Simulation While Drilling and Relief Well Injection Spool
Recent advancement in well-control technology improves safety and allows cost savings for well designs
1
Doing More for Less – What can we cut?
The cost of a blowout is difficult to measure
Total cost to BP for Macondo is in the range of $70 billion*
During normal operations, drilling wells is the
largest expense to an operator
Rig rates
Number of casing
Technology to reduce a casing string
$2 mill per normal well
$50 mill per Big Bore well
+$300 mill for a field development
Largest cost to an operator
*Forbes Oct 2015
Relief Well and Dynamic Kill Overview
After intersecting with a relief well a dynamic kill is done
Dynamic kill uses mud hydrostatic and friction to stop the
blowout
Deeper intersect makes the kill operation less challenging
There are limits to how deep a relief well can intersect
Intersect is often at the deepest casing shoe
Relief wells are the last line of defense
DOWNHOLE RANGING REQUIRES STEEL IN TARGET WELL
• Pumping capacity of a relief well is limited
• Two or more relief wells may be required
• Only once have two simultaneous relief wells intersected a blowout
• Two simultaneous relief wells may be challenging*
• Permission from regulatory agency
• Kill requirements sometime drive the well design
Relief Well and Dynamic Kill Overview
Relief wells are unique and challenging
2014 IADC - Dual Relief Well Operations – Challenges and Solutions
El Isba, Syria 1995 Artic Environment
Casing Design Driven by Kill Requirements
Kill requirements are conservative
(wildcat wells)
Additional casing is set to isolate sands
Some sands may not be prolific
Introduce additional cost
Additional risk
Example 1 – Multiple Sands
Example 2 – Big Bore Gas Wells
*SPE-174890-MS: Blowout Prevention and Relief Well Planning for the Wheatstone Big-Bore Gas Well Project
Off-bottom kill may not be possible
Extra string must be set above reservoir*
Smaller hole = smaller completion
Need more wells to develop a field
Casing Design Driven by Kill Requirements
Simulation While Drilling, SWD
SWD has been used on several wells and already demonstrated
its value to the industry
SWD forecasts kick tolerance and RW kill requirements real-time
Drill the entire reservoir zone
Significant cost reducing potential
Shorter drilling time
Reduced number of casing strings
Ensuring successful well integrity management
REAL-TIME DATA
Relief Well Injection Spool, RWIS
RWIS is patent pending - Expected completion time is
Q4 2016
Sits between the wellhead and the BOP and same bore as the BOP
(18 ¾")
The RWIS will include valve inlets for pumping and pipe/shear ram
The kill spool is a “dead” equipment during drilling of the relief well
The kill spool could be used to increase pump capacity into the well
RWIS is a “Mini BOP Stack”, mounted on top of the relief well wellhead
Relief Well Injection Spool, RWIS
STEP 1 – Drill Upper Hole Section
Blo
w O
ut W
ell
Last Shoe Before Intercept
LMRP
BOP
Wellhead
Relief Well Rig
Relief Well Injection Spool, RWIS
STEP 2 – Pull BOP and Install RWIS Unit
Blo
w O
ut W
ell
Last Shoe Before Intercept
LMRP
BOP
Wellhead
Relief Well Rig
Relief Well Injection Spool, RWIS
STEP 2 – Pull BOP and Install RWIS Unit
Blo
w O
ut W
ell
Last Shoe Before Intercept
Wellhead
LMRP
BOP
Relief Well Rig
Relief Well Injection Spool, RWIS
STEP 2 – Pull BOP and Install RWIS Unit
Blo
w O
ut W
ell
Last Shoe Before Intercept
Wellhead
LMRP
BOP
Relief Well Rig
RWIS
Relief Well Injection Spool, RWIS
Blo
w O
ut W
ell
Last Shoe Before Intercept
Wellhead
STEP 3 – Reconnect Relief Well rig to well landing BOP onto RWIS
LMRP
BOP
Relief Well Rig
RWIS
Relief Well Injection Spool, RWIS
Blo
w O
ut W
ell
Last Shoe Before Intercept
Wellhead
STEP 4 – Attach Kill Vessel(s) to RWIS
LMRP
BOP
Relief Well Rig
RWIS
Relief Well Injection Spool, RWIS
Blo
w O
ut W
ell
Last Shoe Before Intercept
Wellhead
STEP 5 – Drill out of shoe and intercept incident well
LMRP
BOP
Relief Well Rig
RWIS
Relief Well Injection Spool, RWIS
Blo
w O
ut W
ell
Last Shoe Before Intercept
Wellhead
STEP 6 – Conduct Well Kill operations from designated vessels
LMRP
BOP
Relief Well Rig
Relief Well Injection Spool, RWIS
Blo
w O
ut W
ell
Last Shoe Before Intercept
Wellhead
STEP 7 – High rate dynamic kill achieved
LMRP
BOP
Relief Well Rig
Well Killed
Relief Well Injection Spool Benefits
No rig modifications required
Enables relocation of pumping and storage off the rig to dedicated
pumping vessels
Increases flow capacity to the wellhead significantly
Alternative to two or more relief wells
Intersect blowout shallower, in less time, and limit spill potential
Give operators permission to drill in environmental sensitive areas
Casing Design Driven by Kill Requirements
SWD is used to calculate kick tolerance and
kill requirements real-time
SWD may reduce number of casing strings
while mitigating risk
RWIS is a contingency in the unlikely case of a
blowout from multiple sands
RWIS ensures a blowout can be killed with a
single relief well
Cost savings per string is ~USD 2 mill
Example 1 – Multiple Sands
Solutions: RWIS and SWD
Example 2 – Big Bore Gas Wells
*IADC July/August 2005: Shell, Norsk Hydro to drill world’s largest deepwater wells in Ormen Lange field
With RWIS an off-bottom kill may be possible
Extra string set above reservoir may be
eliminated
Bigger hole = larger completion
A large field can be developed with less wells
Ormen Lange Phase 1: Fourteen 7” wells match
eight 9⅝” wells = $300 million savings*
Cost reduction ~USD 50 mill per Big Bore well
Casing Design Driven by Kill Requirements Solutions: RWIS and SWD
Well Control & Blowout Support
Blowout contingency planning
Blowout and well control response
Simulations while drilling
Casing magnetization
Transient multiphase flow analyses
Well control courses, training and spill drills
Montara/Timor Sea – Blowout 2009
Macondo/US Gulf – Blowout 2010
Elgin/North Sea – Blowout 2012
Porter Ranch – Blowout 2016
Key Projects
We offer expert advice in blowout prevention and response in the event of a well control incident
Thank You
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