Abstract
Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) is becoming a common practice in the drilling industry and is getting more utilized and accessible to even the smallest operators. Albeit, we often see a need for a more fundamental understanding of MPD, where it should be used, what its limitations are, and especially the differences between MPD, Underbalanced Drilling (or UBD), and Well Control operations. This paper focuses on understanding the impact of MPD on the Primary Well Barrier Envelope, how MPD equipment selection and drilling parameters impact the Primary Well Barrier Envelope and other considerations that need to be understood. The authors will summarize guidance from the industry, including IADC UBO / MPD Committee. The authors will also share why as a company, they developed hard rules that they internally call the Pressure Operations Directive (POD), which they use to ensure the integrity of the Primary Well Barrier Envelope when using MPD.
