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    © All Rights Reserved
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    308 views14 pages

    Stuck Pipe Cause, Detection & Prevention

    Uploaded by

    Kolawole Adisa
    Stuck Pipe Course

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Causes, Detection and Prevention It costs the oil industry between $200 and $500 million each year, occurs in 15% of wells, and in many cases is preventable. Stuck pipe remains a major headache that demands and is getting industry-wide attention. Louise Bailey Tim Jones Cambridge, England Jim Belaskie Jacques Orban Mike Sheppard Sugar Land, Texas, USA Otto Houwen Start Jardine Dominic MeCann ‘Montrouge, France Torhelp preparation oti anid anise rte Bush Fevelum (8 suck pe wk res ‘asi ond fe cab of TOTAL nes’ Balipapan ed Steve Davis, Pal Hamvond Gey elf Shere Sblamiege abr ese, canbe, El ‘The following fictionalized conversation describes events that aclvally occurred on a tig driting ofshore inthe Gulf of Mexico. It is noon on a Monday and drilling is at 3470 feet. The mud logger has just jotned the ‘riler on the rig floor, October 1991 Mud Logger: We've drilled shee feet into a break, Better pick up and check {for flow Driller: One flow check coming up. ‘Atlow check tells whether a kick isin Progress. This is routinely performed after @ ‘riling break, a sudden inerease in penet tion rate, usually indicative of permeable for- ‘mation. The mud jogger returns to his unit, A shatt time later, the driller phones. Dritlor: We've slus down for five mine utes and there hasn't been any flow: We're going back to drilling Mud Logs Before recommencing diling, the driller picks up a lite to work the plpe—and then calls the toolpusher. Driller: The hook load shot way up when I picked up after the flow check We must have had 100 kb of overpull for a couple of seconds there, Toolpusher: How does it look now? Driller: Everything fine. Toolpusher: Keep an eve on it'll go talk to the company man. B Fitleen minutes later, the measurement- hile-diling (MWD) engineer appears on the drill floor. MWD Engineer: Did you notice the overpull when you picked up? Driller: Sure did. It was over 100 Alb. What are we drilling down there? MWD Engineer: The gamma ray shows a clean sand, and it looks like there night be something in it too. Thirty minutes late, inthe mud logging unit: Mud Logger: How's the nd doing? Mud Engineer: Lousy. The nud cleaner and desander take urns breaking down. The company man is upset about the high water loss, and the nuid weight keeps increasing. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place Mud Logger / Det the mudstone we arilled earlier is feeding the mud sys- tem. That suff was soft—it practically dissolved in water. Mud Engineer: That must be it. The aril solids are steadily increasing. It inust be coming from the open hole somewhere High water loss and increasing dil solids produce thick, sof mudcake, a primary cause of eitferential sticking. Fifteen minutes later, atthe mud pits Company Man: When are we going to reduce this water loss? Mud Engineer: I'm trying everything 1 know, but the mud cleaner is down and that mudstone we drilled is putting a lot of solids into the system. We need to get it fixed and the desander needs work too. Company Man: Tlie rental company says they won't have a man out for another day at the earliest. We'll just have to make do, at least until the crew ‘change tomorrow morning. (One hour later, inthe company man's office: MWD Engineer: Pore pressure is still «at 87 ppg. Is there any reason the mud weight has been increased to 94 ppg? Company Man: Yeah, we can't keep the sols control equipment running The weight is creeping up MWD Engineer: Hien we shut down {for the flow check in that sand, we had 100-Kib overpull. We could be gesting some differential sticking. Company Man: Maybe you're right Filcall the dill floor and have them keep the pipe maving. Let me know when we get out ofthe sand. ‘The next morning, the mud cleaning equip- ‘meat i stil malfunctioning, but drilling pro- ceeds. Meanwhile a helicopter arrives with a ‘new company man. Arriving Company Manz ITow's every- thing going? Leaving Company Man: Pretty good. But yesterday, we had a 100-klb over- ull after a flow check. We haven't seen anything since. Arriving Company Man: What do you think it was? Leaving Company Man: / think if was differential, We'd been having problems with the mud cleaners. Everything is in the