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Procedures for leak-off and limit tests. Leak-off and Limit tests are carried out during the drilling phase of the well. The BOP is closed around the
drillpipe, and the well is slowly pressured up, using mud. At the first sign of fluid leak-off into the formation the pumping is stopped. Leak-off tests are
carried out until leak-off is observed; limit tests are carried out until a pre-determined test pressure is reached.
1 Introduction to leak-off test procedure
Leak-off and Limit tests are carried out to:
confirm the strength of the cement bond around the casing shoe and to ensure that no flow path is established to formations above the casing shoe or
to the previous annulus;
investigate the capability of the wellbore to withstand additional pressure below the casing shoe (to handle an influx, and to allow safe drilling depth
of the next hole section;
collect regional data on formation strength for the optimisation of future well design.
These tests are sometimes called: casing seat, formation intake, formation strength or formation integrity tests.
Proper planning, execution, interpretation and reporting of these tests is essential for well safety and in order to gain maximum benefit from the
experiment.
2 Leak-off test procedure
2.1 Planning the test
Estimate the surface leak-off pressure :
Calculate surface limit pressure. For a Limit test the Limit Gradient (LG) may be given in the well program. For a Leak-off test it is recommended to
limit the test pressures to a maximum of the over burden gradient or to another realistic limit. This is done to reduce the chance of untoward
formation breakdown.
Confirm the accuracy of the pressure gauges that will be used for the experiment. The absolute accuracy of the gauges should be 0.5% of the
expected downhole test pressure. The resolution (relative accuracy) of the gauges should be 2% of the expected surface test pressure. Calibrate the
mud balance to confirm its accuracy (0.5% for a pressurised mudbalance). Usually the pressure is measured and recorded at surface, but for high
mud weights the application of downhole gauges with surface read-out should be considered.
The pressure exerted during a Limit or Leak-off test should never exceed the maximum burst pressure of the casing (using the recommended design
factor (DFburst) for casing burst) and the associated surface equipment. To calculate the pressure at the outside of the casing, assume a fluid gradient
equal to the mud gradient that the casing was run into. Add the test pressure to the static mud column on the inside, to calculate the pressure at the
inside of the casing.
Estimate the volume of mud to be pumped, and determine the increment volume. To be able to establish a clear trend in the test results, a minimum
of about 8 equal increments should be pumped before the (expected) test pressure is reached.
Complete the pre-test part of the test report. Prepare a large scale graph (e.g. A3) to plot the results during the test. Draw the expected
volumepressure line and the surface limit pressure and the casing burst pressure in the same plot.
Typical values for mud compressibility are given below. Observed values may be higher due to the additional expansion of the casing and lines. The
combined compressibility of well and mud can be calculated with the results of a previous leak-off test or casing pressure test after the cementation. If
the actual volumepressure relationship during the test is radically different from the plan, this might indicate that the pump unit is not lined up properly,
the BOP stack not properly closed, a leak in the surface lines or a very porous formation.