Managed Pressure Drilling Influx Control via Choke Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current well drilling methods face challenges in effectively managing and controlling influxes in petroleum wells, particularly in regulating pressure and evacuating intrusions efficiently using existing automated response systems.
Innovation Solution
A managed pressure drilling system that utilizes a computing device to detect influxes, increase surface back pressure, determine intrusion volume and depth, and evacuate the influx through a controlled mud pumping and choke valve system, incorporating primary and secondary barrier equipment for efficient fluid management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If automated response systems are used to detect and control influxes, then response time is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes correlation models between surface back pressure, influx volume, and intrusion depth before influx events occur. These models are developed through historical data analysis and are ready for immediate application when influxes are detected, eliminating the need for complex real-time calculations during critical response periods
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors drilling parameters and provides real-time feedback to the control system. This feedback loop enables automated adjustment of choke valve positions and mud pump rates based on detected influx characteristics, maintaining rapid response while using established control algorithms rather than complex adaptive systems
2Productivity
If pressure is increased to control influx movement, then influx evacuation is improved, but risk of wellbore damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts multiple parameters including surface back pressure, mud pump rate, and choke valve position based on the detected influx volume and depth. By coordinating changes across these parameters rather than increasing pressure alone, the system achieves effective influx evacuation while maintaining bottom hole pressure within safe limits to prevent wellbore damage
Solution Approach 2:
The control system transitions from static pressure maintenance to dynamic pressure management. Surface back pressure is continuously adjusted in response to real-time influx detection, allowing the system to apply maximum safe pressure during evacuation while automatically reducing pressure when influxes are detected, thereby preventing both inadequate evacuation and wellbore damage
3Reliability
If secondary barrier equipment is used for influx control, then safety is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements predictive monitoring that detects influxes before they reach critical volumes or depths. By identifying influxes early through continuous parameter monitoring and correlation analysis, the system can respond with primary barrier equipment (choke valve and mud pump) before secondary barriers are needed, providing a safety cushion that prevents the need for more complex emergency equipment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively regulates pressure to control influx movement and evacuation, maintaining constant bottom hole circulating pressure and determining the maximum acceptable influx volume, allowing for efficient operation and reduced need for secondary barrier equipment.
Implementation Method 1
regulating a pressure of the mud proximate to a surface of the petroleum well with a choke valve... increasing, in response to the detecting, the pressure of the mud proximate to the surface of the petroleum well to a first level of surface back pressure by controlling the choke valve
Implementation Method 2
directing mud having a predetermined mud weight into the petroleum well with a mud pump
Data Source
AI summary
A method of controlling an influx in a petroleum well with a managed pressure drilling system can include directing mud into the well; regulating a pressure of the mud proximate to a surface of the well with a choke valve; detecting, with a computing device having one or more processors, an intrusion of the influx in the well; increasing, in response to the detecting, the pressure of the mud proximate to the surface to a first level of surface back pressure by controlling the choke valve; determining, with the computing device, a volume of the influx; ascertaining an intrusion depth substantially concurrent with the detecting; and evacuating the influx in response to a correlation between both of the first level of surface back pressure and the volume of the influx relative to the intrusion depth.