OTC-28597-MS

Southern Iraqi Oil Fields Drilling Problems Identification, Analysis, and

Treatment

Ibrahim Abdul-Salam Saleh, University of Technology; Alaa Hussein Khalaf, Halliburton;

Mohammed Saleh Al-Jawad, University of Technology.

Copyright 2018, Offshore Technology Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the Offshore Technology Conference Asia held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 20-23 March 2018.

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Abstract
Multiple drilling problems are being faced continuously while drilling wells in the southern Iraqi oil fields.
Many of which are handled poorly and inefficiently which yields longer non-productive time due to the
lack of knowledge about the source of these problems. This study aims to investigate the Basra oil fields
formations from Faris to Mishrif, diagnose the potential problems, and present the optimum treatment for
each problem.
Gathering of field data and previous studies on the subject, in addition to the field experience of drilling
supervisors were all the information bases of this study. Southern Iraqi oil fields were studied and analyzed
carefully and widely starting with upper Faris formation (the first formation) to Mishrif formation (the last
formation). The discussion of each formation is carried out comprehensively presenting their characteristics.
All of the potential drilling problems that might be faced during the drilling operation are discussed while
presenting their cause and source. A treatment plan for each problem is presented to ensure the most suitable
solution.
As a result, the formations of southern Iraqi oil fields were studied vividly and a full characterization
procedure was done including all the formations (from upper Faris to Mishrif formations). For each
formation, the intensity and severity of the formation is explained by presenting all the problems that have
occurred in offset wells or might occur due to potential causes that could yield the problem. The reason
of each drilling problem and its origin is discussed. Multiple theories were discussed and proofed of why
the drilling problems are found in these formations and their seriousness, the proof of these theories is
presented in this study. For each problem, a treatment is concluded to ensure best practice, minimum time
consumption, and least financial losses.
Southern Iraqi oil fields behold many drilling problems that are potentially dangerous unless acted upon
with maximum care. In this study, a thorough discussion that explains the causes of these problems is
presented, in addition to the most suitable treatment to handle each one.
2 OTC-28597-MS

Introduction
Since the beginning of the petroleum industry, drilling problems especially the unexpected or unpredicted
evolvement of a problem have been the main concern of the drilling staff. Facing a problem during drilling
without full understanding of the formation or the origins of the problem can majorly influence the workflow
of the drilling staff and may disturb the drilling process. Whilst drilling various formations, problems occur
continuously and variably. Some problems are expected to occur in a certain formation and some are not,
this uncertainty is found everywhere. Also, the intensity of these problems is undefined and altered from
place to place due to the heterogeneous characteristics of the formations in the south of Iraq. The handling
and treatment of such heterogeneously occurring problems in some cases are extremely difficult and might
cause massive financial losses, even may be fatalities if not dealt with accurately and precisely.

Area of Study
There are many fields that have been taken into account during the conducting of this study, they are
distributed throughout the south of Iraq in Basrah province. The fields shown in figure (1) are included,
and they are the following:

Figure 1—Southern Iraqi oil fields included in the study are demonstrated on the map.

1. Rumaila Oil Field: The field is found 50km toward the west of the city of Basrah, southern Iraq, and
some 30km to the west of the Zubair field [1].
2. Zubair Oil Field: This is an oil field located in southern Iraq, approximately 20 km south-west of
Basrah [2].
3. West Qurna 1 Oil Field: It is an oil field, located 50 km northwest of the city of Basrah, and overlaps
the northern edge of the Rumaila oil field [3].
4. West Qurna 2 Oil Field: It is situated in the southern Iraqi part, 65 kilometers north-west of Basrah,
and it is one of the world's largest fields [4].
OTC-28597-MS 3

Lithological Column
While studying the formations of the south of Iraq, high similarities have been found between the fields.
Therefore, a unified stratigraphic column has been presented in this paper with approximation of TVD of
each formation. Table (1) illustrates the formations. The formations are the following:

Table 1—A generalized stratigraphic column of the southern Iraqi oil fields.