reports. I'd better get going, the heli- copter's waiting. See you in two weeks. Arriving Company Man: Have a good time off. Later that evening, total depth (TO) is reached. The driller cals the new company man. Driltor: We just reached TD and are going to pull out. You want me to rotate when breaking connections? Company Man: No, let's not waste any time, We've gota long logging pro gram and we're behind schedule Driller: OK. Oilfield Review They pall five stands and then cannot raise the pipe aera connection. The bottombhole assembly (BH) happens to be opposite the Sand where the dling break occu and has became diferentally stick pressured against the permeable sand so hard that no force on earth can move it. Iisa dille’s nightmare that is less common than ten years ago, but till common enoukh. In most cases, petting stuck is preventable and the main reason it happens i that warming signs come sporadically over days or even weeks, This pipe got stuck because warning signs \wete poorly communicated and eventually forgotten. If the mud cleaning equipment had been working if the pipe had been kept moving while pulling out, ithe ig had had the advantage of the latest information ss tem technology, then perhaps the incident ‘would have been averted. Poor commun «ation i often the main culprit ehind stuck pipe, with the many players—itom com: pany man to shaker hand—not pooling their observations and fling o arrive at a cllec- tive decision atthe right moment. The industy’ interest in stuck pipe is cure rently going through a renaissance. Several operators are making determined effonts to codify the warning signs and to improve communication—not just for thei own alles, but for all on-site dling and service company personnel. Meanwhile, beter Sensors an information systems ae prove ing sigefloor “Smart” alarms to help the diler recognize wouble before it gts out of hand. ‘The causes of stuck pipe have been known since drilling began (next page) Broadly, they re divided among derential sticking, formation-related sticking and mechanical sticking." Diferential sticking ‘occurs in permeable zones wien dil cok lars, drillpipe or casing get embedded in rmudeake and pinned to the borehole wall by the difrence between the muds hydro- static pressure and a lower formation pres sure, Formation-related sticking occurs \when unstable formation constrict the dil string. This includes unconsolidated rock, swelling shale, flowing formations such as salt and plastic shale, and geopresured for mations. Mechanical sticking covers numet- ‘ous causes such as key seating-—in which a joove cut in the borehole wall by dillpipe October 1995 o> (Cross section ofc dill collar (etl) embedded in mudcake and pinned fo the borehole by the differential pressure betweon ‘mud and formation, The pinning force is ihe pressure difference fimes the contact aroa between ail collar and muceake. ‘According the Coulomb fiction model, the overpull required to ‘ree the drstring is the pining force times the friction factor, which is generally 0.3 0.0.4. 1 the dillistring remains stationaxy for any reason, more mud ‘cake can build up, increasing the contact area and making the dillistring harder to tree. traps the larger-diameter hardware when tripping out—accumulation of cuttings due to poor hole cleaning, undergauge hole, doglegs, junk, collapsed casing, and fray- mented cement. The causes of sticking are more numerous than can be listed here, and itis a mistake to think that only one cause may be acting Pipe stuck because of swelling shale may sooner of later also get stuck differentially at another point inthe well. One of the results Of the industry's current attention is a better understanding of the events leading up to stuck pipe and their interpretation in terms of the causes of sticking. Knowing the causes is essential for taking correct reme- dial action, Dilferentil sticking Research into dferentaly stuck pipe stared in the 1950s. Simplisticaly, the pressure di {erential between the mucl and formation ppushes the dil collars and dillpipe against the borehole wall, and the friction force required to move the siving—the pinning force multiplied by a coefficient of tric tion—becomes too great for the rig draw= ‘works to pull the pipe free (above). In the simplistic picture, pinning force equals the pressure differential multiplied by the con- tact area between dril collar and borehole (cominvedon page 18) inthis ari SPN ickrg Pipe nding wa matof ‘nail MOS erate Seo Fore 1. Mechanical skin omens ent 0 ‘cide mata ig 2. Oumans H:* Mechanics of DifetetilPesre ‘Sct of Dn Calls." pevoleum Hansicons, ‘AEDS (19585 268:274 fon Marl Monaghan PH: “Dierenta Pres Sickng Laboratory Stuties of Freon Berwcen Sal and Mu Fie Cae," founof of Peelcun Techno! ‘ay 4 19025 337533. 