Drilling

United States Department of the Interior

Content:
Julie McNeil

Pagemaster:
Marcia Oliver

Drilling

Drilling research projects look at a varied range of issues associated with offshore drilling operations, but the primary focus is on the research that relates directly to the regulation of drilling operations. The program seeks out research that helps MMS engineers and supervisors with their day-to-day regulatory responsibilities as well as understand the safety issues associated with deepwater operations and new drilling technology. Research topics include the performance and reliability of safety equipment; new and evolving technology and its application to offshore drilling; assessment of various operational problems; and advanced well control techniques.

Current Drilling Research Projects

Minimizing Wear in Deepwater Risers, Flex Joints and BOP This JIP examines wear in deepwater risers, flex joints, and BOPs; conduct riser-wear laboratory tests. The JIP will document riser failures and field wear; identify and analyze factors effecting riser wear; evaluate riser wear inspection tools; and evaluate wear resistance of risers.

Experimental Validation of Well Control Procedures in Deepwater This JIP will improve the knowledge in gas kick behavior along the entire well in deepwater situations. The well will simulate various drilling scenarios to define appropriate well control procedures for deepwater wells. This is a joint industry effort led by Petrobras,

Development of a Blowout Intervention Method and Dynamic Kill Simulated for Blowouts Occurring Ultra-Deepwater
This project will update and expand an early 1990's research effort, DEA 63 - Floating Vessel Blowout Control, to address the ultra deepwater in which industry is now operating. The project will:

Update deepwater blowout intervention methods and evaluate hydraulic requirements;

Investigate bridging tendencies for deepwater blowouts;

Develop dynamic kill model and investigate methods to kill deepwater blowouts;

Develop dual density blowout control methods (for wells that used conventional drilling methods); and

Develop cost estimates for ultra-deepwater blowout intervention.

The MMS is looking for industry partners to participate in this important research that is being led by Texas A&M University.

Manual for Sound Coiled-Tubing Drilling Practices. The project will prepare a state-of-the-art coiled-tubing drilling manual that includes all facets of safe, efficient CT operation. The manual will include optimum CT string specifications, stress limitations and safety factors, equipment requirements, elements of pre-job design and planning, and on-site operational guidelines.

Deepwater Geohazards Workshop run by the Energy Research Clearing House - MMS participated in and sponsored a 2-day workshop that examined the current geohazards technology and identified future challenges that industry needs to address. The workshop provided a better understanding of technologies that have a significant impact on deepwater drilling and the lessons learned with deepwater geohazards occurrences. Additional goals of the workshop were to identify and prioritize areas not currently being addressed and to formulate joint industry projects to address these areas. The workshop was held on April 3-4, 2001 at Del Lago Conference Center in Montgomery, Texas. Proceedings from the workshop may be obtained from the Energy Research Clearing House.

Recent Drilling Research Projects

Deepwater BOP Reliability Study This project by SINTEF continued MMS’s pursuit of evaluating the performance of BOP equipment. The research investigated the performance of deepwater subsea BOP systems for drilling rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico. It examined BOP test data from 83 deepwater wells drilled during 1997 and 1998 in water depths of 1,335 to 6,725 feet. It also compared BOP reliability in the Gulf of Mexico to that of other areas, such as the North Sea.

Deepwater BOP Reliability During Well Control Events This SINTEF research focuses on the performance of subsea BOP systems during well control events. This project follows up the above mentioned Deepwater BOP Reliability research effort that SINTEF completed on deepwater subsea BOP systems. It uses data from the same 83 wells but looks at the 48 kicks that occurred and examines BOP performance after each kick. The research looks at kick characteristics, kick causes, killing operations, and BOP failures.

Evaluation of the Suitability of Industry Standards as MMS Requirements The project reviewed 4 API RP’s and IADC’s Deepwater Guidelines and compared them against MMS requirements. The 4 RP’s are:

53 -- BOP Systems for Drilling Wells

16E -- Design of Control Systems for Drilling Well Control Equipment

64 -- Diverter System Equipment and Operations

16Q -- Design, Selection, Operation, and Maintenance of Marine Drilling Riser Systems

The report recommended that MMS incorporate these documents into the regulations.

