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UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
PETRONAS
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
PETRONAS

PAB 2024
DRILLING ENGINEERING

Experiment 1
Drilling Simulator

Amro Abd Elbadea Elsaghir 13449
Mohammed Mohammed Abderrahmane 13472
Mostafa Sharaf Eldin Hassan saad 13477








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1) INTRODUCTION
BASIC DRILLING SYSTEM
1.1 Circulating System
The main objective of circulation system is to pump fluid through the whole active
fluid system, including the borehole and all the surface tanks that constitute the
primary system.
The complete, circuitous path that the drilling fluid travels starting at the:
- main rig pumps
- surface piping
- standpipe
- kelly hose (rotary)
- kelly
- drillpipe
- drill collars
- bit nozzles
- openhole and casing strings
- flowline
- mud-cleaning equipment
- mud tanks
- positive displacement main
rig pumps

Functions of Drilling Fluids:
- Lift-up cuttings
- To cover the underground pressure
- To restrain the well bore
- To create mud cake and prevent filtrate loss
- To lubricate drill bit and drill string
- Down hole information gathering media and well logging
- To transfer hydraulic force to downhole motor
1.2 Rotating System
The main objectives of this system is to create rotation force towards drill bit at
the bottom hole and provide helps when tightening and loosing pipe connection.
There are two types of rotating source:
1. Rotary Table
The revolving or spinning section of the drillfloor that provides power to turn
the drillstring in a clockwise direction (as viewed from above). The rotary
motion and power are transmitted through the kelly bushing and the kelly to
the drillstring. Almost all rigs today have a rotary table, either as primary or
backup system for rotating the drillstring. Top drive technology, which allows
continuous rotation of the drillstring, has replaced the rotary table in certain
operations. A few rigs are being built today with topdrive systems only, and
lack the traditional kelly system.

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2. Top Drive
A device that turns the drillstring. It consists of one or more motors (electric or
hydraulic) connected with appropriate gearing to a short section of pipe called
a quill, that in turn may be screwed into a saver sub or the drillstring itself. The
topdrive is suspended from the hook, so the rotary mechanism is free to travel
up and down the derrick. This is radically different from the more conventional
rotary table and kelly method of turning the drillstring because it enables
drilling to be done with three joint stands instead of single joints of pipe. It also
enables the driller to quickly engage the pumps or the rotary while tripping
pipe, which cannot be done easily with the kelly system.
1.3 Hoisting System
The main objective of this system is to provide lifting and dropping force towards
drill string and any components around rig floor.
Several components of this system are:
- crown block
- travelling block
- mast
- substructure (sub)
- prime mover
1.4 Pressure Control System
The objective of this system is to prevent blowout and maintain kick during drilling
and tripping. The equipment is called Blowout Preventer (BOP).
BOP is a large valve at the top of a well that may be closed if the drilling crew
loses control of formation fluids. By closing this valve (usually operated remotely
via hydraulic actuators), the drilling crew usually regains control of the reservoir,
and procedures can then be initiated to increase the mud density until it is
possible to open the BOP and retain pressure control of the formation.
BOPs come in a variety of styles, sizes and pressure ratings. Some can
effectively close over an open wellbore, some are designed to seal around
tubular components in the well (drillpipe, casing or tubing) and others are fitted
with hardened steel shearing surfaces that can actually cut through drillpipe.
1.5 Power System
The source of power for the rig location is provided by the Power System.
On modern rigs, the prime mover consists of one to four or more diesel engines.
These engines commonly produce several thousand horsepower. Typically, the
diesel engines are connected to electric generators.
The electrical power is then distributed by a silicon-controlled-rectifier (SCR)
system around the rig site. Rigs that convert diesel power to electricity are known
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as diesel electric rigs. Older designs transmit power from the diesel engines to
certain rig components (drawworks, pumps and rotary table) through a system of
mechanical belts, chains and clutches.
On these rigs, a smaller electric generator powers lighting and small electrical
requirements. These older rigs are referred to as mechanical rigs or more
commonly, simply power rigs.

