m

.
.

Society of Petroleum Engineers

SPE 50581

Critical Requirements for Successful Fluid Engineering in HPHT Wells:

Modeling Tools, Design Procedures & Bottom Hole Pressure
Management in the Field
Erhu Gao, SPE, Schlumberger Dowell, Odin Estensen, Shell U.K. Exploration and Production,
Colin MacDonald, SPE, Schlumberger Dowell, and Stephen Castle, Shell U.K. Exploration and Production

Copyright 1998, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc

This paper was prepared for Dresentatbn at the 1998 SPE European
held in The Hague, The Netherlands, 20-22 October 1998.

one to two incident(s) per well. It is obvious that an increased

understanding and more accurate management of bottom hole
mud pressure are critical in minimizing the number and extent
of well control incidents when drilling HPHT wells.
A review of the literature 2-showed that for non HPHT wells,
the effects 01pressure and [cmperature on mud weight can be
ignored. However, for HpHT WCIIS, [he effects of pressure and

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t~nlperature on surfilce mud weight, the equivalent downhole

mud weight, and the ecluiva]enl circult~ting density (ECD) must
be taken into consideration.
It would be easier to define and manage if a constant bottom
hole pressure can be maintained during drilling operations.
Unfortunately,
due to the changes
of downhole
mud
temperature profile and the effect of temperature profile on
equivalent mud weight, it is impossible even to maintain a
constant hydrostatic pressure for a given well operation. The
hydrostatic overbalance always varies within a certain range,
depending on the pump rate and the mud properties. A1though
the circulating mud temperature profile is constantly changing,
the geothermal temperature profile can be assumed to remain
state. Theretore a constnnt
in a constant
hydrostatic
overbalance can be designed and maintained under geothermal
temperature profile. Using this concept, new procedures have
been developed to achieve this. The circulating temperature
profiles at different operating conditions are then established,
and the hydrostatic overbalances are calculated to ensure that a
minimum
acceptable
overbalance
is maintained
during
different operations.
After detailed analysis, a standard temperature for surface mud
weight control is defined and used for the control of tlowline
and active pit mud weight(s). These procedures have been
applied sLIcccssfuily in the Ii)ur HPHT sections of the Heron
project.
The novelty of the present developments
11:1sled to new
procedures being developed for different phases of the well
operations, including design and field execution, details of
which are presented in this paper.

Abstract
This paper presents developments
in the management of
drilling fluids for use in high-pressure,
high-temperature
(HPHT) WCIIs, especially a process that includes both a
methodology (or the management of bottom 1101cmud pressure
and the usc of modeling software that enables it. The
developments have contributed to the success 01four HPHT
wells in the UKCS Central Grahen. This paper discusses three
essential elements for successful fluid engineering during,
HPHT drill in: t)pera(ions:

program
coupled
with a
an acc Llrate hydraulics
temperature simulator

procedures for design and planning

bottom-hole pressure management in the lield

Introduction
Traditionally, a constant IIILILIweight has been maintained at
the flowline or in the active pit no matter the mud Temperature.
The effects t)lboth pressure and temperature on mud weight
were basically ignored. This practice is :Ldcquate Ior the
success of most wells. Howevef, due to the small margin
between pore pressure and fracture gradiel~[ in HPHT WCIIS,
the above practice was unsatisfactory.
statistically,
well
control incident rates for non HPHT wells were 4Y()to 5% i.e.
an incident pcr 20 to 25 wells. However, for HPHT wells, the
well control incident rate was as high as 100<} to 200Ycj i.e.
147

ERHU GAO, ODIN ESTENSEN,

COLIN MACDONALD,

A Typical Wellbore Stability Profile of the Heron

Development
The Heron field is located in Central Graben, block 22/30a in
the UK sector of Central North Sea. Its main reservoir is the
Upper and Lower Skagerrak. A schematic (J[ [he wellbore
stability chart [orthe Heron project is shown in Fig. 1 with the
main data for the HPHT section being summarised in Table 1.
For this particular well, the expected maximum undisturbed
formation temperature at top of the Skagerrak reservoir at
13,873 ft true vertical depth (TVD) is 3 14F with a maximum
temperature of 343)F at section TD of 15,613 ft measured
depth (MD). Based on the uncertainty of the formation depths,
the possible shallow depth fc)r the top of reservoir is prognosed
at 13,762 ii TVD. With a reservoir pressure or 12,882 psi at
free water Icvel (FWL) and a reservoir fluid gradient of 259
psi/1 ,000 Ii (pptf), the expected pressure at lhc prognosed top
of reservoir is calculated to be 12,497 psi and (he expected
pressure in [he possible shallow top of reservoir 12,465 psi.
Based on this information a mud gradien( of 915 pptf was
derived to achieve the foi]owing:

Hydrostatic overbalance at prognosed top of reservoir is

maintained at 200 psi.

The hydrostatic overbalance at the possible shallow top

of reservoir is 120 psi.
The 200 psi hydrostatic overbalance is taken as the minimum
tolerable overbalance considering the swabbiny effect when
pu[iing out ()[ hoie. The current philosophy ii)r tlycirostatic
overbalance design is to maintain a minimum acceptable
overbalance. The rational is that a loss situation is more
complex and is in any case generally a prelude to a ioss and
&lin scenario.
The 200 psi hydrostatic overbalance provides a ciriIling margin
of only 43 pptf or 593 psi at the previous casing shoe with a
958 pptf formation leak-off test. Due to the small overbalance
and drilling margin, care was exercised during all stages of the
well operations from design to field execution to ensure
trouble-free ciriiling.
Tile HPHT sections wete ciriiled with an 8 3/8 bit i>ius a
turbine asscmi>iy to maximise the rate of i>enc~ration (ROP),
and minimise i>ii>crolary si>ceds, casin: wear an(i ECD.

CASTLE

SPE 50581

dynamic mud pressure(s)