Formation Description ~TVD (m)

Upper and Lower Fars Sandstone, Limestone, Gypsum 226.0

Abu Ghar Sandstone, Limestone 392.0

Dammam Limestone, Sandstone, Dolomite 521.9

Rus Anhydrite, Dolomite 747.9

Umm-Er-Radhuma Dolomite, Anhydrite, Argillaceous Limestone 924.9

Tayarat Dolomite, Shale, Anhydrite 1354.4

Shiranish Argillaceous Limestone 1545.9

Hartha Limestone, Argillaceous Limestone, Dolomite 1721.8

Sadi Limestone 1924.8

Tanuma Shale, Limestone 2186.8

Khasib Argillaceous Limestone, Limestone, Shale 2229.3

Khasib Shale Argillaceous Limestone, Shale 2259.5

Mishrif Limestone 2278.8

1. Upper and lower Fars: It consists mainly of limestone and claystone interbedded by few layers of
gypsum and anhydrite (impermeable zones). Some sandstone and anhydrite have also been spotted in
this formation in various fields with a small amount of hydrocarbons that is present in trapped and fine
amounts. Example in figure (2) shows the presence of Marl in between two Gypsum (impermeable
Zones), this causes the shale to be pressurized, with high water content (mostly smectite causing the
problems that will be discussed later on).
2. Dammam: it is a formation that consists primarily of sequences of dolomite and limestone that contains
many fractures. In these fields, the top of the layer (about 6 feet) consists of limestone, afterwards
the formation is mainly dolomite.
The formation pore pressure of Dammam is 1.055 gm/cc, and the fracture pressure is 1.30 gm/cc
for green fields. Those numbers were obtainted from SP log and it is almost the same in all of the
south of Iraq fields. Practically it is 90% accurate as the numbers have been matched with the results
and data coming from drilling and cementing.
3. Umm-Er-Radhuma: it consists of mainly two types of rocks; mainly dolomite with streaks of anhydrite
and dolomitic limestone (and shale in some fields). These two types (dolomite and anhydrite) represent
the majority of the formation where the dolomite is present in the top of the formation, and argillaceous
limestone was noticed in the bottom of this formation as well. Formation pore pressure at top is 1.066
gm/cc and fracture pressure is 1.3 gm/cc. At the bottom, the pore pressure is 1.068 gm/cc and fracture
pressure is 1.47 gm/cc with a range of +/- 5%.
4. Tayarat: it is composed of bituminous shale at the top of the formation, dolomite, compact limestone
and some marl at the bottom. The geological description for this formation gives a clear idea that
the permeability of this formation is almost zero as it is composed of compact limestone. Formation
pressure gradient in Basrah province is 0.47 psi/ft (+/-0.05) and the fracture pressure is 0.64 psi/ft.
4 OTC-28597-MS

5. Shiranish: This formation composes mainly of argillaceous limestone with some marl at the top of
the formation.
6. Hartha: It is mainly composed of sequences of dolomite, limestone and some marl at the top.
Afterwards limestone and argillaceous limestone are dispersed throughout the rest of the formation.
The pore pressure gradient is 0.484 psi/ft, and the fracture pressure gradient is 0.57 psi/ft.
7. Sadi: This formation is from the late cretaceous age. It is composed from argillaceous limestone at
the top, which makes good seal (cap rock), then after 60% of the thickness, a surface of unconformity
can be seen, then some fractured limestone (in vertical direction due to up lift) which represent the
reservoir of Sadi. Actually, it is a good reservoir. It shows a wide range of porosity reach (10 to 20%),
and good oil shows in most of the southern Iraqi fields including Missan and Nassirya. It is the first
formation in this section which contains the most important pay zones in south of Iraq. Tha formation
pressure gradient is 0.51 psi/ft, and the fracture gradient is 0.68 psi/ft.
8. Tanuma: This section is composed of thick beds of limestone interbedded with shale, due to some
geological evidence there is some difference in the composition of this formation from area to area
in the south of Iraq.
9. Khasib: it mainly composes of limestone and a few argillaceous limestone interbedded by shale layers.
It also contains kalonite, anhydrite, and illite.
10. Mishrif: In general, Mishrif is composed of limestone of different characteristics with weak to good oil
impregnation, and some shale layers at the top, and some interbedded in the middle of the formation. It
is the first proven pay zone in the south of Iraq, but this does not decline the other pay zones previously
discussed. Figure (8) shows the lithology of Mishrif and the shale at the top of the formation.

Figure 2—Fars formations showing marl trapped between two gypsum layers.

Figure 3—Composite log in one of the south of Iraq wells at Dammam formation.
OTC-28597-MS 5

Figure 4—Total gamma ray shows sudden increase in readings at Dammam formation.

Figure 5—Tayarat's log readings.

6 OTC-28597-MS

Figure 6—Log readings infront of Sadi formation.

Figure 7—Hole washout in Tanuma formation.

