SPE/IADC 67708

Deepwater Drilling with Lightweight Fluids - Essential Equipment Required

D.M. Hannegan, SPE, Weatherford; A.T. Bourgoyne, Jr., SPE, Petroleum Services International

Copyright 2001, SPE/IADC Drilling Conference

operations. New equipment has been developed that will allow
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE/IADC Drilling Conference held in gas to be injected in the drill string to reduce the effective
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 27 February–1 March 2001.
drilling fluid density while drilling and to safely take returns
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE/IADC Program Committee following
review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the
through the marine riser in a slightly pressurized condition.
paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers or the Field trials of this equipment are to be conducted on a semi-
International Association of Drilling Contractors and are subject to correction by the author(s).
The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the SPE or IADC, their submersible rig offshore Brazil.
officers, or members. Papers presented at the SPE/IADC meetings are subject to publication The term “lightweight fluids” is sometimes used to
review by Editorial Committees of the SPE and IADC. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or
storage of any part of this paper for commercial purposes without the written consent of the describe drilling fluid and gas mixtures that produce an
Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to
an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must effective fluid gradient less than an unweighted mud. The use
contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented. Write of underbalanced drilling techniques to produce a lightweight
Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435.
fluid is often desirable when drilling partially-depleted
formations. When lightweight drilling fluids are used for
Abstract underbalanced drilling operations, significant amounts of
New equipment described in this paper has been formations fluids, including oil and gas, can be produced
developed for employing underbalanced drilling techniques on while drilling. Some means of pressure containment while
a floating drilling rig. Field trials of this equipment are being drilling is required at the surface for the annulus. In addition,
conducted on a semi-submersible vessel in the Albacora Field efficient separation of the produced fluids, the drilling fluid,
of the Campos Basin located offshore Brazil. The test is being and the gaseous phase returning from the well is required. This
conducted in a partially depleted formation with a pore is more challenging on a floating vessel because of the
pressure equivalent to approximately 7 lb/gal. The formation reduced space and load capacity that is generally available.
will be drilled slightly overbalanced during the test.
Offshore Drilling with Lightweight Fluids Joint Industry
Introduction Project. During 1997 and 1998 PetroBras formed a Joint
Recent emphasis on underbalanced drilling techniques for Industry Project (JIP) with several other operating and service
reducing drilling costs and improving formation productivity companies. The objective of this Offshore Drilling with
has led to major improvements in rotating control heads and Lightweight Fluids JIP is to adapt lightweight drilling fluid
other equipment needed to employ this technology. The equipment and techniques for use in deepwater floating
rotating seal permits drilling ahead with some surface annular drilling applications.
pressure. The range of field conditions for which The JIP has conducted several studies on critical aspects of
underbalanced drilling technology can be applied has widened implementing lightweight drilling fluid techniques in
rapidly as the working pressure ratings of the rotating seals deepwater applications. These first phase studies focused on
have increased. Also, operators have learned that significant selecting and/or developing predictive models for use in
cost savings can often be achieved even in areas where designing and planning operations which use lightweight
underbalanced drilling is not practical, by using underbalanced drilling fluids. The studies investigated drilling hydraulics,
drilling equipment to safely drill with a reduced amount of cuttings transport, formation damage, well control, and
pressure overbalance. Approximately one third of the land wellbore stability.
rigs working in the U.S. and Canada today use a rotating After completing these studies, the JIP began selecting,
control head at some point in the drilling program. The use of adapting, and developing the essential equipment and
this equipment in marine environments is also growing. The procedures required for using lightweight drilling fluids on a
authors are aware of over 80 wells in marine environments semi-submersible drilling rig. These second phase projects
that have made use of this technology. In the southern North include:
Sea, rotating control heads have been used on over 20 wells • design, construction, and laboratory testing of a
drilled from jackups. prototype helical multi-phase separator;
Described in this paper are current efforts to extend this
• design and construction of a large bore external riser
technology to deeper water depths and floating drilling
rotating control head; and
2 HANNEGAN AND BOURGOYNE SPE/IADC 67708

