Determining the maximum overpull which can be applied to a tapered drill-string in a high

inclination well is by no means straightforward, particularly, when combined with the simultaneous
application of torque. This situation is most likely to be experienced when working stuck-pipe,
which is also the only occasion when it is likely that the torque at the drill-pipe crossover may
approach the torque applied at surface with the torque being progressively worked down to the
stuck-point. As some sticking mechanisms require the string to be worked to maximum operating
limits as quickly as possible to have the greatest chance of success (i.e. differential sticking), the
drilling engineer should have as much of the ground-work as possible prepared in advance, and
keep the plots updated as drilling progresses.
It is first necessary to have an understanding of the friction factor(s) which were being achieved
prior to becoming stuck. These should be routinely tracked on high inclination wells, and are used
to produce a conventional bottoms-up, incremental or elemental T&D analysis which will
provide a simplistic overview of the torque and drag present at each point in the drill-string. It is
important that the actual wellbore survey is used as the tortuosity/DLS can have a significant
impact on the incremental T&D plots, particularly at higher friction factors.
It is then necessary to prepare combined loading plots for the drill-string in question. These must
be prepared for each section of drill pipe in the drill-string:

The maximum over-pull which can be applied will reduce as the torque applied increases

For premium tool-joints it is be necessary to consult the manufacturers connection

specification sheets as the tool-joint operating torque limit may differ from the make-up
torque, and will decrease as the tension applied increases.

It is generally recommended that the surface torque which is applied when working
torque down to a stuck-point is limited to the weakest component above the stuck-point
(usually the smaller diameter drill-pipe operating torque limit), to minimise the risk of an
accidental back-off.

Superimposing the reduced operating limits from the combined loading plots onto the
incremental T&D plots will provide an estimate of the actual over-pull at both the stuckpoint and the drill-pipe cross-over.

Written by Michael Egorenkov , Merlin ERD Ltd.

Robert Ziegler
Global Director, Well Control Technology at Weatherford
I'd rather give the driller 3 values in big letters on a sheet: max torque (apply
immediately), and max slack off or overpull with this torque, move in opposite
direction to where you were going when getting stuck while applying this max torque,
stop at max slack off/overpull limit and HOLD both. RAPID reaction is everything, and
no need to interpret a graph before taking action. Next spot Diesel/base oil while
holding.... Or, instead of all that, if in MPD mode, relax back pressure until free......
The whole "working pipe" especially in a highly deviated well, most often only "looks
impressive" at surface, while nothing moves a bit deeper downhole.....
Helge Kreutz
Robert, add to this the prime question before you engage: "did I get stuck with
moving or with standing pipe?". It might surprise you how many times I asked this
question (usually much after the event had happened and news had reached the
office) and it could not be answered by the rig. The automatic reaction in my
experience is to jump prematurely to the conclusion "hole collapse" or "solid loading",
differential sticking is all too often forgotten.
Neil Armstrong
Engineering Manager at Merlin ERD Ltd
Every driller should be given a clear combined loading chart like this, with hookload
rather than tension, whether it's a tapered string or not. They need to know the
combined pull and torque operating limits they can apply before they need to get on
the phone, especially when time is critical like during a differential sticking event.
Nice work Michael Egorenkov.
Adrian Kemp
Principal ERD Engineer at K&M Technology Group
On an iPhone, the chart is very small and hard to read. Obviously on a real job no-one
would try to read your instruction chart on an iPhone. To locate the Hookload and see
the effect of block weight, it would help to state what they are numerically in the
example. For novices, a worked example of what to tell the driller would be the best.