can be a single pressure or
combination of different dynamic pressures such as surge and
swab pressure, inertiai pressure due to string acceleration or
deceleration and pressure recluired [o break geis. Tile APC[lttill~$
is tile equivalent mud weigilt increase due to cuttings loading
in tile annuius, whicil is dependent on the pump rate, rate of
penetration, weii geometry, mud properties and cuttings size.
Using tile above equation, tile bottom-hole mud pressure is
generalised, enabling different components of the pressures to
be anaiysed
in isoiation
depending
on the operation.
Thereafter, the operating margin and operational guidelines
can be derived.
Design Philosophy, Design Tools and Procedure
For HPHT weiis, oniy a smail ilydrostatig overbalance can be
aiiowed dLIe to tile reduced margin between pore and fracture
gr:lciiellts, Tilerefore it is vital tilat both the ilydrostatic
overbalance and the dynamic i>ressures are accurately modeled
and managed. Otilerwise, eitiler losses or influx may result.
Due to the small margin stated above, tile effects of pressure
and temperature on equivalent mud weight or PSttlticunder
downhole conditions and on the equivalent circulating density
(ECD) cannot be ignored. As discussed earlier, the well can be
better controlled if a constant ilydrostatic pressure PS~tltiC
can be
defined and maintained throughout the drilling operation.
However, (iue to tile effects of pressure and temperature on
mud weigi]t and tile effects of driiling parameters on the
ciowni]ole temperature profiie, it is impossible to maintain a
constant ilycirostatic pressure. After reviewing the literature on
driliing hydraulics in HPHT wellsz-g, new procedures are
required to better manage tile bottom ilole pressure P,,,,,~.
Aitilough tile hydrostatic pressure P~t;ltiC
is constantly changing,
it ilas been realised tilat one of tile few constant parameters
in the well bore is the geothermal temperature profile. If the
ilydrostatic pressure is calculated based on the geothermal
temperature gradient, a constant ilydrostatic pressure can be
obtained for a given surface mud weight. Obviously, the
ilydrostatic overbalance wouid vary during circulation. But, as
soon as circulation is stoi>i?eci, tile ilydrostatic overbalance will
cilange towards the overbalance under geothermal temperature
gr:}dient. TO ensure tilat an adequate hydrostatic overbalance is
maintaineci immediately after stopi]ing ci~culation, circulating
(ernperature profiles are cstabiisiled and used to calculate the
ilydrostatic pressure P\~t,~ic.
New procedures are also developed
on ilow to controi the surface mud weight to achieve a constant
P~FiltiC
under geothermal temperature gradient, details of which
are discussed following.

Bottom-Hole Mud Pressure

Tile main objective of any ilydrauiics design. aiong w_ith
optimisation of driiiing efficiency, is to minimise ti]c risk of a
weii controi incident, In tilis paper, bottom iloic mud pressure
P,,,,,~is defined as a genera] term for mud hydraulics witil the
foliowing eciuation:
~,,,,(,= 4,,,,,(,+ A~,v,,,,,,,8,,
+ A~.,,,,,,,,:,

STEPHEN

(i)

As discussed eariier, the basis of the new

ilydrau]ics design is to maintain a constant hydrostatic pressure
P,,,,tiC or overbalance
over tile expected maximum pore
i>ressure gradient. Tile deei>er into tile reservoir, tile higher the
overbalance as tile nlLId weight is iligher than the reservoir
[iuici gradient. Due to tile effects of circulating history on the
downilole temperature i>rofiies, a consrant hydrostatic pressure

Design Philosophy.

In the above eciuation P\t;lliCis tile ilydrostatic n)ud pressure,

wilich may vary depending on tile downiloic temperature
is tile dynamic mud pressure(s) whicil is
i?rofiie. Tile APCIYllilllliC
defined as nlLI~ pressure variation caused by any ciislurbance to
the mud in tile iloie. Tile pressure AP{lYllilllliC
can i)c positive or
negative depending on tile direction of tile oi~cration. Tile
148

SPE 50581

CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS
FOR SUCCESSFUL FLUID ENGINEERING IN HIGH-p6EssuRE/HIGH-TEMPERATURE
WELLS: MODELLING TOOLS, DESIGN PROCEDURES AND BOTTOMHOLE PRESSURE MANAGEMENT
IN THE FIELD

_3

combination of the dynamic pressures such as surge and

swab, pressure required to break gels and inertial
pressure.

Surface mud weight versus temperature chart.

Thermal expansion of mud in the hole.

Effects of the various parameters on bottom hole mud

pressure or ECD.
A Temperature Simulator. The mud temperature profile in
a wellbore changes depending on the drilling parameters and
circulating history. The changing temperature profile leads to
varied mLId
hydrostatic
pl-essures Pst\itic.
Therefore,
a
temperature simulator is required to establish the temperature
profiles at different pump rates and times from initiation of
circulation. The information generated from the temperature
simulator is then used by the hydraulics program to predict the
PSt;ltiC
element at circulating temperature profiles. The purpose
of this is to ensure that a certain hydrostatic overbalance is
maintained at different pump rates to keep the well under
control immediately after stopping circulation. This also helps
[o analyse the ECD more accurately.
The temperature
simulator used generates the following
temperature
profiles {or both steady state and transit
conditions:

Mud temperature profile in the annulus

Mud temperature profile inside the drill string

TImc dependency O( the temperature profiles

A typical plot of the established temperature profile is shown
in Fig. 2. 1[ can be seen that when the mud is in circulation, the
temperature increases at shal 10w depth and the temperature
decreases at deeper depth. As a rule of thumb, in about 2/3 of
the wellbore from the top down, the mud temperature will be
increased and in about l/3 of the wellbore,
the mud
temperature
will be decreased. As the mud temperature
increases, (he mud weight wi II be reduced and vice versa.
Therefore, comparing with the hydrostatic mud pressure under
gcot[lerlll:]l Lemper:lture gradient, the PSC.tiC
element in the total
mud pressure
P,,,,l,l will be reduced
under circulating
temperature profiles,

can only be defined under undisturbed geothermal temperature

g~,ldient, which c:]n be :lssumed to be unchanged by the
drilling operation. Once the hydrostatic overbai~nce under
geothermal gradient is defined, the circulating temperature
The
profiles
at different
pump rates are established.
hydrostatic overbalances ot different circulating temperature
profiles are calculated to ensure that an adequate overbalance
is maintained immediately after stopping circulation as this is
the point al which the overbalance is the Iowesl. ro do this, the
effects of temperature and pressure on the equivalent mud
weight under downbole conditions must be considered and the
surface mud weight at the flowline and active pit properly
controlled. la summary, the design philosophy of the present
developments includes:

Design and manage the bottom hole mud pressures to

minimise the risk of losses and gains.

Provide a constant hydrostatic

overbalance
over the
maximum pore pressure gradient under the geothermal
temperature profile.

Provide an adequate hydrostatic overbalance when the

mud is in circulation to ensure that an influx would not be
induced immediately after stopping circulation.
Design Tools. In order [o achieve

the above CJhiectives, the

surf~ce mud weight and the overall hydraulics must be
nt tools are
properly designed and managed. Two d if1crc
required to make this possible:
I) an accurate hydraulics program
2) a temperature simulator.
An Accurate Hydraulics Program. To mana:e bottom hole
pressure it is essential that an accurate hydraulics program is
used. The hydraulics program must be able to model the
effects of pressure and temperature on bo[b surface mud
This is
weight and equivalent downhole mud welgh[ or P~t;iliC.

particularly important with Invert Emulsions wherein three

distinct phases are present, of which oil is particularly
compressible in comparison with water 7-. It must a]so predict
the various dynamic pressures and the pressure due to cuttings
loading. For a given oil/water ratio, the hydraulics program
must also produce a surface mud weight versus temperature
chart. To gain a better understanding of the effects of pressure
and temperature on both surface mud weight and equivalent
downhole
mud weight,
PVT
(pressure,
volume
and
temperature ) [ests for a matrix of pressures and (temperatures
for the base lluid were performed and a mathematical model
was then developed to establish the effects 01pressure and
temperature on mud weight.. III summ:~ry, IIlc hy~ir:luli~s
program used in the HPHT sections can gcnera(c the following
information in addition to normal hydraulics in Iormation such
as pump pressure and bit hydraulics:

pressure
Ps~;,,i~ at a gi Vcll downbole
Hydrostatic
temperature profile.