MMS/DOE Deepwater Dual-Density Drilling Workshop This workshop was held on September 28, 2000, in Houston, Texas. The MMS and the Department of Energy co-sponsored a Workshop on Deepwater Dual-Density Drilling Systems. The sponsors of the 3 differing approaches to dual-density drilling discussed the highlights of their drilling systems. Following the presentations, the workshop participants discussed potential drilling and well-control problems and how the various drilling system may handle these problems. The agenda for the workshop is available.

For more information on Drilling contact: Andrew Konczvald.

Drilling Projects

008
Blowout Prevention Procedures for Deepwater Drilling

009
Ultrasonic Flowmeter Evaluation

010
Subsea Inspection

011
Portable Data Recorder for USGS inspectors

012
Technology Assessment

013
Fluidic Pulser for Mud Pulse Telemetry

014
Fluidic Sensor for Hydrocarbon & Hydrogen Sulfide Gas

016
Technology Assessment for Outer Continental Shelf, Oil and Gas Operations in the Arctic Ocean

017
Fire Suppression Technology

018
Overpressured Marine Sediments

020
Toxic Effects of Drill Mud on Coral

021
Underwater Acoustic Telemetry

022
Pattern Recognition Technology

024
Technology Assessment for Estimating Hydrocarbons Lost During a Blowout

027
Technology Assessment for Cementing Shallow Casings

028
Casing Wall Thickness Technology

032
Recapture of Oil from Blowing Wells

039
Cryogenic Control of Blowing Wells

062
Southern Bering Sea Production System Study

065
De-icing and Prevention of Ice Formation on Offshore Drilling Platforms

067
Rig Mooring Reliability

082
Numerical Wave Force Simulation

085
Subsea Collection of Blowing Oil and Gas

086
ATOS (Antiturbidity Overflow System) Experiment

105
Chukchi Sea Transportation Cost Comparison Study

108
An Investigation of the Non-Linear Behavior of Compliant Risers

126
Engine Emission Control

145
Response Prediction Techniques for Risers in Sheared Currents

150
Floating Vessel Blowout Control

151
Investigation of Simulated Oil Well Blowout Fires

195
Shallow Gas Broaching

200
Securing Procedures for Mobile Drilling Units (MODU's) in the Gulf of Mexico

216
SPAR Development Model Test Program

226
Hydrates of Hydrocarbons--Practical Implications

249
Control of Natural Gas Hydrates

252
Novel Hydrate Prediction Methods for Drilling Fluids

253
Blowout Preventer Study

255
Development Studies of Mud Converted to Cement

257
Project Cancelled

264
Development of Improved Drill String Safety Valve Design and Specifications

275
Riser Reliability Analysis

276
Mitigating the Problem of Gas Migration After Primary Cementing

287
Fate and Behavior of Deepwater Subsea Oil Well Blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico

300
Coiled-Tubing and Slim-Hole Technology, DEA-67 Phase III

311
Oil Spill Containment, Remote Sensing, and Tracking from Deep Water Blowouts: Status of Existing and Emerging Technologies

319
Reliability of Subsea Blowout Preventer Systems for Deepwater Applications--Phase II

327
Applied Gas Hydrate Research Program

339
Modernization of Tubular Collapse Performance Properties

340
Project Cancelled

341
Develop and Improved Methodology for Pre-drill Pore Pressure and Fracture Gradient Prediction

342
Project Cancelled

357
Assessment of Risks Associated with Carbon Monoxide Gas During Well Perforation

380
Evaluation of the Suitability of Industry Standards as MMS Requirements

382
Experimental Validation of Well Control Procedures in Deepwater

383
Performance of Deepwater BOP Equipment During Well Control Events

384
Deepwater Riser Wear Technology

386 Deepwater Dual-Density Drilling Workshop

408 Development of a Blowout Intervention Method and Dynamic Kill Simulated for Blowouts Occurring in Ultra-Deepwater

411 Manual for Sound Coiled-Tubing Drilling Practices

412 Underbalanced Drilling Training for MMS Drilling Engineers

426 Long Term Integrity of Deep-Water Cement Systems

490 CRA for Composite Drilling and Production Risers

492 Reliability of Subsea Systems

495
Risk Assessment and Evaluation of the Conductor Pipe Setting Depth On Shallow Water Depths

505 Step Changes in Drilling Technology 2004 Workshop

519 Drilling and Completion Gaps for High Temperature and High Pressure In Deep Water

521 Riser VIV Workshop

Last Updated: 09/10/2004, 01:17 PM