Riser gas risk mitigation with advanced flow detection and managed pressure drilling technologies in deepwater operations in Australia
Julmar Shaun Sadicon Toralde A , Chad Henry Wuest A and Robert DeGasperis AWeatherford
The APPEA Journal 54(1) 23-30 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ13007
Published: 2014
Abstract
The threat of riser gas in deepwater drilling operations is real. Studies show that gas kicks unintentionally entrained in oil-based mud in deepwater are unlikely to break out of solution until they are above the subsea blowout preventers (BOPs). The rig diverter is conventionally used to vent riser gas with minimal control and considerable risk and environmental impact involved.
Reactive riser gas systems provide a riser gas handling (RGH) joint that is composed of a retrofitted annular BOP and a flow spool with hoses installed on top of the rig marine riser. A proactive, alternative approach to riser gas handling, called riser gas risk mitigation, is proposed by using managed pressure drilling (MPD) equipment. MPD involves the use of a rotating control device (RCD) to create a closed and pressurisable drilling system where flow out of the well is diverted to an automated MPD choke manifold with a high-resolution mass flow meter that increases the sensitivity and reaction time of the system to kicks, losses and other unwanted drilling events.
Experiments and field deployments have shown that the deepwater MPD system can detect a gas influx before it dissolves in oil-based mud, allowing for management of the same using conventional well control methods. Since the MPD system has already closed the well in, automatic diversion and control of gas in the riser is also possible, if required. This paper presents experience gained from deepwater MPD operations in the Asia-Pacific to illustrate this, and possible deployment options in Australia are discussed.
Julmar Shaun Sadicon Toralde is the Secure Drilling Services (SDS) engineering and sales manager, as well as the engineering lead for Well Engineering and Project Management (WEPM) of Weatherford for Asia Pacific. He received a geothermal engineering (GE) degree from Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) in the Philippines in 1999. He then joined the academe, serving as GE department chairman of NORSU and implementing international renewable energy research projects. He joined Weatherford in 2005 as a controlled pressure drilling (CPD) engineer and served as CPD&T engineering coordinator – Indonesia from 2008–2011, providing engineering support to more than 40 projects and 100 wells in Indonesia. He spearheaded the successful delivery of the globally pioneering deepwater managed pressure drilling (MPD) / pressurized mud cap drilling (PMCD) project on a dynamically positioned drillship using a submerged rotating control device (RCD), and has been intensively involved in all the deepwater MPD projects of Weatherford in the Asia Pacific region and globally. He was engineering manager – Asia Pacific for Well Construction until 2012, managing 50 engineers in developing solutions for challenging environments (deepwater, HPHT, NMWW, severe losses, geothermal). julmarshaun.toralde@ap.weatherford.com |
Chad Henry Wuest presently holds the position of business unit manager – Asia Pacific for Secure Drilling Services (SDS) within Weatherford. He has previously held various managerial positions with Weatherford in the Asia Pacific region, the most recent of which are controlled pressure drilling & testing (CPD&T) operations manager and service delivery manager for Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD). Before joining management, he was personally involved as MPD Supervisor in numerous globally pioneering deployments of MPD / underbalanced operations (UBO) equipment, particularly with the most recent models of the rotating control device (RCD) and the downhole deployment valve (DDV), in both onshore and offshore environments. He is the author of numerous technical papers on MPD/UBO topics. He has more than 17 years of UBO/MPD experience, having been in the industry since 1997. He moved into his current role in 2011 and served concurrently as business unit manager – Malaysia for SDS until 2013. chad.wuest@ap.weatherford.com |
Robert DeGasperis is the West Coast area manager and a director of Weatherford Australia Pty Ltd. Rob started his career in the oil and gas industry with Weatherford over 14 years ago as an offshore electronics technican. He has worked extensively across Australasia on large developments projects such as North Rankin, Goodwyn and Stybarrow. He has held various Leadership and Management roles within the Asia Pacific Region with the most recent being Australasia TRS business unit manager and regional deepwater team leader. Rob has an Associate Diploma in Electronic Engineering and is the author of three SPE technical papers. Rob is a consistent high achiever and thrives on delivering results. His professionalism, leadership and people skills bring the best out of his employees, who often turn to him for advice and guidance. He moved into his current role of area manager in October 2012. robert.degasperis@ap.weatherford.com |
