Managed Pressure Drilling

Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) technology has progressed on land drilling programs. However, it has been only relatively recently that the technology has found an important place in the minds of offshore drilling decision-makers.
With the majority of the world’s remaining prospects for oil and gas being economically un-drillable with conventional-wisdom casing set points and fluids programs, MPD is now being regarded as a technology which can render a significant increase in economic drill-ability by decreasing excessive drilling-related costs normally associated with conventional offshore drilling. Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) uses a closed and pressurised system to gain a more precise control of bottom hole pressure. This level of precision

Aims and Objectives 1.1 Project Objectives…………………………………………………...................10 1.2 Project Scope…………………………………………………..........................11 1.3 Project Methodology…………………………………………………….….…12
2. Background 2.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………..……..13 2.2 Evolution of MPD…………………………………………………..................15 2.3 What is Managed Pressure Drilling? ………………………………………….16 2.4 Formal Definition of Managed Pressure Drilling………………………..……18 2.5 Variations of MPD………………………………………………….................19 2.5.1 Constant Bottomhole Pressure MPD……………………………………..…20 2.5.2 Pressurised Mud Cap Drilling MPD……………………………………..… 26 2.6 MPD Candidates…………………………………………………....................28 2.7 MPD Equipment and Processes…………………………………………..…...30 3. Case Study 1: 3.1 Kvitebjørn: Background………………………………………………….…...34 3.2 Kvitebjørn: MPD preparation………………………………………………...36 3.3 Kvitebjørn: MPD operation…………………………………………………..37 3.4 Kvitebjørn: Conclusions……………………………………………………...38

4. Discussion 4.1 Employing MPD: Driving factors………………………………………..…….40 4.1.1 Case Study

Particularly, it aims to meet the subsequent objectives;

➢ Directly compare conventional drilling with MPD practices

➢ Present the necessary background material to permit the reader to comprehend what MPD is and how it works

➢ Recognize and differentiate between the different types of MPD

➢ Emphasize the requirement for MPD technology in the modern industry and identify areas for its application

➢ Briefly describe the equipment required for MPD operations and provide information regarding the capabilities of this equipment to date

➢ Highlight problematic well control incidents in the past and speculate that if MPD had been implemented, the accidents may not have occurred

Through the analysis of a case study, this report further aims to;

➢ Identify the key motivational factors behind an operators decision to employ MPD

➢ Analyse the main considerations and costs in an MPD operation

➢ Consider the primary advantages and disadvantages of MPD technology to date

Finally, by projecting these findings to the industry as a whole this report will;

➢ Assess the outlook of global MPD