MBDCI

High Temperatures
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Maurice Dusseault
 MBDCI

Some HT Effects in Drilling

Density of oils (OBM) is affected by
temperature and pressure

Viscosity of all liquids is greatly reduced by T

Wellbore hydraulics become challenging to
achieve hole cleaning, etc. (ECD control)
6-B Temperature and Drilling

T changes, in particular, around the hole!

These effects can be good, they can be bad

+high pressures = very narrow mud weight
windows, little room for error

Clearly, a challenging geomechanics problem!
6-B Temperature and Drilling

ICELAND
Extreme High-T Drilling: New Rock
MBDCI

Axelson et al. Iceland GeoSurvey

 MBDCI

Heating and Cooling in the Hole

T
cooling Heating occurs uphole, cooling
in tanks
downhole. The effect can be
mud up
annulus
casing large, exceptionally 30-35C in
long open-hole sections in
areas with high T gradients.
heating
geothermal shoe
temperature Heating most serious at the
open last shoe. +V increases ,
6-B Temperature and Drilling

+T hole
mud leading to yield and sloughing.
down
pipe drill
pipe
At the bit, cooling & shrinkage,
mud
both enhance stability.
temperature -T
BHA

cooling Commercial software exists to

depth bit draw these curves
 MBDCI

T Effects in the Borehole

Mud goes down the drillpipe fast: ~5 to 10
faster than it returns up the annulus

It picks up heat from rising mud in annulus

At the bit, still 10-40C cooler than rock in
HT wells with long open-hole sections
Rising uphole, the mud picks up heat from
6-B Temperature and Drilling

formation, and heats rapidly till the cross-

over point (T is as large as 25-40C)

Then, it cools all the way to the surface

It gets to the tanks hot, and loses some heat,
but usually goes back in quite warm
 MBDCI

Modeling Temperatures

Commercial software exists to

calculate temperatures at the
6-B Temperature and Drilling

borehole wall with depth during

drilling

From: Osato et al., 2003

 MBDCI

Thermal Alterations of

tangential Convective heating case

stress - r
(r) for heating

]max
T + T
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Initial h

radius
Tw
nt
l fro

borehole Kirsch elastic solution

rma

To thermoelastic heating
The
 MBDCI

Hot or Cold Mud: What Happens ?

The borehole wall rock heated: +V = (T)

Expansion attracts stress to the +T zone
around the well, is increased in +T zone

]max is increased right at the borehole wall,
and more yield and sloughing are likely
6-B Temperature and Drilling

For cooling, -V, and ]max is displaced away

from the borehole, helping stability

Cooling occurs at and above the bit

Heating occurs farther uphole
 MBDCI

Conductive & Convective T

Convective heat transfer (flow)

Conductive heat transfer (no flow)
Temperature

Tw
6-B Temperature and Drilling

To

radius
Tw
Shales: experience conductive heating only
borehole because k is so low
Sandstones: convective T during injection,
 MBDCI

Thermal Alterations of

tangential Conductive heating case

stress - r

]max
T + T
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Initial h
(r) for heating radius
Tw
Kirsch elastic solution
borehole thermoelastic heating
To thermoelastic cooling
 MBDCI

Cooling the Mud Reduces +T

Cooling mud T The mud is cooled at surface
through heat exchangers and sea
water. As much as -30C to -40C
mud up is feasible in some cases.
annulus
Now, the amount of heating at the
shoe is very small, only a few
+T
degrees.
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Also, the shale remains stronger by

virtue of the cooling.

-T There are other benefits as well

BHA
cooling
depth
 MBDCI

Convective Cooling and

tangential Convective cooling

stress - (r), no T
(Kirsch solution) case, Tw < To
]max
(r) for cooling
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Initial h
radius
Tw
ont
g fr

borehole
olin

To
Co
 MBDCI

MC and Thermal Destabilization

MC criterion for rock
shear stress
around the borehole
heating borehole initial
destabilization Y conditions
r
To
po
T + T i,j
6-B Temperature and Drilling

mud
support
normal
r + stress

Onset of rock deterioration when the stress state semicircle

touches the strength criterion (not necessarily collapse)
 MBDCI

A Quantitative Example

Change in at the wall (r = ri) is given by:
]ri ~ (TE)/(1-)
 E = Youngs modulus = 1 to 5106 psi

 = Thermal expan. coef. = 10-1510-6/C

 = Poissons ratio = 0.30 0.35

 T = Temperature change
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Reasonable values are: E = 3106 psi, =

12 10-6/C, = 0.35, T = +25C

This increases at the wall by ~1400 psi!

