Causes of Kicks

Causes of Kicks

Learning Objectives

 You will learn the causes of kicks including:

• Characteristics and behavior of kicks.
• What happens if you don’t respond to a kick.
• Surface and underground blowouts.
Overview

Causes and Warning Signs of Kicks

 A kick is an unscheduled, unwanted entry of water, gas

or oil into the wellbore.
 A kick may occur whenever a permeable formation is
exposed – no matter what type of operation.
 Therefore all personnel must be aware of kick indicators
and be prepared to take immediate action if any indicator
or warning sign of a kick appears.
Overview
Overview

Causes and Warning Signs of Kicks

 The worst kind of kicks are gas kicks.
• If ignored or not detected, gas will migrate and/or be
pumped up the well, expanding uncontrolled,
displacing fluid from the well further reducing HP and
allowing more kick fluid to enter.
• Never assume a kick to be a liquid kick (i.e., oil or
saltwater).
• Treat every kick as if it were a gas kick.
CO2 Kick
Overview

 Gas behavior in wellbore:

• In most fluids gas migrate towards surface. This is
because it is less dense than fluids in use.
• Gas kicks in oil based show little migration as it may
dissolve and remain in the fluid until near surface where it
no longer has the pressure required to keep it in solution.
It quickly expands giving personnel little or no time to
react.
Overview

 Gas behavior in wellbore:

• In most Gas kicks in certain fluids types, such as oil
based fluids may mask or disguise some of the more
common signs of a kick as gas is immiscible in these
fluids.
• Gas behavior and immiscibility depends on the type of
fluid in use, pressure, temperature, pH, and the amount
of time that the gas is exposed to the liquid.
• The volume that gas is allowed to occupy is related to
the pressure in the gas. (Boyle’s Law).
• If a gas is NOT allowed to expand, pressure stays
constant except for changes in temperature.
Overview

 Gas behavior in wellbore:

• In most If gas comes from the bottom of the hole to the
top without being allowed to expand, it will carry the
same amount of pressure to the top that it had at the
bottom.
• The pressure exerted by this gas will pressurize the well
and eventually cause equipment failure, formation
breakdown, or lost circulation.
Overview

 Gas can be compressed into liquid with enough

pressure.
• While gas is compressible, liquids such as oil and
water are hardly compressible.
• Since they share this common characteristic, their
pumping and return rates are fairly equivalent.
• Liquid kicks do not migrate as much as gas kicks do.
• Once a gas is in a liquid state it will not compress
significantly.
• A liquid gas kick will expand rapidly once it reaches its
bubble point

REMEMBER: It is important treat every kick as if it were a

gas kick.
Consequences of Not Responding to a Kick

 There are serious consequences of allowing a well to

get out of hand.
 These include loss of:
• Human life
• Natural resources
• Environment due to pollution
• Rig equipment
Consequences of Not Responding to a Kick
Defining Types of Blowouts

 A kick that is not recognized and controlled will

eventually “blow out” fluid from the well, resulting in a
blowout.
 Shutting in a well will not stop gas from migrating and
increasing wellbore pressure. This can lead to downhole
formation or casing failure
 An underground blowout occurs when a well blows out
fluid from one zone into another formation.
 Blowouts frequency is about equal between tripping and
all other activities
Causes of Kicks

♦ A kick occurs when the formation pore pressure is

greater than the pressure exerted by the column of
fluid in the well. The most common causes of kicks
are:

• Insufficient fluid density • Lost circulation

• Poor tripping practices • Abnormal pressure

• Improper hole fill while • Obstructions in the wellbore

tripping • Cementing operations
• Swabbing/surging
Causes of Kicks

• Excessive drilling rate • Loss of subsea riser

through gas sand • Secondary recovery projects
• Excessive water loss of • Water flushes
drilling fluid
• Drill stem testing
• Drilling into an adjacent well
• Underbalanced drilling –
• Charged formations failure to maintain sufficient
• Obstructions in wellbore backpressure
• Testing BOPs • Jack-up leg Failure
• Trapped gas below BOPs
Insufficient Fluid Density

 The fluid in the wellbore must exert hydrostatic pressure

equal to the formation pore pressure.
 If the hydrostatic pressure is less than the formation
pressure the well can flow and cause a kick.
• The most common cause of inadequate fluid density is
drilling into an unpredicted abnormally pressured
formation.
• Insufficient fluid density can also be the result of
misinterpreting drilling parameters and not acting
properly.
Insufficient Fluid Density

• High temperatures can make the mud less dense.

