3/7/2018 Case study: Algerian underground blowout - Drilling Contractor

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The outcome of a w ell control and blow out incident reflects how w ell a crew is trained and prepared. This
article w ill discuss the sequence of a w ell control operation...

Case study: Algerian underground blowout

 in 2012, Drilling It Safely , March/A pril  Mar 16, 2012  0

Incident demonstrates need for well-trained crews, adequate mud equipment

By Pedro Martinez Aguilar, Repsol Exploration; Michael Arnold, John Lee, Boots & Coots, a
Halliburton Service
The outcome of a well control and blowout
incident reflects how well a crew is trained and
prepared. This article will discuss the sequence
of a well control operation that occurred in
Algeria in December 2008, which includes the
influx, steps to identify the situation, operations
to control the underground blowout and the
response of the well.

An operator drilled a 12 1/4-in. exploratory well

Partial mud-loss in the Tournasian formation
occurred because the formation permeability and
porosity were sufficiently high to allow loss of whole
mud. An open-hole formation integrity test (FIT)
should be performed after repairing the loss zone
and regaining circulation to ensure the wellbore
pressure integrity is still equivalent to the FIT
recorded at the last shoe depth.
techniques.
at 11,516 ft in the Emsian formation and set a
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string of 13 3/8-in. casing at 5,250 ft. A pit gain
was observed, and the well was shut in. The KCA Deutag enters agreement t
maximum annulus pressure recorded after shut- acquire Dalma Energy’s Omani,
in was 570 psi. A sudden drop in annulus Arabian businesses
pressure to 325 psi suggested lost circulation  Mar 6, 2018
and was assumed to be in the Tournasian
formation (5,305 ft to 6,180 ft), where severe Emerson, Total sign long-term g
lost returns had been recorded while drilling agreement for Paradigm E&P so
solutions
(5,580 ft to 5,740 ft).
 Mar 6, 2018
The pressure drop made it difficult to assess the
Darren Roos appointed as CEO
kick, thus hindering conventional well-control
 Mar 6, 2018

Initial Well-Control Actions

IADC Nigeria Chapter advances
Pore-pressure equivalent mud weight (EMW) at the Emsian formation was estimated to be 11.7 to 12.7 initiatives on equipment, compe
lbm/gal. The formation-strength EMW at the Tournasian formation was estimated to be 10.0 to 11.7  Mar 5, 2018
lbm/gal. Believing the well was experiencing losses to the Tournasian, 189 bbl of 11.6-lbm/gal mud was
pumped into the casing annulus. The annulus pressure remained constant, indicating the possibility of an Nationalization, efficiency go ha
underground blowout. hand for West Jupiter in Nigeria
 Mar 5, 2018
As the annulus pressure continued to increase to 1,000 psi, 340 bbl of 11.6-lbm/gal mud was pumped down
the casing annulus to reduce the pressure. A volume of 340 bbl of 9.9-lbm/gal mud was pumped down the Tullow’s rig-based charity initiat
drill string while maintaining a maximum choke-back pressure of 1,600 psi. After pumping the mud, the delivers new school complex in
stabilized pressure was used to determine the bottomhole pressure. While adjusting the choke, an influx village
entered the wellbore.  Mar 5, 2018

To prevent the annulus pressure from increasing beyond 1,000 psi, batches of 13.3-lbm/gal mud were GE, Noble Corp launch world’s f
pumped periodically into the annulus. The initial volumes of mud contained lost-circulation material (LCM) to digital drilling vessel
help cure the losses.  Feb 23, 2018

The drill pipe was filled periodically to avoid gas migration up the drill string. Shut-in drill pressure remained Paragon announces agreement
at 0 psi. Losses in the annulus were reduced when the LCM reached the loss zone, and the shut-in drill pipe acquired by Borr Drilling
pressure gauge began indicating pressure.  Feb 22, 2018

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3/7/2018 Case study: Algerian underground blowout - Drilling Contractor

Sandwich-Kill Attempt Noble Energy awards Schlumbe

contract for process solution
The hole was displaced through both the drill pipe and the annulus, “sandwiching” the influx into the lost
 Feb 21, 2018
zone.

The Emsian formation pressure was predicted to be between 12.1 and 12.7 lbm/gal EMW, meaning a 15.9- Halliburton facilities, business lin
in Angola to achieve API Q2 reg
lbm/gal kill mud would overbalance the Emsian formation by +/- 3.2 lbm/gal. A cement unit was used to
 Feb 21, 2018
pump 818 bbl of 11.6-lbm/gal mud down the casing annulus, and rig pumps were used to pump 1,006 bbl
of 15.9-lbm/gal mud down the drill pipe.