Not good for shale stability!
 MBDCI

Heat Also Reduces Strength a Bit

80
Deviatoric stress (MPa) Temperature = 20C
3 = 2.5 MPa
Temperature = 60C
60

40
6-B Temperature and Drilling

20

Mancos shale
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
Strain (%)

About 10% strength loss for this T, so this is a secondary effect

 MBDCI

More Temperature Effects

+T reduces strength, increases stress

+T also makes adsorbed water more mobile

Absorbed water layer thickness is reduced

Either water is expelled, or stresses must
change because the pore pressure changes
6-B Temperature and Drilling

In either case, additional V takes place, in

addition to thermoelastic effects

Furthermore, reaction rates change with T

T makes modeling much more difficult!
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Courtesy MCS webpage

Mud Cooling Heat Exchange System
MBDCI
 MBDCI

Benefits of Mud Cooling

Increases shale stability throughout hole!

Low temperature reduces the rate of negative
geochemical reactions between the mud filtrate
and the shale

Generally, mud properties are far easier to
maintain with cooler mud, lower cost
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Tanks are less hot (in some areas, mud can exit
the hole almost boiling!)

BHA is protected from high T

Use it when appropriate!
 MBDCI

Trajectory Variations Example

Erskine HPHT field

Deviated holes need
MWD, better control, the
dashed line path was S-profile trajectory 5000 m
abandoned
Reach section

Instead, reach was
established above HTHP
Top of HTHP zone
6-B Temperature and Drilling

zone, then the well turned

vertical

No MWD used, hole A vertical trajectory in
cleaning was better, lower the HTHP zone proved
to be cheaper and faster,
ECD, etc rather than steering an
inclined well trajectory

Also, low flow rates, low
surge-swab, etc
 MBDCI

Mud Stability and Safety

OBM less safe than WBM in HT conditions,
emulsions tend to become unstable at high T

WBM chemistry maintenance is a problem

This is not a geomechanics problem per se

Various formulations are available
 Chrome-free synthetic polymer WBM
6-B Temperature and Drilling

 Water-salt-polymer fluids
 Formate-based drilling fluid (reservoir entry)
 Lime-based muds with special additives
 MagmaDrill (BakerHughes) stable invert emulsion
 Other new products
 MBDCI

What About Geomechanics and

Management of High T Reservoirs?
6-B Temperature and Drilling
 MBDCI

Hot Reservoir Management

Properties of hot rocks will be somewhat
different than rocks at room temperature
 Likely, grain fracture is easier (also large )

Hot fluid production can heat shales up-hole
 Behind casing, shales shrink from thermal
consolidation because of loss of adsorbed water
6-B Temperature and Drilling

 Microannular space develops, seal impaired

Cool water flooding = massive shrinkage

 Hydraulic fracturing of injection well (good)
 Casing shear and fault reactivation (bad)
 MBDCI

Stress Trajectories, Cooling

soft region,
6-B Temperature and Drilling

reduced v, h

Contraction of the cooled zone makes it act as a soft inclusion:

stresses (v and h) are shed to surrounding stiffer zones
 MBDCI

Reduced h From Cooling

h stress trajectories wellbore h concentration

far-field stresses
6-B Temperature and Drilling

h along
final
h
Zone after cool H2O injected
wellbore

Operational issues from cooling:

initial -lowered pfrac in reservoir
h
Z -higher pfrac above reservoir
-shear stress concentration at interface
 MBDCI

Loss of Casing-Rock Seal from T

Shales undergo a T
Shale Microannular
process called thermal space
develops,
consolidation when T gas leakage
path
goes above 100C develops

geothermal
V ne
V temperature
to
ds
6-B Temperature and Drilling

san Dehydration Thin gas sand under pressure

thermal
consolidation casing
s e
pon
le res shoe
sh a
110-130C
T depth
Hot reservoir 140C
 MBDCI

Massive Water Re-injection

Water is generally injected cool

T between target stratum and H2O leads to
huge thermoelastic stress changes

Can be beneficial or detrimental, depending
on various factors (e.g. IOR or disposal?)
6-B Temperature and Drilling

A subtle interplay exists:

 Conductive versus convective heat transfer
 Permeability of strata involved is important

 In situ stresses in all strata are important

 MBDCI

Cooling Reduces hmin

stress
Contraction of the thermal zone makes it act
as a soft inclusion, thus stresses (v and Augmented
h) are shed to surrounding stiffer zones h

cooled region, Reduced

6-B Temperature and Drilling

Injected reduced v, h h
fluid front

depth

If the lateral stress drops below the pressure, fracturing occurs!

