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Distinguished Lecturer Program
www.spe.org/dl 1
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Managed Pressure Drilling –
Experiences and Way Forward

Muhammad A. Muqeem, Ph.D., P. Eng.

Saudi Aramco
SPE Distinguished Lecturer Program

2
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Outline

• Definition
• The Big Challenge
• Impact of the Technology
• Benefits & Case Histories
• What’s Next
• Conclusions

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Challenging
Wells

Expensive
Wells

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
“The world is running out of conventional
prospects…. but don’t worry. Managed
Pressure Drilling (MPD) is one enabler for
tackling “undrillable” wells.”

*Signa Engineering Corp. website

5
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
IADC Definition – Managed Pressure
Drilling

“an adaptive drilling process used to precisely

control the annular pressure profile
throughout the wellbore. The objectives are to
ascertain the downhole pressure environment
limits and to manage the annular hydraulic
pressure profile accordingly.”

6
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
The Big Challenge

7
*IADC/SPE 122281
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Conventional Drilling

Bottomhole circulating pressure (BHCP) is

manipulated by only two variables:

BHCP = Hydrostatic Pressure + Friction Pressure

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Managed Pressure Drilling

Bottomhole circulating pressure is manipulated by

three variables:

BHCP = Hydrostatic Pressure + Friction Pressure

+ Surface Back Pressure

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
MPD – Fundamental Principles
Pressure
Shoe
TVD

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
MPD – Fundamental Principles
(cont.)
Pressure
Shoe
TVD

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
MPD – Fundamental Principles
(cont.)
Pressure
Shoe
TVD

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Variations of MPD

• Constant Bottomhole Pressure (CBHP)

• Pressurized Mudcap Drilling (PMCD)
• Dual Gradient Drilling (DGD)

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Constant Bottomhole Pressure (CBHP)

• “ECD Management”
• Narrow drilling window
• Slightly lighter fluids than conventional
• Influx is prevented by backpressure
• Intent to keep BHCP as constant as possible.

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Pressurized Mudcap Drilling (PMCD)

• Total loss circulation

• Well control challenges
• Failure to reach TD

*World Oil, March 2006 15

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Dual Gradient Drilling (DGD)

• High equivalent circulating density

 Ultra deepwater
 Extended reach
 Narrow sidetrack drilling
• Subsea RCD
• Subsea pumps

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Dual Gradient Drilling Schematic
DUAL GRADIENT 'DILUTED' MUD
HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE
SEAWATER
GRADIENT
SINGLE GRADIENT MUD
SEA FLOOR
HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE

SECTION DRILLABLE
WITH SINGLE GRADIENT
DEPTH

SECTION DRILLABLE
WITH DUAL GRADIENT

MUD WEIGHT MUST

REMAIN WITHIN
THESE LIMITS FRACTURE
GRADIENT
DUAL GRADIENT 'DOWNHOLE'
MUD HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE PORE
PRESSURE

PRESSURE
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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 MPD enabling tools

• Rotating Control Diverter (RCD)

• Dedicated choke
• Mass flow meter
• Drill string floats
• Continuous circulating device
• Separation package
• Training

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
MPD Equipment Layout (Closed)

RCD

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*Medley & Reynolds, "Distinct variations of MPD exhibit application potential"
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Rotating Control Diverter

RCD RCD Control Console

*Weatherford 20
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
MPD Choke Manifold

Choke A

Mass Flow Fluid From

Meter Well

Choke B

*Schlumberger 21
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Separation Package

• Multi-phase separator
• Separates gas from drilling
mud
• Sends mud to active system
for further processing

*Schlumberger 22
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Benefits

• Reduces non productive time

• Enables the use of a lighter weight mud
• Reduces solids invasion to improve productivity
• Avoids fluid losses, minimizes mud costs

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Benefits (continued)

• Significant increase in safety and efficiency

• Mitigates potential stuck pipe and well control
incidences
• Allows drilling in environmentally sensitive and
hazardous (H2S) areas
• Detects gas kicks quickly using the intelligent
control system

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
2012 MPD Preventable NPT (MENA
Region)
3.7% 4.8%
1.6%

11.4%
2.0%
Wellbore Instability
Lost Circulation
76.5% Stuck Casing
Stuck Pipe
Well Flowing/Kick
Others
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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Impact of MPD (MENA Region)

• MPD preventable NPT ~ 23.5%

• Average onshore rig spread
• Oil well drilling cost/foot ~ 642
USD
• NPT cost per foot ~ 151 USD
• Average cost avoidance for a
15,000 ft well ~ 2.3 MM USD

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
1st MPD Well - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

8-3/8”
Offset Well MPD Well
Section

Total Drilling
65 40
Days
Days spent
on Well 7.6 1.1
Control
Days spent
2.8 0.8
on Reaming

*SPE/IADC 113679 27
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Case History – MENA Region

Objectives:

• Enable use of a lighter mud system to avoid

unnecessary and excessive overbalance
• Keep drilling fluids out of the formation
• Reduce/Eliminate the potential NPT related to
pipe stuck scenarios and well control events

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Case History – MENA Region (contd.)

450

400

350 30% increase

300
Average Ft/Day

250

200

150

100

50

0
W-A W-B W-C W-D W-E W-F W-G W-H

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Case History – MENA Region (contd.)

– Reduced stuck pipe & fishing NPT by 95%

– Allowed reducing the drilling mud weight from 14
ppg to 10.5 ppg improving drilling efficiency
– Reduced solids invasion and improved water
injectivity in the lateral
– Average number of bit/motor runs increased
three-folds

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Case History – Shale Plays
(North America)

Average 6 Offset 4 MPD

values Wells Wells

Mud weights
16.5 15.0
at TD, ppg
Days for
lower hole 33.0 16.5
section
Total days to
62 40
TD

*AADE-11-NTCE-55 31
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Steps for MPD Technology Acceptance

– Better communication of benefits

– To include cost/benefit analysis
– Reduce cost of MPD
– More successful applications
– Extensive training

*Journal of Petroleum Technology: February 2011 32

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Offshore wells using MPD in 5 years

*Journal of Petroleum Technology: February 2011 33

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
What’s Next

– Deepwater MPD
– Improved modeling of subsurface conditions
(multiphase annular flow)
– Greater automation (choke)
– Data availability in certain environments
(compressible fluid) using wired drillpipe
– Barrier Monitoring

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
What’s Next (continued)

– Mainstream technology in the near future

– “Un-drillable” wells are becoming “drillable”
– Unconventional wells are being drilled using
MPD
– Managed Pressure Cementing
– Methane Hydrates

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Methane Hydrates – The Next Frontier

• Major Challenges:
Narrow margin between pore pressure and fracture
gradient in ocean sediments
Surface hole instability
Subsidence caused by hydrate production
Manage temperatures & pressures to limit hydrate
dissociation in wellbore

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Methane Hydrates – The Next Frontier

• MPD Toolbox:
Rotating control diverter
Drilling choke system
Non-return valves
Multiphase circulation pumps
Multiphase separation system

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Conclusions

– Wells are becoming more expensive and difficult

to drill
– MPD is evolving into a key enabling technology
to tackle those challenging wells
– Numerous case histories in all types of well
indicate that MPD is here to stay

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Conclusions (continued)

– MPD is a complex, multidisciplinary activity

which requires proper engineering, HSE and
project management skills
– Enhances formation evaluation
– Fit for purpose training is a prerequisite for
successful implementation

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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
 Thank You

Ready to lead: relying on people, technologies, and

innovation, in harmony with the environment

40
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
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Saudi Aramco: Company General Use