• Rainwater can affect fluid density and alter fluid
properties
• Other reasons for improper fluid density include:
- changing out present fluid in the well for fracturing
acid jobs.
- spotting large pills.
Insufficient Fluid Density
Failure to Keep Hole Full of Fluid

 One of the most common causes of kicks.

 As pipe is removed from the well, the fluid level in the
well drops.
 If the fluid level in the hole falls, then the Hydrostatic
Pressure (HP) exerted by the fluid will also fall, and
when the hydrostatic falls under the formation
pressure, the well may flow.
 We can calculate the drop in fluid level as pipe is
pulled.
Failure to Keep Hole Full of Fluid

 Calculations for this are based on fluid density and the

displacement of the pipe and tripping practices
 Depending on conditions, pipe may be pulled dry or
wet.
• If pipe is pulled dry, it is because of a heavy slug that was
pumped in the string prior to the trip, pushing out a length
of the less heavier fluid in the pipe.
• To calculate the drop in HP per foot of pipe pulled dry:

0.052 x MW ppg x DPDisplace ment bbl/ft

ΔP psi/ft =
AnnulusCapacity bbl/ft + DPCapacity bbl/ft
Failure to Keep Hole Full of Fluid

 If pipe is pulled wet, it is probably due to not pumping a

slug or not allowing a slug time to drop. However, if a
slug was pumped and the pipe begins to pull wet, a kick
may be in the well.
 To calculate the drop in HP per foot of pipe pulled wet:

DP Capacity bbl/ft + DP Displacement bbl/ft

ΔP psi/ft = 0.052 x MW ppg
AnnulusCapacity bbl/ft

Note: It is accepted and required by some regulatory bodies while

tripping that the ΔP be 75 psi, not exceeding pulling 5 stands at a
time.
Tripping Out

 Pulling pipe out of the well is a leading cause of

kicks.
 Kicks occurs during a trip out when there is
insufficient fluid weight to hold the formations back,
due to the reduction of hydrostatic pressure by not
pumping this pressure is called ECD (equivalent
circulating density).
Tripping Out

 Once the pumps are shut down, circulating pressure is

lost and bottomhole pressure is reduced to the
hydrostatic pressure of the fluid in the annulus.
 This reduction in bottomhole pressure may cause a
kick.
 Before tripping, carefully monitor the hole to see if the
well is still flowing after the pumps are shut down. No
flow indicates that the trip out may begin.
Safety Margins

Safety Margins are used to compensate for the loss

pump pressure friction in the annulus.

 Trip margins are estimated increases in fluid

density prior to a trip to compensate for loss of
circulation pressure.
 There is one major difference between a trip
margin and a slug.
• A slug only increases the bottomhole pressure when
it falls out of the pipe, never before the trip.
Safety Margins

 Too much of a trip margin can cause lost circulation.

 An insufficient margin may allow the well to kick.
 The size of the trip margin requires good judgment and
is dependent on the:
• Size of the hole.
• Hole’s condition.
• Pipe pulling speed.
• Fluid and formation properties.
Swabbing and Surging

 Swab and surge forces are present whenever pipe is

moved through a fluid.
 Swabbing – a lowering of hydrostatic pressure in the
wellbore due to the upward movement of pipe and
downhole tools.
• When fluid in the well does not drop as quickly as the
string is being pulled, it creates a suction force and
reduces the pressure below the string.
Swabbing and Surging

 Surging – a rapid increase in pressure downhole that

occurs when the string is lowered too quickly or when the
mud pump is brought up to speed after starting.
• When the string is lowered too fast, fluid does not have a
chance to move out of the way, resulting in a process
called surging.
• This may cause pressure to increase throughout the well
and cause a leak-off or fracture.

