Drilling the Well

Drilling the Well

This describes, without calculation of the well requirements, the drilling of a
subsea well. The specialist equipment required for drilling in an offshore
environment is described and the differences between onshore and offshore
operations emphasised.

Content
Anchored floating drilling vessels supplied a unique set of challenges to the oil and gas
industry. Drilling technology in the early 1970s was not equipped to accommodate the
constant motion of the floating drilling vessel. A system of specialty equipment had to be
designed to eliminate any wave-induced motion. One of the most important pieces of
equipment created to handle this challenge is the motion or drill string compensator.
When drilling a well, the drill bit sits on the bottom of the wellbore and gouges and
scratches away at the rock formation. The bit is connected to the drilling vessel by way
of the drillstring. If using a floating drilling vessel, the vessel will move up and down due
to wave action. This will cause the bit to bang into the bottom of the wellbore. This is
inefficient and will damage the drill bit, the drill pipe and even the vessel.
Drill bits are expensive, and as an engineer, you will want to use your drill bit for as
long as possible, as when it starts drilling inefficiently, it will have to be pulled all the way
out of the hole, change the bit and run it all back in again. This takes time, which costs
money! For example a half-day wasted will cost $75,000.00 at January 2001 rig day
rates.
Therefore, getting rid of the effects of motion is important to a drilling contractor, and
this is done by connecting a motion compensator to the drilling rigs top drive. If the
drilling vessel moves up, a piston like arrangement will stroke down to keep the drill bit
on bottom, if the vessel moves down, the motion compensator will stroke up to stop the
drill bit being gouged into the wellbore! This is one of the reasons why offshore drilling is
expensive.

Motion Compensators
The function of a drill string motion compensator is to suspend the drilling assembly so
that a constant weight is applied to the drill bit, as the floating drilling vessel moves up
and down.
The principle of operation is depicted in Figure 1. The motion compensator is shown
as a single cylinder and piston assembly supplied by hydraulic fluid from a large
pressurized accumulator. The hook is attached to the piston and the drill pipe, drill
collars and drill bit are suspended from the hook. As can be seen from the diagram, the
drilling assembly is shown resting on the bottom of the hole.

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Figure 1. A Motion Compensator

Any pressure applied under the piston will provide an upward force. This force can be
expressed by the following Equation 1:

Equation 1

Force (lbs) = Pressure (psi) x Piston Area (ins2)

Consider the following example where the total hook load is 100,000 lbs, and a pressure
of 1000 psi is applied to the compensator piston with an effective area of 80 square
inches. Using Equation 1:
Equation 1 Applied Force (lbs) = 1000 x 80 = 80,000 (lbs)
This means that the compensator is exerting 80,000 lbs upward pull which is not enough
to lift the drill bit off the bottom of the hole, because the total hook load is 100,000 lbs.
This means that 20,000 lbs is not supported by the compensator and is acting on the bit.
This example describes a static condition. If the drilling vessel moves down, and the
compensator with it, then this action would tend to increase the weight on the bit.
However the storage accumulator is providing fluid at a constant 1000 psi to the
underside of the piston, and this moves the piston upwards to support 80,000 lbs leaving
20,000 lbs on the bit once again. As the vessel moves up, so does the compensator and
effect is to lift the drilling assembly out of the hole. However the piston can only support
80,000 lbs as the fluid under the piston moves back into the storage accumulator at
1000 psi. In this manner the floating drilling vessel moves up and down, but the
compensator moves out and in ensuring that the weight on the bit is maintained at
20,000 lbs. If more or less weight is required on the bit, this is achieved by bleeding off
the air pressure, or increasing the air pressure from the air compressor/dryer assembly.
In effect the sensing device for the compensator is the drill string, resting on the
bottom of the hole. In drilling operations, the neutral point between the tensioned drill
string and the portion resting in compression on the bottom of the hole is always

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maintained within the drill collar section of the drilling assembly. This is done because
the drill collar sections and tool joints are far more rugged than drill pipe.
Figure 2. Schematic of a Single Cylinder Drillstring Motion Compensator.

