Well Consultancy – Case Study III

DESIGN & COMPILATION OF A HPHT DRILLING MANUAL RANGING FROM PLANNING, OPERATIONS & WELL CONTROL FOR A VIETNAMESE OPERATOR

By Dr Michael Gibson

This second section of the three updated Well Consultancy articles shows how www.wellideas.co.uk well consultancy is flexible enough to manage and deliver bespoke well consultancy programs worldwide for a variety of Operators. In this article, www.wellideas.co.uk describes how it managed and delivered a customized / bespoke HPHT Drilling Operations & Planning Manual for an Operator based in Vietnam.

Whilst the Manual had to be written in English, there were challenges with respect to communicating in English as for many personnel English was not their first language, so a Technical Translation Team were hired to work with our well consultancy team. The Operator wanted a HPHT Drilling Manual which encompassed key Planning, Operations and Well Control Issues, and had no prior HPHT Drilling experience. This presented challenges but, over time, these challenges were overcome through patience, technical translation in Ho Chi Minh, perseverance and “good spirit”

well consultancy Example of HPHT Field Shallow Gas Risk.
Example of HPHT Field Shallow Gas Risk.

Following extensive discussions with the Vietnamese Team, the following subject areas were required to be covered in considerable detail:

  • Manual Listing & Introduction
  • Personnel Training
  • Management & Safety
  • HPHT Well Planning & Engineering
  • HPHT Drilling Fluids & Issues
  • Wellbore Fluids Mechanics
  • Primary Well Control
  • Wellbore Dynamics & Fingerprinting
  • General HPHT Operations
  • Special Considerations for Semi-Submersibles
  • Blowout Preventer and Casing Pressure Testing
  • Managed Pressure Drilling
  • Well Control Equipment and Materials
  • Surface Gas Handling, Equipment & Hydrates
  • Equipment Standards, Inspection & Testing
  • Pressure Detection Techniques
  • Preparation for Kick Control
  • Well Kick Indicators
  • Well Control Procedures
  • Special Operations
  • IWCF Well Control Formulae
  • IWCF Well Kill Sheets

Apart from the written text, the client wanted several computer-drawn schematics which would allow someone whose English wasn’t perhaps perfect to see straight away what was being explained.

For example, below we can see a schematic which shows the drilling of the Shale Cap Rock of a HPHT Reservoir, which shows how the rock is collapsing due to its inherent stress and the fact that hydrostatic mud weight overbalance is insufficient to stop the rock from collapsing.

Also, several supportive videos were incorporated into the manual, along with photographs etc to aid and maximise understanding. Where possible, Vietnamese language translations were added as “sub flies” again to maximise understanding, in the areas of Management & Safety, Well Kick Indicators and Well Control Procedures.

well consultancy Example Schematic – Drilling the HPHT Reservoir – Which Shows Rock Collapse.
Example Schematic – Drilling the HPHT Reservoir – Which Shows Rock Collapse
well consultancy Example Schematic – Wellbore Instability
Example Schematic – Wellbore Instability
Gas Rising up the Wellbore in a Well Control Event in a Water Based Mud
Gas Rising up the Wellbore in a Well Control Event in an Oil Based Mud

The key differences between the above two schematics shows that when a gas influx is taken in a Water Based Mud (top schematic), the gas expands as it rises to the surface. A gas influx taken in an Oil Based Mud goes into solution until, as it reaches the surface, it suddenly breaks out of solution causing a potentially difficult situation.

So great care must be taken when drilling with an Oil Based Mud should an influx be taken.

All the principles and standards within the Manual are based upon the following: –

  • API
  • IADC
  • SPE Papers
  • HPHT Case Histories
  • Drilling Best Practices
  • IWCF
  • Various Technical Documents from Suppliers / Drilling Contractors etc.
Jack Up HPHT BOP Stack.

Finally, at the end of the 6-month contracted period, it was agreed by the Operator that the Manual would be upgraded continually as required.

In summary, this was an excellent example of creative technical work which deals with a very complex and complicated subject area which exceeded the Operator’s expectations.

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.

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