The dynamic pressure(s)

as described
in Eq. 1,
including an individual
dynamic pressure or any

Before drilling the HPHT hole sections,

extensive hydraulics design work was carried out with the aim
of determining the required surF~ce mud weight and also the
flowline
lnUd weight corresponding
to the change of
flowline/active pit temperatures. In this paper, the standard
temperature
for surface mud weight is defined as the
temperature at which the surface mud weight is exactly the
same as the equivalent
downhole
mud weight under
geo[herlll:~l [clnper.lture gr:ldient. In other words, if the surface

Design Procedure.

mud weight is measured at the standard temperature, the

equivalent downhole mud weight under geotherln:ll gradient
will be the same as the surface mud weight.
The following design procedures were developed and used:

Gather well data including formation tops (prognosed

and possible shallow depths), pore pressure, fracture
149

ERHU GAO, ODIN ESTENSEN,

COLIN MACDONALD,

pressure and geothermal temperature profile.

Define lheacceptahle
minimum hydrostatic overbalance
over the expected maximum pressure gradient.

Deter[lliile lllere(]uirecl sLlrf:lce llludwciglll.

Determine the slanda~d. temperature for sLiriitcc mud

weight hased on the geothermal tempera~urc gradicllle

Establish the circulating mud tempera[urc profiles at

different pump rates and lime intervals.

CalcLI1alc the equivalent downhole mud weights at the

established
temperature
profiles
to ensure
that
hydrostatic overbalance is maintained immediately after
stopping
circulation,
If necessary,
increase
the
hydrostatic overbalance and repeat the above process
until meeting all the criteria. Double check the above
against possible shallow tup reservoir.

Asllowline tcllll)er:ltL1re cllilllges, ciciillc Ilowtilesurface

mLILI weight should be maintained.

Establish the ECD and design [he nlaxi[]]unl applicable

pump rate.

Analyst the tripping speeds based otl suryc and swab

pressures.
One of the major difficulties in the above procedures is to
define the standard mud temperature. A trial anLI error method
is used to determine the standard temperature. In the future
developments, this will be made an automatic process. The
rule for the standard temperature is that it the surface mud
weight is measured at the standard tcmpcr:~turc. [hc equivalent
downhole mud weight Lllldcrgeotllcrllltll temperature gradient
wii[ be exactly the Sameas the sLlrface nlLl~ WCi:ht.

discussed ~:Lrller, the cqLllv:Llent dowllhole

mud Welghl or Pstiltic
tends [o dccrcase WIIC1lthe temi]erature profile is changed
condition. As the
from geothermal graciicnt to circulating
circulating temperature profile is pump rate dependent, the
hycirostatic overbalances
at difrerent pump rates must be
analysed to ensure lhat a certain hydrostatic overbalance can
be maintained immediately after stopping circulation. The
established results for this particular well are summarised in
Table 2.
Table 2 shows that i~ 915 ppt f surface mud weight is
maintaineci at 120)F, the equivalent downhole mud weight or
P,,,,(,Cat di lfcrcnt pLInlp rates wi i1 bc about 910 ppt! at different
f) L[lllp rates :ind the EMW uncicr geothermal
gradient is ~ 15
pp[f :It depth 13873 ft TVD.
This provides
adequate
ilydros[a~ic i)vcrbalatlcc (200 psi) during static condition and
131 psi minimum when immediately stopping circulation.
Therclorc. it was reconnnendcd tht~t the surface mud weight be
maintained al 915 pptf at 120F.
Control of Surface Mzld Weight. Obviously, the surface
mud temi~crature will vary depending on the }lowrates and
other drilling parameters. The surface mud weight will then
cbangc with this changing temperature. Once the oil/water
ratio 01the mud is given, the hydraulics i]rogram can be used
to produce a surface mLId weight versus temperature chart as
shown in Fig. 3. Tllc chart silows that [0 maintain a constant
hydrostatic
ovcrb.aluncc
in the geothernl~]l telnperature
gr:ldicnt, th~ sLlrfn~~ mud weight nlLlst bc controlled .baseci on

tllc LJcsig!l

Information.
The design is based on the following
illforlllatioll:~s sulllnlz~risec[ in Table 1.

Measured Depth (MD)/T~ue Vertical Depth (TVD) =

15613 /15279rt

Maximum pore pressure grildiellt ~lt [3s73 It TVD =

SPE 50581

hydraulics program calculated that if the surface mud weight

was nlcasLlrcd at 120F, the surface mud weight would be
cxaclly the same as the equivalent downhole mud weight.
Therefore 120Fw~}scic[illc~i as the standard mud temperature
li)r surface mud weight control. The required surface mud
weight was defined as 915 ppt 1(psi/ 1000 ft) at 120F. As the
Ilowliae temperature deviates, the surface mud weight is
allowed to increase or decrease accordingly.
Equivalent
Downhole
Mud
Weights
at Circulating
Telnperatare
Profiles.
Under geothermal
gradient,
the
overbalance
at the maximum
pore pressure
hydrostatic
gr,ldicllt (lr top Of reservoir W:IS cicsigned to be 200 psi. AS

WeIl

CASTLE

maximum expected pore pressure gradient was considered as

the minimum acceptable
level. Therefore,
the required
equivalent downhole mud weight at top of the reservoir under
geother]n:ll temperature gradient was set toh~915pptf.
,~tanda;d Mild Telnperatz[re. This is the most important
parametcrin the new process. It wasassulned, based on offset
data, that the geothermal temperature gradient from the drill
floor to the top of the reservoir i.e. maximum expected pore
pr~ssure gradientat 13,8731 tTVDis as follows:
TVD depth (ft)
Temperature (F)
o
60
90, sea level
60
90
40
361, seabed
40
13873
314
with
the shove
geothermal
temperature
gradient,
the

Planning Design and Results

In this sccti{)n. an example is used to discuss
procedure and results.

