.
§ Causes of induced fractures:
§ Hydrostatic mud pressure exceeds the breaking strength of the
rock and raising mud weight quickly.
§ Excessive wellbore pressure by high flowrate (high annular
friction pressure loss) or tripping in too fast (high surge
pressure) which lead to high ECD.
§ Methods to identify and locate zone of
lost circulation are:
§ Spinner Survey
§ Temperature Survey
§ Radioactive Tracer Survey
§ Hot Wire Survey
§ Pressure Transducer Survey

§ Lost circulation material is added to the

drilling mud to bridge-off the large
openings of the formations and thus
help control it.
§ Loss of mud (High cost).
§ Loss of drilling time (Consequences
cost increases).
§ No information on formation being
drilled.
§ The drop in annular mud level will
cause blowout.
 Loss Loss Rate Typical Formation LCM
Severity (bbl/hr.) Type/Treatment
Seepage 1 to 10 Porous and permeable Fine - medium
granular
Fine - medium fibre
Partial 10 to 50 Unconsolidated & gravels: Fine - coarse granular
Small open fractures Fine - coarse fibre
Fine - coarse flake

Severe 50 to 100 Long sections of Fine - medium

unconsolidated sands etc. granular
Fractures Fine - medium fibre

Total >500 Cavernous Sodium silicate &

Large fractures cement
Gunk treatments
§ Most commonly used lost circulation additives
 Indications Causes Results

• Flow out < • High • Costly mud

Flow in formation makeup
• Drop in mud permeability • Loss of
pit volume • Low formation production
• Blowout pore pressure • Loss of
• Poor drilling formation
fluid evaluation
characteristics data
• Induced • Fire
fracturing of • Loss of permit
formation to drill
from rapid
pipe
movement
Preventive Actions Remedial Actions

• Crew education • Use LCM as mud

• Good mud additive
program • Drill trough
• Study wells in troublesome
area interval and case
off
• Decrease mud
weight
• Decrease
circulation rate
§ Drillpipe failures could be twist-off, parting and fatigue. The
failures of drillpipe normally requires fishing process if it is not
possible to pull the drillpipe back to the surface.

Torsion
• The high torque could cause twist-off if
the shear stress exceeds the material’s
rating.

Parting
• Parting happens when the tensile stress
is too high that exceeds the material’s
rating.

Fatigue
• Repeated application of cyclic stresses
can cause the fatigue even tough without
corrosion. – most common.
§ Use proper pipes according to the specifications
§ Perform regular inspection on the pipe.
§ A straight and vertical hole requires the
usage of proper number and size of drill
collars, optimum rotational speed of
rotary table and good circulation of
drilling fluid.
§ Proper size of drill collar is used which
holds the drill pipes centrally and puts
required weight on bit
§ The rotation of rotary table selected to
such rpm to allow the bit to cut the
formation straight and preventing
rotation of bit to one side.
§ The usual method of straightening of
crooked holes, is to ream the hole to
largest possible diameters to give the
well casing to align itself in the hole.
https://www.slb.com/~/media/Files/resources/oilfield_review/ors04/aut04/02_drilling_straight_do
wn.pdf
 Indications Causes Results

• Periodical • Too much • Uneven

Directional WOB spacing (on
Surveys • Dipping bottom)
• Stuck Formation • Legal
drillstring • Anisotropic problems
• Casing Formation • Production
Problems • Too Small problems
drill collars • Cementing
• No problems
stabilizers
Preventive Actions Remedial Actions

• Avoid buckling of • Plug back and

drillpipe by using sidetrack
sufficient number • Use Whipstock
of drill collars • Use reamers
• Use ‘oversize’ drill
collars
• Use reamers and
stabilizers
• Start the hole
vertically
§ Borehole instability is an undesirable condition of an open
hole interval that does not maintain its gauge size and
shape as well as its structural integrity.

