INSTITUT ALGERIEN DU PETROLE

School of Boumerdes
UFR: Drilling and Production

UBD

What is Underbalanced Drilling and

Why Use It?
Underbalanced drilling (UBD) is the intentional reduction of
drilling fluid density to lower hydrostatic pressure in a wellbore
so that it is lower than formation pore pressure.
Or, more simply put, underbalanced drilling maintains wellbore
pressure below formation pressure while drilling.

PMW < PP

Less Pressure, More

Flow

PMW

> PP

PMW

< PP

What is Underbalanced Drilling and

Why Use It?
Underbalanced drilling (UBD) is the intentional reduction of
drilling fluid density to lower hydrostatic pressure in a wellbore
so that it is lower than formation pore pressure.
Or, more simply put, underbalanced drilling maintains wellbore
pressure below formation pressure while drilling.

PMW < PP

Less Pressure, More

Flow

Flair
Mud pits

Separat
or
Chock
manifol
d

Lifting gas
(ex
Nitrogen)

What is Underbalanced Drilling and Why Use It?

Lower pressure in the wellbore encourages oil/gas flow, reducing
formation damage.
Lower pressure in the wellbore increases ROP, prolongs bit life and
prevents fluid loss into the formation, making differential sticking
unlikely.
Lower pressure means less fluid loss when drilling, resulting in reduced
fluid maintenance costs, a decrease in lost circulation time, and less
non-productive time.
In underbalanced reservoir drilling (UBD), the emphasis is on protecting
the formation, particularly in low-pressure, depleted reservoirs.
Encouraging the reservoir to flow while it is being drilled avoids creation
of wellbore buildup and its associated negative impact on well
productivity and reservoir recovery.
These benefits allow for enhanced production and reservoir recovery
which increases the economic viability which results in quicker payouts

Advantages and Disadvantages of

Underbalanced Drilling
Advantages
Much Higher ROP While Drilling
Greatly Reduces Formation Damage While Drilling
Allows Drilling Through Severe Lost Circulation Zones
Numerous Geological and Pay Identification Benefits
Normal Triple-Combo or Quad-Combo Can be Run
Addition of Temperature Log Identifies Gas Flow Into
Wellbore
Aides in Quickly Identifying Target Zones for Cement
Calculations
Reduces Perforation Interval for Lower Costs
High Quality Cuttings Which are Clean and Dry
Numerous Completion Benefits
No Drilling Mud to Clean up From Formation or Fractures
Allows for Zones to be Quickly Tested
Less Cleanup Time During Flowback / Swab Testing
Decreased Rig / Testing Costs
Disadvantages
Hazardous When Drilling High Pore Pressure Zones
Risk of Sticking When Encountering Formation Water
Possible Crooked Hold Due to High ROP

UBD
Prevents formation damage (due to
losses,...)
Reduces drilling problems (Losses,
differential stickingn...)
Increases reservoir knowledge
Increases ROP