• evaluation of the impact of utilizing a lightweight presence of partially depleted producing zones that may
drilling fluid system on floating drilling rig. benefit from the application of underbalanced drilling
As of the writing of this paper, PetroBras is planning to techniques and moderate water depth make the Albacora field
conduct the first deepwater field trials of the equipment and a good environment for developing lightweight drilling fluid
procedures developed by the JIP on a well in 1500 feet of equipment and procedures.
water Because no provisions have been made in the prototype
system to handle produced fluids, the first Albacora trial well
Attraction of Deepwater Drilling with Lightweight will not be drilled underbalanced. If a kick is detected while
Fluids drilling with the nitrified mud system, drilling operations will
Underbalanced drilling can significantly improve the cease and the formation fluid will be handled in the same
economics of reservoir development by reducing drilling cost manner as with conventional well control methods.
and/or by increasing well productivity. Possible applications The Albacora well (Figure 2) is planned as a directional
for underbalanced drilling techniques in deepwater well that could be completed without the benefit of continuous
environments include: real-time directional data, but testing of an electromagnetic
• drilling into partially depleted reservoirs; measurement-while-drilling system is planned.
• reducing/eliminating drilling fluid losses while
drilling through thief zones; Essential Equipment Required for Deepwater Drilling
• production while drilling; with Lightweight Fluids
• increasing penetration rate and bit life; Specialized equipment has been selected and, where required,
• drilling horizontal wells in fractured carbonate adapted or constructed for the Campos Basin field trials. Most
formations of low matrix permeability; and of this equipment has either been installed on the rig or is
• reducing damage to sensitive producing formations. staged at the Macae’ shore base on the coast of Brazil.

Nitrogen Membrane Unit. A nitrogen generation system

Limitations of Deepwater Drilling with Lightweight
capable of delivering 1500 SCF/min of 4000 psi nitrogen will
Fluids
be used to provide the gas phase during the lightweight
Most conventional drilling risers are not designed to contain a
drilling fluid field trials on Petrobras-17.
gas phase and to withstand internal pressure on a continuous
The nitrogen will be injected into the standpipe manifold at
basis. The pressure containment capability of risers is
approximately 3000 psi. The gas injection rate will be varied
normally limited to that which is required to withstand the
as required to maintain the bottom hole pressure between 7.5
hydrostatic pressure differential between the drilling mud and
and 7.2-lb/gal equivalent circulating density with a 9-lb/gal
the surrounding seawater. Normally an additional margin of
water-base mud.
pressure containment capability is added in case the riser must
be put on a diverter. Rig diverters are sized to minimize the
Logging While Drilling. Because nitrified mud will be
back-pressure applied to the riser, so this safety margin is
circulated down the drillpipe, conventional pressure pulse
normally limited to about 500 psi.
MWD tools cannot be used to transmit directional, logging,
The design limitation of conventional drilling risers could
and pressure data. Since real time bottom hole pressure and
prove to be a significant challenge in the application of
directional data are often critical when drilling underbalanced,
lightweight drilling fluids to deepwater environments. Also,
PetroBras plans to test an electromagnetic logging-while-
underbalanced drilling cannot be applied in areas where
drilling tool. The system uses a measurement package that is
formations are highly permeable and are not competent
installed near the bit when the bottom hole assembly is
enough to withstand the level of underbalance that will be
picked-up. The remainder of the bottom hole assembly is then
applied. For example, many wells offshore of the southern
run along with a pre-determined length of drillpipe. A data
United States in the deepwaters of the Gulf of Mexico would
transmission cable is run inside the drillpipe, and a wet
not be favorable for underbalanced drilling. These types of
producing formations are highly permeable and could produce connection is made to the measurement package. The data
cable is connected to an electromagnetic repeater-sub that is
at a rate higher than the design limit of the fluid handling
installed in the drillstring. Data is transmitted from the
system. The use of lightweight fluids in these areas would be
measurement package through wire to the repeater-sub. The
limited to reduced overbalanced rather true underbalanced
data is then converted to an electromagnetic signal and
applications.
transmitted to an antenna installed at the sea floor.
Campos Basin Field Trials
External Riser Rotating Control Head. A conventional
Water depths in the Albacora Field (Figure 1) of the Campos
large bore Rotating Control Head (RCH) system has been
Basin range from 800 to 2800 feet, and some fields in the
adapted for use as an External Riser Rotating Control Head
Campos basin are located in waters as deep as 6700 feet. The
(ER-RCH, see Figure 3). All of the ER-RCH major system
Albacora Field was chosen for the first field trials because it is
a mature field that has been produced for quite some time. The components are “off-the-shelf” RCH head technologies that
have proven reliable in a wide range of land and offshore
SPE/IADC 67708 DEEPWATER DRILLING WITH LIGHTWEIGHT FLUIDS - ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT REQUIRED 3