OTC-28597-MS 7

Figure 8—Mishrif lithology.

Drilling Problems
The drilling problems of each formation that has been recorded is discussed as follows. Some of which have
been discussed in the master's thesis of Saleh [5], other evidences and problems have been investigated and
resolved afterwards which are discussed in this paper.
1. Upper and lower Fars: The recorded problems in this formation that have been faced previously
are the following:
a. Tight hole during connection, trip out, and reaming during Running in Hole (RIH). This is caused
by the rock composition. The claystone or shale will be pressurized, causing the hole to collapse
due to clay or shale movement hence causing this problem.
b. Bit balling which is faced due to the presence of the claystone which has a tendency to adhere to
the bit causing this problem. Which will later on cause slow ROP.
c. Gas cut mud due to the hydrocarbons earlier mentioned.
2. Dammam: It is one of the Major problematic formations in south of Iraq and almost in all the oil
fields. The problem in this zone is the losses which ranges between partial to complete losses.
Mud loss is highly likely possible to happen here due to the vuggy structure of the dolomite which
originally was initiated due to the dolomitization process, but the main reason for these fractures are
the stresses in the field and the fractures are created in the formation. At the bottom of the formation
total mud loss is probable. Thus, blind drilling might be needed to drill the bottom section of the
formation. In most cases seal off of the losses needs to be done by cement plugs, and in some minor
cases this formation is sealed by using LCM plugs. The height of the fracture will indicate how
8 OTC-28597-MS

it can be sealed. In Iraqi oil fields, the majority of the fractures are vertical and few horizontals
which exerted a lot of difficulty to seal off.
The way to recognize the type of the fracture is as follows, in vertical fractures high torque will
be faced due to hang of string and bit in the fracture itself, while in horizontal fractures sudden
drop in bit will be faced (Zero WOB and drop of bit for few inches). In this paper, we will discuss
vertical fractures.
The determination of the position and height of the fracture is done by using total or spectral
gamma ray which is better and/or temperature log in this section (the shear wave from sonic log
and Neutron porosity can also be used but they are not implemented in this section as they are
expensive, so total gamma ray and temperature log with directional log are used).
The way to detect a fracture using total gamma ray is done as follows: There are three major
radioactive materials in the rock K, TH, and Ur (Potassium, Thorium and Uranium respectively),
the concentration of the K and TH is high in shale and this is due to the high reading of gamma ray
in front of shale, but the Uranium accumulates in the fractures. If high total gamma ray reading is
received in front of carbonate rocks, this means that this a fracture. To demonstrate this method,
the following example is presented. The composite log (figure (3)) in one of the wells in the south
of Iraq in Dammam formation shows limestone followed by dolomite at 1240m. At the same depth
total gamma ray log (figure (4)) shows a sudden increase in gamma ray (The two arrows on the
figure). This abrupt increase in total gamma ray indicates that there is a fracture at this depth.
In one of the papers published, they indicated that often the loss is total and beyond the rig mixing
and pumping capabilities. The impact is immediate, and in a very short time, the high amount of
mud losses has a noticeable influence on the cost of the well. In a well in Rumaila Oil Field, the
total amount of mud loss went as high as 7,360 bbl at a loss rate of 655 bbl/hr [6].
In some cases, it has been noticed that tight hole problem has been encountered in this formation,
due to the improper hole sweeping that was performed by the drilling staff in addition to the
presence of limestone which is a big contributor to the tight hole problem.
3. Umm-Er-Radhuma: In this formation it was noticed that there are four main problems that occurred
in previously drilled wells which need careful measures to avoid and prevent. The problems are:
a. Due to the presence of the dolomite in the top, so some seepages (low rate of losses which is less
than 10 bbl/hr) are probable to be happening. Dolomite is a very vuggy rock and it is originated
from Limestone due to ion exchange. In the case of drilling any dolomitic formation, losses are
expected due to the vuggy structure of the formation. This should be kept in mind for any cement
plugs that might be needed.
b. It is of maximum importance to note that only partial sever losses are recorded in West Qurna 2
Oil Field at the top of this formation and this is due to a fault that was noticed in that field.
c. Differential sticking is probable due to the high permeability of this formation, especially when
RIH the casing.
d. Tight hole due to thick mud cake. This is also caused by the permeable beds of dolomite at the
top of the formation.
e. Tight hole due to swelling. It is caused because of the argillaceous beds at the bottom of the
formation that are expected to swell.
4. Tayarat: It is not a problematic zone in itself. Though it will become the worst formation when the
hydrostatic balance is lost, due to the presence of a very active water aquifer almost in the middle.
This water has some H2S and the concentration of this H2S is not constant in Iraqi oil fields.
Figure (5) demonstrates a set of logs recorded for Tayarat formation, the logs indicate the
following:
OTC-28597-MS 9

