1. The SPE Foundation through member donations
Primary funding is provided by
The SPE Foundation through member donations
and a contribution from Offshore Europe
The Society is grateful to those companies that allow their professionals to serve as lecturers
Additional support provided by AIME
Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program

2. Deepwater Managed Pressure Drilling: Drillability, Efficiency and
Process Safety
Julmar Shaun Sadicon Toralde
Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program

3. Outline Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) Deepwater MPD System
Deepwater MPD Applications
Constant Bottomhole Pressure (CBHP)
Pressurized Mud Cap Drilling (PMCD)
Advanced Flow Detection (AFD)
Riser Gas Mitigation (RGM)
Deepwater MPD Case Histories
Conclusions

4. Managed Pressure Drilling
MPD is “an adaptive drilling process used to more precisely control the annular pressure profile throughout the wellbore.”
The objectives of MPD are :
to ascertain the downhole pressure environment limits,
to manage the annular hydraulic pressure profile accordingly.
SOURCE:

5. MPD with Backpressure Bottomhole Pressure (BHP)
CONVENTIONAL DRILLING: Open to the Atmosphere System
Bottomhole Pressure (BHP)
= Mud Weight (MW) + Friction
MANAGED PRESSURE DRILLING (MPD): Closed System = Quick BHP Adjustments
= MW + Friction + Backpressure

6. Deepwater MPD System How’s it Accomplished Slide:
Equipment: simple, ‘plug n play’
Method : SBP (Surface Back Pressure) is the new tool for drillers now that the well is ENCLOSED, as opposed to conventional open to atmosphere 6

7. Rotating Control Device
The RCD allows the well to be closed in, while providing rotational capabilities, allowing drilling with pressure in the annulus.
Industry standard for RCDs is API 16RCD.

8. Rotating Control Device
The RCD allows the well to be closed in, while providing rotational capabilities, allowing drilling with pressure in the annulus.
Industry standard for RCDs is API 16RCD.

9. Automated MPD Manifold

10. Constant Bottomhole Pressure (CBHP)
Fracture Pressure
Constant Bottomhole Pressure
Reservoir Pressure
Constant Bottomhole Pressure (CBHP) variant of MPD allows for navigation of narrow mud weight windows.
Bottom Hole Pressure
Time
Graphics courtesy of Weatherford.

11. Constant Bottomhole Pressure (CBHP)
Fracture Pressure
Constant Bottomhole Pressure
SBP
Reservoir Pressure
Surface backpressure (SBP) is added via the MPD choke when the mud pumps are turned off to keep bottomhole pressure constant.
Bottom Hole Pressure
Time
Graphics courtesy of Weatherford.

12. Pressurized Mud Cap Drilling (PMCD)
Sacrificial fluid with cuttings is accepted by loss circulation zone.
Useful for cases of severe loss circulation that preclude use of conventional drilling techniques.
SOURCE:
Photo of karst limestone from

13. Conventional Drilling Heavy Mud Light Mud Water 13
Photo of karst limestone from

14. Encountering Total Losses Standpipe Pressure RCD Annular Pressure
Heavy Mud
Light Mud
Water 14

15. Pumping Light Mud In Annulus Standpipe Pressure RCD Annular Pressure
200 psi
Heavy Mud
Light Mud
Water 15

16. Pumping Sacrificial Fluid Standpipe Pressure RCD Annular Pressure
Heavy Mud
Light Mud
Water 16

17. Drilling Ahead in PMCD Mode Standpipe Pressure RCD Annular Pressure
Heavy Mud
Light Mud
Water 17

18. Well Monitoring and Gas Migration Standpipe Pressure RCD
100 psi
Standpipe Pressure
RCD
Annular Pressure
100 psi
Heavy Mud
Light Mud
Water 18

19. Advanced Flow Detection
MPD System also provides advanced flow detection (AFD) and consequently riser gas mitigation (RGM).
High-resolution mass flow meter increases sensitivity and reaction time to kicks, losses and other events.
Mitigates riser gas risk by increasing gas influx detection capabilities at depth.
Sources: SPE/IADC SPE/IADC OTC Multiple Trade publication articles on riser gas risk mitigation.

20. OPEN-TO-ATMOSPHERE SYSTEM
Coriolis Is Always Right?
OPEN-TO-ATMOSPHERE SYSTEM
Flow
Min
Max
Flow
Min
Max
Flow
Min
Max 20

21. Path of Least Resistance
Flow
Min
Max
Flow
Min
Max
Flow
Min
Max 21

22. Accelerating Kick Detection
CLOSED SYSTEM
(RCD INSTALLED)
Flow
RCD
Min
Max
Flow
Min
Max
Flow
Min
Max 22

23. DW MPD Case Histories INDONESIA / MALAYSIA
Adoption driven by necessity to drill through fractured / vugular carbonate formations prone to severe circulation losses in deepwater environments.
Recent MPD deployments on clastic formations for narrow mud weight windows and for optimizing casing setting depths.
Country icons from Apple website, Photo courtesy of Weatherford. Data presented on deployments are from multiple trade publication articles and technical papers / presentations on deepwater MPD.

