SPE-174805180544-MS

Enhancing Wellbore Strengthening while Drilling

Subnormal and Overpressured Formation Types via
Managed Pressure Drilling; A Case Study in the Duvernay Formation

Copyright 2015, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Houston, Texas, USA, 2830 September 2015.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
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Abstract
Objectives/Scope: The drilling industry is an expensive part of the oil and gas sector, especially when
drilling through a combination of low pressure and high pressure formations in exploration wells.
Conventional solutions include isolating problem zones, by running the casing or pumping Lost
Circulation Material (LCM) squeeze (stress caging) and cement plugs could increase the overall project
cost and add delays. How would you verify these solutions that have healed the problem zones
conventionally before drilling continues?
Methods, Procedures, Process: From having analyzed a case study from the Duvernay wells in
Western Canada, it demonstrates that Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) was applied with lighter
drilling fluids to help adjust the bottomhole pressure (BHP) as desired by encountered formations.
Through the Winterburn formation, constant losses were recorded and LCM was squeezed by applying
the required surface back pressure (SBP). Formation Limit test for the Winterburn formation was
recorded as bottomhole equivalent circulating density (BH ECD) of 1495 kg/m3, thus 283 liters losses
were detected. Due to continued losses into Winterburn Formation, 5 m3 of 1100 kg/m3 LCM pill was
mixed, spotted into the annular and then tripped out of the hole to the top of the formation.
Results, Observations, Conclusions: The LCM squeezing operation was started by applying 11,500 kPa
static SBP and BH ECD had increased by 1700 kg/m3. The total loss was 1300 liters after the LCM
squeeze operation, and after this well was reamed, an extra 6 meters was drilled before performing a
new formation integrity test (FIT). Furthermore, a new FIT was performed at the bottom of the formation
and BH ECD had increased up to 1575 kg/m3 by applying 6,800 kPa SBP and the healing lost
circulation zones were continued while drilling unconventionally through the MPD system. In the
Beaverhill Lake formation, overpressured zones were encountered but drilling continued and dealt with
both abnormal formation pressures. Lost circulation occurred in Winterburn formation with low pore
pressure. The Constant mud losses in this formation indicated that this problem was resulted from
formation permeability of porosity and fractures, and can be resolved by squeezing LCM. MPD brought
value to the project by performing FIT in each formation, by monitoring and controlling precise LCM and
cement squeeze operations. It also provided a solution for both types of abnormal formation problems

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as drilling continued, and maintaining BHP as desired by formations needs and increasing overall
safety of the project by detecting micro influxes and controlling them safely.
Novel/Additive Information: According to the safety mud weight window, this paper illustrates how MPD
successfully drilled through an upper formation of low pore pressure, with lost circulation problem, and
lower formation with abnormal higher pore pressure without setting a casing between them.

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Introduction
Drilling fluid losses can be one of the most costly problems that take place while drilling. This
occurs when the drill mud enters breaks in the rocks that may be mechanically induced or fractures that
were naturally present in the formation. This phenomenon is known as lost circulation. Conventionally,
this issue is corrected by isolating the loss zone by means of setting a string of casing and cementing it
in place to enclose the annulus and separate it from the open hole. However, this is not always
economical, and a second solution is to attempt to heal the losses by pumping a volume of lost
circulation material (LCM) or a cement squeeze. If the severity of the loss circulation is minor, the
operator may choose to continue drilling ahead while losing or attempt to lower the wellbore pressure
by reducing the mud density as to not push anymore fluid away. Lost circulation may pose a real threat
when its area lies within close proximity to an overpressured formation as the two problems require
opposite pressure control to counteract. This may result in a costly project or worse a wellbore kick.
This paper analyzes a case study in the Duvernay formation, where Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD)
was utilized to combat loss circulation in two separate zones followed by an overpressured formation as
drilling continued. By manipulating the back pressure applied to the wellbore by the MPD choke, the
bottom hole equivalent circulating density (BH ECD) could be altered to the desired magnitude to
conduct the LCM or cement squeeze and the perform Formation-Integrity Tests (FIT) dynamically
without requiring the BOPs be shut in.

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The Duvernay Play

The Duvernay formation is an attractive shale gas play located in the province of Alberta,
Canada. Deposited in the Upper Devonian time period it is mixed with diverse marine life dumped in its
oxygen starved setting that covers a large portion of the western Canadian sedimentary basin. It is
surrounded by tall skeletal reef structures known as the Leduc reef complexes. Due to its organic-rich
composition and abnormally pressured zones the Duvernay formation is capable of producing liquidrich gas as the reservoir pressure lies above the bubble-point. The sedimentary environments of the
Duvernay formation are shown in Fig. 1 below.