 MBDCI

Cooling-Induced Fractures
Water
To displacement
To front
T
T

HMAX T front
6-B Temperature and Drilling

hmin

This is good news if it is a water disposal well in a tight

formation! The disposal well gets better and better.
 MBDCI

Benefits to Water Re-Injection

Cold water injection is common

Thermoelastic shrinkage develops (TV)

Stresses near the injector are reduced:
 Fracture aperture increases, keff goes up
 Intact rock k remains about the same
6-B Temperature and Drilling

 3 drops, and pinj may become > 3

Lower pinj needed to achieve Qinj

Less pump power needed to achieve Qinj

Injection wells perform better!
 MBDCI

Cooling Breaks Through Shale

To stress
Fracture breakthrough

po
thief zone, high k
thin shale k~0

Cool water pinj v

generated
3]init
fracture plane sandstone,
6-B Temperature and Drilling

high k

low k shale
net
Tinj frac
pres
3]final
T distribution near well
depth
Bad news: waterflood seal impaired as massive T leads
to shale V, drop in h, upward fracturing, loss of seal
 MBDCI

T & p in Shales, Sandstones

Shales have low k: heat flow is conductive

only (= (, T)), p/t is very slow

This means that with time, gradients (T/l,
p/l) in shale become flatter

In sandstones, heat is carried with the fluid
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Sandstones: always sharp T fronts, but p

fronts more diffuse (high T/l, low p/l)

Steeper gradients lead to sharper stress
contrasts, higher shear stresses

This can lead to casing shear
 MBDCI

T Gradients
Hot fluid injection
A
d conductive heat flow
low k shale convective heat flow
A

high k
T
6-B Temperature and Drilling

B sandstone
shale
T T
B T
d

Sharp T gradients = shear stress concentration at interface

 MBDCI

Geothermal Fracturing

Hot fluids out Cold water in

Cross-section Large propped fracture

Massive cooling by conduction

6-B Temperature and Drilling

Daughter fractures
propagate at 90 to the
mother fracture, heat
exchange becomes better.

Massive thermal effects in geothermal exploitation!

 MBDCI

Fractures Rise Out of Zone

stress
injection
borehole

hmin
thief zone
6-B Temperature and Drilling

reservoir
depth
 MBDCI

Controlling Fracture Rise

Sometimes, it is feasible to alter the stress
fields thermally to affect fracturing

Consider a 3-4 m shale overlying sand

Vertical fractures break out of zone

To suppress this:
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Inject cold water for an appropriate period

Drop in hmin in the sand takes place, and an
increase in the hmin in the shale occurs

Now, fractures will tend to stay in the sand
 MBDCI

Pre-Cooling Restricts Rise

injection stress
borehole

hmin
thief zone
6-B Temperature and Drilling

reservoir
depth
 MBDCI

Parameters for T Analysis

Specific heat of minerals, cm (convection)

Bulk specific heat of rock, cb (conduction)

Thermal conductivity, ij (conduction)

Hydraulic conductivity, kij (convection)
Thermal expansion coefficient (ij)
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Rates of injection, Qinj

In situ stresses, ij, for all involved strata

Stratigraphy, porosity, etc. ...
 MBDCI

Thermal Conductivity ()

Thermal conductivity () of porous
materials depends on composition, the
geometric microstructure, and interphase
relationships (ie. air, water, solid, oil)
T
q x = - A
x
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Heat transfer is conductive convective

Thermally coupled geomechanical
simulation is needed for many cases
 Literature Values of Thermal MBDCI

Conductivity ()

Lithology Thermal Conductivity (Wm-1K-1)

Claystone and siltstone 0.80 - 1.25
Shale 1.05 - 1.45
Sand 1.70 - 2.50
Sandstone 2.50 - 4.20
Quartzite 4.20 - 6.30
Lithic Sand 1.25 - 2.10
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Greywacke 2.70 - 3.35

Limestone 2.50 - 3.10
Dolomite 3.75 - 6.30
Salt 4.80 - 6.05
Anhydrite 4.90 - 5.80
Coal < 0.5
Water 0.59
 MBDCI

Thermal Cooling Effect on SRT*

pressure *Step-Rate Test

before injection
pfrac
after injection
pfrac
6-B Temperature and Drilling

-lowered pfrac near wellbore

-higher pfrac far from wellbore

rate
 MBDCI

Cooling-Induced Shearing

adjacent wells
region of high shear

overburden

warm HMAX < v

reservoir -T

6-B Temperature and Drilling

+ve -T T in the reservoir

-ve
max shear
 MBDCI

High T Geomechanics

Stress changes can be huge in cooling hot
cases, or in heating cool cases

Shear of casing if T contrast is sharp & large

Deterioration of shales if heated a lot

Loss of seal if too much cooling happens
6-B Temperature and Drilling

Improved well behavior (cold H2O injection)

Better thermal energy extraction (geothermal)

And some other effects as well on step-rate
tests, fracture behavior