This paper was prepared for the SPE Symposium on Mechanical Engineering Aspects of Drilling and Production to be held in Fort Worth, Tex., March 5–7, 1967. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon requested to the Editor of the appropriate journal, provided agreement to give proper credit is made.
Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers Office. Such discussions may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines.
Within the last year the oil industry has undergone a tremendous self-training program with respect to the application of engineering theories to the control of threatened blowouts. This education program has considered both highly technical and comp] i ca ted systems for use by drilling engineers and has also considered highly simplified systems for use by rig floor personnel and other non-engineer supervisory personnel. This paper restresses the need for the continuance of this educational program and points out primarily for rig and non-engineering personnel the necessity of detecting a kick as early in its life as possible. Surface indications that a kick is in progress are discussed. Kick detection instrumentation is also discussed. Examples are shown whereby early kick detection can hold pressures required to bring the well back under control within both surface and downhole pressure limits.
Within the last year the oil industry has undertaken a self-training program with respect to the application of engineering theories to help control threatened blowouts, This education program has considered both highly technical and complicated systems for use by drilling engineers and has also considered highly simplified systems for use by rig floor personnel and other non-engineer supervisory personnel.
The theories of Gulf Oil Company's Goins and O'Brien have been studied, modified, expanded, condensed, subjected to computers, and field tested and generally have become widely accepted by the industry. The whole key to the Goins-O'Brien approach is the establishment and maintenance of a constant and sufficient pressure in the annulus opposite a producing formation.
Goins and O'Brien have shown that the drill pipe-well bore combine to behave similar to a simple "U" tube (figure 1) and being such react to a downhole situation as a "U" tube would be expected to react to a similar situation. Further investigation of "U" tube theory shows that the pressure at the "top of the tubes" can be used to determine the pressure at the bottom of the "U".