Fig. 1- Paleographic deposition and rock lithology of the Duvernay formation

The depositional layout of the Duvernay is described by (Davis and Karlen) as comprised mainly
of five lithofacies defined as Argillaceous mudstones, mixed Siliceious mudstones, Bioturbated
limestones, siliceious organ rich mudstones and Limestones. The mineralogy of the Duvernay is
characterized by its silica rich, low in clay zones with some areas containing pyrite and dolomite. Net
thickness isopach maps have shown that the Duvernay shale ranges between 25 and 60 meters of pay
zone thickness, however some areas have been identified to have as much as 90 meters of thickness.
The formation properties of the Duvernay were documented by (Dunn, Hammermaster and
Brown) based on Petrophysical analysis of cuttings and cores. It was found that the formation was
characterized by an average effective porosity of 6.5 % and an average permeability of 394 nD.

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Pressure data has revealed that the Duvernay formation contains areas with abnormally high
pressure zones. As the pore fluid pressure is larger than the normal gradient pressure of salt water the
Duvernay is classified as an abnormally pressured formation.
Fig. 2 shows a selection of random wells that were drilled in the Duvernay formation utilizing
managed-pressure-drilling techniques. The graph depicts the reservoir pressure encountered while
drilling and its comparison with the normal pressure gradient.

Fig. 2- Duvernay Formation Pressure

It can be seen that the magnitude of the pore pressure lies above the normal pressure gradient
(9.79 kPa/m) for all of the selected wells. The lowest pressure depth ratio is 10 kPa/m and the highest
is 20.9 kPa/m, this broad range of high reservoir pressure adds complexity to the rocks geomechanical
properties.
In their geomechanical investigation (Soltanzadeh, Rahim and Fox) modeled the in situ stresses
applied to the formation rock by the abnormal fluid pressure contained in the pores. Three types of
natural fracture faces were observed: bedding parallel parting, polished slip faces and high-angle
natural fractures. Each fracture was found to be a function of the maximum horizontal stress applied to
localized area. East of the main Leduc reef complexes the maximum horizontal stress was found to be
lower and the polished slip faces were rarely observed. In the western portion of the basin the

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maximum horizontal stress was found to be quite large and the fracture faces in each core were more
abundant. A strong correlation was noted between stress distribution and mechanical wellbore
instability. As the magnitude of the maximum horizontal stress was larger a higher mud weight (MW)
would be required to maintain the integrity of the wellbore. It was concluded that both high pore
pressure and changes in horizontal stress impact the quantity and type of naturally occurring fractures
in the core samples. These fractures are directly related to drilling issues such as wellbore instability
observed in the Duvernay. Conventionally this problem can be mitigated by circulating and conditioning
the mud, or setting a casing string which would result in lost time and money. But with managed
pressure drilling corrective action can be taken immediately by closing the choke and applying surface
pressure to stabilize the wellbore and prevent it from collapsing in on itself.

Lost Circulation
Is a phenomenon where the drilling fluid flows into the voids of a formation rather then returning
to the circulation system. These voids range from the size of tiny microfractures along the pores of the
rock up to large cavernous pits. Lost circulation can either occur in natural fractures that transpire when
the rock is formed Fig. 3 or fractures induced Fig. 4, when the wellbore pressure exceeds the formation
breakdown limit and deformation of the rock takes place.

Fig. 3- Natural Fractures

Fig. 4- Induced Fractures

There are two main issues that can arise from lost circulation, the first being the mud level in the
annulus will begin to drop as the fluid invades the formation. As the height of the fluid column
decreases the hydrostatic pressure on the bottom of the well will also decline and this may result in a
kick. Secondly as the drilling fluid evacuates the annulus the borehole stability becomes weaker as the
fluid pressure is no longer available to apply force against the open hole. This effect may cause hole
sloughing or the wellbore to collapse in on itself and the drillstring has potential to become stuck.