a. There is some separation between the deep and shallow resistivity, which means that the water in
the formation has a lower salinity than the mud filtrate and this is actually correct as the used mud
was of 80,000 PPM to drill Tayarat of 65,000 PPM (range) salinity.
b. This separation tells us that there is some water inside the formation and the formation has some
permeability in the horizontal section as the separation is not so wide.
c. The deviation of SP tells us that there is some permeability.
d. Gamma ray reading is between (30-40), in clean limestone it should read 15 and in shaly limestone
the reading will be around 21. So there are some vertical micro fractures behind the high flow rate
(as the resistivity will give some idea about the horizontal permeability only), this matches the
behavior of the MSFL also which could be understood as a vertical fracture.
e. What supports these ideas above about the vertical fractures is the torque while drilling, it will
become higher when drilling the formation. In addition, a small increase in the ROP is felt.
5. Shiranish: The problems that might be encountered in this formation are:
a. Bit balling may occur due to the presence of argillaceous limestone, leading to slow ROP especially
at top of the formation. Indication of Bit Balling, in addition to slow ROP, torque will drop sharply
(example from 12000 KNM to 4000 KNM) and remain constant. The bit will be like a wheel
rotating at the bottom. Torque off bottom and on bottom shows small difference. So Pull Out of
Hole (POOH) to change the bit is a very costly and an unnecessary procedure since the problem
has been diagnosed.
b. Tight hole is also expected due to swelling of the marl at the top of this formation (swelling is
coming either from the absorption of water or due to pore pressure). Tight hole will be faced later
on (during POOH for short trip or to change the bit).
6. Hartha: It is one of the most problematic formations that will be discussed. The problems that will
be dealt with in this formation are:
a. Mud loss: Losses are expected in this formation due to the vugs and pores present in the top of the
formation. It is a disaster if losses happened here due to the fact that as the mud level will drop
sharply, leading to flow of Tayarat formation first, and then the other formations in this section like
Umm-Er-Radhuma and Dammam. This phenomenon is called an underground blowout in IWCF
and drilling practices, and it is very difficult to deal with such wells. Due to the presence of dolomite
at the top, in addition to the stresses in the field (the expected stress is vertical, so the fracture is
in the vertical direction as the fractures will come parallel to the direction of the maximum stress.
The presence of breakout is the first evidence of the direction of the stress that was recorded). So
it expected to get losses at the top due to the vugs and the fissures, and also due to the stress in
this formation. In some fields, it is expected to have vertical fractures, and due to that we will have
losses, and high torque as it was mentioned before due to stuck and hang of string in the fractures.
In Zubair, West Qurna 1, and south part of Rumaila oil fields the formation is highly fractured.
Cement plugs create a problem if pumped in this formation due to the following. If focus was
directed to the pore and fracture pressure gradient in Tayarat formation -which was discussed
earlier that it contains an aquifer- and correlate it with Hartha, it is obvious that the pore pressure
of Hartha is much higher than Tayarat, but the fracture pressure is less. Also, it should not be
forgotten that Hartha top is fractured due to the stresses and the dolomitization, then the problem
can be recognized. If a cement plug is set at top of Hartha, then there will be very high water
loss in some parts of the plug itself, then the cement will be like a bridge. This bridge will isolate
the hydrostatic pressure of the mud from reaching the formation, then cross flow will occur. For
the dolomitization process mentioned earlier, that means that some magnesium water invaded the
limestone and displaced the calcium (it was recorded recently that there are some places in the
10 OTC-28597-MS

