The Birth of Brandi's Twins [COTW 8/8/11]

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by Mr Twisty

Please don't lol


I have a serious question


No... really....


What are these super wells cased with?

Steel.... Casing runs are really interesting to watch..... For about 5 minutes.... Then it's like watching grass grow in Arizona...

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by mylftft

I understand, I was thinking we might get some runs side by side with each other.

We might manage something like that... I'll watch your tail lights get smaller and smaller... You'll smoke me ... But I'm ok with that...

[mlee]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

Steel.... Casing runs are really interesting to watch..... For about 5 minutes.... Then it's like watching grass grow in Arizona...

Then you should come watch it from my end. Calculating proper fluid displacements on each stand etc.

Fluffy,,, I kind of like that. Oh Traaannnn

[mylftft]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

We might manage something like that... I'll watch your tail lights get smaller and smaller... You'll smoke me ... But I'm ok with that...

Not the way it is right now, I'm still trying to get the drag settings figured out. Thanks for the thought though.

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

Steel.... Casing runs are really interesting to watch..... For about 5 minutes.... Then it's like watching grass grow in Arizona...

So the curve from vertical to horizontal is a gentle enough turn that there's no issues?

Originally Posted by mlee

Then you should come watch it from my end. Calculating proper fluid displacements on each stand etc.

Fluffy,,, I kind of like that. Oh Traaannnn

...does that mean it's edge of your seat thrilling?

In offshore wells, does water displacement to move the oil? Or are underwater pumps used?

Is offshore oil sweet or sour?

[mlee]

Originally Posted by Mr Twisty

So the curve from vertical to horizontal is a gentle enough turn that there's no issues?



...does that mean it's edge of your seat thrilling?

In offshore wells, does water displacement to move the oil? Or are underwater pumps used?

Is offshore oil sweet or sour?

Pipe goes in the hole it displaces the fluid out. Not edge of your seat but you have to calculate exactly how much mud should come out when you run the pipe in. If you get too much back you may be getting an influx or kick which can result in a blowout if not taken care of.

If you don't get enough back then you are losing mud downhole and need to add more or pump something down hole to stop the losses.

sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, sometimes gas only.

Pore pressure moves the oil up the hole. We spend our time putting heavy fluid in the hole to keep the pressure down and not blow out. Fluid is continually circulated down the pipe and back up the outside of the pipe. Then reconditioned and pumped back down. You always know exactly how much fluid or mud you have in every tank, pit or downhole. We track all this stuff in the office on shore just like the guys on the rig do.

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by mlee

Pipe goes in the hole it displaces the fluid out. Not edge of your seat but you have to calculate exactly how much mud should come out when you run the pipe in. If you get too much back you may be getting an influx or kick which can result in a blowout if not taken care of.

If you don't get enough back then you are losing mud downhole and need to add more or pump something down hole to stop the losses.

sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, sometimes gas only.

Pore pressure moves the oil up the hole. We spend our time putting heavy fluid in the hole to keep the pressure down and not blow out. Fluid is continually circulated down the pipe and back up the outside of the pipe. Then reconditioned and pumped back down. You always know exactly how much fluid or mud you have in every tank, pit or downhole. We track all this stuff in the office on shore just like the guys on the rig do.

So an influx can be ground water? Do you hit lakes that far down?

What happens if you hit a huge cavern, run on down and case it?

Pore pressure is the natural pressure of the earth pressurising the oil? Kind of like the old strikes showing oil shooting up to the top of the rig?

This thread is entertaining AND educational!

Sweet, sour & gas... sounds like me after too much Taco Bell

[mylftft]

I learned alot of that from Armageddon with Bruce Willis & Ben Affleck. Hey maybe they'll call you guys if an asteroid heads for earth!

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by Mr Twisty

So an influx can be ground water? Do you hit lakes that far down?

What happens if you hit a huge cavern, run on down and case it?

Pore pressure is the natural pressure of the earth pressurising the oil? Kind of like the old strikes showing oil shooting up to the top of the rig?

This thread is entertaining AND educational!

Sweet, sour & gas... sounds like me after too much Taco Bell

An influx can be about anything in the ground... that is liquid... think about this... Salt under enough pressure becomes liquid like...

During the drilling operations... Offshore... They will typically run a 30 or 36 inch surface casing, and the wellhead with 20 inch pipe will hang inside of this... Wellheads are typically 18 3/4 inch.... At least they are in deep water... There are exceptions...

So, they Supd in the surface casing... Surface being the mudline regardless of the water depth... 500', 10,000 " etc... To spud the pipe in, and this is usually 90 or so feet of pipe, they can jet it in... Pump water at a high rate into the pipe, or soak it in... think of standing on a beach with water washing over your feet, how they sink into the sand... Same principal...

The ~~24" drill bit is on the bottom section of the 30 - 36 " pipe... Wehn the surface casing is set... and allowed to set in... "stabilize" they will unlock the 24 inch bit and drill ahead... This will typically be 600 - 800 or so feet of drilling... They will have hole openers on the BHA... Hole openers are like the wide part of a wood bit.... big paddles of cutting tool above the bit... A BHA is a bottom hole assembly... Depending on the section or depth, this will vary greatly... There can be MWD, (mesuring while drilling) or LWD, (logging while drilling) or myriad other tools used to determind the location of the bit and the diection of the hole, the type of formation and lots of other down hole bits of information...