2 KICK AND BLOW OUT

A kick is defined as any undesirable flow of formation fluids from the reservoir to the
wellbore that occurs as a result of a negative pressure differential across the
formation face. Meanwhile, Blow Out happens if the kick is reaching the surface and
uncontrollable. Wells kick because the reservoir pressure of an exposed permeable
formation is higher than the wellbore pressure at that depth.
Blow out can happen in almost every oil and gas operation such as:
- Drilling Operation
- Work over Operation
- Well Service Operation (Maintenance)

There are many situations which can produce this downhole condition. Among the
most likely and recurring are:
- Low density drilling fluid.
- Abnormal reservoir pressure.
- Swabbing.
- Not keeping the hole full on trips.
- Lost circulation

Kick indicators are classified into two groups: positive and secondary. Anytime the
well experiences a positive indicator of a kick, immediate action must be taken to
shut-in the well. When a secondary indicator of a kick is identified, steps should be
taken to verify if the well is indeed kicking.
The "Positive Indicators of a Kick" are:
- Increase in Pit Volume
- Increase in Flow rate

Immediate action should be taken to shut-in the well whenever these indicators are
experienced. It is not recommended to check for flow after a positive indicator has
been identifed.
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The "Secondary Indicators of a Kick" are:
- Decrease in Circulating Pressure
- Gradual Increase in Drilling Rate
- Drilling Breaks
- Increase in Gas Cutting
- Increase in Water Cutting or Chlorides

The occurence of any of these indicators should alert the Drilling Representative that
the well may be kicking, or is about to kick. These indicators should never be
ignored. Instead, once realized, steps should be taken to determine the reason for
the indication.

3 SWABBING
Swabbing is a condition that arises when pipe is pulled from the well and produces a
temporary bottomhole pressure reduction.
Many downhole conditions tend to increase the likelihood that a well will be
swabbed-in when pipe is pulled. Several of these are discussed below:
- Pulling Pipe Too Fast
- Poor Mud Properties
- Heaving or Swelling Formations
- Large OD Tools
4 WELL CONTROL PROCEDURE (HARD SHUT IN * REMOTE CHOKE IS
ALWAYS CLOSE DURING DRILLING & TRIPPING)
4.1 SHUT-IN PROCEDURE WHILE DRILLING
1. When any indication is observed while drilling that the well maybe flowing,
raise the drill with pumps on until spaced out, stop rotating drill string.
2. Stop pumping and check for flow, if positive;
3. Close annular or upper pipe rams.
4. Open BOP upstream choke valve.
5. Call supervisor and commence plotting a graph of shut in drill pipe & casing
pressure. Check pit volume again.
4.2 SHUT-IN PROCEDURE WHILE TRIPPING
1. When a possible sign is observed, set top tool joint in the slips.
2. Check for flow.
3. Install a full opening Safety valve on the drill pipe. Close the valve once it is
installed.
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4. CLOSE annular BOP.
5. Open BOP upstream choke valve.
6. Alert supervisors.
7. Read and record pressures on SICP & SIDP
8. The operators representative will have to decide whether to kill in situ, or strip
back to bottom.
9. If operator decided to strip to bottom, stab IBOP (Gray valve) & open full
opening safety valve. Ready to strip drill string to bottom.



2) OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this experiment are as follow:
1. To conduct drilling operation simulation by using DrillSim 500.
2. To identify any kick indications by using DrillSim 500.
3. To control any kick confronted during drilling operations.

3) EXPERIMENT PROCEDURES
Drilling Test
1. Take slow pump rate pump#1 20 spm / xxxx psi, 30 spm / xxxx psi
2. Take slow pump rate pump#2 20 spm / xxxx psi, 30 spm / xxxx psi.
3. Increase mud pump 1 & 2 to achieve total of 600 gpm (8-1/2 hole size)
4. Setting rotary speed to 100 rpm.
5. Use handbrake to lower the drill string until bit touches bottom.
6. Increase and maintain WOB at 35.000 lbs.
7. Continue drilling by adjusting WOB at 35.000 lbs by adjusting handbrake at
every time.
8. Identify if there is any Kick indication at all operation time.
9. Continue to kick procedure when kick is encountered.