Pacific and Indian oceans that are rich with such water and there is some dolomitization ongoing
now). The cement is mainly composed of calcium and the magnesium can displace the calcium
easily and change the cement into different things, the cement will change to an ash like structure,
and it will never set. So to set the cement before it gets damaged by the magnesium, use of an
accelerator is one of the choices available but it is risky. Murphy suggested in 1983 to pump sodium
silicate ahead of cement, this chemical will make the cement high gel and prevent formation water
from entering the cement and destroying it.
b. Tight hole: This problem may occur due to the presence of streaks of marl.
7. Sadi: No problems are encountered in Sadi if the formation pressure is kept under control. Though,
Gas cut mud on surface could be noticed during drilling the reservoir, obviously due to the presence
of the hydrocarbons. One incident has been reported previously in one of the fields, a kick occurred
during running in the 13 3/8" casing, and that happened due to the loss of the mud hydrostatic
pressure. Figure (6) shows gamma ray, SP, resistivity, and sonic log readings of Sadi formation.
From the gamma ray log, the top of the formation is very clear which induced high gamma ray that
came from high uranium which indicates surface of unconformity, as well as the fractures. The
deformation in the SP log indicates a good permeability of the formation. Resistivity logs show
clear separation in the sudden change in lithology from argillaceous limestone to limestone. And
finally, the sonic log shows good porosity.
8. Tanuma: The problems in this formation are coming from the shale, as this formation is in the
transition zone regarding the shale, due to temperature and squeezing, it contains both types of
shale (montmorolonite "smectite" and illite shale in addition to kaolinite and chlorite which are
friendly shale for the drilling engineers). In general, and from the spectral gamma ray, it was found
that the top of formation contains more smectite shale and the bottom more illite shale. Limestone is
interbedded with the shale in this formation. So now there are two main different types of shale (as
mentioned earlier that chlorite and kaolinite are friendly shale), they are illite and smectite shale,
keeping in mind that there isn't 100% illite (mostly 30% smectite in Tanuma) and not 100% smectite
(contains 10% illite). So there are two different types of failures during drilling in this formation;
chemical failure and mechanical failure (tangential stress as in other rocks). One other point, as no
clear sonic and resistivity logs were received (due to the huge wash out in this formation in most
of the wells, the only logs that give better understanding are the LWD, because it records during
drilling and the well is still not washed out very much), so the maturity of illite in oil cannot be
confirmed as (source rock), although its texture shows it's a little bit oily, but personal temperature
studies of the south of Iraq can confirm that. So in another way one of the reasons of pressure in
illite of Tanuma formation came from the origination of oil. Figure (7) illustrates the washout of
Tanuma recorded by the caliper log.
9. Khasib: The only problem that has been encountered here is the differential sticking so leaving the
string static is very risky.
10. Mishrif: Many have discussed this formation. One geological study shows the environment of the
sedimaentation and the stress that Mishrif is subjected to [7]. In some fields, the formation pressure
was found 7.9 ppg which is lower than the pressure of water, meanwhile the formation should be
drilled with 11 ppg to control the formation pressure of the above formations, in addition to the
pressurized shale that needs to be handled. The drilling problems encountered while drilling are:
a. Records indicate the presence of high pressure shale in the form of illite and oxidized shale (this
oxidized type does not generate any problems during drilling) at MA which is the top layer. The
thickness of this shale is not constant in different fields. Shale caving and sloughing is expected,
as well as tight hole after passing this shale and resuming the drilling inside the formation during
the connection and while the pump is switched off, due to the fact that gel strength is not sufficient
OTC-28597-MS 11

to hold the shale in place. Figure (9) shows logs of the top of Mishrif. The green line is gamma
ray, the solid red line is sonic log, the dotted red and the dotted blue lines are the Y and X arms
of the caliper log respectively. As noticed, the sonic log decreases drastically and the gamma ray
increases at about 3680m which indicates that this is the top of MA. The caliper log indicates the
occurrence of a hole washout due to the caving of the shale.
b. MA is fractured with oil content, so complete losses might be encountered here even in green fields.
c. Afterwards there is another shale layer.
d. The underlying layer also contains fractures but in less severity than the one above. Figure (10)
illustrates Mishrif formation log records of spectral gamma ray in blue, pink, and red for Potassium,
Uranium, and Thorium respectively, and the green line is the total gamma ray. In the figure,
abnormal reading of the gamma ray in Mishrif is noticed, calcium carbonate with high uranium
reading gives a good indication of the presence of a fracture. Also, it is a permeable zone, so losses
are also expected in this bed in producing fields. These losses vary in their severity depending on
the depletion of the reservoir (e.g. producing fields demonstrate more losses). And these losses are
very difficult to deal with due to the following reasons:
-
As it is in a producing zone, so a kick will be expected.
-
As the level of the mud will drop till the hydrostatic pressure will be equal to the Mishrif formation
pressure, there are two reservoirs above (Sadi and Khasib) will start flowing.
-
Tanuma's high pressure shale will start sloughing due to drop of hydrostatic pressure, so stuck pipe
is also expected especially in highly deviated wells; moreover, the Mishrif's top high pressure shale
should not be forgotten. Mishrif's shale will be very effective when the reservoir is depleted due
to the expansion of the shale layers.
e. Cement plug is not an option in this formation because it will damage the reservoir.
f. The pressure is substantially subnormal in the reservoir due to the production of the field that
depleted the formation.
g. Tight hole due to thick mud cake produced from the high differential pressure (the mud weight is
11ppg and the reservoir pressure is 8ppg).
h. Stresses still acting in the direction of sigma 2, and very active nearby the Iranian borders.
Earthquake recorded many times in this area and this evidence proves that sigma 2 is still acting.
These stresses will make the hole look like an eclipse due to the very active sigma 2 in some fields.
The simplest way to recognize the effectiveness of this segment when there is an earthquake in the
area which will indicate that there are tectonic stresses and plate movement.

