Well Control

Principles & Procedures

Exercise 2

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1. Which of the following are good operating practices in top hole?
(Three answers)

a. Maintain a high overbalance.

b. Pump out of hole on trips.
c. Drill a pilot hole.
d. Drill the section as fast as possible.
e. Keep mud viscosity high then pump fresh water pills to clean the hole.
f. Control ROP to avoid cuttings overload in the annulus.

2. Shallow gas kicks are less dangerous than deeper kicks because there is more
time to react to the warning signs.

True / False

3. What steps should be taken to divert a shallow gas flow?

a. Slow pumps, space out and use choke to maintain a constant bottom hole pressure until
the well is dead.
b. Stop drilling, increase pump rate, close diverter.
c. Pick up and space out. Switch off pumps. Open downwind vent line, close valve to
shakers, close diverter.

4. A well has been drilled to a depth of 10,100 feet:

Casing shoe depth 7,120 ft

Mud density 12.0 ppg
Pore pressure gradient 0.61 psi/ft
Casing capacity 0.156 bbls/ft
Open hole capacity 0.146 bbls/ft
Drill pipe metal displacement 0.008 bbls/ft
Drill pipe capacity 0.01776 bbls/ft
Average stand length 93 ft

Calculate the number of stands that can be pulled (dry) before the well starts to flow.

Stands

Calculate the number of stands that can be pulled (wet) before the well starts to flow.

________________________ Stands

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5. Prior to pulling out of the hole from 18563 feet, a slug is to be pumped. Current mud weight is
15.8 ppg.

After pumping 30 bbls of 18 ppg slug, it is chased with 12 bbls of 15.8 ppg mud. The top drive is
broken off.

Calculate:

a. The volume of the empty pipe.

Bbls

b. The total increase (including the slug) in the active pit over the whole operation.

bbls

c. If the drill pipe is 5" (capacity 0.01776 bbl/ft), what is the height of the empty pipe?

feet

6. Drilling at 9.000 ft TVD/MD with an 81/2 bit

Mud WT 10.4 ppg

Formation pressure at this depth is 4700 psi
Open hole capacity = 0.07 bbl/ft
After pulling 10 stands dry the trip tank level, indicates that 5 barrels has been swabbed into the
well (assume below the bit). If the influx has a gradient of 0.12 psi/ft, what is the reduction in
bottom hole pressure? ___________psi

7. Referring to question 6. How many barrels (maximum) could be swabbed into the open hole
before the well goes underbalanced?
29 Barrels
28 Barrels
27 Barrels
25 Barrels

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8. After closing in a flowing well the following is recorded:

TVD = 9500 ft
SIDPP = 580 psi
SICP = 750 psi
MUD WT = 12.5 ppg

Calculate:
a. The formation pressure.

psi.

b. The kill mud weight required to balance formation pressure:

ppg

9. The first 600 feet of drill pipe are pulled wet on a round trip from 13000 feet. What is the drop in
BHP if the hole is not filled?

Well Data:
Casing capacity 0.1522 bbls/ft
Drill pipe capacity 0.0178 bbls/ft
Drill pipe steel displacement 0.0076 bbls/ft
Mud density 9.8 ppg

a. 51 psi
b. 61 psi
c. 81 psi
d. 101 psi

10. Pressure recorders located below the drill stem test tools show that swab pressure when pulling a
stand was 250 psi.

Drilling fluid density in the hole is 10 ppg.

Top of the reservoir is at 9,500 feet.

If the well does not flow when the pipe is static, what would the reservoir pressure have to be to
allow it to flow at this swab pressure?

a. 3,800 psi.
b. 5,800 psi.
c. 4,700 psi.
d. 4,940 psi.

11. What action should be taken if the choke line parted during a kick?

a. Continue to kill the well only if influx is past the shoe.

b. Stop the pumps and shear the pipe.
c. Stop pumps and close choke.
d. Stop pumps and close the hydraulic valve on BOP side outlet.

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12. Given the following information:

MD 11,000 ft
TVD 10,000 ft
Mud Weight 11.3 ppg
Strokes from surface to bit 1500
Strokes from bit to shoe 2000
Strokes from shoe to surface 9800
SIDPP 500 psi
SICP 750 psi

Which method will give lowest pressures at the shoe assuming the influx is gas?

a. Drillers
b. Wait & Weight
c. Both the same

13. Calculate the reduction in BHP if 3 bbl of gas (0.1 psi/ft) is swabbed into a 10,000 ft
hole with 10 ppg mud. Hole capacity is 0.0702 bbl/ft and the annular capacity between
the drill collars and open hole is 0.0292 bbl/ft
_____________ psi

14. During a kill operation, a nozzle plugs. If no action is taken, what will happen to BHP?

a. Increase.
b. Decrease.
c. Constant.