Well Control Drillers Method
1. Monitor surface instrumentation. Once positive kick detected, follow step 2.
2. Pick up off bottom & space out (ensure tooljoint is not across ram). Stop
rotary.
3. Stop pump 1 and 2.
Close BOPs Annular or Upper Ram. Open BOP upstream choke valve.
4. Read and record final (stabilized) SIDPP and SICP. Read and record final pit
gain. Adjust the remote choke to maintain the SICP constant while bringing
the pump up to 20 or 30 strokes per minute simultaneously.
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When the casing pressure is stabilized, read and record the new circulating
drill pipe pressure. Adjust the remote choke to maintain the initial circulating
drill pipe pressure constant until the influx (the kick) is out. Once influx out,
stop pump & close remote choke completely while maintaining the last CP
constant. ( If no further influx enter the well bore, theoretical SICP & SIDP
should be the same)
5. Increase mud weight to kill mud weight.
Kill MW = (SIDPP + 150 psi overbalance)/(0.052*vert. depth) + original MW
Open remote choke and start pump at 20 or 30 strokes per minute while
maintaining SICP constant. Once reach desired pump rate, continue to
maintain SICP constant
until kill mud reach bit.
Once kill mud reach bit, start to maintain FCP (final drill pipe circulating
pressure) constant until kill mud reach surface
6. When the kill mud reach surface, stop pump & then close remote choke.
Read and record SIDPP, SICP and pit volume. (SIDPP & SICP shoule be
zero if the well is dead)
Open the BOP Upper ram, close BOP upstream choke valve and flow check
well.
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4) Results:

Well control Drillers method:
1. When the BOPs upper Ram is closed and the choke is opened
SIDPP= 319 psi
SICP = 305 psi
Pit deviation = 1 barrel

2. After bringing the pump to 30 strokes per minute
SIDPP = 618 psi

3. When the influx is out
SIDPP = 456 psi
SICP = 455 psi

4. Kill Mud Weight
KMW = + Original mud weight
KMW = + 12.2
KMW = 13.7 ppg
5. When the mud reach the bit
FDP = 380 psi

6. After the mud reach the surface
SIDPP = 297 psi
SICP = 298 psi
Pit deviation = 5.9 barrel

Trap pressure 5 psi
7. Check flow
Check flow =19.88 bbl
When the pump open flow =19.85 bbl
The difference is =19.88 - 19.85=0.03 bbl



