Improved Bottomhole Pressure Control for Underbalanced Drilling Operations

• Main Author: Perez-Tellez, Carlos
• Other Authors: Adam T. Bourgoyne, Jr.
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: LSU 2003
• Subjects: Petroleum Engineering
• Online Access: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-0111103-194328/

Maintaining underbalanced conditions from the beginning to the end of the drilling process is necessary to guarantee the success of jointed-pipe underbalanced drilling (UBD) operations by avoiding formation damage and potential hazardous drilling problems such as lost circulation and differential sticking. However, maintaining these conditions is an unmet challenge that continues motivating not only research but also technological developments. This research proposes an UBD flow control procedure, which represents an economical method for maintaining continuous underbalanced conditions and, therefore, to increase well productivity by preventing formation damage. It is applicable to wells that can flow without artificial lift and within appropriate safety limits. This flow control procedure is based on the results of a new comprehensive, mechanistic steady state model and on the results of a mechanistic time dependent model, which numerically combines the accurate comprehensive, mechanistic, steady-state model, the conservation equations approximated by finite differences, and a well deliverability model. The new steady state model is validated with both field data and full-scale experimental data. Both steady state and time dependent models implemented in a FORTRAN computer program, were used to simulate drilling and pipe connection operations under reservoir flowing conditions. Actual reservoir and well geometries data from two different fields, in which the UBD technique is being employed, were used as input data to simulate simultaneous adjustments of controllable parameters such as nitrogen and drilling fluid injection flow rates and choke pressure to maintain the bottomhole pressure at a desired value. This value is selected to allow flow from the reservoir to substitute for reduction or cessation of nitrogen injection during drilling and for interruption of nitrogen and drilling fluid circulation during a pipe connection. Finally, a specialized procedure for UBD operations is proposed to maximize the use of natural energy available from the reservoir through the proper manipulation of such controllable parameters based on the results of the computer simulations.