Pressure prediction system advances well control event detection and prevention

摘要

Recent field-testing of a pore pressure/fracture gradient margin verification system, based on managed pressure drilling (MPD) methods, is a key advance in addressing wellbore uncertainty in challenging deepwater environments. The successful tests of the pressure determination system (PDS) demonstrate the ability to detect an unsafe change in formation pressure margins while drilling in an automated fashion, Fig. 1. The capability to verify pore and fracture pressures, while drilling, can be used to alert the driller to unexpected changes in formation pressure trends that could lead eventually to a hazardous well control event. The alarm also could help ensure an optimal wellbore pressure to increase ROP and reduce the risk of NPT.