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5) Discussion
As our main objectives of this experiment are:
1. To conduct drilling operation simulation by using DrillSim 500.
2. To identify any kick indications by using DrillSim 500.
3. To control any kick confronted during drilling operations.
In this part we will discuss about the procedure of controlling a kick and interpret
the result we obtained from the experiment. The term kick is used to indicate a flow
of formation fluids into the wellbore during drilling operations. The kick is physically
caused by the pressure in the wellbore being less than that of the formation fluids,
thus causing flow. This condition of lower wellbore pressure than the formation is
caused in two ways. First, if the mud weight is too low, then the hydrostatic pressure
exerted on the formation by the fluid column may be insufficient to hold the formation
fluid in the formation. This can happen if the mud density is suddenly lightened or is
not to specification to begin with, or if a drilled formation has a higher pressure than
anticipated. This type of kick might be called an underbalanced kick. The second
way a kick can occur is if dynamic and transient fluid pressure effects, usually due to
motion of the drillstring or casing, effectively lower the pressure in the wellbore below
that of the formation. This second kick type could be called an induced kick.
When a kick occurs during drilling there are procedures that have to be followed
to control the well and prevent any further influx into the well. In this experiment
when the kick occurred we had to shut-in the well using the BOP. Then we used the
Drillers method to control and bring out the kick.
The experiment was conducted to control the kick and the results obtained are
written and mentioned above. Firstly we need to know the drillers method which is
the method used in this experiment to control the kick. The Drillers method is a two
complete circulation method; firstly the kick is circulated (brought out) by the old
mud, secondly the old mud is circulated out using kill weight mud (new mud). As
there are many other methods of controlling a kick; in this experiment we used the
Drillers method due to its simplicity and because it has less risk of stuck pipe, also
other methods like the engineers method involves a lot of complex calculation.
The kick can be detected by many ways; the firstly the addition of any fluid from
the formation will result in a change in return flow and a change in the active pit
volume which means that the flow rate of the returned drilling fluid will increase and
an increase in the pit deviation will be noticed. Other indication such as the increase
of rate of penetration happens if the differential between formation pressure and
hydrostatic pressure created by drilling mud decreases, there is possibility to
increase rate of penetration because the hold down effect is decreased. There are
more indications such as the increase of the cutting size and shape and also a
decrease in shale density. In this experiment the simulator has an automated alarm
which goes on as soon as a kick is detected so when the alarm went on we
encountered a kick with an increase of the pit volume.
After detecting the kick the first step was to shut-in the well and start with
procedure of controlling the well using the Drillers method. Our aim was to control
the well and prevent the potential blow out and also preventing further influx from
entering the wellbore. According to the Drillers method the shut-in drill pipe pressure
(SIDPP), shut-in casing pressure (SICP) and pit volume should be recorded.
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We recorded the SIDPP pressure, SICP pressure and the pit volume. All these
reading are essential for the procedure of controlling the well for example:
SIDPP pressure is used to calculate the Kill mud weight, SICP pressure is used to
determine the controlling method and pit volume is used to specify the type of the
influx (water, gas or oil).
After taking the readings of SIDPP, SICP and pit volume, we started pumping
by bringing the pump up to 30 SPM gradually each time with a 5 SPM increment
while adjusting the choke to maintain the SICP constant between 305 and 455 psi (a
150 psi safety factor). After the SICP is stabilised the choke is adjusted to maintain
the SIDPP until the influx is out. When the influx was out we stopped the mud pump
and closed the choke. Unfortunately we closed the choke before closing the mud
pump which caused an increase in the wellbore pressure and that increase caused
the formation of the well to fracture. The reading if SIDPP and SICP after the influx
was out are nearly the same which indicated that there was no further influx into the
wellbore.
After the influx was out we increased the mud weight by the calculating the kill
mud weight using the equation:
KMW = + OMW
KMW is kill mud weight
OMW is the original mud weight =12.2 ppg
TVD true vertical depth=6000.7 ft
SIDPP the shut=in drillpipe pressure =319 psi
KMW = + 12.2
KMW = 13.7 ppg
The new mud is circulated into the well bore by gradually increasing the mud pump
to 30 SPM and maintaining the SICP constant until the kill mud reach the bit. Once
the kill mud reached the bit the FDP is maintained constant 380-530psi (a 150 psi
safety factor) until the kill mud reached the surface. After the kill mud reached the
surface the pump was stopped and choke was closed but the SIDPP and SICP were
not zero which meant that the well is not dead yet; the readings are shown above. As
thee choke was opened and closed finally the SIDPP and SICP were both zero. The
flow was checked and the difference was calculated and found to be 0.03 bbl. Finally
the well is dead and the drilling operation can be resumed. The key point here is that
during the kick control the well bore pressure is maintained slightly higher than the
formation pressure.



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6) ANSWER TO GIVEN QUESTION

1. Explain the correlation between bottom hole temperature and hydrostatic
gradient.

-
Pressure gradient (by fluid) - The change in pressure per unit of depth,
typically in units of psi/ft or kPa/m Deviations from normal pressure are
described as high or low pressure.


-
Bottom Hole Temperature - The temperature in the borehole at total depth at
the time it is measured. In log interpretation, the bottom hole temperature
(BHT) is taken as the maximum recorded temperature during a logging run,
or preferably the last of series of runs during the same operation. BHT is the
temperature used for the interpretation of logs at total depth.