drilling applications. the simplest means of reducing the impact of relative riser
Because all of the ER-RCH components are designed for motion. The dual sealing elements help to align the drillpipe
conventional underbalanced drilling applications, they are within the bearing assembly and thereby can increase seal
capable of withstanding significant working pressures. (For reliability and life.
example, the bearing/seal assembly is rated for a 5000 psi
static working pressure). As a practical matter, however, most ER-RCH System Hoses. Because the semi-submersible rig
drilling marine risers are designed to contain no more than 500 moves relative to the riser when drilling operations are
psi. For this reason, the ER-RCH has a rated working pressure conducted, all hoses connecting to the ER-RCH must be
of 500 psi. draped in the same fashion as the choke and kill line jumpers
Bowl Assembly. The bowl assembly constructed for the (Figures 4 and 5). Because these lines must be draped, hose
prototype ER-RCH will be mounted on the inner barrel of the cleaning may be necessary. For this reason, two independent
drilling riser slip-joint. Before the nitrified mud system is discharge systems have been incorporated into the ER-RCH
used, the slip-joint will be locked-down, and the slip-joint along with a third independent overpressure relief system.
seals will be fully energized.
The bowl has a 19.875-inch internal diameter (ID) and can Discharge Hose Sizing. Much like many onshore wells
accommodate any tools which may be run through a 21-inch that are drilled using underblanced drilling techniques, only
(19.5-inch ID) marine riser. A remotely operated hydraulic the final portion of the Albacora trial well will be drilled with
clamp will be used to attach a removable bearing/seal a lightweight drilling fluid. Because the final portion of the
assembly to the bowl when a back-pressure may be required trial well is an 8.5-inch hole section, discharge hose size is not
on the annulus. The ER-RCH bowl clamp has also been a critical factor. For the trial well, as in many onshore
designed to latch to an adapter attached to the rig diverter underbalanced wells, 4-inch discharge hoses are all that is
when the slip-joint is unlocked and extended. In this required to minimize pressure losses and maintain reasonable
configuration, the bowl will be a passive component of the mixture velocities to reduce the risk of plugging.
rig’s conventional slip-joint/diverter package.
Over-Pressure Relief. The marine drilling riser is the weak
Bearing/Seal Assembly. The ER-RCH bearing/seal link in the fluid circulation system. Most drilling risers are
assembly is a standard 7.0625-inch RCH bearing/seal rated for a maximum pressure of 500 psi. Because this
assembly that is used in RCH systems designed for high maximum pressure rating can be exceeded through human
pressure underbalanced drilling applications. The bearing/seal error or equipment failure, provisions for installing a rupture
assembly has two redundant stretch fit sealing elements and is disk plate upstream of all discharge valves and hoses have
designed for use with 5-inch drillpipe. By minimizing the been made (see Figure 5).
internal diameter of the bearing/seal assembly, drillpipe seal In the event that the riser surface pressure exceeds the
life and reliability are maximized. If a larger bearing assembly rupture disk rating, the ER-RCH over-pressure relief system is
ID is required for a future deepwater application, other “off- designed to vent the riser to the rig diverter lines through
the-shelf” large ID bearing/seal assemblies could be dedicated 4-inch over-pressure relief hose. The vent system
substituted for the one used in the ER-RCH prototype. allows the rig crew to safely shut-in the sub-sea blowout
Whenever large diameter drillstring tools are tripped preventer stack if the riser begins venting through the over-
through the ER-RCH bowl, the bearing/seal assembly will pressure relief system. Special well control training has been
have to be released and pulled to the rig floor. This limitation conducted for handling this potential problem.
is not a problem during land based underbalanced drilling
operations using this same type of RCH system. It should not Diverting Capacity. When the ER-RCH is in place as an
be a problem on a deepwater floater either since the sub-sea active part of the nitrified mud circulating system, the
BOP stack can be closed before the top of the bottom hole conventional rig diverter is out of service. In the very unlikely
assembly reaches the ER-RCH. event of a sub-sea blowout preventer stack failure, the ER-
Because of the stretch fit nature of the sealing elements, no RCH may have to temporarily function in the same capacity as
external seal activation system is required. The internal a diverter. Two-phase flow modeling (Figures 6 and 7) has
annular pressure contained by the ER-RCH acting on the been done to estimate the diverting capacity of the ER-RCH if
sealing elements provides sufficient closing forces to insure all three discharge lines were available to vent the riser in an
seal activation. RCH bearing life will be extended by emergency situation.
circulating a chilled fluid through the bearing assembly by
means of a chiller unit and by flushing a small amount of oil Multiphase Separator. Petrobras has designed and
(about 2-3 drops per minute) through the bearings. constructed a prototype offshore helical separator (Figure 8).
The motion of the marine riser relative to the rotary/top The prototype along with the control and monitoring packages
drive on a semi-submersible could effect ER-RCH seal life will be tested during the field trials on PetroBras-17. The
and reliability. Field experience with a wide range of rotating design concept is proprietary to PetroBras and was developed
control heads on drilling barges in Lake Maracardo Venezuela to reduce the footprint and weight requirements of 4-phase
indicates that the dual seal RCH bearing assembly could be drilling fluid separation. Several prototypes of this type of
4 HANNEGAN AND BOURGOYNE SPE/IADC 67708