15 Cree ers Unconsolidated formations Uneonsoldated for: mations such 6s loosely compacted ‘sands and gravais ‘an collapsa into tho wokbore forming @ bridge around the rising Fiactired/Fauited formation Formation that ie paturally fissured lornear a fault 2008 may break off in lees ino te bore Foland am tho i 4 ilsting. Feces an vay rom smal Upto boulder sizo. Formations that commonly race S S| sta carbenales and shales. Reactive formations Carian mantmo: lone and bentonite shales hydrate and ‘wal on contact with Water-base mud, fil: i Ing the borehole ‘and creating clay bal that oan block the wellbore and onsite the d sting, Treating the ud ith KCI and polymer can arest hydration. Oltbase mud inhibits the pro 6s completoy. Mobile formations Geopressured formations: Formations ike eat ‘and plastlc shales It. erally flow iio the ce welbore wren recitsinng strosses | aa fare removed jam: = ining the dilstring SFIS overpressurea °F = | formations can siow a = | apart when pene- trated by the dl bt, flung the borohote wn rock particles thatean slick the listing 3 i cS Oilfield Review ay CT Poor hole Cleaning Key seating a Koy coats, grooves in the borehole wall ut by rotating dillpipe, ‘lk larger diameter collars and othor hharanare wnen tip ping out A key seat ream placed higher in the eting can opon ‘tho kay sat, allowing { passage of cols October 1991 Poor hole cleaning results in overloading the annulus vith cut tings, potently stick: ing the alsin. ‘Thesis most kel in \Waehouis where ann: Tar volocty decreases: ‘and cutngs accumu: lato In doviated wale, ‘utings form beds on the lon side ofthe hole fandcan migrate uphole Ike shifting sand dunes, casing colapse pres 9, such as whon + casings too light uty ‘casing is old + casings landed vith t90 much ton: son, redulng i collapse rating: unk Junk is eny object in te ole not meant lobe thera, Roller ‘cones or aven a POC cutter aro large ‘enough fo sick the ‘sing, Once tho isting becomes ‘ished wih a revorse- ‘euatlon junk bas- kot or magnets, Céilapeed easing i Collapsed easing cours when forma: tion forces excond Cementiebied sticking oocurs when blocks of coment fall ino the wellboro from casing ratholes forcement plugs, Jamming crilstring. It \fatorial complied by the BP stuck pipe task force: also occurs when sillsiing becomes planted in soft or *oreen’ cement that flash sets when pressure Is epalod Diferental ticking ‘curs opposite por. ‘meabie formations ‘when dill collars got ‘embedded in thick ‘mudeake and are pinned to the bore- “hole wall by the eit {erential pressure between mud and formation. wall, an area that inereases with mudeake thickness and length of BHA in contact with the formation, According to this picture, preventing dl ferential sticking depends on, among other things, careful mud design and condltion- ing. The mud must not be too heavy because that increases hydrostatic head and differential pressure. A recent survey by CChevton USA Inc. indicates the increasing probability of differential sticking with pres- sure and suggests @ maximum of 2000 psi, although this obviously is subject to local conditions (below). The mud must also hhave good fluid loss properties to prevent excessive mudeake buildup. And the solids ‘control equipment must be functioning cor- rectly to prevent solids ancl cuttings from remaining in the mud and possibly accret- ing o the cake, building it up further. Other preventive measures include always keeping the string in motion, partic- larly when adding pipe while drilling, the ‘Stuck pipe probabilty, % 1000 Differential pressure, psi 1809 2000 2500 3000 Probability of diferenta! sticking versus differential pressure, established from ‘analysis of 600 well histortes in the Gut of Mexico. An ‘accoptablo" probability of 20% is achieved if diiferential pressure ever exceeds 2000 pa, (From Weailey, reference 3) 18 [three ways mudeake can be removed, diminishing the probability of differential sticking, While dling, the rotating pipe ‘wears ono sido of tho borehole re the cake, During a wiper tip, the stabiiz- ‘es and hit remove a leage portion of tho ‘cake, Reaming does the best job of remov- {ng cake, but ft takes the most time, ‘most likely moment for