Early derricks and travelling blocks were retrofitted with two cylinder motion
compensators. The design of drill string motion compensators usually employs two
hydraulic cylinders and pistons. These cylinders and pistons are integrated into a unit
that is inserted between the travelling block and hook. The designs have evolved using
pistons in compression, or tension.
Travelling block compensators are by far the most common in use on floating drilling
vessels (an example is shown in Figure 3).
Recently, with the increasing use of top-drive drilling systems, crown block motion
compensators are being used, to eliminate the number of long flexible hoses in the
derrick associated with travelling block compensators. The supply of operating fluid for
the compensator at nearly constant pressure relies on a bank of high-pressure air
storage bottles.
These air storage bottles are usually kept at operating pressure by an air
compressor/dryer.

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Drilling the Well

Figure 3. A Travelling Block Compensator.

An integrated system of guideline tensioners, riser tensioners and the drill string motion
compensator can all be fed high pressure air from a large bank of air bottles, supplied by
one air compressor.
The control panel for the drill string compensator is mounted adjacent to the drillers
console and the weight indicator. The control panel is provided with system pressure
gauges, compensator extension indicator, and control valves to raise or lower the
operating pressure. Most compensators have a locking mechanism that locks the
compensator together in its closed position, and the control panel will have the control
lever to activate the lock mechanism.
Most drill string compensators have 2025 feet of stroke capacity with a dynamic load
carrying capability ranging between 400,000 lbs and 600,000 lbs. Maximum system
operating pressures range from 2,000 psi to 3,500 psi.
Motion compensators are often used when lowering equipment to the sea floor, to
provide a soft landing. For instance, if a BOP stack or a subsea production tree is being
lowered on to a subsea wellhead, the compensator can be set to support all but 5,000 to
10,000 lbs of the total hanging load. This means that even in fairly heavy swells the BOP
stack or tree is not subjected to a fierce impact when it lands on the subsea wellhead.
Motion compensators are also used when landing casing hangers and when suspending
casing strings in subsea wellheads.
The motion compensator is probably the single most important innovation that
simplified floating drilling operations.

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Drilling the Well

Operation and Running of Subsea Wellhead Equipment

The function of the subsea wellhead is to provide a seabed location for suspending and
sealing the wellbore casing strings. Various configurations of subsea wellhead have
been used in the past, but most subsea wellheads are now based around the use of a
single 18 inch BOP stack rated at up to 15,000 psi. The wellhead must be able to
tolerate the external loading imposed by these BOP stacks and the associated drilling
riser. Drilling operations and the sequence of events that lead to the running and safe
operation of subsea wellhead equipment will now be discussed.

Wellhead Installation Procedure

Initially, the floating drilling rig is moored over the drill site and ballasted to a suitable
draught. First, a heavy steel framework is attached to the bottom end of a string of drill
pipe, and this framework is lowered to the seafloor. At this stage, the function of the
temporary guide base (TGB) is to establish guidance to the seabed.
Figure 4. A Temporary Guidebase.

The TGB, or drilling template, is shown in Figure 4. It is a heavy steel device that is often
circular in shape and has a radius of approximately six feet. In spite of its name, nothing
is really temporary about it, because once it is run down to the seafloor, it will probably
remain there during the life of the well.
It has an opening in the centre and four cables called guidelines are attached to four of
its outside corners. By running a TGB, a foundation point for the well is established, and
an anchor point for guidewires installed. In some areas of the world, and by some drilling
contractors, a TGB is often omitted from the drilling sequence.
Conventional, guidewire-assisted drilling requires that the drilling rig be positively
anchored to the seabed (in water depths of less than 2,000-3,000 feet). For deepwater
drilling, where the drilling rig is located and held on site by the dynamic positioning
system, no temporary guidebase or guidewires are needed.
The drill pipe on which the temporary guide base is lowered fits into the centre
opening with a simple-release J slot running tool. When the drill pipe lands the guide
base onto the ocean bottom, serrated legs on the bottom of the base penetrate into the
seafloor and keep it stationary. The drill pipe can be easily recovered by un-jaying the
running tool usually by slacking off the weight of the drill pipe and turning the running

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tool to the right. The drill pipe is then removed from the temporary guide base and pulled
back up to the floating rig. Its removal leaves the guide base on bottom with four
guidelines running back up to the drilling vessel.
Figure 5. Temporary Guide Base on the Seabed and Running Tool.

