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Coring operations guidelines. Core samples are taken in order to measure accurately the reservoir parameters
in hydrocarbon and water bearing formations, and also for other geological investigation.
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Coring Operations Guidelines Page 5 of 10
spacing out the inner barrel refer to the relevant manufacturer's literature, as additional clearance may
be necessary due to the difference in thermal expansion between fibreglass and steel.
• Space out the drill string in order to have a full stand up when starting to core.
• Close to bottom, when running in, the hole should be circulated to remove sloughing and other loose
material that can plug the core barrel.
• Always check the on-bottom and off-bottom circulating pressures.
• Use minimum circulating rates while coring.
• If the pump pressure increases, and the torque decreases, then a possible formation change is
indicated.
• If the pump pressure, penetration rate and torque, all decrease simultaneously, then it may be an
indication that the core has jammed (or that the core barrel is full).
• If the pump pressure and torque both increase simultaneously, then an "o" ring groove may have been
developed on the cutting face of the core head.
• Coring the last 30 cm without circulation will cause the core to burn into the core head and help
preventing the core from sliding out.
• Avoid reaming with a core barrel assembly. If it has to be done, use the maximum circulating rate and
minimum WOB. Do not exceed 30 rpm.
• When pulling out of hole, do not rotate the drill string or the core barrel in the rotary table. Use the pipe
spinner to spin out connections. Once the core has been cut, care must be taken while tripping out in
order not to mechanically disturb the structure of the core. Slips should be set gently in order to prevent
chock loads.
• Pulling out of hole should be done carefully to avoid core damage from too rapid de pressurisation.1.5
min/ stand or slower is recommended. During the last 100 - 200 m the speed should be even lower;
3min/ stand.
• Coring a rathole:
•
◦ When coring a rathole, the initial run shall use a 9 m (30 ft) core barrel. If the recovery is good,
then subsequent runs can use an 27 m (90 ft) core barrel. However, should the recovery be poor,
then subsequent runs shall continue to use a 9 m (30 ft) core barrel.
◦ When taking the first core from a 12 1/4" (311 mm) hole, install two 12 1/4" (311 mm) stabilisers;
one directly above the core barrel, and the other 9 m (30 ft) above it.
◦ When taking subsequent cores, run the same stabilisers and also run sufficient 6 1/4" (159 mm)
drill collars, stabilised at every 18 m (60 ft), for entering the rat hole.
◦ Whenever hole problems develop, enlarge hole to full size after 80 m (266 ft) of rathole has been
cored in 12 1/4" hole
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2 Coring Parameters
There are three main parameters which have to be considered when coring:
In general terms, the speed of the core head should be varied to suit the formation, and the pump discharge
varied according to the size of the core head. The weight on bit depends both on the core head size, and the
type of formation being cored. With higher pressure drops, hydraulic lift should be considered when selecting
weight on bit.
To avoid barrel jams or core damage, light bit weights and relatively low rotary speeds should be used to
minimise the bending of the core.
1. Install a plain 6 1/4" (159 mm) stabiliser body between the bit sub and the 12 1/4" (311 mm) stabiliser.
2. Circulate clean on bottom and work the junk sub with fluctuating pump pressure.
Core head - 8 1/2" (215 mm) stab. - core barrel - 8 15/32" (215 mm) stab. -safety joint - cross over - 12
1/4" (311 mm) stab. - rest of 8 1/4" (210 mm) drill collar assembly.
Ensure that all I.D.'s are sufficient to allow the passage of the drop ball, and check that the Totco ring has been
removed.
Using a safety clamp under the stabiliser, make up the outer barrel and stabilisers to the required torque with
the rotary tongs. Make up the inner barrel with a chain tong. The safety joint and swivel joint can then be
made up. Pick up the barrel and check the spacing with a gauge; adjust the shims. Using the special bit
breaker make up the bit. Add the rest of the assembly.
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5. Run in slowly, checking whether the string is filling up. Use the drill pipe wiper, and do not rotate in the
casing. Start pumping and locate bottom (space out the string so that coring starts with a full stand, but avoid
having pup joints in the vicinity of the wellhead/BOP).
Circulate just off bottom for 15 minutes at approximately 400 gpm (1500 l/min) or higher depending on fill. Drop
the ball and continue circulating until a pressure increase indicates that the ball has seated.
