Well control is the technique used in oil and gas operations such as drilling, well workover and well completion for maintaining the hydrostatic pressure and formation pressure to prevent the influx of formation fluids into the wellbore. This technique involves the estimation of formation fluid pressures, the strength of the subsurface formations and the use of casing and mud density to offset those pressures in a predictable fashion. Understanding pressure and pressure relationships is important in well control.
The aim of oil operations is to complete all tasks in a safe and efficient manner without detrimental environmental effects. This aim can only be achieved if well control is maintained at all times. The understanding of pressure and pressure relationships are important in preventing blowouts by experienced personnel who are able to detect when the well is kicking and take proper and prompt actions.
Fluid pressure
The fluid is any substance that flows; e.g., oil, water, gas and ice are all examples of fluids. Under extreme pressure and temperature, almost anything acts as a fluid. Fluids exert pressure, and this pressure comes from the density and height of the fluid column. Oil companies typically measure density in pounds per gallon (ppg) or kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m3) and pressure measurement in pounds per square inch (psi) or bar or pascal (Pa). Pressure increases with fluid density. To find out the amount of pressure fluid of a known density exerts per unit length, the pressure gradient is used. The pressure gradient is defined as the pressure increase per unit of depth due to its density and it is usually measured in pounds per square inch per foot or bars per meter. It is expressed mathematically as;
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The conversion factor used to convert density to pressure is 0.052 in Imperial system and 0.0981 in Metric system.
Hydrostatic pressure
Hydro means water, or fluid, that exerts pressure and static means not moving or at rest. Therefore, hydrostatic pressure is the total fluid pressure created by the weight of a column of fluid, acting on any given point in a well. In oil and gas operations, it is represented mathematically as
or
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The true vertical depth is the distance that a well reaches below ground. The measured depth is the length of the well including any angled or horizontal sections. Consider two wells, X and Y. Well X has a measured depth of 9,800 ft and a true vertical depth of 9,800 ft while well Y has measured depth of 10,380 ft while its true vertical depth is 9,800 ft. To calculate the hydrostatic pressure of the bottom hole, the true vertical depth is used because gravity acts (pulls) vertically down the hole.
Formation pressure
Formation pressure is the pressure of the fluid within the pore spaces of the formation rock. This pressure can be affected by the weight of the overburden (rock layers) above the formation, which exerts pressure on both the grains and pore fluids. Grains are solid or rock material, while pores are spaces between grains. If pore fluids are free to move or escape, the grains lose some of their support and move closer together. This process is called consolidation. Depending on the magnitude of the pore pressure, it is described as normal, abnormal or subnormal.
Normal
Normal pore pressure or formation pressure is equal to the hydrostatic pressure of formation fluid extending from the surface to the surface formation being considered. In other words, if the structure was opened and allowed to fill a column whose length is equal to the depth of the formation, then the pressure at the bottom of the column is similar to the formation pressure and the pressure at the surface is equal to zero. Normal pore pressure is not constant. Its magnitude varies with the concentration of dissolved salts, type of fluid, gases present and temperature gradient.
When a normally pressured formation is raised toward the surface while prevented from losing pore fluid in the process, it changes from normal pressure (at a greater depth) to abnormal pressure (at a shallower depth). When this happens, and then one drills into the formation, mud weights of up to 20 ppg (2397 kg/m ³) may be required for control. This process accounts for many of the shallow, abnormally pressured zones in the world. In areas where faulting is present, salt layers or domes are predicted, or excessive geothermal gradients are known, drilling operations may encounter abnormal pressure.