Daily Well Control guidelines

Rev: 1.0 16/04/01

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001

Well control procedures and guidelines

Purpose
To ensure minimal operational time and risk exposure to personnel, process, production and equipment. The following operational well control procedures are to ensure secondary well control can be maintained. If problems occur, procedures in this document, rig and well specific guidelines and other relevant documents should be followed.

Responsibilities
It will be the responsibility of the Operators drilling representative and senior contractor drilling personnel to ensure that others with duties relating to well control operations contained within this document are aware of their responsibilities.

Scope
These procedures shall apply to all drilling personnel.

Further References
Drilling contractors and Operators mutually agreed specific Well Control Procedures.

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001

Table of contents
DAILY WELL CONTROL GUIDELINES..................................................................................1 WELL CONTROL PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES .........................................................2 Purpose..........................................................................................................................................2 Responsibilities .............................................................................................................................2 Scope .............................................................................................................................................2 Further References ........................................................................................................................2 Table of contents ...........................................................................................................................3 Daily drilling practices. .................................................................................................................4 Well control equipment.................................................................................................................5 Well control practices. ..................................................................................................................6 Well control drills .........................................................................................................................7

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001

Daily drilling practices.

Daily drilling practices
Ongoing pore and fracture pressures assessment shall be conducted. (Drilling Reps, mud loggers) Extended leak-off tests shall be performed after drilling out each casing shoe prior to drilling new hole. (Drilling Reps, Cementer.) Kick tolerance of the weakest known point of the open wellbore section being drilled shall be updated while drilling and reported in daily drilling reports. If not know the weakest point should be estimated in such calculations (Drilling Reps, Mud loggers.) Drillers to flow check any unanticipated-drilling breaks. Drillers to ensure that during tripping, flow checks to be performed: Prior to trip out After pulling into the casing shoe Before BHA enters the BOP stack

Drillers to complete a trip sheet on every trip in and out of the hole. Deviation from fill up volumes shall be investigated. Drillers to record slow circulating rates and line pressure losses Prior to drilling out casing shoe For significant change in mud weight Every 24hrs or 500m (1500ft drilled) while drilling

Drillers to ensure that the surface mud circulation system and associated equipment shall be attended to at all times whilst circulating. Drillers to ensure that all drilling tools run below the rotary table are measured with all dimensions recorded prior to running tools in the hole. ALL Personnel to ensure that any well control related matter is handed over at shift change(s).

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001

Well control equipment.

Well Control Equipment
Kill and choke lines below the lower most set of rams will ONLY be used for pressure testing & monitoring the well. Pipe rams must be able to close on every size of drillpipe/tubing that comprises the significant proportion of the total string run through the BOP. Where tubular compromises exist, the shear ram or pipe ram procedures and contingencies are to be in place to mitigate such risk. The lowermost ram will be used to close in the well when no other ram is available. A full open safety valve is to be available on the drill floor at all times with crossovers so that it can be made up to any string of pipe to be run in the well. Once Bops are installed, a dart sub should be considered for each drilling assembly run. Dart to be retained on rig floor. Remote choke panels should have gauges suitable for accurately reading low drillpipe and casing pressures Accumulator pre-charge test to be conducted on each well prior to spudding and approx. 30days thereafter when convenient.

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001

Well control practices.

Well Control Practices
The Drilling rep shall be on the rig floor for each trip, and will ensure that the well is stable and that the hole fill volumes are correct for trips in and out of the hole. The hole will be kept full at all times When not drilling and/or circulating the trip tank will be lined up and used at all times. After a well kill, a minimum of one circulating volume will be made prior to pulling out of the hole Kick detection, circulating, stripping, and shut-in drills shall be held until each crew meets require operators and drilling contractors standards. Kick detection & shut-in drills shall be performed a minimum of once per week, per crew, and reported in the Daily Drilling Reports. Mutually agreed operators and drilling contractors shut in methods will be used. Kick sheet shall be updated for every 500m (1500ft) drilled, on every significant change in mud weight, BHA, or formation integrity. A well control incident report shall be completed immediately following all well control incidents.