STEPHEN

12494 psi (Temp=314 F)

M:lxitlllllllt>ottolll holcs[atiu temperature [II HST) =343
F
B:lse[lLlid `~, by\J()iL[lllc =48, w:ltcr%i >J/\'()lLltlle= 13
Sca Ievcl =90 It
water dcpth=30i
It
Atmospheric temperature = 60)F (from surface to sea
level)
Seawater temperature _=40(F

Design Res~llts. Using the procedures

prcscntcd in the above

discussions. hydraulics for this particular WCII were designed,
lhe results of which arc dIscLlsscd below.
Ml[d DowIIhole Weight or Overl)alance. 1701this HPHT
scclion, abt)LIl
zoo
psi hydrostatic ovcrb[lliLllcc OVCIthe
150

SPE 50581

CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS
FOR SUCCESSFUL FL~D ENGINEERING IN HIGH-PRESxURE/HIGH-TEMPERATURE
WELLS: MODELLING TOOLS, DESIGN PROCEDURES AND BOTTOMHOLE PRESSURE MANAGEMENT
IN THE FIELD

(he return mud temperature. When the surlatc temperature

increases, {hc surlilcc mud weight wi II he allowed to reduce
due to thermal expansion and vice versa. As a]] example, the
surface mud weight will bc aliow_ed to decrcasc irom 930 pptf
to 906 pptf when Lhe return temperature is incrc:lscd from 70F
[O 150F. The effect is very significant, This ch:lr[ was used ior
Surface mud weight control during the HPHT scc~iorls.
ECD and surgel~ wab [)re,vsures. Accordi ny (o the given
bottom hole assembly (BHA), the ECD, suryc and swab
pressures arc all evaluated. Results showed [ha[ i1properly
controlled, the HPHT section can be drilled without any
potential prohlcms.
The shove information was used in drilling [he X 3/8 hole
interval with some special procedures.

Hydraulics
Specialist.
Hydraulics in HPHT sections are
complex. T() effectively kickstart the proposed changes into
cstabl ishcd practices, a hydraulics specialist was assigned to
the rig during the HPHT sections in the Heron project, The
hydraulics specialist was supported by and collaborated with
the onshore and offshore dri Iling engineers and was updated
with current li)rmation pressure data. For any given set of data,
rctrospcctivc, real-time or projccted$ the hydraulics specialist
would update the operational guidelines on hydraulics related
issues. He also provided the necessary knowledge transfer and
training 10 the offsllorc Iluid engineering team.

Bottom Hole Pressure Management in the Field

design anLI planning
are complete, it I>cc[)nles critical
for the field to implement the design as progra[llmcd. It is also
necessary to enable the design to be updated whenever revised
or additional inlormalion is determined.

HPHT Training. Since the method of controlling the tlowline

mud weight was a ncw concept, adequate training to those
involved was provided. The drilling crew were made to
appreciate the importance or the procedures in measuring
surface mud weight and operations such as tripping. Before
and during drilling of this HPHT section, presentations were
giv~n 10 the drilling crew, rig supervisors
and operator
rcprcscntalivcs.

Criteria
for Bottonl
Hole Pressure
Management.
The
management of bottom 1101cpressure is straight Iorward once
Eq. I is wci I understood and th~ necessary tools are made
available. For any given WCII, the design cri[cria Ii)r bottom
hole mud pressure arc:

The InULl pressure must be able to control [hc li)rmation

and 10 provide

sufticicnl

support

[() prevent

hole

to Measure Surface Mud Weight. Because of the

new methodology, Ihc surface mud weight must be measured
and reported against a temperature. A new procedure to
measure the mud wcigbt was upplied after finding that the
conventional method of measuring mud weight could lead to
signi~lcant errors.
Conventional
Procednre
(~ Measuring
Ml~d Weight.
Cotlvetltioll:\lly, the following procedure was used when
measuring llowline/active pit mud weight:

Take a sample from the llowline or active pit

Measure the Marsh FLIIIIICI viscosity

Measure the mud temperature (after the mud passes

through the Marsh Funnel )

Measure the mud weight

Record the mud weight anLI the temperature.

Some engineers measure the mud temperature directly from
the flowline. Surface mud weight was not correlated against
the (cmperature and the mud weight was always kept as a
constant no matter the mud temperatures.
The above procedure was monitored and the results showed
that the measured nlLId tcmpcraturc with such t] procedure was
5(F [o 15(Fdifferent from th~ mLId temperature inside the mud
balance at the time 01 measuring the mud weight, As a
consequence about 1.5 to 4.5 pptl error in the mud weight
results. This is both risky and easily preventable. A new
procedure was developed for measuring the surface mud
Procedure

Collapse.

Mud pressure during normal drilling should not exceed

the fracture gradicat.

There should be enough margins for swab and surge

pressures during tripping tipcrations.
Mathematical Iy, the above criteria can be dctincd by a single
equation as:
(2)
<N)w,c,,,,(,,t,c,
<1<,,,,,< ~,,,,,,,,,v
where:
p
,!(3,
<,!.,
)//,!,,$, is lhe
whichever is greater;

pore

pressure

or

cOIlapse

maximum tolerable dynamic pressure(s) can either be negative

or positive depending on the direction of tripping. This
procedure has been followed during the HpHT sections for the
Heron WCIIs. The botttim hole mud pressures are controlled
tightly within the operating window as presented in Eq. 3
a b eve.

Once the

pressLlrcs

pressure

~fi,,,,,[,,,, is (11cIkacture pressure of the ~orma[iotl or the leakoff test if available. Replacing Eq. I into Eel. 2, it can be
obtained that:
(3)
q,,,,,<,,,,,,,,,,,
< [:,,,,;,+q,,,,,,,,l[t,AN:,,,,,;,,,,,
< P,,,,,,,,,,,,
Eq. 3 has also been illustrated in Fig. 4. Tbc al>ov~ ic]uation
can be directly used to derive the tolerable margins at di ffcrent
operations. For example, during normal drill ing (~pcration, one
of the main concerns is to avoid lracturing the Ii)rmation. The
max lmum [o Ierahle APtlYj]:,,}]iC
can be calculated :ts Iollows:
(4)
q,,,,,,,, = [{,8,,,,,,<,
( 1:,(,,,,+ y,,,,;,,,,,,)
Thereafter, the maximum a]fowafile pump ra[c or tolcr:~hle
mud rheology can be defined based on the maxilnum allowable
dynamic mud pressure. For tripping operations, of course,
151

ERHU GAO, ODIN ESTENSEN,

COLIN MACDONALD,

weight so that it can be correlated with temperature.

New Procedure for Measuring Surface Mud Weight. From
the effect ol temperature on surface mud weigh[ it can be seen
that surface mud weight will be increased from 906 pptf to 930
pptf if the mLId temperature is decreased from 1SO(F to 70(F.
On average, (or an oil to water ratio of 80/20 and 915 pptf
fluid, the nlLld weight decreases by +/-3 ppl[ with each increase
of 10F in lcmpcratLIrc. The differences in sLIriacc mud weight
will

directly

:L~fcct the eqLlivalcnt

mud

weighl

under

downhole.