15. If a kick was being circulated from a well with a constant drill pipe pressure of 1000 psi at 3
bbl/min and the drill pipe pressure went to 1350 psi in just a few seconds, you could have a
plugged nozzle. The safest policy would be to:

a. Reduce pressure to 1000 psi by adjusting the choke.

b. Shut the well in, assess the situation, then re-establish your pumping pressure.
c. Maintain 1350 psi pumping pressure.

16. Killing the well at 40 spm with 750 psi pump pressure. If spm was increased to 50 and pump
pressure held constant at 750 psi, what would happen to bottom hole pressure?

a. It will increase.
b. It will stay constant.
c. It will decrease.

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17. After closing in a flowing well SIDPP stabilises at 700 psi after 15 minutes. During the next 30
minutes of monitoring it is recorded that the pressure on both SIDPP and SICP has increased by
250 psi. If the present mud weight is 10 ppg and the well depth is 8500 ft TVD.

Calculate:
a. The rate of migration in feet per hour.

ft/hr

b. Formation pressure.

psi

19. Whilst circulating out a kick, the mud pump fails. What is the first action to take?

a. Shut the well in.

b. Fix pump as soon as possible.
c. Change over to No 2 pump.
d. Divert the well.

20. If the Mud Hose split during a kill operation, what would be the first action to take?

a. Close the shear rams.

b. Prepare to reverse circulate.
c. Stop pump and close the full opening safety valve on the drill string. Close the choke.

21. Why can a pressure build up in the mud gas separator be dangerous?

a. May allow gas to enter shale shaker area.

b. Will affect drill pipe pressure.
c. Will increase risk of lost circulation.
d. Will allow gas to be blown along the vent line.

22. Losses during a well control operation are usually detected by:

a. Monitoring spm.
b. Monitoring pit level.
c. Monitoring the return, flow at the flow line.
d. Monitoring hook load.

23. During a kill operation, there is a time delay between operating the choke and observing a change
in the drill pipe pressure. This delay is approximately:

a. 1 second per 1,000 ft of hole length.

b. 5 to 10 seconds.
c. 5 to 10 minutes.
d. 750 feet per minute.

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24. During the first circulation of the Driller's Method, the mud pump develops a leak. If the choke
operator maintains constant drill pipe pressure, what will happen to bottom hole pressure?

a. It will increase.
b. It will stay constant.
c. It will decrease.

25. As a gas kick is being circulated out, at the time the gas reached the shoe at
7000 feet there was a pressure at the top of the bubble of 5000 psi. If the
original mud weight is 12.5 ppg, what would be the casing pressure at the
surface at that moment?

a. 1000 psi.
b. 2000 psi.
c. 450 psi.
d. 600 psi.

26. If the drill pipe is plugged and SIDPP cannot be read, which of the following cannot be
calculated?
(Two answers)

a. Shoe pressure.
b. Formation pressure.
c. Hydrostatic pressure.
d. Fracture pressure.
e. Kill mud weight.

27. After a kick the drill pipe pressure and casing pressure start to build up, but before stabilising they
both suddenly drop. Which of the following situations may have occurred?

a. A weak formation has broken down.

b. Wash out in the drill string.
c. Problem with the gauges.
d. Annulus has packed off.
e. Salt water influx is migrating up the hole.

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28. Choke is adjusted to increase drill pipe pressure by 150 psi (spm held constant). What will happen
to the following pressures? (Tick appropriate space provided).

a. Casing shoe pressure:

Increase Decrease Stay the same

b. Bottom hole pressure:

Increase Decrease Stay the same

c. Choke pressure:

Increase Decrease Stay the same

29. The choke is gradually closed due to a string washout. What effect does this have on the BHP?

a. Increase
b. Decrease.
c. Stay the same.

30. How is a choke washout recognised?

a. Increase in drill pipe pressure but casing pressure does not change.
b. Increase in casing pressure but drill pipe pressure does not change.
c. Having to close choke to maintain drill pipe and casing pressures.
d. Having to open choke to maintain drill pipe and casing pressures.

31. When spm is increased during a kill, what should happen to casing pressure to keep bottom hole
pressure steady?

a. Casing pressure should be allowed to increase.

b. Casing pressure should be allowed to decrease.
c. Casing pressure should be held constant.

32. How would choke plugging be recognised during a kill operation?

a. Decrease in pump pressure with no change to casing pressure.

b. Continually opening the choke to maintain correct circulating pressure.
c. Decrease in casing pressure with no change to pump pressure,
d. Continually closing the choke to maintain correct circulating pressure.