Drilling the 36 inch Hole

With the guide base in position on the seafloor, the next operation is the drilling of a hole
for the first string of casing, which in floating operations is commonly called the
conductor or foundation pile. Because the diameter of the casing that makes up the
conductor is usually 30 or 36 inches, a bit and hole opener are used to drill the hole
since the bit may be only 17 inches in diameter, a hole opener is made up in the drill
string above the drill bit. The hole opener enlarges the hole made by the bit to the
required diameter.
The bit and hole opener are made up on drill collars and drill pipe as usual, however a
guide frame is installed on a drill collar joint near the bottom. The guide frame has two or
sometimes four arms through which are threaded the guidelines. As the bit and drill
stem are lowered into the water, the guidelines keep the guide frame, and thus the drill
stem and bit, in line with the centre opening in the temporary guide base. This operation
is usually overseen by an remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or a camera mounted on the
TGB. This is illustrated in Figure 6.
When the bit reaches the seafloor through the opening in the temporary guide base,
circulation (usually with seawater) and rotation begin. The hole for the conductor is
drilled, with returns piling up around the TGB. As the bit drills, the guide frame comes to
rest on the guide base and remains in this position until the bit and drill string are pulled
out of the hole. When the casing depth is reached, the hole is circulated and usually
displaced with a thick gel mud. At this time, when the bit and drill string are pulled out of
the hole, the guide frame also comes to surface.

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Fig 6. Drilling the 36 inch Hole.

At this point in the drilling operation, the hole for the conductor has been drilled. Resting
on the seafloor is the temporary guide base with its four guidelines running upward to
the drilling vessel. The hole for the conductor is usually about one hundred feet deep,
but this depth can vary depending on the softness or hardness of soil near the surface of
the seafloor.

Drilling or Permanent Guide Base

The next piece of equipment to be prepared for use is known as the drilling or
permanent guide base (PGB). This is set on the spider beams or moonpool beams and
the four guide lines (from the TGB) are inserted and trapped in the guide post slots (as
illustrated in Figure 9). The 30 inch casing can then run through the centre hole of the
permanent guide base. Figure 8 shows the PGB sitting on the spider beams of a semisubmersible.

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Drilling the Well

Figure 8. Permanent Guidebase Sitting on Spider Beams of a Semi-submersible

Vessel.

Drillpipe
Runnin
g tool

Bullseye
Wellhead

PGB

Spider
beams

30 inch
conductor

The permanent guide base provides entry to the well prior to the Blow Out Preventers
(BOP) installation and, along with the four guideposts, gives guidance for running the
BOP stack or subsea christmas tree. It establishes structural support and aids in final
alignment for the wellhead system as well as providing a seat and lock down area for
the conductor housing. The PGB also has what is termed a bullseye. Shown in figures 8
and 9, they are located on the main structure, this allows an ROV to check the
orientation of the wellhead housing i.e. it behaves like a spirit level. There are usually
four located on each side of the PGB.
The first joint of 30 inch conductor run through the rotary table (called the shoe-joint)
has a non-return or float valve included which is usually welded to the bottom of the
shoe joint. This is required to allow the casing to be cemented in place. The individual
30 inch conductor joints are usually 40-50 feet long and are connected by welds or
threads. The low pressure housing attaches to the top of the conductor pipe to form the
basic foundation of the subsea well. 30 inch outside diameter (OD) pipe is normally used
for the conductor string.
After the 30 inch casing string has been made up to the low pressure housing, the
conductor is lowered through the rotary table and landed in the PGB, which has been
set on the spider, or moon pool beams below the rotary floor. A drill pipe cement stinger
is then made up and run to within a joint or two of the 30 inch shoe. This stinger ensures
a fast cement displacement. The stinger is made up to the running tool.

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Figure 9. PGB Going Through splash zone of a Drilling Vessel.

Running
Tool
Guidewires

Bullseye
Guide posts

The 30 inch conductor pipe and PGB are then picked up as one unit and run and landed
on the temporary guide base on the seabed as shown in Figure 10.

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Figure 10. PGB, Cement Stinger and 30 inch Conductor.

When the 30 inch conductor is landed, circulation is established prior to the cementing
operation. The 30 inch conductor can then be cemented and the running tool released
by right hand rotation. The running sequence for this operation is illustrated in Figure 11.