separator have been constructed and tested both at laboratory Rouge, March 24-25.
facilities and in the field on land applications. Nakagawa, E.Y., Santos, H. and Cunha, J.C.:” Application of
The offshore prototype is 29 feet tall and 2 feet in Aerated-Fluid Drilling in Deepwater,” paper SPE/IADC 52787,
diameter. The separator will be capable of processing 480 1999 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference, Amsterdam, March 9-11.
Hannegan, D.M., Bourgoyne, A.T., Jr., and Bourgoyne, D.A.:
gal/min of fluids and 15,000 SCF/min of gas. Lightweight “RiserCap™ and Virtual Riser™ Concepts,” presented at the
drilling fluids hydraulic modeling results (see Figure 9) 1999 LSU/MMS/IADC Well Control Workshop,” Baton Rouge,
indicate that the separator capacity will be more than adequate March 24-25.
for the 8.50 inch hole section planned for the test well. Lopes, C.A. and A.T. Bourgoyne, Jr.:”Feasibility Study of a Dual
Density Mud System for Deepwater Drilling Operations,” OTC
Future Applications 8465, (May 1997) .
The technologies being developed to adapt lightweight drilling
fluids techniques to the deepwater environment could have
applications beyond that of enabling underblanced drilling in
the deepwater fields of offshore Brazil. For instance, dual
gradient drilling system development efforts are on going
industry wide, and some of these concepts utilize two-phase
mud systems.

Internal Riser Rotating Control Head. An alternative to the

ER-RCH could be the internal riser rotating control head (IR-
RCH). The IR-RCH is another RCH technology currently
under development for a joint industry project developing a
dual gradient drilling system. It is envisioned that the IR-RCH
could be used in place of the ER-RCH if a large diameter
blowout preventer and side outlet spool were installed below
the slip-joint. The slip-joint and diverter would be configured
as in a conventional setup. When a rotating seal is required for
the riser annulus, the IR-RCH could be run on drillpipe and
installed in the blowout preventer below the slip-joint. This
configuration would be very similar to the shoot-nipple
concept used today on surface stacks for low pressure logging
applications.
It is also possible that for small diameter hole-sections the
IR-RCH could be installed in the sub-sea blowout preventer
stack. Two-phase drilling returns could then be taken to the rig
through the choke and/or kill lines. This concept would be
practical for low circulation rates and mud weights below 12
lb/gal. It would be necessary to avoid high mixture velocities
so that the frictional pressure losses would not exceed the
hydrostatic pressure reduction created by increasing the gas
fraction of the mixture stream.

Summary
Field testing of a system for drilling with a nitrified fluid from
a semi-submersible in approximately 1500 feet of water is
planned for mid to late December of this year. Specialized
equipment has been designed, constructed, and tested
specifically for the project. It is expected that the knowledge
gained from the testing could lead to the implementation of an
underbalanced drilling program in the Campos Basin of
offshore Brazil.

REFERENCES

Nakagawa, E.Y. and Shayegi, S.: “Implementing the Lightweight

Fluids Drilling Technology in Deepwater Scenarios,” presented
at the 1999 LSU/MMS/IADC Well Control Workshop,” Baton
SPE/IADC 67708 DEEPWATER DRILLING WITH LIGHTWEIGHT FLUIDS - ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT REQUIRED 5

Figure 1. Campos Basin, Offshore Brazil. After Nakagawa and

Shayegi. Figure 2. Albacora Field Trial Well. After Nakagawa and Shayegi.

Figure 4. External Riser Rotating Control Head Installation. Front

View

Figure 3. External Riser Rotating Control Head (ER-RCH). Courtesy

Weatherhford-Williams Tool Company.
6 HANNEGAN AND BOURGOYNE SPE/IADC 67708

Figure 5. External Riser Rotating Control Head Installation. Side-

Angled View Figure 6. ER-RCH Diverting Capacity with three 4-inch discharge
hoses and a maximum surface pressure of 500 psi in the riser.

Figure 7. Estimated Pressure Drop at 13,500 bbl/day of Mud and of

73 MMSCF/day Gas for ER-RCH diverting through three lines
Figure 8. Prototype Helical Separator. After Nakagawa and
Shayegi.

6.5
Annular Velocity = 180 ft/min
6.0 Annular
M Velocity
inimum A nnular = 150 ft/min
qqddhp
h m == 120
1 2 0 gpm
gpm

5.5 qqddhp
h m == 80
8 0 gpm
gpm

Desired ECD
5.0
ECD (lbm/gal)

4.5 120 gpm

4.0 90 gpm
Reservoir Pressure
3.5
75 gpm

3.0 60 gpm

2.5
300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200

Gas Injection Flow Rate (scfm)

Figure 9. Integrated Lightweight Drilling Fluids Hydraulics. After

Nakagawa and Shayegi.