Murchison Well Control Manual

Well Control is of vital importance in the drilling industry and must be well-understood by drillers, toolpushers and company representatives. This comprehensive manual covers all aspects of Well Control in many different situation and includes numerous case histories and examples.

Section 1 - Well Control

• Government Rules and Regulations
• Well Control Equipment
• Warning Signs of Kicks
• Drilling Fluids
• Introduction to Well Control Procedures
• Causes of Kicks
• Closing in a Well for Well Control Purposes
• Well Control Operations (Methods of Control)
• Rig Math for the Man on the Rig
• Unusual Well Control Operations
• Shallow Gas Kicks
• BOP Diverter and Closing System
• Equipment Limitations
• Mechanics Involved in Difficult Well Control Situations
• Abnormal Pressure and Means of Detecting
• Supervising Well Control Operations
• Well Control Drills

Section 2 - Associated Problems

• Lost Circulation
• Abnormal and Maximum Annular Surface Pressure
• Problems Associated with Well Control When Pipe is Off Bottom
• Hole in Drill Pipe or Drill Collar
• More Than One Kick
• Determining Standpipe Shut In Pressure With a Float Valve in String
• Handling of Contaminants on Surface
• Small Influx Into Well Bore and Trip Gas
• Washing Out or Plugging Within the Circulating System
• Failures of Blowout Prevention Equipment
• Mud Changes
• Fishing Inside Tubing with Hydrocarbon Zone Exposed
• Assuming a Well is Safe When a Liner Has Been Run Before Drilling Out
• Assuming the People Understand What They Are Supposed to do While Controlling a Kick is Extended Complacency
• Assuming a Kick is Salt Water and Circulating Out at Constant Pit Level
• Pulling Pipe Into Casing When a Kick is Detected
• Killing the Well With Excessive Mud Weight
• Circulating the Contaminant Out Prior to Raising Mud Weight
• Accepting Data From Others After a Well is in Trouble
• Casing Protector Rubbers Swelling Due to Gas
• Well is Shut in With a Pit Volume Gain and Annular Pressure but Zero Pressure on the Standpipe
• Re-Entering a Well Which Has Blown Out and Bridged Over
• The Exposed Formations Will Not Support Kill Mud and a Trip is Needed to Run Protective Casing
• Pressure on Annulus Between Casing Strings
• Cementing Liners
• Reverse Circulating a Kick
• Tripping While Drilling Underbalanced
• Pit Volume Gain and Zero Pressure on Standpipe and Annulus
• Pit Volume Gain and Standpipe and Annulus Pressures Equal
• Trying to Outrun a Kick Without Shutting the Well In
• Drilling With Improper Weighting Material
• Fluctuating Pump Rate While Holding Drill Pipe Pressure Constant
• Shortages of Materials
• Gas Cap Drilling
• Drilling in Sour Gas Formations
• Underground Blowouts
• Casing Failure During Production Testing
• Closing BOPs With Short Surface String
• Liner Collapse in Deep Wells
• Casing Collapse From Running Drill Stem Test
• Excessive Annulus Pressures
• Killing a Well with Drill Pipe Float in Upside Down
• Excessively Fast "Slow Circulating Rates" for Well Killing
• Blowout Case Histories Associated with Gas Cap Drilling
• Abnormal Pressure Detection

Section 3 - Charts, Tables & Figures