Plastering effect

Overview
The plastering effect is a unique benefit of CWD. It is caused by the continuous
interaction between the casing and the wellbore wall. A combination of pipe rotation
and high annular velocity results in drilled cuttings being finely ground. These fine
cuttings are then immediately smeared into the wellbore formation generating
impermeable mud cake.

This process

mechanically strengthens the wellbore

increasing the wellbores stability and reducing the likelihood of lost circulation.

Factors, which Contribute to the Plastering Effect

There are a number of factors, which contribute to the plastering effect.

Annulus Size and ECD

In CWD the ratio of hole to casing diameter is close to unity. This is
due to the large casing size. The result is a smaller annulus when
compared to conventional drilling. The reduced annular volume
increases pressure losses and results in a higher ECD (Equivalent Circulating Density)
for an equivalent flow rate.
The higher ECD initiates tiny fractures at the wellbore wall. Due to the higher ECD
and pipe rotation, the cuttings are pulverized in the annulus before being smeared
into the fractures, subsequently plugging pore throats. (Karimi et al., 2011).

The higher ECD also forces the cuttings towards the filter cake smeared into the
formation.

Smooth Rotation

Smooth rotation of the casing grinds and pulverizes the cuttings as they travel
up in the annulus, explaining the finer-sized cuttings of Casing Drilling. These
small-sized cuttings are smeared into the formation face, and immediately
create an impermeable filter cake. In conventional drilling, the contact between
the drill pipe and the wellbore (by banging the pipe to the wall) is not smooth
one: it doesnt have any order, scrapes the mud cake off the

Grain Size

The smaller grains nest in the spaces between the larger grains. Even smaller
grains can nest into the pores between the small grains. The pulverized cuttings
generated by Casing Drilling can play the role of the mentioned grains to plug
the free spaces of the filter cake. The mixture of different grain sizes at the
cuttings produces a filter cake that is much less permeable.

Eccentric motion of casing

During CWD the large diameter casing string hits the borehole with a small contact
angle and greater contact area. The smooth eccentric motion of the casing creates a
hole with a more circular profile when compared to wellbores drilled using
conventional drillpipe. This improves wellbore stability along with assisting the
development of an impermeable mud cake.

Eccentricmotionofcasingstrings(right)compareto
conventionaldrillstrings(left)(MoellendickandKarimi,2011)

CWD Limitations

Abstract
The objective of this work is to experimentally understand the
plastering effect during Casing while Drilling (CwD). CwD can be
considered as the process of drilling the well wherein the drill pipes
are replaced by the casing and the well is cased as it is being drilled.
Literatures have exclusively shown that CwD is practiced with a
notion to reduce the Non - Productive Time (NPT) and to tackle
problematic zones of fluid loss or unstable formation. One plausible
reason that has been claimed is the plastering effect during CwD, in
which the drill cuttings are crushed to finer particles between the
casing and the wellbore during contact due to limited annular
clearance. These finer particles are smeared into the formation by
the mechanical contact of casing to the wellbore. Plastering effect
leads to formation of a thin layer of mud cake that is strong enough
to prevent fluid loss and had been proven in the field trials.
Actual forces acting on the drill cutting in the limited annular space
can be majorly divided as centrifugal force and the drag force due to
circulation of drilling fluid. Apart from the smearing effect, the
acceleration due to the centrifugal force may also be responsible for
the cuttings to be adhered to the wellbore. Here, in this study,
authors consider the CwD process to be analogous to a large
vertical centrifuge and experimentally understand the process.

Introduction
Karimi et al (2011) states in their study that the casing works as a
mechanical tool to plaster the cuttings into the formation face and
further harden it by physical contact. They also consider that small
annulus and pipe rotation creates a powerful centrifugal force that
helps distribute the cuttings and seal the pore spaces. Higher value
of Equivalent Circulation Density due to very small annular
clearance also helps force movement of particles towards to
wellbore. Casing OD / Hole size ratio has been considered as the
criterion to evaluate the annulus geometry. Their study
recommends,
1. Analyses of the casing OD/Hole sizes prove it to be a primary
drive for occurrence of the plastering effect.
2. In all the successful applications of the plastering effect the
casing OD/Hole size ratios has been in the range 0.75 to 0.90.

3. Finer cutting sizes have been observed while casing drilling

with successful plastering effect occurrence. However, finer
cuttings dont necessarily bring about plastering effect.