REMEMBER: Slowing down tripping speed will minimize

surge and swab pressures.
Factors Affecting Swab and Surge

Trip Speed
 Swab or surge pressures are directly affected by the
rate of pipe movement.
• The quicker the pipe moves, the more the swab and
surge pressures and the greater the potential for
swabbing in an influx.
• Speed combined with BHA length, stabilizers, floats,
packers, fluid properties and smaller diameters
increase swab/surge pressures.
• One obvious sign of surging is mud flowing over the top
of a tool joint while running into the well.
Factors Affecting Swab and Surge

Clearances
 The clearance between the pipe and the wellbore is
one of the most significant factors in swab pressure.
The smaller the clearance, the more restraint fluid
must overcome to flow properly.
• Balling – refers to materials that collect around the
string and reducing the clearance between the string
and hole.
Factors Affecting Swab and Surge

• Pulling into Shoe – The reduction of clearance as the

bottomhole assembly is pulled up into the casing.
• Salt and Swelling Formations – Salts close in around
the string, permitting barely enough clearance for
circulation. Clays swell to wellbore clearance and
increase the chance for the well to be swabbed in.
• Hole angle and Doglegs – BHA scraping against
wellbore and can pick up debris and diminish
clearance when pulling up through deviated wells and
dogleg areas.
• Number of Stabilizers – The more stabilizers, the
greater the chance of balling and swabbing.
Factors Affecting Swab and Surge

 Fluid Properties
• Swabbing and surging are dependent on the
rising/lowering and flowing of fluid from where it was
before pipe was moved, so the properties of the fluid are
important. The following properties are important:
– Viscosity – the readiness for fluid to flow and is probably the
most crucial of all factors in swabbing. If fluid viscosity is
high, it is more difficult for a fluid to flow downward, so the
pipe must be pulled slower.
Factors Affecting Swab and Surge

– Gel Strength – the attraction of solids in a fluid to each other.

Fluids with high gel strengths increase the likelihood of
swabbing while tripping. Typically, the longer the duration
without circulating, the thicker the fluid may become partly
due to this property.
– Filter Cake (Filter Loss) – When filtrate is excessive creating
an immense build up of cuttings and other mud additives on
the formation wall. The filter cake is reducing the diameter of
the well bore once again causing swab/surge effects.
Improper Displacement

 To maintain the HP on the well during a trip out, the

well must be filled. This fill should equal the
displacement of pipe removed.
• Trip and re-circulating tanks are the most accurate
means for measuring the amount of fluid that a hole is
taking. This should be recorded on a trip sheet.
• Short trips or clean out trips are used to determine
wellbore conditions and include a safety factor.
• Pump strokes also measure fluid that a hole is taking,
but they do not measure as precisely as trip tanks.
Lost Circulation

 If loss of circulation occurs, the fluid level falls.

 As fluid level falls, hydrostatic pressure decreases.

 If hydrostatic pressure of fluid falls below formation

pressure the well may flow.
Circulating Pressure

 Circulating adds pressure to the bottom of the hole

and annulus this combined pressure is your ECD.

 If friction and hydrostatic pressure exceed formation

pressure to the extent of formation breakdown loss of
hydrostatic pressure will result as a loss of fluid.
Wellbore Obstructions

 If there is a wellbore obstruction, pressure may

become trapped below it.
 Unexpected high pressures may be trapped below
packers or downhole obstructions.
 The release of the pressure can constitute a kick.
 If pressure forces fluid from well, hydrostatic is
reduced and a kick may occur.
Rig Equipment Difficulty or Failure

 Even the best equipment eventually fails.

 Many blowouts have occurred as a result of equipment
failure.
• Improper maintenance
• Excessive wear
• Excessive pressure
• Corrosion
Cementing Operations

 Chemical changes occur during the hardening of

cement. This may lead to several well control problems
such as:
• Gas channeling through the cement.
• Reduction in HP resulting in a kick.
• Poor cement bond between casing and formation.
 Pit volume increase and cement displaced should be
monitored to ensure the displaced fluid volume is equal
to the amount of cement volume pumped.
Unusual Situations Causing Kicks

 Drilling into an Adjacent Well – many times, a kick has

penetrated from one well to another.
 Testing BOPs – too many times there is too much
attention focused on the actual testing of the well
instead of making observations for safety.
 Drill Stem Tests (DST) – a drillstem test may be
considered a temporary completion of a production
zone.
 Platform Leg – jacking up a rig or other support
mechanisms have caused blowouts.