About the course: In well planning, the key to achieving objectives successfully is to design drilling programs on the basis of anticipation of potential hole problems rather than on caution and containment. Drilling problems can be very costly. The most prevalent drilling problems include pipe sticking, lost circulation, hole deviation, pipe failures, borehole instability, mud contamination, formation damage, hole cleaning, H2S-bearing formation and shallow gas, and equipment and personnel-related problems.

Understanding and anticipating drilling problems, understanding their causes, and planning solutions are necessary.

Learning objective: Oilwell Drilling introduces the techniques and technologies involved in drilling oil wells. The course is intended for personnel new to the oil and gas industry, specifically including those in the administrative and support services as well as those in the field. Oilwell Drilling provides a firm foundation knowledge of oilfield practices and terminology that can prove invaluable in every sector of the industry. The main objectives are the acquisition of information and the safeguarding of production.

Pre-requites: A basic understanding of the drilling operations.

Duration: 10+ hours

Outcome from this course: Understanding and anticipating drilling problems, understanding their causes, and planning solutions are necessary for overall-well-cost control and for successfully reaching the target zone.

Topics to be covered:

1)     Stuck pipe prevention:

• Conditions that can cause stuck pipe
• Stuck-pipe terminology Indicators
• How to predicts stuck pipe using tread analysis
• Remedies to avoid stuck pipe
• The human factors
• Handover between crews to avoid stuck pipe
• Solution examples when the pipe is stuck
• Finding solutions by means of group work exercises.
• Lessons learnt from actual stuck-pipe cases.

2)     Well Control:

• Primary well control
• Secondary and tertiary well control
• Well control in unconventional situation
• String off bottom
• Plugged string
• Washed out string
• No pipe in the hole
• Clock problems

3)     Wellbore Instability:

• What is wellbore instability
• Factors within control
• Indicators
• Failure mechanism
• Hole geometry
• Importance of hole cleaning
• Consequences
• Indicators
• Action to follow

4)     Lost circulation:

• Causes
• Consequences
• Prevention

5)     Hole deviation (Vertical Drilling):

• Causes of hole deviation
• Consequences
• Prevention

6)     BHA Failure:

• BHA configuration
• Fatigue
• Failure Mechanism
• Prevention

7)     Mud & Cement contamination