Hole
Closure

Hole
Collapse Types
Enlargement

Fracturing
§ Isa time- dependent process of borehole narrowing,
sometimes refer to as creep, under the overburden pressure.
§ Generally occurs in plastic flowing shale and salt formation.

§ Problems:
§ Increase in potential for pipe sticking
§ Increase in difficulty casing landing
§ Increase in torque and drag
§ Commonly termed washout,
i.e. hole becomes undesirably
larger than intended caused
by hydraulic erosion in
inherently sloughing shale
(brittle shale with micro
fracture in it).
§ Problems:
§ Increase in difficulty of
cementing
§ Increase difficulty for
potential hole deviation
§ Increase problem for logging
operations
§ Occurswhen the wellbore drilling-fluid
pressure exceeds the formation fracture
pressure.
§ Problem: Loss circulation
§ Occurs when the drilling fluid pressure is
too low to maintain the structural
integrity of the drilled hole.
§ Problem: Pipe sticking
https://agushoe.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/the-hole-problem-sloughing-shale/
§ Proper selection and maintenance of mud weight
§ Proper hydraulics to control the ECD
§ Proper level of annular velocity to ensure good
hole cleaning
§ Compatible borehole fluid with the formation
being drilled
§ Use of offset well data
§ Monitoring of trend changes (torque, circulating
pressure etc)
§ Avoid fast trip or swabbing of the hole
§ Effective hole cleaning
§ Achieved minimum annular velocity for lifting
cuttings
§ The minimum annular velocity depends on the
properties of the mud and cuttings of the
particular well. Typically 100 -200 ft./min.

§ Optimize power usage to drill the hole efficiently

§ Optimum pressure drop across the bit.
§ Therefore hydraulic power is optimized by
increasing the flow rate and the improvement
on the pressure losses at the bit.
§ Fish is an object left in the well bore during
drilling or work that must be recovered before
work can proceed. E.g. Parted drill pipe, lost
bit cones
§ Fishing operations are any action taken
which attempts to remove the fish from
borehole
§ Fishing tool is any and all special pieces of
equipment that must be added to the string
to enable the operator to engage and retrieve
the fish
§ Drillstring failure
(twist-off)
§ Sticking the
string
§ Bit failures

§ Junk in the hole

§ Accident or error
in judgments
§ Other equipment
failures
§ Do not compress the drillstring (bend, crooked
hole)
§ Rotate the drillstring in tension (use sufficient
drill collar)
§ Use new drillstrings (old pipes tend to corrode,
wear, etc.)
§ Check the equipment (connections, repair,
replace, etc.)
§ Tight the connection properly (do not over or
undertighten)
§ Use proper muds
§ Unhurried, extreme caution should be exercised
See Video
§ A hollow tool with grapple attached to a fishing string
which is used to latch and pull, or push on the fish
§ Used to mill all type of fish in the hole such as bits,
packers, drill pipes, casing for window, bridge plug, etc.
§ To retrieve small objects such as hand wrenches, bolts,
drill bit cones, clamps, pieces of steel, etc. Example of junk
retrievers : Magnet, Junk basket
§ To generate controlled blows onto a stuck fish. Example:
jars, accelerators, bumper sub.
§ A hollow cylindrical milling tool to wash or mill
away
formation, contaminated mud or debris from around the
fish
§ One day to several months
§ Fishing cost vs. side tracking & re-drilling cost
§ Please
read these Oilfield Review by
Schlumberger:-
§ Techniques for Breaking Free (October
1991).
§ Landing the Big One – The Art of Fishing
(Winter 2012/2013).
§ Next instruction will be given on next
class.
§ Lewis, P., Williams, M., & Land, S. (2004). Drilling Straight
Down. Oilfield Review, 14–17. Retrieved from
https://www.slb.com/~/media/Files/resources/oilfield_re
view/ors04/aut04/02_drilling_straight_down.pdf
§ Mitchell, R. F., & Miska, S. Z. (2011). Fundamentals of
Drilling Engineering (Vol. 12).