33. As a gas kick is being circulated from the well using the Drillers method. What will the shoe
pressure be when the gas reaches the shoe at 5400 ft TVD if the mud weight is 10.8 ppg and the
casing pressure is 1050 psi:

a. 4082 psi
b. 5400 psi
c. 3580 psi
d. 920 psi

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34. Which of the following kill problems will require stopping the pumps quickly to prevent fracturing
the formation?

a. Choke washout
b. Nozzle plugging
c. Pump failure
d. String washout
e. Choke plugging

35. Gas/water contact in a reservoir 5,400 ft

Top of reservoir is at 4,000 ft.
Gas gradient 0.1 psi/ft
Formation water gradient 0.465 psi/ft

Calculate the pressure at the top of the reservoir.

a. 2,511 psi.
b. 140 psi.
c. 2,371 psi.
d. 2,231 psi.

36. Which of the following will be affected by a string washout?

a. MAASP.
b. Pump pressure at kill rate.
c. Formation fracture pressure.
d. Bottom hole pressure

37. The well is shut in with the following pressure readings:

Shut In Casing Pressure 0 psi

Shut In Drill Pipe Pressure 435 psi

The annulus is observed through the choke and there is no flow. What will be the diagnosis?

a. The well was swabbed in.

b. The hole is packed off around BHA.
c. The formation at the shoe has been fractured.
d. The drill string has twisted off.
e. The choke gauge failed.

38. During a kill operation, it is recognised that there is a small loss of drilling fluid to the formation.
Which of the following actions has to be performed in order to reduce the pressure at the weak
zone?

a. Reduce the viscosity in the kill fluid circulated.

b. Reduce the drilling fluid pump speed or change to the cement pump for a reduction in the

flow rate and keep the bottom hole pressure as close as possible to formation pressure.

c. Stop circulation and shut in the hole. Let the influx come to the surface by migration

while the bottom hole pressure is controlled by use of the Volumetric Method.

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39. How can a washout at the choke be recognised?

a. Drill pipe and casing pressures both falling.

b. Increase in casing pressure but drill pipe pressure does not change.
c. Drill pipe and casing pressures both rising.
d. Increase in drill pipe pressure but casing pressure does not change.

40. Kill rate is 35 spm. Pump pressure = 700 psi and casing pressure = 1000 psi. Pump speed is
decreased to 25 spm holding 1000 psi on casing. How will this affect bottom hole pressure?
(Ignore any ECD effect.)

a. Decrease
b. Stay the same.
c. Increase.

41. When circulating out a kick, the casing pressure approaches MAASP while influx is still in the
open hole. What should be done?

a. Operate choke to prevent pressure exceeding MAASP.

b. Minimise any extra pressure in the annulus without going underbalance.
c. Start pumping extra heavy mud down the drill string.

42. What is the effect on bottom hole pressure if the following actions are taken during a well kill?

a. If spm is increased from 20 to 30 whilst holding drill pipe pressure constant:

Increase Decrease Stay the same

b. Kill Mud is pumped to the bit while holding drill pipe pressure constant:

Increase Decrease Stay the same

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43. Kick is taken in a horizontal well. SIDPP = SICP. Influx is circulated out using Driller's Method.
When influx is circulated out of the horizontal section and into the more vertical section, the
casing pressure increase quite rapidly, why?

a. ECD is much greater in the horizontal section.

b. This is because kill mud was not pumped from the start of the kill.
c. This is normal for any well when Driller's Method is used.
d. There is no loss of hydrostatic head until gas arrives at vertical section of the well.

44. A well with a long horizontal section;

The TVD of the well is 7,500 ft (MD 15,000 ft).
The mud weight is 12 ppg.
Formation pressure in the horizontal section is 4,580 psi.
Assume that when tripping out the first few stands of pipe 8 barrels of gas swabbed into the
horizontal section. The gradient of the gas was 0.12 psi/ft and the capacity of the open-hole is 0.07
bbl/ft.

What is the reduction in bottom hole pressure? _____________psi

45. Pump speed is increased during a kill and bottom hole pressure is kept constant. What should
happen to pump pressure?

a. Pump pressure should rise.

b. Pump pressure should stay the same.
c. Pump pressure should fall.

46. During a well kill operation, the choke operator notices that both drill pipe and casing pressures
are slowly decreasing. He reacts by adjusting the choke to maintain the origin pump pressure.

What effect does this choke adjustment have on the bottom hole pressure?

a. Bottom hole pressure decreases.

b. Bottom hole pressure is returned to correct value.
c. Bottom hole pressure is not affected by choke adjustment.

47. The following statement describes one of the differences between drilling with OBM
and WBM.

Hydrocarbon gas is generally more soluble in WBM rather than in OBM?

a. True
b. False

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 48. Is the following statement true or false?

While circulating out a gas kick, the volume of influx in the annulus increases at the same rate in
OBM and WBM.

a. True
b. False

49. Select the two chemicals used for preventing or removing of hydrates.

a. Methanol
b. Methane
c. Water
d. Glycol
e. Diesel

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