The upcoming 2017 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition, held in The Hague, The Netherlands, from 14–16 March at the World Forum, will host dozens of panels, presentations, and technical sessions highlighting research and field experience. A Wednesday-afternoon technical session will include the presentation of six SPE papers dedicated to the topic of managed pressure drilling (MPD). The session takes place from 1415 to 1745 in the Amazon meeting room. Chaired by Schlumberger’s Crispin Chatar and Merlin ERD’s Martyn Ian Greensmith, the session covers an area of growing interest, given increasing concern about wellbore integrity and well control.
The paper scheduled for presentation at 1445, “Pre- and Post-Operational Well-Data Analysis: A Key Step To Increase Reliability in Managed Pressure and Underbalanced (MP/UB) Drilling Projects,” by Marcos Chavarria of M-I SWACO, addresses the lack of documented cases where the drilling design for an entire field can be improved on the basis of engineering analysis of post-operational lessons learned and well data taken from MP and UB projects. While the guidelines presented in the paper are general in nature, they are intended to help both operators and MP/UB service contractors to achieve improved integration of these techniques and equipment, reducing the risk of unplanned scenarios that may impair the visibility and reliability of MP/UB operations
“Model-Based Control in Managed Pressure Drilling,” by Jon Åge Stakvik, Christian Berg, Glenn-Ole Kaasa, and Robert Graham of Kelda Drilling Controls and Antonio Torrealba of Reform Energy Services, scheduled for a 1615 presentation, describes a model-based MPD control system as well as results from drilling a well in the Umm al-Quwain region in the UAE, demonstrating benefits for both normal operations and during well-control events. The control system has the ability to compensate for irregular pump-flow changes. Throughout these irregular pump-flow changes, the control system maintains constant bottomhole pressure or surface backpressure. Furthermore, the system has the ability to maintain the desired pressure-control precision in all normal operations and during all unplanned events experienced during the operation.
The final featured paper, “Coiled-Tubing Cementing Operation Using MPD Technique in a HP/HT Well,” by Elvin Mammadov, Nadine Osayande, Ali Yousefi Sadat, and Muhammad Murtaza of Weatherford Canada, to be presented at 1715, discusses the challenges of cementing high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) wells, including tight drilling windows, the effect of temperature and pressure on mud density, and the efficacy of a precise coiled-tubing cementing program that applies MPD technology in an effort to control these issues. By use of advanced MPD technology, although four different densities were pumped into the annular, bottomhole equivalent circulating density was maintained constant regardless of coiled-tubing nozzle depth and pumped fluid densities during cementing, displacement, and tripping operations. Cementing through coiled tubing with automated MPD technology reduced nonproductive time by eliminating dual-stage displacement, pumping slower rates, and mitigating well-control issues.
Session 12T: Managed Pressure, Amazon Room
1415 SPE 184721 • API Specification 16 RCD: Demystifying Rotating Control Device
1445 SPE 184698 • Pre- and Post-Operational Well-Data Analysis: A Key Step To Increase Reliability in Managed-Pressure and Underbalanced-Drilling Projects
1515 SPE 184633 • MPD Application on Extended-Reach Well Offshore Venezuela: Managing Bottomhole Pressure Within a Narrow Window in a Faulted Limestone Formation With a Static Underbalanced Drilling Fluid
1615 SPE 184649 • Model-Based Control in Managed Pressure Drilling
1645 SPE 184619 • Enhanced Formation-Integrity-Test Interpretation and Decision Making Through Real-Time Downhole Pressure Measurements
1715 SPE 184632 • Coiled-Tubing Cementing Operation With MPD Technique in a HP/HT Well
The technical papers will be available at OnePetro.org at the conclusion of the conference.
