Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD)
Mostafa Mahdi Abd El Fattah
Suez University
Petroleum Department
[email protected] +201016351185
Content
A) Mud Weight Window and Conventional drilling Overview.
B) Managed Pressure Drilling Technology:
1) Introduction.
2) Surface back pressure (SBP).
3) MPD Techniques.
3-1) Subsurface pressure and Annular pressure.
3-1-1) Continuous Circulation
3-1-1-1) Continuous Circulation System.
3-1-1-2) Continuous Circulation Valve.
3-1-2) Mud Cap
3-1-2-1) Pressurized Mud Cap Drilling (PMCD).
3-2) Dual Gradient Drilling (DGD)
3-2-1) Annulus Injection.
3-2-2) Controlled Mud Level.
4) Case Study.
A) Mud Weight Window and B) Managed Pressure Drilling
Conventional drilling Overview. Technology:
The mud weight window is the difference 1) Introduction:
between pore pressure and fracture
The main point is to achieve a constant
pressure (ratio of pressure to the depth) and
bottom hole pressure and MPD was created
while drilling you must maintain the bottom
to deal with the limited pressurized fluid
hole pressure (BHP) or the equivalent mud
systems which have a narrow mud weight
weight within the mud window adding the
trip margins. window with this important surface
equipment.
In conventional drilling and while making
RCD Rotating Control Device which is a
connections the pumps must stop so we
rubber seal element that rotates on a
lose the annular friction pressure term from
bearing with the string and installed above
equation 1 and that case is called bottom
BOP and responsible for creating a closed-
hole static pressure (BHSP)
loop system to divert fluids as shown in
BHP = MW + AF (EQ1) figure2
And while turning pumps on we add the
annular friction section to the equation
which is called bottom hole circulation
pressure and problems also appear when
dealing with depleted reservoir as it has
lower pressures than the above formations.
If the mud weight window is narrow as
shown in Figure 1
Figure 2
MPD Choke Manifold
It is set of valves, chokes, gauges and lines
to control the rate of flow creating back
pressure or releasing the valve to decrease
the back pressure as shown in figure 2.
Coriolis Flow Meter
Is a sensitive loss/gain detection through
which the Choke Manifold increase or
decrease the back pressure and is shown in
figure 3
Figure1
and to deal with such problem we need to
change the mud density at the mud bits at
surface facilities to the whole open loop
circle of conventional drilling equipment
which is open to the atmosphere at the bell
nipple above BOP. But here comes MPD. Figure 3
2) Surface back pressure method (SBP). In figure 3 explain how SBP make up for
pressure in drilling, connection and dealing
In this method we use MPD Choke Manifold with kick
to apply back pressure on the fluids to
maintain BHP while making new connection 3-1-1-1) Continuous Circulation System.
for example in the closed-loop system using
This method keeps the circulation process
RCD.
while making connections reducing the time
And by modifying equation 1 by adding required.
surface backpressure section to be in form
3-1-1-2) Continuous Circulation Valve.
of equation 2
This method is responsible for continuous
BHP = MW + AF + surface backpressure
flow throughout connection process so we
(eq2)
get rid of bleeding down and defoam until
the next stand connects.
See figure 5
Figure 3 Figure 5
3-1-2) Pressurized Mud Cap Drilling
(PMCD).
An light Annular Mud cap (LAM) used to drill
without returns while balancing a full
annular fluid column. The cap is held above
the open hole that is taking all sacrificial
fluid and drilled cuttings helped by surface
pressure. The light annular mud density
based on the ability to make LAM and the
required surface pressure that can be
maintained.
Figure 4
3-2) Dual Gradient Drilling (DGD)
In figure 2 at low circulation when pumps off
the red line starts to decline which indicate In such method their exist more than one
AF term in equation 2 so we keep the mud density.
bottom pressure by increasing the SBP and
vice versa at the opposite side though we 3-2-1) Annulus Injection.
keep the bottom hole pressure always In offshore drilling if we need to reduce the
constant.
current mud weight so we inject fluid with
lower density through a string connected to
the drilling riser so the light mud is upper the The proactive use of MPD includes the
heavy one and the total density decrease. following points:
3-2-2) Controlled Mud Level. • Keep a CBHP for all stages of the
operation (drilling, connections, trips,)
By placing a subsea pump and pumping
fresh mud from the level of the pump and up • Keep a CBHP when the changes to the
with lower mud density thus creating two flow rate are required
different densities. Show figure 6
• Keep a CBHP during any unplanned
events.