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(Datwani) evaluates preventative mechanisms used in the drilling industry to combat lost
circulation. The first solution he proposes is pumping lost circulation material (LCM) to plug the
fractures; these materials can consist of shredded fibrous substances, flaky plastics/paraffins or
granular material. These materials are combined with the drilling fluid in the form of a pill and then
pumped into the formation in an attempt to plug off the fractures. (Datwani) proposes that strengthening
large thief zones or vugular formations is difficult and ineffective as the volume of material required to
plug the void becomes too costly. (Lavrov) discusses the effect LCM has on the formation integrity and
its relationship to fracture gradient. As the LCM occupies the space between the fractures and creates
a seal the formation becomes strengthened and the fracture gradient will increase. The degree of
strengthening relies on the LCM material and how resilient it is to changes in pressure. If the LCM
material is not very ductile it may fracture when overstressed, therefore it must have an elastic property
that allows it to contract when force is applied and expand when the force is removed. This way it can
refill the void in the formation, otherwise fluid will pass around the plug and losses will be observed.
One variable that affects LCMs resilient factor is the pills ability to propagate through the fractures and
adhere to the walls of the formation creating a bridging effect. Having the LCM interconnected
throughout the formation strengthens the unit as one uniform body. To do this the LCM has to be
distributed along the fractures horizontally and vertically, the most effective way to achieve this result is
to squeeze the LCM and let the plug set. Conventionally to perform a squeeze the well is shut in and
the drill bit is pulled above the problematic zone. LCM is then pumped at constant pump rate and the
wellbore pressure is monitored as in combination with the pit gains for losses. The pressure begins to
increase and the LCM takes the path of least resistance in this case the fractures. When the losses
begin to subside and the LCM has made a proper seal the pressure is relieved and drilling commences.
Another way to perform the LCM squeeze is to utilize managed pressure drilling (MPD) to help control
the bottomhole pressure (BHP) while spotting the pill in the weak zone. MPD can be implemented to
control the BHP by reducing the surface back pressure (SBP) applied on surface by means of a choke.
If the BHP remains below the fracture gradient, induced losses should not take place.

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Managed Pressure Drilling

MPD is a drilling technology that uses a closed loop system to provide continuous flow across a
choke that can be closed or opened for pressure manipulation during drilling operations. Conventionally
BHP is maintained above the pore pressure by increasing the MW in the annulus, but instead of
controlling the drilling mud properties MPD uses a choke. The pressure applied by the choke is
distributed along the fluid column in the annulus to the bottom of the well allowing full control of the
BHP. The main piece of equipment that provides the closed loop system is a rotating control device
(RCD) which is installed on top of the BOP just below the rotary table. This component in combination
with a bearing provides a pressure tight barrier in the wellbore annulus and safely diverts the drilling
effluent to the choke manifold and separation equipment. Upstream of the RCD a mass flow meter is
installed to monitor the flow in and out of the well and provide the density out of the drilling fluid.
One application of MPD is constant-bottomhole-pressure (CBHP), utilized in wells where there
is a tight drilling window or problematic zones such as abnormal pressure and lost circulation. Without
MPD attempting to control the BHP in these types of wells can prove to be too costly and may result in
additional casing strings to be set. When CBHP is used, the static MW while drilling is close to the pore
pressure. Some of the advantages of a lower MW are addressed by (Montilva, Mota and Billa) the
lower MW is beneficial for mud losses, differential sticking and a higher rate of penetration (ROP).
During circulation the BHP of the well is higher than the pore pressure because of the annular frictional
pressure drop (AFP) from the fluid flowing in the annulus. CBHP adds another variable to the
conventional BHP equation, this is the SBP applied on the annulus from restricting the fluid circulation
by the surface choke. Eq.1. shows the modified BHP equation used for CBHP operations.

BHP=P Hydrostatic + AFP+ SBP ,..(1)

(Kinik, Gumus and Osayande) discusses how the control of SBP is required to compensate for
fluctuations in pressure surges when the AFP changes as a function of the pump rate. When the pump
is turned off the kinetic friction opposing the fluid movement drops off and the AFP approaches zero.
Closing the choke simultaneously as this happens increases the SBP so the sum on the right side of
Eq. 1. will remain equal to the BHP. Similarly when breaking circulation and the pump is ramped up the
AFP will increase and the choke can be opened to maintain CBHP.
When formations with different pore and fracture pressure gradients are exposed in the open
hole, the drilling window may change as each formation is unique. CBHP enables operators to drill

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through these zones by maintaining the BHP in the tight narrow drilling window. This is simply achieved
by closing the choke when the pump is turned off, to maintain the BHP > pore pressure. When the
pump is turned on the SBP and pump rate are changed to maintain the BHP < fracture pressure, to
prevent lost circulation. Maintaining CBHP can be challenging when pressure changes are sudden and
without notice, for instance when a pump fails or the drillstring is surged into the hole after working the
pipe. To help aid the chokes capacity to respond faster automated pressure control systems are used to
enhance the performance of CBHP.

