Optimization of Drilling & Production Operations By Application of MPD Technique on Indian Offshore Basins - A Strategic Approach
Authors: Alimuddin Sultan , Kumar Neeraj , Gandhi Kanan , Satyam Swapnil 
Published: May 2016

To maximize oil and gas production profitability, it is paramount to reach the whole reservoir and extract the hydrocarbon resources efficiently. In offshore environments well prospects are sited at fracture gradients and narrow pressure gradients. Thus in this type of environment drilling hazards are aplenty and this makes wellbore completion a tough challenge. If the wellbore is not completed properly then there can be an economic as well as environmental disaster. In such situations there often exists a drilling window between fracture pressure gradient and also pore pressure through which when drilling done yields out proper results. Thus this paper overviews the possibility of applying MPD technique in Well construction and completion in offshore conditions.

The experimental as well as onsite usage of MPD technique has proved so far that this technique performs quicker and better than the conventional drilling technique which drills without any wellbore pressure management. Also the environmental hazards and risks related to conventional drilling usage in offshore hostile conditions are lowered through MPD. MPD can also reduce NPT as well as reduce drilling fluid loss which can in return lower the OPEX. MPD can also add value to production casings cementing operations in HPHT wells and also mitigate any further damage to wellbore.

Here in this paper MPD techniques and its case studies of usage on various offshore fields of India are reviewed and then the unique challenges associated with application of MPD in offshore basins of India are highlighted. Also here a proper drilling program using MPD has been proposed for various petroliferous basins of India. Albeit few offshore basins of India which have established proven reserves, many are still loosely explored and thus with the information available a new proposal using MPD has been conceived here for basins which are petroliferous for further drilling activity in the proposed basin. This in return will add knowledge to the stakeholders, government and operators for future planning and development of field. An effective comparison between conventional and MPD technique has also been highlighted in this paper for regulators of hydrocarbon industry for basic understanding of MPD.

Introduction

Managed pressure drilling

With ever increasing population and waves of development in third world countries, the hunger for energy has also increased dramatically in the past few decades. In the beginning of 20th century oil supplied only 4% of energy demands and by the first decade of 21st century it supplies almost 40% of world energy and 96% of transportation energy [1]. With such a increase in consumption rate of hydrocarbon so has the madness for recovering it which has made scientist and engineers to foray exploration and drilling activities in deep water and many other hostile environments of world. With easy prospects found post world war-2 being drilled in and consumed also, drilling in new discoveries nowadays which is mainly in harsher conditions is putting a lot of pressure on operators as drilling should be safe as well as cost-effective due to soaring high prices of crude oil. Considering all this scenarios Managed pressure drilling can be treated as an effective technology that may be cost effective by removing almost all the non productive time and also enabling drilling in prospects mainly in offshore conditions which are undrillable with conventional techniques.