24. DW MPD Case Histories INDONESIA / MALAYSIA
Advanced flow (kick / loss) monitoring and detection capabilities of MPD system was used on all wells for process safety and drilling risk mitigation.
Done before and even when the CBHP and PMCD modes of the system were activated.
Country icons from Apple website, Photo courtesy of Weatherford. Data presented on deployments are from multiple trade publication articles and technical papers / presentations on deepwater MPD.

25. DW MPD Case Histories INDONESIA / MALAYSIA
Deepwater drilling consortium allowed multiple operating companies to utilize one drillship for multi-year campaign.
Once MPD equipment is installed on rig, other operators immediately utilize MPD equipment for their wells to optimize operations.
Country icons from Apple website, Photo courtesy of Weatherford. Data presented on deployments are from multiple trade publication articles and technical papers / presentations on deepwater MPD.

26. DW MPD Case Histories BRAZIL
Mass demand for DW MPD created when major operating company made it a requirement for drilling rigs involved in exploration work in deepwater.
Used particularly for pre-salt formations due to high uncertainty.
Country icons from Apple website, Photo courtesy of Weatherford. Data presented on deployments are from multiple trade publication articles and technical papers / presentations on deepwater MPD.

27. DW MPD Case Histories BRAZIL
Deepwater drilling rigs required to have an MPD system installed so they are able to immediately deploy MPD when required.
Drilling contractors have purchased DW MPD equipment and have integrated it into their rigs.
Multiple rigs have drilled with MPD successfully.
Country icons from Apple website, Photo courtesy of Weatherford. Data presented on deployments are from multiple trade publication articles and technical papers / presentations on deepwater MPD.

28. DW MPD Case Histories ANGOLA / SPAIN
Formation similarities (pre-salt / carbonate formations) prompted adoption of DW MPD by operators in Angola.
An operator made MPD an add-on to riser gas handling system already on rig, to optimize drilling safety and efficiency.
Country icons from Apple website, Photo courtesy of Weatherford. Data presented on deployments are from multiple trade publication articles and technical papers / presentations on deepwater MPD.

29. DW MPD Case Histories ANGOLA / SPAIN
Another decided to do a full-on MPD retrofit of the rig to accommodate MPD equipment.
MPD system allowed operator to drastically reduce time involved with drilling a deepwater well and also provided a means of spillage mitigation in an environmentally sensitive area.
Country icons from Apple website, Photo courtesy of Weatherford. Data presented on deployments are from multiple trade publication articles and technical papers / presentations on deepwater MPD.

30. MPD Adoption
Country icons from Apple website, Base graphics courtesy of Weatherford. Data presented on deployments are from multiple trade publication articles and technical papers on deepwater MPD.

31. Drillability with MPD
DW MPD enabled operator to drill to target depth (repeatedly and consistently) on previously abandoned wells, allowing access to prolific reservoir production.
PMCD allowed drilling to proceed efficiently through karstified carbonate formations prone to severe circulation losses.
DW MPD enabled rank wildcat wells to reach and evaluate target formations and for development wells to access the reservoir.

32. Efficiency with MPD
By promptly detecting losses and adjusting the bottomhole pressure, DW MPD helped to avoid nonproductive time (NPT) and keep drilling fluid losses to a minimum.
Conventional drilling approach resulted in losses of 60 barrels per hour (9.5 m3/hr) upon encountering high-pressure and loss zones.
DW MPD operations have incurred minimal if not zero NPT related to well-control incidents.

33. Efficiency with MPD
DW MPD technologies enabled the operator to drill multiple hole sections of different sizes, avoid total losses, and manage nuisance gas in a challenging deepwater environment.
Using the CBHP variant of MPD resulted in safer and faster drilling performance that saved the operator significant time and costs.
DW MPD systems allowed quick and efficient transitions from one MPD mode to another (e.g., CBHP to PMCD, etc.) to be performed.

34. Process Safety with MPD
With the ability to perform a dynamic pore-pressure test and dynamic formation-integrity test using MPD equipment, the drilling window was verified in situ repeatedly (with minimum time involved).
Kicks were detected early and the automated MPD system immediately increased backpressure to control the influx and keep the kick size to the bare minimum.

35. Process Safety with MPD
Losses were detected early and MPD was used to actively adjust the wellbore pressure profile to eliminate or minimize losses.
Active pressure management allows better risk management when dealing with drilling uncertainties associated with pre-salt formations.
Globally, with the MPD system and advanced flow detection in place, no events involving large volumes of gas reaching the riser undetected have so far been recorded.

36. Conclusions
Adoption of managed pressure drilling (MPD) technologies in deepwater environments and floating rigs is gaining acceptance.
Dozens of drilling rigs are now MPD friendly, having already undergone MPD integration.
Integration of MPD technologies into deepwater drilling rigs and environments has not only produced improvements and solutions in terms of drillability and efficiency, but most importantly and most recently, in terms of process safety.

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Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program 37