• Keep a CBHP without having to adjust the
drilling parameters; particularly the flow rate
• Provide Early Kick/Loss Detection to
minimize these events
• Control, and in some cases, circulate out
any influxes.
• Instantly adjust the EMW with SBP
allowing drilling to continue without having
to change MW.
• Provide a closed-loop system to safely
divert any returning harmful gases (H2S,
CO2) away from the drill floor.
Figure 6 • Provide Riser Gas Handling in case gas
goes above the Mud Line before the BOP is
closed Based on the IADC MPD/UBD
classification discussed in the previous
section, the IADC MPD/UBD classification
4) Case Study. for the MPD-1 well is as per the following:
Managed Pressure Drilling Application in • Risk Level 4: Hydrocarbon bearing
Well MPD-1 formation. The maximum anticipated shut-in
pressure is less than UBO/MPD equipment
Well MPD-1 is a vertical well with a water operating pressure rating. Catastrophic
depth of 1500 meters. Managed Pressure equipment failure will likely have immediate
Drilling (MPD) was originally planned to be serious consequences.
used reactively if severe losses are
experienced in the 12 ¼" × 13 ½" section, • Application Type A: Managed Pressure
but it was decided later to be used Drilling
proactively to drill the problematic section
• Fluid Type 5: Single liquid phase
which encountered during drilling well X-1
with the conventional drilling method (i.e 12 ¼" × 13 ½" Hole Section as Drilled
without MPD). The 12 ¼" × 13 ½" hole Before
section drilled to section total depth of 4157
meters through the bottom of halite starting drill out shoe track, 12 ¼ " × 13 ½"
formation and the carbonate reservoir BHA was run in hole. wellbore was pressure
tested, a good test. Then drilled out cement for rapid reaction in case of either loss or
and shoe track from to 3744 meters, influx event. MPD was successfully used to
meanwhile, MW was cut to 1.37sg. After keep the bottom hole pressure constant and
cleaning the rat hole, a dynamic FIT was at the desired value with the help of SBP as
performed using MPD: EMW at the bottom shown in (Figure 4) and (Table 3)
1.556sg. 12 ¼ " × 13 ½ " hole section was summarizes important numbers reflecting
drilled to 4157m, stopped drilling due to the drilling performance for this hole
severe mud losses up to 144 m3 /hr. Below sections.
a quick overview of operations to cure mud
losses:
• Pumped 30 m3 LCM pill. Mud losses References:
decrease to 60m3 /hr.
1. Beutler, A., Cenberlitas, S., Coffey, S.
• Pumped 39m3 LCM pill. Mud losses 2017. Managed Pressure Drilling
decrease to 20m3 /hr. Application in Severely Depleted Reservoirs
Enables Successful Brownfield Drilling
• Pumped 60m3 LCM pill. Had mud losses Campaign. Presented at the IADC/ SPE
of 20m3 /hr. Managed Pressure Drilling &
• Pumped 25m3 LCM pill. Mud losses Underbalanced Operations Conference &
increased to 29m3 /hr. Exhibition held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 28–
29 March. SPE-185285-MS.
• Pumped the first cementing plug of https://doi.org/10.2118/185285-MS.
12.72m3 (80bbl) of cement Slurry, Mud
losses decreased to 27m3 /hr. 2. Carpenter, C. 2019. Managed-Pressure-
Drilling Equipment Augments Deepwater
• Pumped the second cementing plug of Well Control. Journal of Petroleum
3.383m3 (210bbl) of cement Slurry, still had Technology. SPE-0119-0072-JPT.
mud losses of 26m3 /hr.
• Pumped the third cementing plug of
33.38m3 (210bbl) lead Slurry and 24.32m3
(153bbl) of tail Slurry then squeezed it, mud
losses stopped. The cement plug was
hydraulically tested successfully to 5500 psi.
then circulated bottom-up, and pulled out
the 12 ¼" × 13 ½" from the hole. The
cement plug was hydraulically tested
successfully to 5500 psi. then circulated
bottom-up, and pulled out the 12 ¼" × 13 ½"
from the hole. A new 12 ¼" × 13 ½" BHA
was made up and RIH and mechanically
tested the plug, then drilled out cement to
casing point of 4120 meters. Clean out BHA
was pulled out of the hole, and then RIH
with 11 3/4" liner to 4119 meters, set and
cement in place. During drilling operations,
the kick/loss detection system was
successfully used to monitor flow in and out