differential ticking Wiper trips and teaming also help because they remove parts of the mudcake (above). Top dives, which permit rotation while ras ing pipe, contribute to decreasing the chances of getting stuck. Preventive measures, though, must begin in the planning stages. The first step is selecting casing points. These are usually picked so that in each openhole section mud weight lies between a lower limit, below which the mud would no longer ‘counterbalance pore pressure, and an upper limit, above which the mud would fracture ‘or damage the formation causing lost circu. lation. fa maximum dliferential pressure is imposed to reduce the chances of clfferen: lial sticking, for example opposite perme- able depleted formations, the upper limit may have to be reduced and an additional ‘casing point may be necessary. The extra cost of adding a casing string, however, must be weighed against the alternative of simply recucing mud weight and hoping the ‘well will not kick—stuck pipe could be less expensive than a blowout. Further well planning is necessary for doviated wells. The well trajectory should be designed to minimize drag. Use of stee- able assemblies without rotation to steer the hole should be minimized—rotary drilling produces fewer doglegs. A second planning step is careful BHA design —it is the large diameter dil collars that usualy get stuck. The tend toward sim pler BHAs, with only as many collars a are strictly necessary has dane much to reduce the incidence of sticking. Further reductions have resulted from using spiral collars Which present less surface are tothe bore hole wall, and stabilizers every second or third join that keep the entre BHA away from the borehole wall Athitd way to avoid diferent sticking is to use MWD measurements to provide a Continvous record of direction and inclna- tion. Obtaining these data the traditional way, by lowering instruments down the Alpine, keeps the dilsting stationary for Lp 10 30 minutes, time enough to get uly stuck. Fourth, spoting lids circulated to free diferentally stuck pipe should be pre mixed and available at all times. ‘Advances in preventing diferent stick- ing curently rely on further research into the sticking mechanism better understand ing and codification of the telltale signs that precede sticking, improved monitoring of Fig data through drilling information and alarm systems to detect those sign, and, ‘most important ofall, training of rig floor personnel that emphasizes the importance of communication Researchers seck answers to the most basic questions. What exactly isthe sticking mechanism? sit the Coulomb tition force mentioned above, or is sticking not assoc ated with the borehole wall but entirely with the mudicake? Perhaps the force needed t0 fee the BHA must simply over: come the yield stess of the cake. Pursuing this line of thought researchers are invest tating in detail the properties of muccakes next page, below leds ‘Ata larger scale, several groups of exper- menters have bull wellbore simulators that offer insight into the friction forces that develop while diling oF sticking. None, though, has satisfactorily determined what factors contribute to the suddenness ox intensity of the sticking pipe phenomenon 5 One more enigma for researchers is why spoating fluids ae often successful at freeing pipe. Does the diesel-base fluid inflate Oiled Review ‘Flow atagram for dlagnosing the causo of stuck pipe when encountering overpull after moving pipe trom a static position—for example, after making or breaking connections during dilling, tripping or reaming. ‘This and other similar charts were compiled by the BP stuck pipe task force. Prevention of stuck pipe depends on speedily answer- ing each query as it arises. This is being facilitated by increasingly sophisticated data provided by now MWD tools and better datr analysis and alarms provided by computerized rig instrumentation. (Couresy of BP Fxplerotion) 0 Distance trom titer paper, mm berger Cambridge Research, Cambridge, England mudcake was developed in {tration cell over three time periods—1 ‘hour, 4 hours and 24 hours—and then dis. ‘ected to determine cake vold ratio vorsus {stance from the iter paper. The void 1atio varies dramatically. The cake is ‘dense and nonporous adjacent fo the tl. {er paper and increasingly porous away irom ft Given enough time (sae the 24- >hour data), the outer surface of the cake ‘achieves @ uniform vold ratio. Researchers ‘are analyzing the implications of this and thor