MECHANICAL & WELLBORE GEOMETRY STICKING TRAINING MATERIAL UPGRADE RE: STUCK DRILL PIPE PREVENTION COURSE
By Dr Michael Gibson
Wellideas.co.uk are pleased to announce the upgrade of the Mechanical & Wellbore Geometry Sticking Section of their Stuck Pipe Prevention Course which has been held world-wide for 15 years now, which is the only Stuck Pipe Prevention Course which covers both Drilling Engineering and Drilling Operational Aspects. Also, because of covering both the Drilling Engineering and Drilling Operational aspects of Stuck Pipe Prevention, Wellideas.co.uk have advised several Operators and Drilling Contractors on a Drilling Consultancy basis worldwide to prevent Stuck Pipe from occurring on their drilling rigs and platforms – and, just as importantly, how to get free should the Drill String / BHA become stuck in this way.
Today’s high drilling costs necessitate the avoidance of Stuck Drill Pipe. Otherwise, wells can be lost or cost far more than budgeted for. Stuck Pipe Prevention requires both excellent Drilling Engineering, Drilling Consultancy and Drilling Operations – both onshore in the planning phase and offshore in the operational phase.
It is a multi-faceted and complex area, involving Geology, Drilling Planning and Engineering, Directional Drilling Expertise, Drilling Consultancy, Drilling Fluids Composition, Cementing, Dog-leg Severity Reduction and Excellence in terms of personnel on-board the Drilling Rig – both 3rd. Party (e.g., mud loggers, the drilling fluids engineer, the cementing contractor, the “Company Man” and geologists) and Drilling Contractor personnel.
The first schematic shows how a Drill bit or BHA can become stuck through high wellbore tortuosity – in effect, the creation of a severe dogleg which can cause the BHA / Drill-String to become mechanically stuck. Today’s wells, particularly post 2022, are particularly demanding, both in terms of directional drilling and reach – where wells routinely exceed the 10 kilometre “outreach mark”.
The second schematic shows how a Directional Drilling Assembly can become stuck through a change in geological formation. As can be seen, the Drilling Assembly has drilled through differing formations, and, because one formation is of different “rock bule modulus” (i.e., density) to the other, the Drilling Assembly can “slip” or “change” in angle, so causing a ledge to be created, which may cause the Drilling Assembly to become stuck at “the ledge” when the Driller tries to POOH (Pull Out Of Hole).
The Third Schematic, shown below, shows how a Drilling Assembly (in this case, the Drill Pipe) has become Mechanically Stuck through “Mobile Rock Formation” (such as “Mobile Salt”) “squeezing” into the hole just drilled by the BHA / Drilling Assembly. The way the avoid this is by high mud weight and using an under-saturated (salt) Water Based Mud System.
The fourth schematic, shown below, shows the Drill String becoming Mechanically Stuck across a “Water Sensitive” Clay / Shale / Mudstone Formation where the wrongly used Water Based Mud System has caused the Clay / Shale / Mudstone Formation to “Swell” and “Expand” into the Wellbore, so causing the Drilling Assembly (in this case, Drill Pipe), to become Mechanically Stuck when the Driller Pulls Out of The Hole.
This third section of the updated Wellideas Stuck Pipe Prevention Course – i.e., Wellbore Geometry & Mechanical Sticking – covers those areas where the drilling Bottom Hole Assembly / Drill-String can become either through “Mechanical Means” or through Geometrical Reasons (or a combination of the two).
This section is updated because a great deal of Wellbore Stability Modelling has been completed in recent years as well as the effects of Drilling Fluids upon certain Rock Formations. This section gives great insight to Oil & Gas Operators, Drilling Contractors and Service Personnel why certain decisions should be made, when they should be made, and how they should be made.
Who is Dr Michael T. Gibson?
Dr Michael T. Gibson has 40 years in the Oilfield, working initially as a Drilling Engineer when he studied Mechanical and Offshore Engineering at Bachelor’s, Diploma and Master’s, Degree Level at Robert Gordon’s in Aberdeen under the expert tutelage of Professor Blythe McNaughton. He then went on to take a PHD over an 8-year period whilst working offshore as a Drilling Supervisor.
He began teaching / lecturing full-time 15 years ago in many parts of the world for Oil Companies, Drilling Contractors and Universities and has written the vast bulk of Wellideas’ material, ranging from Manuals, Pocket Handbooks, PowerPoints and Videos for the Classroom and Zoom Meetings, through to E-Learning Modules for distance learning.