Formation Integrity Test

In addition to providing adequate pressure control, CBHP enables formation integrity testing
(FIT) dynamically while drilling. In a FIT a predetermined amount of pressure is applied to the wellbore
to see if it can withstand the increase in pressure without inducing losses. If losses are present then the
test is called a leak off test (LOT) and the fracture limit has been surpassed. The advantages of
completing an FIT provides wellbore information such as optimal mud weights, minimizing the risk of
lost circulation, determining if a casing string should be ran, optimal tripping speeds and reducing the
risk of fracturing the well. Typically an FIT is performed outside the casing shoe to test the shallowest
formation; an FIT provides results for a localized area. If multiple formations are drilled through in the
open hole an FIT should be performed at each new formation as the pressure boundaries may differ. In
particular the fracture limit of a formation may be different then that at the casing shoe, this additional
information can aid an operator while trying to maintain BHP in a tight drilling window.
(Hannegan and Arnone) evaluated performing FITs using MPD comparative to performing them
conventionally. To complete an FIT while drilling with CBHP the choke is closed slowly and the SBP is
increased to a desired value. Once the limit of the FIT is reached the well is monitored for any losses to
see if the integrity of the formation has been compromised. If the formation can withstand the BHP of
the FIT then the strength of the formation is confirmed and the pressure may be relieved off the choke.

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Case Study
The well analyzed in this paper was drilled in the Duvernay formation in Alberta, Canada. It was
a vertical well with a target depth of 4,481 mMD. The 179.6 mm intermediate casing shoe was landed
at 3,581 mMD and 3,557 mTVD, just above the Exshaw formation. The well had a planned production
section of 866 mMD. This well was vertical with a deviation of 20.1 degrees inclination. The well model
properties and equipment is summarized in Table 1.
Drillstring

2,871 m, 101.6 mm. E75, 23.36 kg/m DP and 28 m, 127 mm. OD, NC35, 35kg/m DC

Intermediate Casing

179.6 mm. N80, 48.7 kg/m at 3576 mMD and 3554 mTVD

Bit

156 mm, PDC with 6 x 16 -in. nozzles

Rig Pumps

2 triplex with 254 mm. stroke x 139.7 mm. liner; 87.3 % efficiency

Auxiliary Pumps

Triplex with 152.4 mm. stroke x 114.3mm. Liner; 90.5 % efficiency

Mud Properties

1400 kg/m3, OBM, k=118.11, = 4, = 0.801 Pa, Oil Fraction 75%, Water Fraction 8%

Table 1 -Summary of the drilling parameters at 3581 mMD. DP= drillpipe. OD= outer diameter, mm. DC= drill collar PDC=
polycrystalline diamond compact. MD= measured depth, m. TVD = true vertical depth, m

Weatherfords automated control system Microflux was used to perform CBHP operations for the 159
mm main hole section. Using a 1400 kg/m 3 oil based mud system (OBM) the float and cement were
drilled out on an open choke; the SBP registered 175 - 200 kPa, friction across the orifice of the choke
at this time. The BH ECD calculated by the hydraulics model for the given properties was 1559 kg/m 3,
this account for an AFP of 4,440 kPa at pump rate of 700 liters per minute (LPM). A dynamic FIT was
completed outside the casing shoe at 3,620 mMD; Fig. 5 shows a screenshot of the automated MPD
system as it would be seen in real time while drilling.

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Fig. 5- Dynamic FIT performed with Microflux MPD System at 3620 mMD
The choke was closed stepwise until 11,825 kPa SBP was applied on the well, this resulted in a
equivalent mud weight (EMW) of 1850 kg/m 3 at the bottomhole. No losses were detected during this
test. It was now assumed that the fracture gradient lies above the reference point of 1850 kg/m3.
As drilling continued into the Winterburn formation another dynamic FIT was performed to see if the
fracture gradient had changed. Figure 6 depicts the second FIT at 4,026 mMD:

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Fig. 6- Dynamic FIT performed with Microflux MPD System at 4026 mMD
When 10,500 kPa was applied with the choke a loss was detected and the fracture gradient in the
Winterburn formation was confirmed to be 1800 kg/m3 and the test was concluded. At 4,070 mMD with
a BH ECD of 1545 kg/m3 and an open choke constant losses were detected by the Microlfux while
drilling. The wellsite geologist analyzed the cuttings and determined the formation was a carbonate
sedimentary deposit which contains vuggy pores. When the rock was formed the recrystallization of the
carbonate minerals caused a change in pore volume and left voids distributed throughout the formation.
Drilling continued to 4099 mMD when the losses became so severe that it was decided to reduce the
mud weight down to 1300 kg/m3 to eleviate the hydrostatic pressure on the bottom of the well. After the
mud was conditioned cement would be pumped into the open hole and use the MPD surface choke to
squeeze cement into the subnormal pressure zone to try and plug the vuggy pores.

Fig. 7 shows the

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Conclusion
Nomenclature
ROP
WOB
ECD
BHP
MPD
LOT

Rate Of Penetration,
Weight On Bit
Equivalent Circulating Density
Bottomhole Pressure
Managed Pressure Drilling
Leak Off Test

mMD
AFP
FIT
SBP
MW

Meters in Measured Depth

Annular Friction Pressure
Formation Integrity Test
Surface Back Pressure
Mud Weight, drill fluid density

References