Control of Surface Mud Weigilt. As discusscd Cur[icr, the

philosophy 01 [hc new procedure is 10 main[ain a constant
geolherm~ll
t)vcrbalance
under
lcmperalure
hydrostatic
g~t}dient, In dl-illing oper:l[ions, [~()[hthe llowlinc mud weight
.
.
and the :IL[IVC pl( 111Lld wcl:hl
ilrC CO1l.St:lll([y Lh:Ul~lll~.
The
mud weight in the aclive pit is maintained based on the surface
mud weight versus temperature chart as shown in Fig. 3.
However, to maintain a constant surface mLId weight is not
as

the

mud

weight

tends

to

increase

due

to

water

accumulatiotl of tine drilled solids. Therefore,

the surface mud weight was allowed to llucluatc within a 5
pptl (0.01 s.:. ) band. For [hc given well, [hc surl}]ce mud
weight was allowed to change from 915 to 920 pptf at 120F.
However, every attempt was made to maintain [hc surface mud
weight at the Iowcr cnd of915 pptf. At other tcnlpcratures, the
surface mud weight was controlled between (he two lines .as
shown in Fig. 5. This is to ensure that [he ECD can be properly
controlled while maintaining adequate ovcrhalnnce. This
procedure has again proved to be successful. The surface mud
weight versus temperature chart was updated on a regular basis
to correct for any changes in oi I/water ratio.
evaporation

CASTLE

SPE50581

HPHT hole sections, including control of ECD, tripping

speeds and development of a series of new procedures as
shown in Table 3.
Equivalertt Mud Weight P,Yt(ltiL..
The equivalent downhole
mud weight P,filLiC
was analysed on an on-going basis with the
hydraulics program and the hydrostatic
overbalance
reeva[ uated.
Defilze the Operatilzg Margins.
The ECD was monitored
on a continuous basis during drilling and normal circulation to
nlaintain i[ I>C1OW
the (olcrable operating window 01958 pptf.
The 958 pptl fracture gra(iient was obtained during the leak01Ftes( at Lhc casing shoe and it was taken as the maximum
allowable ECD for the entire HPHT section. Based on the
calculations, maximum allowable pump rates were designed to
increase ROP and reduce the lag time of drilled cuttings and
connection gas or influx.
A typical plot for the design or maximum pump rate is shown
in Fig. 6 which is produced without pipe rotation. As the
surface mLId weight was controlled in a 5 pptf (().() I s.g.) band,
(he effect 01pump rate on the ECD was plotted for two surface
mud weigh[s, 915 pp[l anLI920 pptf. Depending on the surface
mud weight at the time, the pump rate was controlled based on
this plot. 1[ the pipe is rotated at 100 rpm, another 5 pptf
should be added on the predicted ECD as pipe rotation will
increase the ECDIO 11.
Due to the differences of equivalent downhole mud weights at
different temperature
profiles, the ECD when breaking
circulation is at the maximum due to the higher equivalent mud
weight under geothermal temperature gradient. Therefore, for
the first circulation, a lower pump rate is proposed. After a full
circulation, when the muLI wil I be heated up, the pump rate can
[hen hc increased.
Tripping Speed. Trippin: speed is one of the most critical
p:Lranleters
in avoiding
well control
incidents
on HPHT wells.
The hydraui ics program was used to define the tripping
nlargins considering the effects of pressure and temperature. In
turn the tripping margins were used to define the tripping
speeds for both running in the hole and pulling out of the hole.
The tripping speeds were designed based on the fluid
properties just before the operation. Due to the stability of the
mud properties, the calculated tripping speeds did not vary
much during the full section. in general, the following basic
parameters were used:

Hole depth, fronl surlilcc to TD

Maximunl pore pressure :radient = 90 I pptt at top of the

reservoir

Fracture gradient = 9S8 pptf

Mud weight at the time, which varied from 915- pptf to

920 ppt 1at 120F

Other mud properties such as base fluid and water ratio,

mud rheology and gels

The drill string and bottom-hole assembly

Based on the above information, the tripping speeds for
rLlnning in the hole and pulling out of the hole were calculated
as shown in Fig. 7. Due to thc extremely low tripping speeds

conditions, which is very signihcan[ considering the small

hydrostatic t)verbalancc 01200psi ior ~ypical HI>HT sections.
Therefore, accurate mcasurcmcnt of the sur[i~cc mud weight
and the corresponding temperature becomes impor[ant.
Due to the inaccuracy in the traditional way of measuring
Ilowline temperature and mud weight, a new procedure was
developed and implemented for the HPHT sections:

Take a sample from the flowline or active pi[

Measure the viscosity (Marsh FLIIIIICI )

Flush [he inuci ba]ance. lwicc with the mLid sall]p[e

Fill up [hc mud balance

Measure [he mud temperature inside the Inud balance

Measure [he mud weight

Record ihc temperature and mud weight

Measure and record the fiowline temperature

With the above procedure, the tlowline temperature and the
mud temperature at which the sur~~ce mud weight is measured
are different. Flowiine temperature will be used to calculate
the equivalent mud weight during circulating conditions and
the tempcra(ure at which the Ilow[ine mud wciyht is measured
will bc used as a baseline li)r surface mud weiyh[ control.

practical

STEPHEN

and

of the Hydraulics
Progranl.
1hc hydraulics
program was used for the hydraulics design during the 8 3/8

Application

152

SPE 50581

CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS
FOR SUCCESSFUL FLUID ENGINEERING IN HIGH-PRESSURE/HIGH-TEMPERATURE
WELLS: MODELLING TOOLS, DESIGN PROCEDURES AND BOTTOMHOLE PRESSURE MANAGEMENT
IN THE FIELD

from TD to casing shoe when pulling out oi hole, the string

was pumped out ot hole up to the 9 7/8 casing shoe.
Thereafter, [he tripping speeds as shown ill Fig. 7 were
followed.
Before the LIC(Llile~ hydraulics analysis, i[ had been a standard
practice to stage in when running in the hole. Circulation was
usually initiattd at 5000 tt, 7000 ft, 10,000 fi and at the casing
shoe. This was analysed, and it was found (hat no advantage
was gained by breaking circulation at the intermediate depths.
Based on the recolll]lletlcl:]tio]l derived from (11c hydraulics
program, no circulation was made when runnin: in the hole
until re~cbing the casing shoe. This recollljllclld:ltiotl was
followed and no problems were experienced when tripping in
the hole.
Similarly, the running speed for the 7 x 5 liner was
calculated based on the hydraulics program anLl applied. Again
no problems were experienced.
Kill Mud Weight Calcu[atioit. In case of a well control
situation, a ki 11mud is required. The kill mud weight can be
calculated based on the s[lLlt-ill-st:tlld}>ipe pressure. However,
the kill mud weight should bc fine-tuned based on the muci
weigilt at tile standard temperature. For exampic, if tile silutin-pipe pressure is reported 10 be 450 psi witil a standard mud
weight of 915 i>ptf at i 20(F and tile TVD dci>til is i 5,000 ft,
to
be
can
be
calculated
mud
wcigilt
the
kill
9 i 5+( 1000~450/ 15,000) = 945 pptf at i 20F. Wilen the kill
mud is mixed, tile surface kiil mud wcigilt silouid be
controlled based on tile mud weigilt versus temperature cilart
as shown in Fig. 8. If tile mud temperature in tile kili ml!d pit
is 100F, (ilc surface kiii mud weigilt silouid bc set at 95 i pptf
instead of 945 i>i~tfconsidering the effect of tcmi]erature on
surface mud weigilt. Ohviousiy, if 945 i>ptf kii I mud is mixed
in tile i]il, [ilc weii cannot be kiiied. As no wcii uontroi
incicicnts occurred during Iilis project, tilis iIIOCCLiLIrC was not
appiied.
Running Speed for Logging Toolis. The sLlrgc and swab
pressures prior to running iogging toois were anaiysed. 1( was
found that wi~iie puiiing out of tile iloie tile runnil~g speed ilad
to be controlled due (o tile iow ilydrostatic overbalance.
However, wilcn running into tile iloie, tile maximum running
si]eed couid i>e ai>i)iied. Tile uunning sioeetis witil iile iogging
toois were summarised as beiow.
Ruiznilzg in tlze Hole.
No restriction is rc(iuircd wilen
running in tile iloie. Tile iuii running si~eed oi 15.()()0 ii/ilr can
he used witil no concerns.
Pulling out of the Hole. When pulling out oftile iloie, the
risk of swai~ exists due to tile smaii hydroslaiic overbalance.
Tile foiiowing speeds were recommended to avoid swabbing:
Fuiiing Speed (ft/i~r)
Deptil (ft)
6,000
TD - I0,000
1(),()()0
10.000-8,000
i 5,000
8,000- surface
Otilerwisc, [ilc risk for swabbing couid not i>c avoided with
i ()()70centidcnce.