So, they drill out the 20 inch section then pull out of the hole and run the 20 casing with the wellhead... This hangs in the 30 -36 inch surface casing... They will then cement most of if not all the way to the mudline starting at the bottom... When the proper amount of cement is pumped, they pull out of the hole and prepare to run the BOP's... Occasionally they will have to hang on to the wellhead for 8 - 24 hours to let the cement cure and stabilize...

At anytime up to this point, it's possible to take a kick, or influx... You can take a kick in the pen hole section, that which is not yet cased... The influx can be subsurface water tables... shallow gas, etc... I've been on a rig with a shallow gas blowout, it sucked... The rig took 5+ degrees of list before we could move off location... That was in the Med offshore of Egypt...

Now after the stack is landed, we can drill out the cement and 10' of new hole and then we perform a FIT test or a leak off test... These are two different test used to determine the formation strength... In reltively shallow water... when drilling to say 10,000 feet... you may be able to use a 12 + lb/gal mud weight... In 9,000 feet of water drilling to 10,000 feet, you may be only able to use 8.7 lb/gal mudweight... Occasionally the mud weight is measured closerthan a tenth of a lb/gal... Deep water drilling is tough... This is due to the overburden weight and pressures... 9,000 feet of water doesn't weigh near what 9,000 feet of earth weighs... It's much easier to blow the bottom out of a deep water well than it is a shallow water well...

Here's a crazy thought... There is a situation called where a blowout can occur within the drilled hole, from a section of high pressure into a section of low pressure... and still be down hole... Subsurface blowout... Say you drill into a section with relatively low formation pressures... and carry on drilling... then drill into a section with substantialy higher pressures... the high pressure section can leak off to the low pressure section... You can lose lots of fluid volume..and have a hard time figuring out where it went...or the mud weight you use based on the higher pressure can fracture the formation where the pressures are lower and the overburden is less dense... also leading to fluid volume loses...

There are a lot of things to watch for, and it's helpful as can be to have guys in monitoring centers like Mike that see the big picture all at once... MWD's, the guys that operate the tools are looking at their data... LWD's, same thing... Drillers and tool pushers watch certain parameters... looking for a drillers break... A change in drilling rate or a number of other things... fluid loss, fluid gain... etc... The derrick men in the pit room watch the pit levels... there are sophisticated tools for this but the most reliable one is two eah human eyeballs watching the nut hanging on a small rope that is hanging right at the pit level... They make minor adjustments quite often, but if there is suddenly an air gap under the nut... then your losing mud... if the nut suddenly is no longer in sight... you're taking on fluids... a possible kick... There is a float device that gives a constant electronic level on the drill floor monitor... Occasionally I've gone by and lifted the float gradually but surely... and see how long it takes for someone to notice... or plunge th float and look for the same thing... The pager usually goes off in seconds with the driller hollering at the derrickman to do a immediate check of the pits... Then I get cussed out and everything is ok... and before you jump my ass, these were usually part of a required perioodic drill... When a sudden gain is seen, the driller is supposed to immediately come off bottom, stop rotating, and shut it in (close an annular) until the problem is determined... While doing all these, they will immediately demand a visual check of pit levels... and usually way before they close the annular.. the derrickman is looking and calling him and explaining some asshole was plunging the float or lifting the float...

The guys in the monitor centers watch everything real time... It can feel like big brother at times but it has sure saved some butts at times... and there are no small mistakes out here...

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by mylftft

I learned alot of that from Armageddon with Bruce Willis & Ben Affleck. Hey maybe they'll call you guys if an asteroid heads for earth!

Here are my demands... No more tax's .... forever....
A new motor for my car...
A Z-28 for a daily driver....

[mylftft]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

Here are my demands... No more tax's .... forever....
A new motor for my car...
A Z-28 for a daily driver....

Hey man if you save my life I'll buy you a Z28 myself!

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

An influx can be about anything in the ground... that is liquid... think about this... Salt under enough pressure becomes liquid like...

During the drilling operations... Offshore... They will typically run a 30 or 36 inch surface casing, and the wellhead with 20 inch pipe will hang inside of this... Wellheads are typically 18 3/4 inch.... At least they are in deep water... There are exceptions...

So, they Supd in the surface casing... Surface being the mudline regardless of the water depth... 500', 10,000 " etc... To spud the pipe in, and this is usually 90 or so feet of pipe, they can jet it in... Pump water at a high rate into the pipe, or soak it in... think of standing on a beach with water washing over your feet, how they sink into the sand... Same principal...

The ~~24" drill bit is on the bottom section of the 30 - 36 " pipe... Wehn the surface casing is set... and allowed to set in... "stabilize" they will unlock the 24 inch bit and drill ahead... This will typically be 600 - 800 or so feet of drilling... They will have hole openers on the BHA... Hole openers are like the wide part of a wood bit.... big paddles of cutting tool above the bit... A BHA is a bottom hole assembly... Depending on the section or depth, this will vary greatly... There can be MWD, (mesuring while drilling) or LWD, (logging while drilling) or myriad other tools used to determind the location of the bit and the diection of the hole, the type of formation and lots of other down hole bits of information...