The bottom hole temperature (BHT) is basically affected by two
parameters, which is the true vertical depth (TVD) and the thermal gradient.
For hydrostatic gradient (pressure gradient of the fluid in the pore space,
normally 0.433psi/ft for fresh water and 0.465 for high salinity salt water) is a
function of TVD and types of formation.
Bottom hole Temperature, BHT = TVD x Thermal Gradient
Bottom hole Pressure, BHP = TVD x Hydrostatic Gradient
The thermal gradient will vary based on different location. The thermal
gradient will basically be reduced with depth. However, in drilling operations,
with increased depth, the BHT increment can be from the order of 15-20K
for every 1000m for low pressure and low temperature reservoir. Although
the gradient has decreased, the BHT can still be increasing as it is highly
affected by the increasing depth of TVD.
When planning or drilling a well, it is often more convenient to refer to
hydrostatic pressures in terms of pressure gradient. Pressure gradient is the
rate of increase in pressure per unit vertical depth (psi/ft). It should be noted
that fluid densities, measured in ppg or SG, are also gradients. The pressure
gradient will be increasing with depth as the cumulative overburden stress of
the formation above it is stacked.
The proper parameter to correlate the bottom hole temperature and
pressure gradient is the depth of the borehole in a vertical measure. Thus, it
can be generally concluded that the bottom hole temperature will be
increasing gradually while more rapidly for the pressure gradient with the
increment of depth. But, the contribution of the reduced thermal gradient with
depth is small compared to the rapid increment of depth.





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2. There are a variety that can cause abnormal formation fluid pressure. List 4 of
the principal causes.

- Under-compaction of sediment
- Tectonic Activity
- Presence of salt structure
- Chemical Diagnosis
- Presence of Artesian system




3. What is MAASP stands for? When is the right time to re-calculate this
parameter?

MAASP stands for Maximum Allowable Annulus Surface Pressure. It
is an absolute upper limit for the pressure in the annulus of an oil and gas
well as measured at the wellhead.
One major threat to annulus integrity is overpressure within the annulus which
could lead to burst or collapse of a casing or damage to the formation
below. Therefore, MAASP is calculated to provide a surface pressure, which
will produce the limiting pressure at the shoe.
There are four different ways in an annulus may be over pressured which are
the right time to re-calculate MAASP:
a) Burst of the outside casing
b) Collapse of the inside casing
c) Fracturing of the formation at the shoe
d) Overpressure of the surface equipment
















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4. A well can be induced to flow by swabbing which happens due to the
reduction of bottom hole pressure when pulling pipe. List 3 conditions that
can cause swabbing.
Swabbing is the condition that happens when anything in a hole such as drill
string, logging tool, and completion sting is pulled and it brings out decreasing
hydrostatic pressure. There are 3 conditions that can cause swabbing:
a) Light density fluid in wellbore which results in decreasing hydrostatic
pressure
b) Abnormal pressure where abnormally high pressure zones are over
current mud weight in the well
c) Severe lost circulation


5. List at least 2 causes of the increase in rate of penetration during drilling.

The increment in rate of penetration during drilling happens when soft
or abnormally pressured formations are encountered.
When rotary speed increases, the rate of penetration will be enhanced.
The increment is also caused by the weight on bit. Basically, ROP is directly
proportional to weight-on-bit (WOB) till a critical point.



6. Mention at least 5 components of drill stem.
The drill stem consists of drillpipe, drill collars, drill bit, heavy-walled drillpipes
(HWDP), stabilisers and shock subs.

a. Drillpipe - It acts as a medium to transmit rotary motion to the bit and
serves as a passage for mud.

b. Drill collars - They are heavy-duty pipes with large outside diameters that
are used primarily to put weight on bit during drilling operations.

c. Drill bit - It is the main component of the drill string and is used to cut the
rock in order to make hole. Drag bits, roller cone bits and diamond bits are
the 3 main types of drill bits.

d. HWDP - It is used to ensure that the drillpipe is always kept in tension.

e. Stabiliser - Its outside diameter is close to the hole diameter. It is used to
prevent buckling or bending of drill collars and to control the drill string
direction.

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f. Shock sub - It is included in the bottom hole assembly to absorb shocks
when the bit bounces off hard formations, hence protect the drilling string
and surface equipment from damaging effects of bit vibrations.

