Cementing the Conductor

Once the conductor is run into the hole and the PGB is landed in the temporary guide
base, the conductor can be cemented.
Figure 11. PGB and Conductor Landed in TGB on Seabed.

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Drilling the Well

To cement the 30 inch conductor, cement is pumped down the inside of the drill pipe/
cement stinger, which is within 30 feet of the 30 inch shoe.
Because of this non return valve known as a shoe, the cement goes out the bottom of
the conductor and back up the annular space between the wall of the hole and the
outside of the casing.
This method of a cement stinger delivering cement to a specific area of the wellbore
(in this case the bottom), avoids the operators having to pump the entire volume of the
conductor string to get cement to the bottom where its needed.
Cement is pumped until it starts to spill out onto the seafloor underneath the temporary
guide base, this will be viewed by remote TV cameras monitoring operations, either
attached to the PGB or via ROV. When this is observed, pumping will be stopped, and
the drill pipe and cement stinger will be retrieved.

20 inch casing and the 18 inch High Pressure Wellhead Housing (HPH)
After the cement sets, the hole for the second string of casing can be drilled. To drill the
hole for the 20 inch casing, a bit with a diameter a few inches smaller than the inside
diameter of the conductor (approximately 26 inches) is lowered into the water to the
bottom of the previously cemented conductor. The bit is again guided by means of a
guide frame attached to a drill collar. Once the hole is drilled to the required depth, bit
and drill string are pulled, and the 20 inch casing can be run and cemented. This is
illustrated in Figure 12.
Figure 12. Drilling 26 inch Hole and Running and Cementing the 20 inch casing.

Guiding in 26
inch bit on
drillpipe.

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Running and
guiding in 20
inch casing

Cement
stinger run
and
connected to
wellhead
housing tool.

Lowering 20
inch casing
with wellhead
housing and
cement
stinger on
running tool.

11

Casing
landed and
cemented,
retrieving
running tool
and cement
stinger.

Drilling the Well

The 18 inch HPH is attached to the top of the 20 inch casing string, and this housing
lands and locks inside the LPH run earlier (with the 30 inch conductor). The high
pressure housing is a critical element in the well system, it provides pressure integrity for
the well and is used to suspend the surface casing and any further casing strings. The
BOP stack attaches to the top of the HPH using a compatible wellhead connector and
will also accept a tubing hanger and conventional tree or a horizontal tree in the event
that the well is converted to production use.
Once the HPH and BOP are installed, subsequent casing strings are landed in the
housing, cemented, and sealed off as required by the drilling programme. The central
outer section of the wellhead housing features a lockdown mechanism that is used to
secure it to the conductor housing. The wellhead housing body features an upward
facing profile and a special gasket pocket for high pressure protection when the BOP
stack is connected. The inside profile of the wellhead body forms a location from which
to suspend further casing strings and casing hanger packoff assemblies if the well is to
be produced.
After the 20 inch housing running tool is made to the HPH, the 20 inch casing string is
run on drill pipe and landed in the LPH on the seabed.
Figure 13. 20 inch Casing and HPH locked into LPH.

At this time, the external lock ring on the wellhead housing snaps into the groove
preparation in the 30 inch LPH. A pick up test can be performed to ensure that the HPH
has landed and locked in the correct position.
Once the contents of the 20 inch casing have been circulated, the casing string can be
cemented. Once cemented, the running tool is rotated to the right and retrieved.
This places the high pressure wellhead housing with its H-4 profile in position to
accommodate the next major assembly.
The next major assembly is the subsea blowout preventer stack (BOP). It is pressure
tested on the drilling rig, to ensure that it is operating properly and is then lowered down
to the permanent guide base (PGB) located on the seabed. The operation and abilities
of the BOP are covered in the topic Marine Riser BOP Systems.
A casing plan such as that shown in Figure 14 shows the depth, size and structure of
a well.

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Drilling the Well

Figure 14. Casing Plan for Gannet D Production Well.

300 ft TVSS
42 Foundation Sleeve
355 ft TVSS

30 Casing
20 Casing

800 ft TVSS
10 Casing
2090 ft
TVSS

3090 ft
TVSS
9 5/8 Casing

ca 7790 ft TVSS
ca 7990 ft TVSS

7 Liner

RESERVOIR

ca 10000 ft TVSS

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