So, they drill out the 20 inch section then pull out of the hole and run the 20 casing with the wellhead... This hangs in the 30 -36 inch surface casing... They will then cement most of if not all the way to the mudline starting at the bottom... When the proper amount of cement is pumped, they pull out of the hole and prepare to run the BOP's... Occasionally they will have to hang on to the wellhead for 8 - 24 hours to let the cement cure and stabilize...

At anytime up to this point, it's possible to take a kick, or influx... You can take a kick in the pen hole section, that which is not yet cased... The influx can be subsurface water tables... shallow gas, etc... I've been on a rig with a shallow gas blowout, it sucked... The rig took 5+ degrees of list before we could move off location... That was in the Med offshore of Egypt...

Now after the stack is landed, we can drill out the cement and 10' of new hole and then we perform a FIT test or a leak off test... These are two different test used to determine the formation strength... In reltively shallow water... when drilling to say 10,000 feet... you may be able to use a 12 + lb/gal mud weight... In 9,000 feet of water drilling to 10,000 feet, you may be only able to use 8.7 lb/gal mudweight... Occasionally the mud weight is measured closerthan a tenth of a lb/gal... Deep water drilling is tough... This is due to the overburden weight and pressures... 9,000 feet of water doesn't weigh near what 9,000 feet of earth weighs... It's much easier to blow the bottom out of a deep water well than it is a shallow water well...

Here's a crazy thought... There is a situation called where a blowout can occur within the drilled hole, from a section of high pressure into a section of low pressure... and still be down hole... Subsurface blowout... Say you drill into a section with relatively low formation pressures... and carry on drilling... then drill into a section with substantialy higher pressures... the high pressure section can leak off to the low pressure section... You can lose lots of fluid volume..and have a hard time figuring out where it went...or the mud weight you use based on the higher pressure can fracture the formation where the pressures are lower and the overburden is less dense... also leading to fluid volume loses...

There are a lot of things to watch for, and it's helpful as can be to have guys in monitoring centers like Mike that see the big picture all at once... MWD's, the guys that operate the tools are looking at their data... LWD's, same thing... Drillers and tool pushers watch certain parameters... looking for a drillers break... A change in drilling rate or a number of other things... fluid loss, fluid gain... etc... The derrick men in the pit room watch the pit levels... there are sophisticated tools for this but the most reliable one is two eah human eyeballs watching the nut hanging on a small rope that is hanging right at the pit level... They make minor adjustments quite often, but if there is suddenly an air gap under the nut... then your losing mud... if the nut suddenly is no longer in sight... you're taking on fluids... a possible kick... There is a float device that gives a constant electronic level on the drill floor monitor... Occasionally I've gone by and lifted the float gradually but surely... and see how long it takes for someone to notice... or plunge th float and look for the same thing... The pager usually goes off in seconds with the driller hollering at the derrickman to do a immediate check of the pits... Then I get cussed out and everything is ok... and before you jump my ass, these were usually part of a required perioodic drill... When a sudden gain is seen, the driller is supposed to immediately come off bottom, stop rotating, and shut it in (close an annular) until the problem is determined... While doing all these, they will immediately demand a visual check of pit levels... and usually way before they close the annular.. the derrickman is looking and calling him and explaining some asshole was plunging the float or lifting the float...

The guys in the monitor centers watch everything real time... It can feel like big brother at times but it has sure saved some butts at times... and there are no small mistakes out here...

I understood a good chunk of it lol..... I never knew mud was a displacement, and a tool to prevent or lower the chance of blowout, just figured it was a lubricant. Cool stuff

The psi of any fluid at those depths must be crazy high! I can imagine the pressure making salt into a fluid like substance

[mlee]

Originally Posted by Mr Twisty

I understood a good chunk of it lol..... I never knew mud was a displacement, and a tool to prevent or lower the chance of blowout, just figured it was a lubricant. Cool stuff

The psi of any fluid at those depths must be crazy high! I can imagine the pressure making salt into a fluid like substance

Yes sir that is probably the most important aspect of mud.... and the mud weight is measured to the 1/10th. Very important calculationjs go into it. Too heavy and you can break open your hole. Not heavy enough and you get an influx. Fracture gradient is something closely watched and you adjust mud weight accordingly.

Of course Robert may have said all that but no way I'm reading all that..

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by mlee

Yes sir that is probably the most important aspect of mud.... and the mud weight is measured to the 1/10th. Very important calculationjs go into it. Too heavy and you can break open your hole. Not heavy enough and you get an influx. Fracture gradient is something closely watched and you adjust mud weight accordingly.

Of course Robert may have said all that but no way I'm reading all that..

Yeah, he covered it pretty well, even trick low/high pressure losses where ya'll earn your big bucks or get caught in a real $hit storm lol

I have a buddy that hauls mud, till I visited with him, I just thought that's what it was ... mud... (me)> but he didn't go into so much detail on it's purpose.