Procedures.
To ensure tile success of driiling the
HPHT sections, a series of procedures as summarised in Table
3 were cievcioped and applied. Table 3 was posted in the
Driilers consoie and discussed with tile driiling crew. This
ensured tilat tile driil crew understood
how i>articular
oi>erations affect the bottom iloie i~ressure. Before Liriliing the
HPHT interval, a summary sileet as shown in Table 3 was
(rene~clted :uILJ widciy distributed to lile rig persollllei
[0
~
iligiliigilt
tile i~otentiai risks. Tilis tabie was updated on an ongoin: b:~sis ~~smore infornl:ltion W[lSmade :lv;~ii:lbl~.
Other

Breakilzg Circulatiolz. Wilcn breaking circulation, tile risk

of fracturing tile formation is iligilest due to the foliowing:

Maximum ilydrostatic overbalance is experienced under

geotilcrmal temperature gradient. Tile equivalent mud
weigilt is at maximum after an extended period of no
circulation.

Tile i~ressure reciuircd to break the geis is higil after an

extended i]eriod of static condition.

[f tile pLmIp is turned on suddenly, the formation may

cxi)ericnce circuiting
i~rcssure and tile i>ressure rec]uired
to brcai< tile gels simultaneously.
.
To minimise tile risk of fracturing the formation whiie
breaking circulation, an attempt was made to rotate tile string
before starting the pump to break the gels. The pump should
be started slowiy but also brought to normai pump rate quickiy
to minimise tile time at low pump rate in consideration of the
i>otential for barite sag.
Iulllzediately after Stoppijzg Circulation. Wilen lile mud is
tile ilydroslatic
i>ressure P,fi,~i~ is iower.
in circulation,
According to Baranthoi et ai.q tile eciuivalent mud weight P,,,,ti,
was increased from 2. i 6 s.:. to just over 2.17 s.g. after
sloi]i~ing circulation.
In otilcr worcis, tile ilydrostatic
overbalance is at a minimum levei immediately after stopping
circulation. Ti]en tile ilycirostatic overbalance increases as tile
lcmpcralure i)rofiie cilanges iiom a circuiatin:
temperature
ilrofiic into gcotilermai gradient. Care must be exercised for
any operations which may reduce bottom hoie pressure such as
moving tile string upwards.
Pztlliizg ozlt of the Hole. Wilen i~uiling out of the hole, the
iligilcst risk of swab occurs for tile first few stands and before
i>oiiing above [he top oiti]c reservoir. Once past the top of the
reservoir, tile tripping si~lcd can bc gradua]iy increased. A
yood i?r:]c[icc is to i>ick LIi) triili>ing Speed very SiOWiy tO
minimise
tile pressure
dLIC to siring
acceleration
and the
i>ressure reciuired to break tile geis, wilich wili be more
speed.
significant
ti]an the eifeet of normal tripping
Recommended tripping speeds shouid not be exceeded.
Rzuzuilzg iiz the Hole. Wilen running in the iloie, the highest
risk occurs wilen near tile casing siloe and thereafter. The
foiiowiog i>ractices can minimise the risk of fracturing the
formation:

Break circulation at lilt casing siloe, resuiting in iower

cciuivaient mud weigilt PS,;,ti~at circuiting
temperature
153

ERHU GAO, ODIN ESTENSEN,

COLIN MACDONALD,

profile and minimizing lhe build up 01gets.

Build li[>tlletril>l>iilgs]?cecl very slowlylo nlinimiscthc
inerlial pressure due [0 acceleration and (he pressure
required 10 break [hc gels.

Recommended tripping speeds are followed.

It was higb[ighted that SW:Lh not only happ~ns while pulling
out of hole, it may happen whenever picking up [hc string i.e.
from the slips. Swab occurs whenever moving [hc siring
upwards. Thcrcrore, Care should :LiW:lyS 13P cxcrciscd
fi)l
swabbing cvcn when running in lhc hole.
1[ shouid aist) hc rea]ised Lhat surge and swab prcssLlrcs arc not
the only prcssLIrcs to consider during tripping operations. The
rollowing pressures must be considered al the salllc lime:
9
Pressure required (o break the gels.
9
Inertial
pressure
due 10 string aucclcration and
deceleration.
Operations which minimise the above pressure components
can minimise thcec]uivalcnt surge and swab efikcts. Picking up
and reducing the tripping speed slowly can minimise the
SLIP:C alldSW:lh

prCSSUrCS Si:llifiC:\Il(l

V.

Field Results
No drilling related problems occurred

during [hc lour HPHT

sections. The Uriliing curve lor the well discussed in this paper
is shown in Fig. 9. Tllcclrillillg curve de]llotlstr:][cs that for the
8 3/8 HPHT section, about 20 days were allc)ca[cd, hut it only
took 10 days {() Iinish drilling the section. Ah[)u[ 10 rig days
were saved ~or the HPHT. section alone as no well control
incidents occurred.
ln _othCl HPHT wci]s. wcli COUUOI
illCidelltS OCCLlrrCd OIICC to tWict PCL WCli 011 :IVCILI:C. The IICW
procedures
contrihutcd in par[ 10 this improved performance.
As a simple ~uld vivid illustration, lbc maxinlum flowiinc
temperature rcachcd 150F during the HPHT sections, if
conventional proced LIrcs haLI hcen Ii)liowed, the mud wcigbt
would have In;lin[:lillcd al 915 pptf at (I1C elevated
temperatures. This is equivalent to a9.() pptiincrcase in mud
weight. This is significant enough to Iracturc the formation as
can bcscen IronlFig. 6.

