MPD/UBD
As managed pressure drilling gains traction, its principles are influencing a wider range of well-construction activities.
A report commissioned by Havtil, the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority, calls for better dialogue regarding pore-pressure uncertainty and higher-end drilling techniques like managed pressure drilling as methods to reduce the risk of well-control events.
Autonomous drilling through managed pressure drilling (MPD) at the Atlantis field has given the operator confidence to scale the method.
-
Managed-pressure drilling (MPD) challenges the conventional drilling paradigm, along with drilling-contractor and operator policies and standards. Conventional drilling practices for connections, flow checks, tripping, and well control have been long understood and standardized. -
In the past, most wells have been drilled using conventional methods, but the landscape is changing as economic pressures have forced the drilling industry to refocus.
-
One common issue among operators in determining whether to install a managed-pressure-drilling (MPD) system for a campaign is the significant upfront cost.
-
The unique properties of deepwater formations pose significant challenges to the capabilities of conventional drilling rigs. Using automated drilling equipment, including MPD, efficiency and cost savings can accompany safety.
-
This paper describes experiences, challenges, and approaches to solving the problems related to creating an advanced early kick-detection system suitable for floating mobile offshore drilling units.
-
The operator of an offshore jackup rig in the North Sea required safe and efficient deployment of the completion string without killing the well during tripping.
-
The Shearwater field is a deep, high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) reservoir located in the UK Central Graben of the North Sea.
-
As with other MPD systems, SMD technology offers early detection of influxes (kicks) and minimizes downhole losses to weak subsurface formations.
-
Australian technology developer MezurX is touting its newly introduced flow, density, and mud monitoring system as a significantly better alternative to the widely used Coriolis meter.
-
For the past quarter of a century, underbalanced drilling (UBD) has been a niche technology known to many and practiced by few. It has seen acceptance in the North Sea, where UBD is used to drill through depleted reservoirs.
