Abstract
Distributed pressure sensors along the drill string from wired drill pipe telemetry, combined with real-time analysis of the data at the rig, may give valuable information to the drilling control system and the decision makers when utilized properly. The step change in bandwidth, reliability and availability lead to better premises for developing new technology for more advanced drilling methodology.
In this paper, improved methodology for evaluation of kick in Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) is presented based on this step change in availability of downhole pressure measurements. The objective of the presented methodology is to improve well control for MPD by faster and better diagnostics of flow interaction between well and formation and thereby reducing formation damage and non-productive time.
A representative North-Sea well is used as test case geometry and an advanced well flow model is used as a virtual well in computer simulations that provide the basis for the presented results. The proposed methodology is demonstrated to estimate the depth of influx zones as well as the size and distribution of the kick. This will improve the handling of the influx incident, prevent the risk of hole stability problems and thereby reduce cost associated with non-productive time.