Future Developments
Tile succcss ciiscussed in [ilis paper is encouraging, but the
procedures arc far from pcr~ccl. Wcilave reviewed data from
annular pressure
tools, A comparison
between
model
prc(iictions i~ild ac[LIai mc~surcd ECD from ano[iler project has
i)ccllsilown in Fij. 10. A y[)o(i agreement hetwcen the
i~]casurcd and predicted pressures ilas been observeci. Both the
ily(irauiics program anti tcmpcraturc simuiator wiii be further
rclincd Iis more data is macic avaiiilhic.
Nomenclature
P,,,,,,,= totai mudpressure acting onhoiebot[om
P,lo,clcoll,,,)sc
z pore or coiiapsc pressure whicilever is higher
pressure
titttic
= mud ilydrostatic
ppts
= psi / i ()()()ii
mud pressure incrcasc due to cuttings loading
APc,,lti,)Ys
=
A~<Iy,,;,,))r,
= pressure ciuc (() (iisturi~ancc to tile muci

Conclusions

developments

Successful

dri[lillg

()[

impor[ancc

01 a s(ablc

as
the

prcscn[cd
[\)L1l

lllLld systcm,

HC~Oll

contributed
to
HPI-IT WCilS.

dcL:Lilcd

driiling

SPE 50581

hydrostatic overbalance when the well temperature

proliic is tile gco[hcrm:lj gradicn[, and also a minimum
acccp[abic ilydrostatic overbalance in transient or steady state
temperature conditions.
3, Once the minimum overbalance
is cietermined, the
stan(iard temperature i~)r surface mud weigilt must be defined.
Tilcrcafter tile mud wcigilt is maintained witilin a matrix which
rclbrcnccs tile standtlr(i wcigil[ at tile standard temperature.
4. Ficid execution
invoivcs
ri:orous
execution
of
procL!dLIrcs
ii)reva]uating mud characteristics, measuring mud
wcigh[. i>rc:li<illgcircLIi:LtiollLulci[ripping.
S. Tilcrig crcwsiloLlic{ i)chriclcci bytilefluid cngineerson
proccciures that differ Irom previously accepted practice :lnd
the roic thal they ilavc to pi:Ly in Innnagemenl of bottom-iloie
pressure.
6. Tile mud temperature must bc rep~rte~ witil :l;ly mud
wci:hl measurement.
7. Due to tile reduced ilycirostatic overbalance, particular
care must bc exercised immccii:tteiy after stopping circulation.
Any operations which have (I1c clfeet of
reducing
tile bottom
iloie mLId pressure must i>ccarried out carcluiiy.
8. Tile dillkrcncc i>c(wccn {ilc ecluivaicn( circuiting
density (E~D) wl~ilc ilrcaking circuiafion ~lnd ECD during
normai circLll:lliolliiloLll(i I>c-llllcicrslood.
.--
9. i>LUnp ratcsiloui(i hc ophlllizcd,
and am:lximunl
pump
ru{c set and rciined on an on-goiog basis.
10. C()lltillL[ity ()fkcylJers()l]llei isalsoilnport:lnt.

Reamilzg.
When reaming into lhc bole. IIlc well would
experience IJ(JII1suryc and normal ECDtl. Tbr rccommcndcd
reaming speeds should hc Ii)llowcd whcnc\fcr Li rcanlin:
operation iscarricd oul.

Recent

CASTLE

cot]stant

CqUi V:dell(

STEPHEN

[hc

.
Acknowiedgrnents
Tile authors would like ([) [bank lhe management
of
Sciliumbcrgcr
Dowcii and Silcii U.K. Expiration
and
Prociuction, {)perator in tile UKCS of the Nortil Sea on behaif
01Si]cii an(i Esso, for aiiowing us to pubiish tilis paper. Wed
also iikc [o thank the Shell and Sedco 714 teams. both onshore
and olfsilorc Ii)r tilcir contributions and usefui ciiscussions
[hc HPHT
sections.
Ti~cir discussions
and
during
encouragement to tilis new way of mud management in driiiing

rhC

program

anLI correct licld execution.

particularly li)r th~ de[crmina[ ion
oi lhe 97/X casing shoe with vertical seismic profile (VSP)
are fundamental.
The ~ollowing main conclusions
and
recolllllletlcl:ttiolls about iluid engineering and management in
HPHTwclls wcrederivcd lrolllthcexl~ericllccso l>ti~illcd.
1. An :lccLLr:ltC hydraulics
program coUplCd Whh a
telllper:lturcsilllultllor
isauritical tool.
2. Amclhocioiogy
is required to accurntciy prcciict both a

154

SPE 505.81

CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS
FOR SUCCESSFUL FLUID ENGINEERING IN HIGH-PRESSURE/HIGH-TEMPERATURE
WELLS: MODELLING TOOLS, DESIGN PROCEDURES AND BOTTOMHOLE PRESSURE MANAGEMENT IN THE FIELD

HPHT wells h~lve resulted

these new procedures.

in the firm confidence

6. Anfinsen,

to apply

HP/HT
ODT95
Kingdom,

References
1. Aberdeen

Drilling

1. Sorelle,

Hi~/1 Pr~~.s.sI{ILJ,
Hi,q// TcIjz/~crc[frfre

Schoul:

1997.
BLrranthoI, C., Alfen~)re, J., Cotteriil,
M.D. and Ioux-Guillaume,
G.: rDetenninfition
ot Hydrostatic
Pressure and Dynamic ECD

by Computer Models and Field Metisurements on [he Direction~l

HPHT Well 22/30C- 13, SPE/lADC 29430, paper presented at
the 1995 SPE/lADC Drilling Conference held in Amsterdam, 28
February-2 March 1995.
3. Child. A., G~Io, E., Olsvik, G. and Young, A.: An integrated
Hydraulics Program Ensures [he Success of a Rcccnt HTHP Well
Drilled with a SOB M, I>al>er presented at the HTHP - Desixn,
Integrity and HSE Cri[;ri;i Siminur, SPE Abc~dcen Sectiol; Continuing
]995.
4.

Gibson,

Educotion,
M .T.,

Aberdeen,

Bel-gcro(,

J.L.

United

Kingdom,

and Httmphreys:

March

5.

Aberdeen,
Alfenore,
Selecting
paper

at the

London,

conference

HP/HT

United Kingdom,

Going

Btrokley,

P. and Barrios,

.,.

CumpressibiIity
and temperature
Affect
Bottom-Hole
Pressure, Oil & Gas Journal, 22 March 1982.

I (). Marken,

C. D., He, X. and Saasen, A.: The Intluence

11. Andreassen, E. and W[lrd, (.D. Pressure

Improves Reservoir Drilling
Performance,

of Drilling

While Drilling
Data
SPE/IADC
37588,

paper presented at the SPE/IADC

Drilling
Conference
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 4-6 March 1997.

held in

into

18-19 June 1996.