Figure 9—Mishif's top shale layer.

12 OTC-28597-MS

Figure 10—Spectral gamma ray record of the fractures in Mishrif formation.

Proposed Treatment
A treatment is proposed for each problem in every formation, they are as follows. The treatment procedures
have also been discussed in Saleh's thesis, also they are the proposed treatment for the detected problems
in a paper previously published [8].
1. Upper and lower Faris: For the bit balling problem, POOH to a zone that does not contain swell
able shale, and spotting anti balling materials around the bit needs to be performed, drill collar and
stabilizers should be put in balance method (in tension), waiting for half an hour with reciprocating
to the string to avoid any tight holes. Starting the circulation with high flow rate, and high RPM, to
clean the bit will be the first action. Afterwards, drilling mode should be resumed, if the same problem
happens as well, then the procedure above should be repeated. If the problem was not solved, then
POOH to surface.
In case tight hole problem has been faced, the string should be worked on until the problem is
solved.
In Rumaila Oil Field, well number Ru-465, a tight hole was observed while POOH, the taken action
was as it is recommended in the treatment measurements. Also, oil and gas was observed in small
values in this formation (Total Gas TG=0.37%).
2. Dammam: The following procedure should be taken to pass this formation safely, with the least time
consumption, and highest efficiency:
1. High torque and string hang, those will be the first signs of the thief zone. A few seconds later
and a signal is supposed to be received that losses are encountered.
2. Switching the pumps to water, and keeping the drilling process like that must be acted on.
Controlling the ROP at (20 m/hr max), to avoid loading the annulus with cuttings. The cuttings
will go inside the fracture. Also there should be a limitation in flow rate to avoid getting shortage
in water. Rumaila Oil Field has water injection sites, so the same drilling mud should be used
to avoid taking flow from them.
3. At the end of the second joint of the stand, 60 barrels of high viscosity pill, or 60 barrels of Low/
High viscosity pill in highly deviated wells, should be pumped (pumping high viscosity LCM
OTC-28597-MS 13

