Reservoir Engineering - General - Effect of Unsteady-State Aquifer Motion on the Size of an Adjac...

One phase has been completed of a laboratory invesrigation of formations with relatively high permeability under conditions of overburden, formation and mud coltrmn pressures. The following statements are based on these tests within the limitations described. Drilling rate decreased when mud column pressure was greater than formation pressure. The decrease was primarily due to a layer of cuttings and mud particles held to the hole bottom by the difference in pressure. Much of the force of the bit was wasted in this layer and was unavailable for penetrating virgin formation. Adequate jet velocities helped clean the filter cake and chips away and resulted in increased drilling rate — the higher the jet velocity the faster the drilling rate. Drilling rate increased slightly when formation pres sure was greater than mud column pressure. The i11(reuse resulted from cleaning the hole bottom as formarion fluid flowed into the borehole. Overburden pressure had practically no effect on drilling rate. INTRODUCTION Some formations are difficult to drill in a wellbore hole but are easily drilled under atmospheric conditions in the laboratory. The reasons for this apparent difference in drillability are not fully understood. An increase in formation compressive strength causes a reduction in drilling rate. It has been shown by Griggs1, Handin2 and others3-1 that formation strength increases under conditions of high hydrostatic stress. Based on these results, a decrease in drilling rate would be expected with increased drilling fluid pressure in formations of low permeability having low formation fluid pressure. Such a decrease has been shown by Murray. et a1 and Eckel" This effect holds even when using nitrogcn under high pressure as the drilling fluid (unrc-ported tests from the Hughes laboratory). Poor bottom-hole cleaning may account for decreased drilling rates. Even though it may not be easily explained, evidence of poor cleaning can easily bc seen. One evidence is the increased drilling rate that accompanies decreased balling obtained with addition of oil in some muds used to drill shales.4,7,3 Many variables can affect drilling rates. These may include mud composition and properties, formation properties, bit types and operating conditions, formation fluid, mud column and overburden pressures. These must be studied a few at a time under carefully controlled conditions which simulate actual conditions as closely as possible. The purpose of this work was to investigate effect of overburden, formation and mud column pressures on drilling rates in permeable formations. These tests were suggested by conditions shown in Fig. I. Represented is a borehole drilled into a formation with relatively high permeability. In the vicinity of the hole bottom there exists a mud column pressure, P a formation fluid pressure, P and an overburden pressure, The mud has low water-loss properties and sufficient weight to more than overbalance the formation pressure. Laboratory investigation included a range with formation pressure greater than mud column pressure. NOMENCLATURE Pm mud column pressure = pressure of drilling fluid or mud at hole bottom Pf, formation pressure = pressure of fluid in intersticies of formation