The operation was partially successful because the annulus pressure was still 600 psi at the end of the
procedure. However, it confirmed that the bottomhole pressure and the pressure at the loss zone were RECENT DC ARTICLES
higher than predicted.
KCA Deutag enters agreement t
Casing pressure began to increase, and drill pipe pressure remained at 0 psi. Once the casing pressure acquire Dalma Energy’s Omani,
reached 2,050 psi, the drill pipe pressure increased proportionally to the casing pressure. Arabian businesses
 Mar 6, 2018
Communication between the annulus and the drill string was demonstrated by bleeding off 300 psi on the
casing, causing a 25-psi drill pipe-pressure decrease. To keep the casing pressure as low as possible, gas Emerson, Total sign long-term g
was bled from the casing annulus until fluid was observed at the surface. Thereafter, the casing pressure agreement for Paradigm E&P so
could not be further reduced. solutions
 Mar 6, 2018
Circulation-Kill Attempt
Darren Roos appointed as CEO
Heavy mud was pumped down the drill string to control bottomhole pressure and to circulate gas out of the  Mar 6, 2018
well. Without an accurate value for the bottomhole pressure, the proposed kill-mud weight was 13.3
lbm/gal, based on the mud hydrostatic pressure and the shut-in casing pressure but neglecting the height of
the gas in the annulus. IADC Nigeria Chapter advances
initiatives on equipment, compe
After pumping began, drill pipe pressure dropped to 0 psi. Consequently, the choke had to be adjusted
 Mar 5, 2018
without a reference value for drill pipe pressure. The choke position was kept constant, adjusted only when
annulus pressure increased. Mud losses were difficult to quantify, and the well was shut in when the rig ran
Nationalization, efficiency go ha
out of mud. hand for West Jupiter in Nigeria
 Mar 5, 2018
During the mud buildup, temperature and pressure logs were run to the depth of the downhole motor in the
bottomhole assembly. These logs indicated the fluid level was around 4,216 ft and the pressure at 11,411 ft
total depth was 4,630 psi.

The temperature log detected disturbance around 5,600 ft, which corresponded to the depth of the
Tournasian formation. The log response was interpreted as fluid movement. The repeat section of the log
corroborated the crossflow at the Tournasian formation at the same depth where losses were experienced
in drilling.

Annulus-Pressure-Control Attempt

Because drill pipe pressure was 0 psi, there was no reference for operating the choke. It was decided to
maintain constant annulus pressure or allow it to decrease. Four LCM pills were pumped. As the first pill
reached the thief zone, the losses decreased to zero. Subsequently, the pit levels increased, indicating slight
gains. The volume pumped and the time when the LCM reached the surface indicated the hole was in
gauge.

Once the losses were reduced to a minimum, the pump rate was increased and the choke was opened
slightly to counteract the vacuum effect on the drill pipe. However, the mud level in the drill pipe dropped
continuously.

When the choke opened to 1/16 in., casing pressure dropped more than expected. This jeopardized the
control of the influx from the Emsian formation. The pumps were stopped, and after a few minutes, the drill
pipe pressure began to increase. An influx of gas appeared to migrate inside the string, prompting the pipe
to be displaced with 13.3-lbm/gal mud.

The well response indicated gas remained in the annulus, and the integrity of the Tournasian formation was
still low. The kill operation resumed, and 239 bbl of 12.1-lbm/gal mud were pumped ahead of the 13.3-
lbm/gal mud. The 12.1-lbm/gal mud did not reach the Tournasian formation. Consequently, the pressure in
front of the weak zone at the Tournasian formation was minimized. At that point, more LCM pills were
pumped.

While making repairs to the mud-gas separator, additional influxes entered the wellbore. When pumping
restarted, pressure peaks suggested partial plugging of the ports in the circulation sub. As a precaution, no
further LCM was pumped.

Low-Choke Attempt

Changes in the annulus pressure after shutting in the well indicated that there was still a small amount of
gas in the annulus or at least above the Tournasian formation. The “low-choke” method was used,
attempting to control the influx from the kick zone at the bottom of the well while allowing the loss zone to
deplete to a lower pressure. The basis was to hold the choke pressure equal to or slightly greater than the
last recorded shut-in value while circulating as fast as safely possible. The mud density was designed to
sufficiently overbalance the kick zone.

An 11.6-lbm/gal mud provided 50-psi hydrostatic pressure, in addition to annulus friction-pressure

overbalance to the kick zone. The choke pressure was calculated using the casing pressure observed at the
beginning of the operation, with an additional 200-psi safety factor added. The circulating rate used was as

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3/7/2018 Case study: Algerian underground blowout - Drilling Contractor
fast as the surface equipment would allow. Sixty-
three bbl of 12.2-lbm/gal mud were pumped into
the annulus.

