D C M A N A G ED PRESSURE D RI L L I NG

MPD OPENS DOOR TO NEW

WELL CONTROL OPTIONS
IN DEEPWATER
Closed-loop systems build track record in floating rig applications, reduce uncertainty
in high-cost operations

By Bhavin Patel, Weatherford

Managed pressure drilling (MPD) is recognized as

a key enabling technology for drilling challenging
wells. The ability to monitor and control volume in
increments smaller than a barrel can help to resolve
a wide range of downhole problems, such as kicks,
losses, wellbore stability and drilling through narrow
drilling windows.
The development of specialized marine rotating
control devices (RCD) has extended the deployment
of MPD methodologies to deepwater environments,
where dynamically positioned floating drilling vessels
present unique well control challenges.
Deepwater challenges
Deepwater equipment and the nature of the downhole
environment can create well control complications.
Many system elements, including subsea BOPs,
riser limitations and high choke line friction, have a
significant impact on well control procedures.
In addition, heave amplitude of the floating rig
can add uncertainty to conventional kick detection
methods, such as pit level monitoring, flow check and
trip tank monitoring. This uncertainty is problematic
in deepwater wells, where the narrow drilling margins
between pore pressure and fracture gradient result in
a lower kick tolerance and require that the volume of
any wellbore influx is minimized as much as possible.
With increased water depths, longer choke and kill
lines are needed to connect surface rig equipment
to subsea BOP systems. Consequently, higher choke
and kill line frictions limit the amount of pressure
that can be applied on the surface. Higher choke line
friction may cause circulation to slow and may result
in more nonproductive time (NPT) related to well
control operations. Additionally, higher choke and kill
line friction can adversely affect the kick tolerance of
the well.
MPD technology
IADC defines MPD as an adaptive drilling process
used to precisely control the annular pressure profile
Figure 1: A Coriolis mass flow meter provides real-time data for
volumetric flow, fluid density and return mud temperature. They
can be used to identify downhole events by measuring and comparing
the volume and density injected into the well and returned from the
well.
throughout the wellbore. The objectives are to
ascertain the downhole pressure environment limits
and to manage the annular hydraulic pressure profile
accordingly. MPD is intended to avoid continuous
influx of formation fluids to the surface. Any influx
incidental to the operation will be safely contained
using an appropriate process.
MPD methodologies are based on closed-loop
circulating systems, which provide a unique capacity
to better understand formation parameters, such as
pore pressures and fracture gradients, and to better
control the annular pressure profile. A closed-loop
system circulates drilling fluid within a contained
pressurizable system, in contrast to conventional
drilling circulating systems that are open to the
atmosphere. The loop is closed by an RCD installed
atop the BOP or integrated below the tension ring as
part of the marine riser system. The RCD contains and
redirects the annular flow away from the rig floor and
through an automated MPD choke manifold.
Weatherfords SeaShield Model 7875 Below-Tension-
Ring (BTR) RCD has been working to enable deepwater
MPD. It is the first RCD made up below the tension
ring and integral to the riser to support operations
from dynamically positioned vessels.

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Figure 2 shows a generic piping and instrumentation diagram for a deepwater well using MPD. The equipment highlighted in the red box
is the RCD, which contains and redirects the annular flow away from the rig floor and through an automated MPD choke manifold.
Closed-loop advantages
Within a closed-loop system, changes in the wellbore
pressure environment can be easily detected and
managed. Real-time pressure and flow measurements
can be used to manipulate surface backpressure to
ascertain the desired annular pressure profile of the
wellbore. The result is the ability to understand and
manage downhole pressures.
The various MPD methodologies that have evolved
from this ability have been further enabled and
enhanced by the development of specialized software
to monitor, analyze and control wellbore pressures.
One of these, the constant bottomhole pressure
(CBHP) method, can be particularly advantageous
in deepwater wells where precise wellbore pressure
control is required to walk the line between pore
pressure and fracture gradient.
The ability of CBHP methods to dial-in and hold a
specific downhole pressure without changing mud
weight provides a high degree of control and a new
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DC M ANAGED P R ES S U R E DR I L L I NG
first response to an influx or kick. The option to
increase mud weight is still there, but backpressure
can be applied precisely and long before a mud
weight increase response can be implemented.
While conventional well control capabilities remain
fully functional, MPD enables a response that may
preclude their use and provides data for a more
informed well control response. This improves safety
and reduces the risks and costs associated with
fighting kick/loss cycles, wellbore instability, stuck
pipe and riser gas.
Automated detection and control
Automated influx detection and control using MPD
is beneficial precisely because it detects influxes
while they are very small and mitigates them quickly
before they can escalate and create a larger problem.
Unlike conventional well control, the automated MPD
system does not entail the lengthy process of stopping
circulation after an influx is detected, interpreting
pressures and circulating the kick out of the well.
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D C M A N A G ED PRESSURE D RI L L I NG
Automated MPD systems enhance conventional well
control systems on the rig, which remain in place and
can be used when needed.
On land and offshore wells with surface BOP systems,
automated MPD influx detection and control has
proven effective in mitigating well control problems
and the associated NPT. Similar successes can be
replicated in deepwater environments where the
RCD is integrated with the riser system. In these
operations, MPD presents new capabilities and
options, which involve planning to address design of
components like the riser and slip joint, which may
have a lower pressure rating.
Vital to this real-time influx and loss detection is the
use of Coriolis mass flow meters and the principle
of mass balance. These identify downhole events by
measuring and comparing the volume and density
injected into the well and returned from the well. In
this process, a kick is indicated by outputs (annular
returns) that exceed the volume of fluid pumped
down the drill string; a loss is detected when output
(returns) is less than the input. The flow meters
provide mass flow rate, volumetric flow rate, fluid
density and return mud temperature.
Benefits of automation
While MPD kick detection and control can be
performed conventionally, automation provides the
rapid response needed to mitigate small oscillations
Figure 3 plots the effect of choke line friction on kick tolerance for a deepwater well. Choke line friction limits the amount of surface
backpressure that can be applied during kick circulation.
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in downhole pressure that are often precursors to
kicks and well control events. This is particularly
critical in narrow deepwater drilling windows.
Accuracy and reliability are enhanced by using an
automated MPD choke manifold integrated with
instrumentation and a computer-based monitoring
and control system. Using specialized algorithms, the
control system can identify and distinguish between
cyclic flow variation due to rig movement and influx
entering. Where uncertainty is high, this early kick/
loss detection capability provides a significant
advantage in the immediate detection and control
of downhole geopressure events, including the well
control risks presented by riser gas. In the closed loop,
MPD provides a more informed well control response
based on faster detection and mitigation.
The capabilities allow drilling operations to employ a
flexible set of operational procedures that are more
responsive to wellbore conditions. Based on better,
timelier information, adjustments to drilling plans
such as changes in mud weight can be performed at
the drill site. The MPD procedure applies new options
to both prevention and mitigation procedures. To
prevent an influx, the system adds real-time data
for early event detection and identification. Annular
pressure control provides a means of proactively
managing pressure variations to prevent them from
developing into a well control event.