results for differential sticking. (rom Sherwood et al. Journal of Chemical Sosiety Favaly Tiemsactions, reference 4.) October 1997 and destroy the cake? Or does it lubricate the drillstrng, allowing more pulling force to reach the stuck BHA? If scientists can answer these questions, better methods for fteeing stuck pipe may become available. ‘Meanwhile, the emphasis is on preven- on. And thal means watching the warning signs andl knowing what combination of cir- ‘cumstances presages a stuck pipe incident (One of the aids produced by a recent BP stuck pipe task force isa flow diagram for each deilling operation—deilling, making connections, tipping in and out, reaming in and out, circulating and running casing, The diagrams show how events accumulate 10 make sticking increasingly probable. Dif ferential sticking usually occurs when mov- ing from a static postion. The relevant flow diagram leads inexorably through the events, queries and answers that culminate in stuck pipe (above): * Does drag increase when moving string from static position? Yes. ‘Is circulation restricted? No, ‘+ Ate permeable formations exposed? Yes. + Can dillsting be moved? No! The BP chart not only forewams of impend- ing disaster, but also suggests what type of slicking should be expected. For example, if, alter moving pipe from a static position, Circulation had been restricted, we are led ‘o the left part ofthe diagram toward forma- 3 ‘Wake RRs Use of tuck Pipe Sate Ree the Occumence of Sek Pp” paper SPE 2070, “ied atthe th SPC Anal ec Caneenee [nf shin, New Oras, Leisng,USA Scptembe 2326 1990. Newhoue CC: “Succes Dalling Severely Depleted Sands paper PEAADIC 21913, presented he 991 SPCiADC Dali Coren, Arse ‘dame The Nee Mate He, 15. Sheen ID, Mete CH, Far CA and Alera sConcenton Pot Win Novo Wa Sees” uma of Cams Sac ad ame tars 9 61318, Alder N Mate GH at Shenson Reormary of bert Cal” urn No Neto on Fu stechancr 391990 291-10 ‘heron JD, Metan GH, Fae CA ard Aleman NNe"Squccr'n Romy o Now uterm Mo ‘ake ral of Ne Neteian Fad Mecanis Spusen sits ‘Couns ae Zur “A New Approach Di fel Schr” paper SPE 1424, pesersed tthe [anSPE Anal chal Confrence sd Eb ton, as Vegas Nevada, USA, Soper 22.25, te, Quigley Ms, Onalowsi AX and Zamora Me“ Ful ‘Ste Wehr ton Serle” paper ADCPE 19858 priser a a IAD Dlg Cw erence Ht, Tes USA, Febuary 27-Mah 2, 3, dey WV, Jarman, Fost RS, Wood RD, Schofield Te Aufl ond Cotkng "Task Force Aeproac a Reducing Suck Pip Coss” paper SSPEIADC 71995, preside 1991 SPEAADC Dll Coference Anstdam, The Neerland, veh To, 199 “Flaw Chats cp Preven Sock Pipe Problems,” Oi Gas a9 no 13 Apa 1, 1991 61 “Team ir tera in Coating Suck ge," OF ‘8x 89 9.13 pe 15-991: 3955 19 Bfblem sed inhole ious tit (Cana Ba VotateaTreg™ 1A more complex dlagnostic low dlagram for tripping out. (Courtesy ct BP Expleation ) 20 Oilfield Review tion-telated sticking. A more complex chart provides an analysis of what may happen while tipping out (previous page). Possible sticking mechanisms include formation. related problems, key seating, cement relate problems, junk andl wellbore geomet Shale Sticking Differential sticking accounts for more than 70% of stuck pipe in areas where wells are drilled through depleted, highly permeable sands asin the Gulf of Mexico. But in other areas, such as the North Sea, where opera tors are obliged to drill through unstable Ter tiary shales to reach pay, shale-related stick ing claims a similarly high percentage. In the presence of water-base mud, shales frequently swell—particularly those contain ing abundant montmorillonite—constitin the borehole and finally gripping the dei string. Others slough off small particles that {ill the borehole and risk packing off the BHA or bit. Drillers are awate of shale- related drilling problems if they have encountered them in nearby wells, and they have several methods of dealing with them, The simplest is to weight up the mud, although this does not necessaily halt the chemical reactions berween mud ancl shale that are responsible for shale’s instability The simplest method of contiolling chem ically active shale is to use oil-base mud, a solution that transformed exploitation in the Noxth Sea, By containing its water phase in small eil droples, oib-base mud eliminates contact between the water and the forma: tion, ensuring that the shale remains stable. In a wellbore simulator at Schlumberger ‘Cambridge Research, Cambridge, England, oik-base mud was flowed through a one- inch borehole drilled in a block of