15613 ft/ 15279ft

14[58 (1/ 13780ft
24 / ()

Well depth - MD/ TVD

~:lsill(r

shoe

MD/TvD

Max. Hole angle / Hole angle in HPHT seclion

Bit size for tbc HPHT suction
Section Interval (MD)
TVD at top ofreservoir
Pore pressure :uld temperature :\l top of reservoir
M:lximum bottom hole tempcrattrre
Sca level/ Water dcptb
Seaw:lter tempet-aturc
Ambient

How
Mud

Table 1 Summary of main well data in the HPHT section

~ 7/8

J.R.:

Conditions
c~n Annular
Pressure Losses, SPE 24598: pape;
presented at the 67ti SPE Annual Technical
Conferences and
Exhibition
held in Washington, DC, 4-7 October 1992.
__..

1ndtsstry Forum,

96:

R. A.,

United

9. Hoberock, L. L., Thomas, D.C. and Nickens, H. V.: Heres

27-28 March 1996.

J., Thonl~Is, D., Bergerot, J.L. anLI Manchon,
X.:
the Optimum Drilling
Fluid fc~r HPHT Conditions,

presented

Production,

96: The 411Annunl

R. R., Jxrdiolin,

Aberdeen,

M.E. and Zhang, C.: A Model for

Predicting [he Density ut Oil-Based Muds at High Pressures and
Temperatures, SPE Drilling Engineering, June 1990.

Greater Understanding
01 the Well Hydraulics ill HP/HT Wells:
An UpLIa(ed Study 01 the Wells in the Elgin/Franklin
Fields,
paper presented at Drilling

(Offshore
Drilling
Technology),
22-23 November 1995,

8. Peters, E. J., Chenevert,

14,

Developing

B.T. and Bjorkevoll,

K. S.: Predicting
Mud ECD in
Wells, paper presented at the 9(11Annual Conference,

Mathematical
Field Model Predicts Downhole Density Changes
in Static Drilling Fluids, SPE I 1118, paper presented at the 57(1
SPE Annual Fall Technical Conference and Exhibition held in
New Orleans, LA, 26-29 September 1982.

December
Trai/7i/7,qC{~[[r.Yc~,

2.

x 3/8
14178-15613
[[
I3873 ft12,494 psi, 314 F
343 F
90 Ii / 30 I ft

40 F
(>() F

tetnper:~turc

250 pptf

Formation fluid gradicn(

Table 2 Hydrostatic overbalances at top of reservoir

based on circulating temperature profiles

300
200
250
()
150
Pump rsstc (gpm)
95
113
125
I34
60
Flowline temper:lture (F)l:
343
276
332301
286
Derived temp @ TD depth (F):
910
915**
910
910
910
EMW @ 13,873 ft TVD (pptl)
200
131
131
131
131
Overbalance Q) 13,X73 ft TVD (psi )
Est:lblishcd
tenlpcr:ltttrcs
using
the
temperature
simulator
except
those
Note: ( 1)
at () gpm which :Irc [Ilc gcotbermal temperatures.
(~) :::~The c:llcultltiotl w:is inadc under geotherm:d tempcra[urc gradient.
(3) 13,873 [t TVD is the lop of reservoir.

155

350
142
272
911
I45

10

ERHU GAO, ODIN ESTENSEN,

COLIN MACDONALD,

STEPHEN

CASTLE

SPE 50581

Figure 1 A schematic of we[ibore stability chart

for the Heron HPHT wells
Pressure

gradient

>

,
.-. _ .,
-.:

~.-.
,P ore

pressure
gradient

-----

Fracture

pressure
gradient

.-,
,

~..-.~
sa
E
L.

______

-----

. -----

----

-----

---

7
,

Figure 2 Predicted circualting temperature

profiles
(pump rate =350 gpm, depth= 15613 ft MD / 15279 ft TVD)

.-

350
r
~
Q

300 -

: 250 z
1~ 200w
L
~

$
z
z

m Time.

8 hr

150 j
.

1~

Geothermal

100

Time=24

hr.

Time.48

hr.

.X

50,

1
!

4000

800f-

12000

0 .\.-..

16000 -:

DEPTH (ft)

Fgiure 3 Surface mud weight versus temperature

(surface mud weight = 915 pptf @ 120 Deg F)
931
927

907

903
70

80

90

100

110

120

TEMPERATURE

156

130

(Deg F)

140

150

160

SPE 50581

CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS
FOR SUCCESSFUL FLUID ENGINEERING IN HIGH-PRESSURE/HIGH-TEMPERATURE
WELLS: MODELLING TOOLS, DESIGN PROCEDURES AND BOTTOMHOLE PRESSURE MANAGEMENT
IN THE FIELD

11

12

ERHU GAO, ODIN ESTENSEN,

COLIN MACDONALD,

STEPHEN

CASTLE

SPE 50581

Figure 4 The operating win,dow as described in Eq. 2

Pressure

Fracture

,:%>:x.<
.<. ,

----

Static

pressure

mud

pressure

Pore/collapse

pressure

Criteria:

where;

~,,,

&,(,,i,.

+N;A,l,,;(,

+&,,,,i,,q,

Fgiure 5 Surface mud weight

weight = 915-920
mud

(surface

-...

935

\.>.
,,, ........
,,...-.
.

versus

temperature

pptf @ 120 Deg F)

. .

....

1
*

.,?.
. ..

931

~~+...

+-::,, ,1
.

L.

~
907

903
70

80

90

110

100

120

TEMPERATURE

130

140

150

160

(Deg F)

Figure 6 Pump rate versus ECD with 8 3/8 BHA at

section TD depth (15613 ft MD / 15279 ft TVD)
g~o

,-------I

955

Fracture
Prassure

..-

940

935

.k..

150

200

250
PUMP

300

RATE (gpm)

158

350

400

ECD(915
mud)

pptf

ECD(920pp[f
Il>ud)

SPE 50581

CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS
FOR SUCCESSFUL FLUID ENGINEERING IN HIGH-PRESSURE/HIGH-TEMPERATURE
WELLS: MODELLING TOOLS, DESIGN PROCEDURES AND BOTTOMHOLE PRESSURE MANAGEMENT IN THE FIELD

Figure 7 Recommended tripping speeds with the 8 3/8

drilling BHA
9.0

...

.......

Pump out of hole to

casing shoe

-~
1
/
~

/
A

1
.
-..

. ..-

.
t

0.0
0

3,140

9;42U

6,260
MEASURED

DEPTH

12,560

15,700

(ft)

Fgiure 8 Kill mud weight versus temperature

(kill mud weight = 945 pptf @ 120 Deg F)

2g4il---a
70

80

100

90

110

130

J2.O

150

140

i 60

TEMPERATURE (Deg F)

Figure 9 The drilling curve for the example well

o

TARGET

ACTUAL

al
al
=

16 hole section
TW squeeze

1n.
Ill

16cccli

--

25

75

50

DAYS

159

lW

125

150

13

14

ERHU GAO, ODIN ESTENSEN,

COLIN MACDONALD,

STEPHEN

CASTLE

Figure10 Comparison of theprsdictad andthemeasured Equivalent

Circulating Dsnsity (ECD)
w>
.=
m
5
Q
m
.-c

Mo620.

-rti

ECD

6CC0

7m

---

~.

8W
Dspth

(ft)

.-

lm

SPE 50581