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001

Well control drills

General
BOP Drills and the recording of slow circulating rate pressures will be carried out on a routine basis on all rigs. The smaller the influx, the less severe will be the pressures on the wellbore during the well kill operation.

BOP Drills
BOP Drills ensure that rig crews are familiar with the mutually agreed well control techniques that will be implemented in the event to control any well control incident. This also ensures that the drill crews can react quickly to any sign that a well control incident may have occurred and that they can promptly execute the prescribed control procedures. Drills reduce the time that the crew takes to execute well shut in procedures. Drills should be carried out as often as is necessary, and as hole conditions permit, until the Company Representatives and Contractors Toolpushers are satisfied that drill crews are familiar with all operations. Effort must be made to ensure that the Drills are realistic as possible. Where practical, there should be no difference between the Drills conducted and actual well control procedures. It is important that returning drill crews have frequent Drills. The following Drills are often exercised. Tripping Drilling Diverter Accumulator Well Kill Stripping Lost circulation Shallow well control, rig winch off tests etc.

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001

Kick while tripping.

Kick while tripping
Drilling rep or senior drilling person will begin the drill. Driller will take the following steps 1. Stop other operations 2. Install drillstring safety valve 3. Close annular preventer 4. Record shut in pressures and influx volume 5. Notify Drilling rep, rig control room, and toolpusher that well is shut in 6. Record the time to shut in the well on the drilling report. 7. Space out drillstring so that a tool joint can be placed on middle pipe ram

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001

Kick while Drilling. Drilling on bottom. (Well NOT shut in.)

Drilling on bottom (well NOT shut in.)
Drilling rep to initiate drill. Driller to take the following steps. 1. Stop rotating, pick up off bottom. 2. Shut down pumps 3. Flow check well on trip tank 4. Notify drilling rep, control room, and Toolpusher that the well is being flow checked 6. Record the time to shut in the well on the drilling report.

Drillstring in casing shoe. Drillstring in casing shoe

Drilling rep or senior drilling person will start drill. Driller to take following steps 1. Space out stand. 2. Shut down pumps 3. Close annular preventer 4. Record shut in pressures and influx volume 5. Notify Drilling rep, control room, and Toolpusher that well is shut in 6. Record the time to shut in the well on the drilling report. 7. Space out drillstring so that a tool joint can be placed on middle pipe ram

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001

Diverter drill.
Refer to shallow gas procedures and guidelines.

Accumulator drill.
Accumulator drill
1. Position a joint of drillpipe in the blowout preventer stack. 2. Close off power and air supply to accumulator charge pumps. 3. Record initial accumulator pressure. Operate sequence of all functions relevant to the rigs BOP stack. i.e. Close and open all well control functions (except casing and blind shear rams) duplicate additional functions to account for these. 6. Turn on accumulator pumps 7. Record time taken to re-charge system and the pressures at which pumps cut out. 8. Record any equipment malfunctions defects or inefficiencies in accumulator drill test reports.

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001

Well Kill drill.

Well Kill Drill
1. Run in hole and tag top of cement 2. Pull back one stand and install top drive. 3. Break circulation to break mud gels and circulate for 5-15mins. Take slow circulation rates Carry out standard shut in drill. 5. With well closed apply 300 - 500psi pressure to the casing shut in pressures. 7. As per a well kill circulation, using choke and pump controls, bring pump up to a kill speed maintaining pressures as per a pre-determined kill schedule. 8. Circulate as per kill schedule, shutting down and starting up until equipment can be used to best effect. 9. Bleed off pressure, re-establish equipment for drilling.

Other.
Refer to specific. Shallow gas, shallow well control stripping, contingency procedures.

Author: Peter Aird

www.kingdomdrilling.co.uk

Ref: WC001