Pierre shale—a highly unstable rock obtained from ‘a near-surface site in Colorado, USA con: taining 30% clay, of which a third is mont ‘morillonte. In the simulator, overburden, confining and mud pressures can be inde- pendently maintained up to 30 megaPascals (MPa) [4350 psil (top, ight). Throughout the experiment, the borehole remained on gauge and relatively smooth, indicating that asin real life, oi-base mud eliminates shale- related sticking problems (right)? As environmental restrictions tighten, though, the toxicity of oil-base mud has October 1991 ‘Mud prassure contol Axial sites Contning pressure ‘Shale sample Mud reservoir Sampling valve ‘Schematic of borehole simulator deve!- ‘pod at Schlumberger Cambridge Resoarch, ‘This siraulates mud clreulation through a IVinch borehole drilled in a rock sample ‘measuring 6 inches in diameter and 8 Inches high. The thin mandrol inside the Borehole carries a caliper that can mea. sure the borehole during circulation, Sliced view of a bored core of unstable. Plone shale that hes boon circulated with ‘ll-base miid in the borehole simulator at ‘Schlumberger Cambridge Research, Bore- hole diameter is one inch The borehole wall is mainly smooth, Indicating the lack of interaction between {crmation andl mud. The somotimes ragged fabric atthe face occurs when the ‘core is sliced. thrown its future into question. This is spurting inereased research on muds made with vegetable rather than petroleum oil oF with polymers synthesized from petrochem- Tcals. The latter, however, may be just as toxic as conventional oil-base mud. That leaves water-base mud. The water-base solution for fighting unruly shales is generally a mix of potassium chlo- ride (KCI) and polymer. The role of the polymer is poorly understood. Current joint research at Schlumberger Cambridge Research and Institut Francais du Pétrole, Rucil-Malmaison, France suggests that it plays no role in arresting the chemical reac: tions that occurs when shale meets water. Rather, its rofe is to prevent dispersion by physically encapsulating clay particles as the shale swells and disintegrates The role of KCI is better understood. The common denominator between mud and shale is water activity, a measure ofthe abil- ity of water molecules to escape from a sub- stance. By definition, pure water has a water activity of 1. Anything that gives up water ‘vapor less easily, and shales usually fit this category, has an activity less than 1. When ‘avo substances are in contact, an equalizing 7s Anaterwelvorsinulator wel ein ‘eae prcblons deci ‘Simp Det Hand Salsbury OP: “Down ole Smuiten Cal hows Uneageted ec Shae ration on Boek Wl paper IADCAPE 17202, esr the 1568 (ADCS ling Con ata, Tee, USA, Febrsry 26 anh 21 process takes place in which the substance with the higher water activity loses water molecules to the substance with the lower activity, Thus, water-base mud tends to lose ‘water to shales. In absorbing water, shales swell or break up. “To prevent this, a water activity balance must be achieved by 1) reducing water activity of the mud and/or 2) increasing activity of the shale. Mixing sats like KCl, sodium chloride (NaCl) or calcium chloride (CaCI, into the mud achieves the first goal, with KCI providing the least reduction and aC, providing the most. The second goal may be achieved when mud contacts the shale and the salt enters the shale with the absorbed water. As this occurs, the salt ‘cation—potassium, sodium or calcium— replaces the original cations in the shale, which are predominantly sodium. Labora tory measurements have shown that if cal cium replaces sodium, the shale activity decreases—a step in the wrong direction Sodium cations replacing sodium-rich shale give practically no change, which does not help. But when potassium replaces sodium, activity increases, Thus KCI mud achieves the dual goal of decreasing mud activity and increasing shale activity. Several laboratory techniques are rou tinely used to measure the activity of shales, shale swelling and the effectiveness of mud formulations in stabilizing shales® A simple relative humidity meter measures activity Swelling is measured by compressing @ paste of shale into a receptacle with a pis ton, exposing one end of the paste to the mud, and then measuring the outward dis: placement of the piston versus time once the compression pressure has been released. The failure or success ofa particular mud! in controlling shale dispersion is determined in a hot rolling oven. Small