Managed Pressure Drilling Operations with Surface Back-pressure

API RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 92M FIRST EDITION, SEPTEMBER 2017

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Foreword

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• the term “shall” denotes a minimum requirement in order to conform to the standard;

  
  

• the term “should” denotes a recommendation or that which is advised but not required in order to conform to the standard;

  
  

• the term “may” is used to express permission or a provision that is optional;

  
  

• the term “can” is used to express possibility or capability.

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Contents

Page

1. Scope 1

2. Terms, Definitions, and Abbreviations 1

   1. Terms and Definitions 1

   2. Abbreviations 3

3. Managed Pressure Drilling Overview 3

   1. Managed Pressure Drilling Objectives 3

   2. Available Managed Pressure Drilling Solutions 4

   3. Managed Pressure Drilling Components 5

   4. Well Barriers 5

   5. BOP Installation and Use 5

4. Planning 5

   1. General 5

   2. Technical Feasibility 6

   3. Front-end Engineering Design 7

   4. Safety Studies and Reviews 8

   5. Emergency Response Plan 8

   6. Detailed Design Engineering 8

5. Equipment 10

   1. Managed Pressure Drilling Equipment Considerations 10

   2. Rig Modifications 16

   3. Rig-up, Commissioning and Testing 19

6. Drill String 20

   1. General 20

   2. General Requirements—Drill Pipe 20

   3. General Requirements for the Bottom-hole Assembly 20

7. Drilling Fluid Considerations 21

   1. General 21

   2. Drilling Fluid Properties 21

   3. Kill Weight Fluids 21

8. Well Control and Well Integrity 22

   1. General 22

   2. Introduction 22

   3. Well Barrier Elements 22

   4. Managed Pressure Drilling Operations Matrix 24

   5. Contingency Plans 27

   6. Well Control Action Drills 28

   7. Use of Secondary Barrier Elements during Managed Pressure Drilling Operations 28

   8. Roles and Responsibilities 28

9. Managed Pressure Drilling Operational Guidelines 29

   1. General 29

   2. Training 29

   3. Drilling and Related Operations 30

   4. Wellsite Supervision 30

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Page

Bibliography 31

Figures

1—Conventional Well Barrier Element Example 23

2— MPD Well Barrier Element Example 25

Tables

1—Example Managed Pressure Drilling Operations Matrix 26

2—Well Control Incident Scenarios 27

3—Example Well Control Drills 28

Introduction

These guidelines (recommended practices) prepared by the IADC Underbalanced Operations and Managed Pressure Drilling (UBO/MPD) Committee, consisting of representatives from various IADC member companies; represent a composite of the practices employed by various operating companies, service companies and drilling contractors in managed pressure drilling operations. In some cases, a reconciled composite of the various practices employed by these companies was utilized. This publication is under the jurisdiction of the American Petroleum Institute, Drilling and Production Operations Subcommittee.

Managed pressure drilling operations are being conducted with full regard for personnel safety, public safety, and preservation of the environment in such diverse conditions as urban sites, wilderness areas, ocean platforms, deep water sites, very hot barren deserts, cold weather areas including the arctic environment and wildlife refuges. As tools and equipment continually improve and develop, the technology has been applied in many geologic formations, including oil and gas reservoirs and on sour wells, thus driving the need for globally accepted standards and safe operating best practices.

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Managed Pressure Drilling Operations with Surface Back-pressure

1. Scope

   This document provides information for planning, installation, testing and operation of wells drilled with surface back- pressure managed pressure drilling (MPD). This document applies only to drilling rigs with surface blowout preventers (BOPs).

   
   

   This document considers situations where the total drilling operation is performed balanced or overbalanced, including both hydrostatically overbalanced (no supplemental surface pressure needed to control inflow) and hydrostatically underbalanced (supplemental surface pressure needed to control inflow) systems. For underbalanced operations, refer to API 92U.

   
   

   This document does not cover MPD operations with subsea BOP stacks.

   
   

2. Terms, Definitions, and Abbreviations

2.1 Terms and Definitions

For the purposes of this recommended practice the following definitions apply.

2.1.1

common well barrier element

A barrier element that is shared between the primary and secondary barrier envelopes.

2.1.2

drilling window

Pressure difference between the higher of pore/collapse pressure and fracture/fluid losses pressure.

2.1.3

hazard identification HAZID

The process of identifying hazards in order to plan for, avoid, or mitigate their impacts.

2.1.4

hazard and operability HAZOP

A structured and systematic examination of processes (existing or planned) in order to identify and evaluate problems that may represent risks to personnel, environment or equipment, or prevent efficient operations.

2.1.5

kick

An unplanned, unexpected influx of liquid or gas from the formation into the wellbore.

2.1.6

kick tolerance

Maximum influx volume at a specific intensity that can be safely circulated out of the well without compromising the weakest point (formation, casing, surface equipment, etc.).

2.1.7

managed pressure drilling MPD

An adaptive drilling process used to precisely control the annular pressure profile throughout the wellbore.

1