6. Record the on-bottom and off-bottom circulating pressures, then start coring at 30 rpm with 2000 lbs
(0.9 tonnes) WOB. After 150 mm (6") increase the WOB to 10,000 - 15,000 lbs (4.5 - 6.8 tonnes) and the rotary
speed to 90 -110 rpm. Maintain circulation at the pre-selected rate:
7. During the coring, maintain a uniform WOB and keep a record of the penetration rate, pump pressure and
torque.
The fibreglass inner tubes are produced from vinyl ester resin material reinforced with glass fibre roving, and
they have moulded formed pin threads on both the upper and lower ends which will accommodate internal
flush connections. The connection between the standard inner tube shoe and the fibreglass inner tubes is
made using a special pin and box sub.
Coring with the fibreglass inner tube does not involve any additional difficulties with respect to making up,
adjusting nor breaking out the core barrel, and is performed in exactly the same manner as coring with
conventional steel inner tubes.
Note:
Fibreglass inner tubes are available for the following core barrel sizes:
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The low friction rate of the inside of the fibre glass tube allows easy passage of the core along the tube, and
core jamming in broken and fractured formations is minimised, resulting in longer cored sections, faster
penetration rates and better core recovery.
The middle catcher assembly - designed as either a standard or slip type core catcher - allows breaking out of
the 9 m (30 ft) inner tube sections while pulling the inner tube from the outer barrel after the coring job has
been finished.
In order to prevent the fibreglass core barrel to bend when laying it down/transporting it to a suitable work site,
it may be requested to secure it to some sort of metal cradle or basket. Alternatively it can be lowered into a
handling sock, a specially made metal tube, some 7 metres long and of adequate diameter, with welded on
plate in one end and lifting lugs. Until the core barrel is secure in this way, it should be kept in a vertical
position.
After it has been laid down, the fibre glass inner tube and the core can be cut into sections of desired lengths.
In order to stabilise the core inside the core barrel, resin injections may be performed. The resin and hardener
used in this process constitutes certain hazards like irritation both on inhalation and contact in addition to being
poisonous and carcinogenic. Therefore only people needed for the actual injection process should be near the
injection site and chemicals, and the people involved should wear protective clothing and goggles. Resin
should only be used in open air. The Well Site Drilling Engineer shall make sure that adequate safety
measures are taken.
This technique of core handling keeps the core in as near as possible the original shape and allows
optimisation of the evaluation of the core material (see chapter 6.2 "Coring Evaluation").
If there are any indication of the core being pressurised (strong smell of gas, gas bubbling out of the top of the
core, hissing noises) the core should be unscrewed into two sections at the rotary table with extreme caution,
and all personnel in the area should use eye protection.
The core should be laid down and left for several hours before any attempt is made to cut it into sections.
Failure to follow this procedure may result in the core being blown out with considerable force, risking injury to
personnel and loosing valuable information.
5.1. General
In deviated holes (certainly with angles over 20o), coring is more difficult because of the additional forces
caused by WOB, and the weight of the core barrel and of the drill collars at such angles. These gravitational
forces bend the drill-collars and the core barrel, and as a result the inner barrel may also rotate and the bit may
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start to wobble. This can result in poor recovery and unequal wear of the core head. Also the hole angle and
direction may be affected.
In order to minimise the bending, additional stabilisation is required. When drilling with an 8 1/2" (216m) core
head in a larger hole, e.g. 12 1/4" (311 mm), consideration should be given to the fact that difficulties may arise
when trying to re-enter the rathole.
All coring in deviated holes shall be carried out using a core head equipped with a piggy-back stabiliser
whenever possible. This keeps the core head flat on bottom, promotes good cooling and the proper removal of
cuttings and results in good core recovery.
The stabilisation of the assembly should be designed such that gravitational forces induces a dogleg of the
hole.
The design of the string stabilisation will depend to a large extent on the hole conditions, and will not be further
specified here, however, it is required that adequately stabilisation is managed.
The following is an example of an assembly for "spot coring" short intervals in an 8 1/2" (216 mm) deviated
hole:
8 1/2" (215 mm) corehead - 9 m (30 ft) x 6 1/4" (159 mm) x 3" (76 mm) stabilised core barrel - One 6 1/4" (159
mm) DC - Stab - Two 6 1/4" (159 mm) DC's - Stab - One 6 1/4" (159 mm) DC - 6 1/8" (156 mm) drilling jar -
HWDP (incl. dart sub)
Note:
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