particles of shale fre weighed, then placed with the mud in 2 \stect of water-base muds on the Pierre shale, A KCI mud with activity balancing the ‘shale's ol) produces a relatively smooth borehole wall. An unbalanced mud stimu- Iates considerable hydration cid creates a rough wall (ight). In the wellbore, shale [patticles would have fallen on the BHA and bil, possibly packing them off closed containers. The containers are rolled gently overnight in an oven, to enhance the ‘mud:shale interaction at downhole temper- ature conditions. The next morning, the resulting soup is sieved to retrieve remain- ing particles, which are then dried and ‘weighed, The goal is to have minimum loss ‘of shale into the mud. A good inhibitive KCl-polymer mud will typically preserve 95 to 100% of the original shale, Using larger equipment such as the Schlumberger Cam: bridge Research small wellbore simulator, the effect of incorrect mud formulations can be directly observed; the results are often frightening (above) ‘Measuring shale activity in situ is a uch harder challenge. Currently, the only hope is from geochemical logging measurements that can be interpreted to provide a sophist cated mineralogical analysis of the forma: tion. Ifthe activities of each mineral compo- rent are known, the analysis may then provide an estimate of formation activity. Logs either come aftr the well is drilled and the risk of sticking has passed, or from nearby wells. Ideally, the same technique would be used in realtime with MWD data Current MWD technology, however, fails to provide the essary range of geochemical Realtime Prevention In other ways, MWD technology provides valuable data for preventing stuck pipe in real time. In the driling mode, MWD mea- surements of downhole weight-on-bit and downhole torque can be compared with surface hook load and torque. Using a ‘model of the well trajectory, also deter ‘mined from MWD measurements, the com- parison permits an estimate of pipe friction ‘versus depth that can provide early warning of sticking.® Anadrill’s SPIN sticking pipe indicator works on this principle and pro- vides both drag and rotaing fiction factors (next page) ‘A recently introduced MWD wellbore caliper measurement provides another indi cation of sticking by directly showing how mobile formations and unstable shales affect ‘wellbore diameter (page 24). The evolu: tion of wellbore diameter can be monitored during each trip in and out ofthe hole. This new sensor promises easy identification of key seats. Pipe friction in the tripping mode is one it ofa trip monitoring program recently Oilfield Review Ganmarey | Surface Surlazs | Drag eon countsisec | weight,kib | § torque, kit | factor, % 10 60 aol & | & |o ———-a5}o 10 Interpretation faeot | dwos | 8 |]. _pror penetration, | doumrote |< | 3 | downrote | Rotary ction tir weight. kib | a torque, kt-Ib_ factor, % |400——0|o a oe |t0——— 50 ze ROP increases 0 70 the ° Fotaryrsten decease ony then sabizrs eave sane e4 | Diagnosis ntemedate saci frshangng wn sand t 310 “a rag ana rotary tition increase; ROP decreates from {800 15 the. Working and ‘reaming hole has no success Five-stand wiper trip decreases both tritons to normal evel. FOP incroases to Shr Diagnosis: inermediate stab lizer digging in sand at 480. Rotary tetion increases sharply and drag increases sim, ROP ‘decreases rom 60 to 10 fr. Thee-siand wiper tp decreases both drag and rotary Ircton; ROP inereases to 80 fh Diagnosis: top stabiizer hang- ing in sand at 710" ‘After a connection, hole was. \Worked and reamed, Rotary rc: tion decreases sharply Drag fiton increases. Theo: sland wiper tp brings it don Diagnosis: top stabilizer hang ing in sand at 080 1 Gin a, Hayaavou A and Galan “Desn of Choncally Balanced Polymer Olling Fluid LenetosReetion n Cy Deaton” SPE Dug Eagineering 11986 31-42 {Cheever ME ad Osan SO: “hale ih ‘ion Oni With iSite Mody” SPF Dring Frgncrng (199) 261.268 9 Lesage Falconer G and Wek C: "Ealing Dring Paci in Devated Walsh ou and ‘Wight Dat" paper SPEIADC 16114 presi st the 1967 SPEAADC Ding Coreen, New ‘Gers, Losin USS, Mach 518,197 (Ovban Denis MS, rion Bt an Mayes: New Utasni Calprfor MW Open pape SPEAAD 21947, penta athe 19 SPADE Oring Conience, Astra The Nether Mar 4 1991 October 1991 Example of “Anatdrills SPIN Sticking pipe indi. ator ‘analysis. From MWD down- hole weight-on-bit and torque mea- ‘surements, surface book load and torque, and ‘model of the well, trajectory, tho

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