An increase in drill pipe pressure suggested the

presence of gas inside the pipe. The operation
was stopped when bottoms-up volumes from the
Tournasian and the Emsian formations were
observed at the surface, and the crew prepared
to reduce the annulus pressure. Operations
resumed after the drill pipe was filled.

The well was monitored, and the casing

pressure was bled off 100 psi to test
communication between the annulus and the drill
pipe. An unexpected 200-psi increase in drill pipe
The drilling log reflects the sequence of events of an
pressure occurred, indicating there were now
underground blowout and the well control
two different pressure systems partially isolated
operations that occurred in Algeria in December
by one or more packoffs in the annulus.
2008.
Once the bottoms-up volume from the Emsian
formation reached surface, the choke was
opened at separate intervals to bleed off 200 psi. Four intervals were needed to reduce the casing pressure
to 500 psi. Because it was difficult to keep the casing pressure stable, it was decided to fully open the
choke, allowing the casing pressure to rapidly bleed off to 0 psi. No returns were recorded at surface.

The pump rate was increased without result, except for a brief increase in pipe pressure, which suggested
a restriction or packoff was present in the annulus. A total of 110 bbl of mud, along with 60 bbl of water,
was pumped down the annulus to compensate for the fluid-level drop. The calculated fluid level was 1,371
ft.

Once pumping into the annulus stopped and the casing pressure dropped to 0 psi, the blowout preventer
was opened to monitor the well. Because of the possibility of pipe plugging and annulus packoff, the pipe
was worked. Five feet of pipe movement was gained, but rotation was impossible. The well was shut in
with the annular preventer when mud overflowed at the bell nipple.

An attempt was made to establish circulation. Initially, the casing pressure rose very quickly to more than
3,000 psi. On the second attempt, the drill pipe pressure increased from 1,800 psi to 3,500 psi after
pumping only 31 bbl of mud. With an entire drill pipe capacity of 187 bbl, this indicated the pipe was
plugged. Further, the casing pressure did not reflect the pressure changes. It was concluded that one or
more packoffs were present in the annulus.

An unsuccessful attempt was made to break the packoffs by pumping down the annulus. Subsequent efforts
focused on bleeding off the annulus pressure and attempting to work the pipe to free the drill string, and a
“lubricate and bleed” method was attempted. Large amounts of gas were recorded at surface, resulting in
the annulus pressure dropping to 0 psi, and losses were also recorded. After filling up the hole with 13.3-
lbm/gal mud and water, the well again began to flow. A 50-bbl mud cap using a 13.3-lbm/gal high-viscosity
pill was pumped down the annulus but was unsuccessful in preventing gas from percolating to the surface.

When the annulus was bled off and the mud level was confirmed to be at surface, the pipe was worked.
The drill string was torqued-up and continued to be worked. The string did not become free, moving 8 ft
upward without releasing any torque.

The pipe was completely stuck, and circulation was impossible. The operator abandoned the drilled section
of the well. The inside of the drill string was killed by isolating the inside diameter with cement or
mechanical plugs. The drill string was perforated as deeply as possible to isolate the annulus using cement.
A coiled-tubing unit was then used to cut the drill string, and the Tournasian formation was allowed to
unload.

Lessons Learned

• The Tournasian partial mud-loss event occurred because the formation permeability and porosity were
high to allow loss of whole mud (natural losses). This was evident by treating the losses with LCM. It is
recommended that an open-hole formation integrity test (FIT) be performed after repairing the loss zone
and regaining circulation. This helps ensure the wellbore pressure integrity is equivalent to the FIT recorded
at the last shoe depth.

• If leak-off occurs before the equivalent shoe FIT is reached, wellbore maximum allowable surface
pressure and kick tolerance should be recalculated at the loss-zone depth to accommodate the downgraded
FIT.

• If creditable formation-pressure data is not available, the heaviest kill-mud weight possible should be
used.

• Training in kick detection and BOP shut-in on all rigs is recommended.

The main lesson learned from this incident was the necessity for well-trained and experienced drilling crews
and the importance of adequately sized mud-mixing and handling equipment.

The authors thank the management of Repsol Exploration and Boots & Coots for permission to present this
paper.

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3/7/2018 Case study: Algerian underground blowout - Drilling Contractor
This article is based on a presentation at the 2011 IADC Critical Issues Asia Pacific Conference & Exhibition,
23-24 November, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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