Well control procedures
MPD reduces the occurrence of well control events and
pressure-related wellbore problems by addressing
two key challenges associated with conventional
methods the uncertainty of the pre-drill model
and the inflexibility of the resulting well design and
mud regimes. Uncertainty is reduced by very precise
measurements of wellbore pressure in real time. This
information is complemented by equally precise real-
time control.
In conventional well control, once a kick is detected,
the BOP is closed and the well is shut in. Pressure is
interpreted, and the kick is mitigated and circulated
out of the well. In contrast, an automated MPD
system quickly detects the kick, immediately
increases pressure sufficiently to stop the influx and
safely circulates the kick out of the wellbore at normal
drilling rates.
In land and platform applications where a surface BOP
is used, the fully automated MPD response has proven
effective in detecting, controlling and circulating kicks
out of the well. In these applications, the drillers
method is typically implemented to circulate the kick
out at normal rates. Maximum allowable annular
surface pressure (MAASP) is determined by the
formations fracture limit or the RCDs pressure rating.
At normal circulation rates (during drilling),
bottomhole pressure (BHP) is higher than BHP while
circulating at slow circulation rates (SCRs). Higher BHP
caused by frictional pressure losses helps maintain a
downhole pressure profile above pore pressure. It
also means that lower backpressure on surface (to
maintain same BHP value) provides bigger margin to
keep it under MAASP.
Automated well control in deepwater
Automation of deepwater MPD operations has several
advantages. First, the closed wellbore eliminates
inaccuracies due to pit level changes caused by
factors such as crane movement. Second, aboard
drillships or semisubmersibles, flow variations
due to rig movement may make influx detection
harder. Third, sophisticated algorithms can help
analyze flow anomalies despite flow variations due
to rig movement. Additionally, precise choke control
ensures minimum variation in bottomhole pressure.
The MPD system employs sophisticated algorithms
to screen out false alarms and accurately detect and
control influx.
Due to narrow drilling margins and tight-clearance
casing programs typical of deepwater wells, the kick
tolerance is considerably smaller. During conventional
well control, after the kick is detected, the well has to
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DC M ANAGED P R ES S U R E DR I L L I NG
be shut in on the subsea BOP. Under this situation,
the effect of choke line friction imposes increased
limitation due to higher choke line friction.
With an MPD system, influx can be circulated out at
the full drilling circulation rate. This minimizes the
requirement of excessive surface pressure as annular
frictional pressure losses are used to attain required
BHP. Closed-loop technology enables effective use of
wellbore hydraulics to ascertain required downhole
environment.
Figure 3 demonstrates a kick tolerance plot for a
deepwater well. The X-axis has kick intensity (in ppg
equivalent) while drilling, and the Y-axis has kick
volume (in bbls). As seen from the plot, volume of a
kick that can be circulated out at a given kick intensity
or kick tolerance is lowered due to choke line friction.
With application of MPD, smaller kicks can be safely
circulated out through the riser. This provides better
kick tolerance due to the elimination of choke line
friction.
Existing equipment in deepwater applications
can pose challenges to applying automated influx
detection and control. Riser slip-joint limitations might
have a lower rating than the MAASP. This could limit
the amount of casing pressure that can be applied
during influx control and circulation. Due to advances
in riser technology, risers with higher pressure ratings
are becoming more readily available.
Successful deepwater MPD applications
Deepwater MPD, although a relatively new application,
already has a history of 19 successful wells drilled
from floating drilling vessels. In many of these
applications, automated kick detection and control
have successfully mitigated deepwater pressure
challenges.
The development of specialized RCD technology that
integrates with the riser system clears a significant
hurdle in applying MPD to a broader scope of
deepwater wells. As drillships and semisubmersibles
are fitted to provide closed-loop drilling capabilities,
the deployment of MPD will play an increasing role in
enhancing process safety and efficiency and providing
the ability to drill increasingly difficult deepwater
wells.
SeaShield is a trademark of Weatherford.
Reprinted from the November/December 2013 issue of
Drilling Contractor.
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