Drilling

This project evaluated the capabilities of secondary BOP intervention systems currently in place, identified best practices currently in use, and identified opportunities not yet in use. Objectives were: Compared and contrasted capabilities of available secondary intervention technologies;
Reviewed and contrasted existing secondary intervention system in place on deepwater drilling rigs;
Discussed possible enhancements to existing systems, their benefits, and their costs;
Recommended best practices for operations in less than and greater than 3,500 feet water depth.

The overall objective of this project is to determine the properties that affect cement's capability to produce a fluid-tight seal in an annulus. The project primarily focuses on deepwater applications, but general (shallow) applications were also examined. The research focuses on the measurement and correlation of cement's mechanical properties to the cement's performance. Also, research was conducted to determine which laboratory methods should be used to establish the cement's key properties.

This effort was a seminar for MMS drilling engineers District Supervisors, workover engineers, and inspectors, to outline the basics of underbalanced (UB) drilling. The seminar focused on equipment; procedures; likely scenarios or applications for offshore use; potential problems, hazards, and risks; regulatory requirements in other jurisdictions; and case studies.

The project prepared a state-of-the-art coiled-tubing drilling manual that includes all facets of safe, efficient CT operation. The manual includes optimum CT String specifications, stress limitations and safety factors, equipment requirements, elements of pre-job design and planning, and onsite operational guidelines

MMS funding was used to complete tasks 1 and 2, and make substantial progress on Task 3. Industry funded the next phase which included a report and a workshop and more work on task 3. Task 4 was abandoned based on input during the project.

Task 1 - Bridging tendencies in ultra-deepwater blowouts

Task 2 - Dynamic kill investigation of ultra-deepwater blowouts and simulator Development

Task 3 - Development of ultra-deepwater blowout control methods

Task 4 - Costs of Intervention (Abandoned)

Task 5 - Final report, progress meetings and workshops

Subsurface Controlled Safety Valves are used in offshore wells that are actuated by a differential pressure created by the well fluid flowing through the valve. This study intended to evaluate the accuracy of the various sizing models and the ability of the model to accurately predict the closing point of the valves in single-phase and multiphase flow conditions.

The MMS and the Department of Energy co-sponsored a Workshop on Deepwater Dual-Density Drilling Systems. The sponsors of the 3 differing approaches to dual-density drilling discussed the highlights of their drilling systems. Following the presentations, the workshop participants discussed potential drilling and well-control problems and how the various drilling system may handle these problems.

The JIP examined the recent problems with riser wear in deepwater drilling projects. The JIP identified and analyzed factors effecting riser wear; evaluated several riser wear inspection tools; evaluated wear resistance of risers; developed improved wear resistant riser linings, and developed and tested a drilling riser wear computer.

The JIP also attempted to document riser failures but data on riser failures was very difficult to obtain. However, the JIP did obtain wear data that showed evidence of keyseating in some subsea BOP stacks.

This project is a follow up to the recently completed SINTEF study on deepwater BOP reliability. This study used the information from the same 83 wells but looked at the kicks (48) and examined BOP performance after each kick will use data from the same wells used in that project. The project: Established a quantified overview of the deepwater well kick frequencies; Identified the important parameters contributing to the kick frequency; Assessed the performance of BOP equipment during well control operations; Assessed the effect of well control operations on BOP reliability.

The JIP improved the knowledge in gas kick behavior along the entire well in deepwater situations. The project used an experimental well to simulate the deepwater environment. Petrobras used the well to simulate various drilling scenarios to define appropriate well control procedures.