pills during drilling Dammam and Hartha formations instead of normal high viscosity pills will
be helpful in hole cleaning and curing losses as well). Hole pack off will be avoided using this
way of pumping, as when a connection is started, the viscous mud should reach the shaker and
the hole should be clean.
4. After reaching the bottom of Dammam (the geologists should confirm that depending on the
TVD), the hole should be swept with high viscosity mud. A circulation for two bottoms up
should be established.
5. POOH to top of Dammam, and monitor for any tight spots, ream up and down for any tight holes.
6. If the hole is clean, and no over pull encountered. RIH to bottom again and LCM should be
spotted from the circulating sub (120 lb/bbl concentration is fair), twice the lost zone volume
minimum needs to be pumped.
7. After spotting LCM, POOH to surface and getting ready to cement the section must be prepared
for. The string while connecting, or tripping out, or in front of the thief zone, mustn't be stopped.
It must be kept under rotation to minimize the risk of differential sticking.
8. At casing shoe, stopping for a flow check is required, and after that, POOH without filling the
well. That is to check the mud level on the drill pipe, from that mud level estimation of the
formation pore pressure is obtainable, which will help in calculating the position of cement
stinger later.
9. The cement compressive strength should not be more than (1000 Psi) after 24 hrs. As the
compressive strength of Dammam is within this limit. So any kick off or deviation in the well
later, can be avoided when the cement plug is drilled out. As a rule of thumb, the compressive
strength of the formation should be known before setting the plug and the plug's compressive
strength should be less than that of the formation.
10. RIH with cement stinger and drill pipe, and stopping four stands (about 120 meters) above the
losses zone in vertical wells.
11. Pumping volume of the cement batch mixer, and displacing it with the volume of drill pipe – 3
stands (under balance status should be reserved during this operation). The cement will slightly
drop from the drill pipe while POOH, this procedure will be repeated for many times till the
losses are sealed. POOH to casing shoe or to surface. It should be mentioned that the use of
LCM in the mud, when losses are more than (15 m3/hr), will provide little to no benefit.
3. Umm-Er-Radhuma: The treatment for the problems encountered in Umm-Er-Radhuma are as follows:
1. If any minor losses are faced, the following steps should be taken:
a. The mud should be loaded with fine LCM (40 lb/bbl), it will help a lot and stop these
losses.
b. Sweeping hole and circulating enough to clean hole before any connection is made must
be established to ensure the cleanness of the hole.
c. Reduction of the flow rate should be acted upon, if needed. This will reduce or increase
the ECD depending on the ROP and the jet impact.
In the case of WQ2, if severe partial losses were faced (more than 60 bbl/hr), controlling
of ROP up to 150 m TVD and then POOH for cement plug, keeping the cement stinger
15 meters below the bottom of the formation should seal off the formation.
2. To treat the problem of differential sticking in case it happened, while the drill string is down
hole, or the casing:
a. Drill string: If any differential sticking happened, and the BHA is in front of Umm-Er-
Radhuma, it is better to pump stuck free fluids, or acid if needed. Torque and drop string
down with jarring down is highly recommended to be the first action to be done, this is if
14 OTC-28597-MS

the string is stuck. This action should be repeated even while pumping any mud materials
that are manufactured to free stick those materials, will help in destroying the mud cake,
and also it has some acid that can react with the formation. Maximum flow rate should
be used also.
b. Casing: In case of casing differentially stuck, acid cannot be pumped, to eliminate
damaging the floating equipment. So caustic soda pill, or stuck free fluids should be
pumped to the permeable zone. If casing becomes stuck, applying torque and drop casing
is also recommended, but it will be impossible sometimes if the TDS can't be screwed in
with the casing, so dropping casing very fast especially when the stuck free is in front of
the stuck point is required.
3. In case tight hole problem is encountered in here, short wiper trip is highly recommended in
here. Also, adding a lubricant to the mud should minimized the stuck pipe incidents and increase
the chances of freeing the pipe in addition to lubrication.
4. Tayarat: There is a possibility of a kick in here, because of the fluids pressure in this formation. In
case an influx entered the well, the well killing procedures should be followed to treat this problem.
5. Shiranish: In case bit balling problem was encountered, the best solution is to POOH to bottom of
Tayarat, spot the anti-balling material to cover the bit and stabilizers, wait for 15 minutes and rotate
in high RPM for a few second then start pumping till the bit is cleaned.
As for the tight hole problem, as described in the precautions, increasing the MW by (+/- 0.03ppg)
is advised. Reaming and back reaming is also advised to overcome the tight hole.
A few reports in various fields showed tight holes in this formation which was treated by the
mentioned procedure.
6. 6.
Hartha: To encounter the losses in this formation the following procedure should be followed:
1. As mentioned in the precautions, drilling should be started, if losses are encountered (normally
at the top of the formation) the procedure above should also be used. Moreover, pumping Low/
High viscosity mud for deviated Wells, and High viscosity mud for the vertical wells before the
end of each joint should be very useful. The viscous mud should leave the bit on time (before
connection), so accurate calculations should be taken.
2. The well must be kept filled, from the annulus, by mud or water (in case shortage in mud is
faced) to prevent the well from flowing. If flow occurred and reached surface, then a special
plan needs to be taken.
3. Drilling should be kept uninterrupted, until the losses section is reached, and then the hole should
be swept to clean the hole, and POOH for a cement plug. The well should be filled constantly
at top of Hartha as well as spotting High concentrations of LCM (120 lb/bbl of coarse LCM is
displaced and left in the well). The level of mud on drill pipe, in casing shoe, should be taken.
7. Sadi: If gas cut is encountered, the poor boy degasser needs to be running to control the well. Also,
any increase in the mud weight may lead to losses. So close attention should be payed to the mud
weight, and if needed the mud weight should be adjusted to stop the gas cut while maintaining the
well from having any losses.
8. Tanuma: To solve the stuck pipe problem that occurs due to washout (packoff sticking):
1. Circulation should be started with very low SPM (if the pressure increased more than 200 Psi,
the mud pump must be stopped and the pressure has to be bled off). The hole in the NRV will
help in bleeding the pressure from the Annulus also. Close attention should be given to the
fracture pressure of the formation so as not to be exceeded.
OTC-28597-MS 15