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7. Shown below is a pressure versus volume plot of a leak off test

The leak off was carried out with a 10.6 ppg mud. The casing shoe is at
4000ft TVD
a. What is the maximum pressure that the exposed formations below
the shoe can support?
b. What is the Fracture Gradient?
c. What is the maximum mud weight?
d. If drilling was resumed and the mud weight was increased to 12.6
ppg. Calculate M.A.A.S.P

Solution:
Mud Weight=10.6 ppg
Casing TVD=4000 ft
Surface Pressure= 1100 psi
a) What was the maximum pressure that exposed formation below the shoe
can support?

Maximum Pressure= (casing TVD x Mud Weight x 0.052) + surface Pressure
= (4000 x 10.6 x 0.052) +1100
=3305 psi

b) What is the Fracture Gradient?
Fracture Gradient= Leak Off Pressure (psi) / Casing Shoe TVD(ft)
=3305 psi/ 4000 ft
=0.826 psi/ft

c) What is the maximum mud weight?
Maximum Mud Weight= [Leak off Pressure (psi) / 0.052 x casing Shoe TVD] +
Current mud Weight (ppg)
= [1100 / 0.052(4000)] + 10.6ppg
=15.89 ppg
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d) If drilling was resumed and the mud weight was increased to 12.6ppg.
Calculate M.A.A.S.P
M.A.A.S.P= [Max Mud weight Mud Weight in casing][0.052 x casing TVD]
= [15.89 12.6][0.052 x 4000]
=682.24 psi




























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8. Given the following data:
Depth 10000ft TVD
Bit size 8
Shoe depth 8500ft TVD
Mud weight 12.6 ppg
Collars 600ft. Capacity = 0.0077 bbl / ft
Metal displacement = 0.03 bbl / ft
Drill-pipe 5 capacity = 0.0178 bbl / ft
Metal displacement = 0.0476 bbl / ft
Casing / pipe annular capacity = 0.0476 bbl / ft
Casing capacity = 0.0729 bbl / ft
One stand of drill-pipe = 94 ft

Assuming the 12.6 ppg mud givens an over-balances of 200 psi

a. If 10 stands of pipe are removed dry without filling the hole, what would
be the resultant reduction in bottom-hole pressure?

b. If 5 stands of pipe had been pulled wet without filling the hole, the
resultant reduction in bottom-hole pressure would be.

c. If prior to tripping a 20 barrel slug of 14.6 ppg mud was displaced to
prevent a wet trip, what would be the expected volume return due to the U-
tubing of the heavy mud?

Solution:
Depth=10000ft TVD
Shoe depth=8500 ft TVD
Bit Size=8 1/2
Mud Weight=12.6 ppg

a) 10 stands of pipe are removed dry without filling the hole. What would be the
resultant reduction in bottom hole Pressure?
Mud Weight= Mud Gradient/ 0.052
Mud Gradient=12.6(0.052)
=0.6552

Metal Displacement: from the given value from website, the metal
displacement for drill pipe of 5 capacity is 0.0075 bbl/stb
To pull the dry pipe= [Mud Gradient x metal Displacement] / [Casing Capacity
Metal Displacement]
=0.6552 x 0.0075 / 0.0729 0.0075
=0.007514 psi/ft

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For 10 stands of pipe, the value of the depth calculated need to times 10,
which is:
94 ft x 10 x 0.007514 psi/ ft
=70.63 psi

b) 10 stands of pipe are removed wet without filling the hole. What would be
the resultant reduction in bottom hole Pressure?
To pull the wet pipe= [Mud Gradient (Metal Displacement + Drill Pipe
Capacity] / Annulus Volume (bbl/ft)
=0.6552(0.0075 = 0.0178)/ 0.0476
=0.3482 psi/ft

For 5 stands of pipe, the value of the depth calculated need to times 5, which
is:
94ft x 10 x 0.3482 psi/ft
=163.65 psi









REFERENCE
Applied drilling engineering: SPE text book vol.2 (text book).
http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/Display.cfm?Term=pressure%20gradient
http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/Display.cfm?Term=bottomhole%20temperature
Overview of Formation Pressure, lecture note by Mr. Saleem Q Tunio
http://doi.aapg.org/data/open/offer.do?target=/bulletns/1974-
76/data/pg/0059/0006/0950/0957.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAASP
http://www.drillingahead.com/profiles/blogs/causes-of-kick-wellbore-influx