2. Torque and jarring (if the stuck situation occurred while going upwards or with the string static,
jarring up should not be applied, and if the stuck happened while going downwards, jarring
down should not be applied) are recommended, but not over pull. Over pulling will make the
stuck much worse.
3. The procedure should be repeated many times. Patience in this procedure is highly required.
4. The important thing is that if any return flow is noticed, the flow rate mustn't be increased
suddenly but gradually. It may take two or three hours till returning back to the drilling flow
rate is acquired. Otherwise backing off and side tracking should be taken, which is a very costly
procedure, but will be the other solution.
9. Khasib: Treatment of differential sticking needs to be done following the standardized methods of
encountering this kind of sticking. Otherwise, Khasib formation is not a problematic formation and
can be handled easily if the drilling parameters are maintained by the drilling program.
10. Mishrif: To treat the problems that are encountered in Mishrif formation, the following procedures
needs to be followed.
1. Stuck pipe due to swelling: the procedure that have been talked about in Tanuma needs to be
followed in here. Starting the pump with low SPM, torqueing up the string and dropping it
down, during dropping the string down the pressure should be bled off. The procedure must be
repeated for many times. Acidizing will help as the formation is Calcium Carbonate.
2. If losses are encountered:
a. The best option is to continue drilling with the drilling mud till the loss zone is finished.
The thickness of the first one is averaged around 15m TVD.
b. Pumping of Low/High viscosity mud in deviated wells, and high viscosity only in vertical
wells must be done and pulling the string to casing shoe.
c. 130 lb/bbl High concentration coarse and medium LCM should be pumped, from there
using circulating sub is highly recommended in this section.
d. The filling of the well must be kept on going while monitoring for losses.
e. If the losses have been sealed, then circulation by high flow rate at shoe must be
established to soft squeeze the rest of the LCM into the formation, and ensure that the
losses have stopped.
f. If not, repetition of this procedure must be continued, patience is highly advised here, for
this process might take a whole day.
In case of the availability of Calcium Carbonate cement which can be pumped from
the bit nozzles, it is an acid soluble and can be used to seal the formation.
3. Regarding the filter cake, in casea tight hole was faced and over pulling is confronted, the
solution here is only to ream up and down for two times to scratch the wall of the well before
any connection.
4. To solve the differential sticking problem, the best solution is:
a. Close attention should be payed to the overbalance (mud weight), the first course of action
should be trying to decrease the overbalance within a safe range –if possible– to try to
overcome the sticking problem.
b. Circulating and Jarring down with torque up the string must be established. This should be
repeated for many times (might reach 10 hours in case no hazardous items are in the well,
if the drilling crew suspects having fishes in the well, fishing should be accounted for).
c. If the above solution wasn't successful, then acidizing with tension or compression in the
string should be applied.
16 OTC-28597-MS

d. Finally, if the above solution didn't work as well, then backing off and the side tracking
which is the most expensive operation should be followed.

Conclusions
During this study, many conclusions were reached, they are:
1. A thourghou investigation of the southern Iraqi oil fields was performed during which many results
were reached.
2. Mud loss problem was the most encountered during drilling, mainly in Dammam, Hartha, Sadi, and
Mishrif.
3. Stresses play an active role in the diagnostics process in these fields, especially in Tanuma and Mishrif
formations.
4. Shale is present in Tanuma and Mishrif formations. It is pressurized shale, and it is very difficult to
deal with.

Nomenclature
SP log Spontanious Potential log
RIH Run In Hole
ROP Rate of Penetration
LCM Lost Circulation Material
WOB Weight on Bit
RPM Round per Minute
MW Mud Weight
IWCF International Well Control Forum
TVD True Vertical Depth
ECD Equivalent Circulating Density
BHA Bottom Hole Assembly
TDS Total Dissolved Solids

References
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Conference, Qatar, 2015.
OTC-28597-MS 17

7. R. A. H. Al-Mohammad, "Depositional Environment and Petrophysical Properties Study of

Mishrif Formation in Tuba Oilfield, Southern Iraq," Journal of Basrah Researches, vol. 38, no. 1,
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