Oil Well Kick Handling Methods


1) What should the driller do at a drilling break?

a) Circulate bottoms up.
b) Flow check.
c) Reduce weight on bit.
d) Increase pump speed.

Answer: b


2) A kicking well has been shut in. The drill pipe pressure is ‘0’ because there is a non-return valve (float) in the string. To establish the SIDPP, what action should be taken?

a) Shearing the pipe and reading the SIDPP directly off the casing gauge
b) Pump at kill rate into the drill string with the well shut in. When casing pressure starts to rise, read the pump pressure. This is the SIDPP.
c) Pump very slowly into the drill pipe with the well shut in. When the pumping pressure stabilizes, the float has opened. This pumping pressure is the SIDPP.
d) Bring the pump up to the kill rate holding the casing pressure constant by opening the choke. The pressure shown when the pump is at kill rate is the SIDPP.

Answer: b


3) After circulating out a kick using the driller’s method (no weight up), are the SICP and SIDPP about the same?

Answer: Yes


4) A gas kick is being circulated up the well. What is the surface pit volume most likely to do?

a) Increase
b) Stay the same
c) Decrease

Answer: a


5) On a surface stack, what would happen if when bringing the pumps up to kill speed, the casing pressure was allowed to fall below shut in casing pressure?

a) Formation would most probably break down.
b) More influx would be let into the well bore.
c) It would have no effect on anything.

Answer: b


6) For each of the following statements, note whether it relates to the Drillers Method or the Wait and Weight Method.

a) Minimize pressures generated in the annulus due to gas expansion.
b) Remove influx from well before pumping kill mud.
c) Pump kill mud while circulating influx up the annulus.
d) Maintain Drill Pipe pressure constant for 1st circulation.

Answer: 

a.  W&W
b.  Driller
c.  W&W
d.  Driller


7) Which one of the following actions taken while stripping into the hole will help to maintain an acceptable bottom hole pressure?

a) Pumping a volume of mud into the well, equal to the drill pipe closed end displacement at regular intervals.
b) Bleeding off the drill pipe steel displacement at regular intervals.
c) Pumping a volume of mud into the well, equal to the drill pipe steel displacement, at regular intervals
d) Bleeding off the drill pipe closed end displacement at regular intervals

Answer: d


8) Which of the following statements is true?

a) There is no difference between using the Drillers method and the Wait and Weight method.
b) If the kill mud is being circulated up the annulus before the kick has reached the shoe then Wait and Weight method will reduce the risk of breaking down the formation compared to using the Drillers method.
c) The Wait and Weight method should always be used because the pressure against the open hole will always be lower when using the Drillers method.

Answer: b


9) Mud weight increase required to kill a kick should be based upon :

a) shut in drill pipe pressure.
b) shut in casing pressure.
c) original mud weight plus slow circulation rate pressure losses.
d) shut in casing pressure minus shut in drill pipe pressure.

Answer: a


10) How is the Initial Circulating Pressure found on a land rig or a jack-up, when the slow pump rate circulating pressure is not known but a kick has been taken?

a) Circulate at desired strokes per minute to circulate out the kick, but hold 200 psi back pressure on drill pipe side with choke.
b) Add 400 psi to casing pressure and bring pump up to kill rate while using the choke to keep the casing pressure +400 constant.
c) Bring pump strokes up to kill rate while keeping casing pressure constant by manipulating the choke, observed pump pressure is ICP.
d) Add 1000 psi to shut in drill pipe pressure and circulate out the kick.

Answer: c


11) Having completed the first circulation of the Driller’s Method, the well is shut in. Should casing pressure be:

a) Less than Shut in Drill Pipe Pressure.
b) Equal to Shut in Drill Pipe Pressure.
c) Greater than Shut in Drill Pipe Pressure.

Answer: b


12) On the second circulation of the Driller’s method, if the casing pressure was held constant until the kill mud reached Surface, what would happen to the bottom hole pressure?

a) Increase.
b) Decrease.
c) Stay the same.

Answer: a


13) Using Wait and Weight method, if the drill pipe pressure drops below the line of the graph as the kill mud goes down, what happens to the bottom hole pressure?

a) Increases.
b) Decreases.
c) Stays the same.

Answer: b


14) You have taken a kick with a non-return valve (float) in the drill string. After shutting the well in properly, it is best to :

a) Use the annulus pressure to calculate the kill weight mud.
b) Start raising the mud weight 1 ppg per circulation until the well is dead.
c) Use either the rig pump or cementing unit pump to increase pressure in 100 psi increments until a change is seen on casing gauge.
d) Pump slowly into the drill pipe. When the pump pressure stabilizes, the float is open. The pumping pressure is the SIDPP used to calculate kill mud

Answer: d


15) A well is being killed using the Driller’s Method.
Original shut-in drill pipe pressure = 500 psi
Original shut-in casing pressure = 900 psi
After the first circulation, the well is shut in and pressures allowed to stabilize. They then read :
Shut-in drill pipe pressure = 500 psi
Shut-in casing pressure = 650 psi
It is decided not to spend any more time cleaning the hole Which one of the following actions should be taken:

a) Prepare to use the Wait and Weight method.
b) Bull-head the annulus until shut-in casing pressure is reduced to 500 psi.
c) Reverse circulate until shut-in casing pressure is reduced to 500 psi.
d) Continue with second circulation of Drillers Method (holding casing pressure constant until mud reaches the bit)

Answer: a


16) If the slow pump circulating pressure was not known, and a kick has been taken with the well closed in, how would you find the ICP?
a) Bring pump up to the desired rate, while holding the casing pressure 150 psi above the original SICP.
b) Bring pump up to desired rate, but hold 200 psi back pressure on the drill pipe.
c) Bring pump up to the desired rate holding casing pressure constant by manipulating the hydraulic choke.
d) Circulate at desired kill rate but hold casing pressure 100 psi below MAASP.

Answer: c


17) The correct gauge to use for calculating the kill weight mud is :
a) the gauge on the choke and kill manifold.
b) the drill pipe pressure gauge on the drillers console.
c) the casing gauge on the drillers console.
d) the drill pipe gauge on the remote auto choke panel.
e) the casing gauge on the remote auto choke panel.

Answer: d


18)Change these pressures to an equivalent mud weight in ppg.

a) 3,500 psi at 7,000 feet.
b) 4,000 feet with 2,800 psi.
c) 12,000 feet M.D. / 10,500 T.V.D. with 9,000 psi.

Answer:
a) 9.62 ppg.
b) 13.46 ppg.
c)16.48 ppg.


19) Calculate equivalent mud weights for these wells :

a) BHP = 9,800 psi, Depth = 9,800 feet
b) BHP = 4,580 psi, Depth = 10,000 ft TVD, 11,500 feet M.D.

Answer:
a. 19.23 ppg.

b. 8.81 ppg.


7) Calculate kill mud weight for the following wells:
a) SIDPP = 600 PSI, Depth = 10,000 ft, Mud wt. = 10 PPG, SICP = 900 PSI
b) Mud wt = 9.5 PPG, SICP = 2,000 PSI, SIDPP = 1,200 PSI, Depth = 9,500 PSI
c) SICP = 600 PSI, Depth = 15,000 feet T.V.D., 17,000 M.D. SIDPP = 300 PSI, Mud Weight = 17 PPG

Answer:
a. 11.16 ppg.
b. 11.93 ppg.
c. 17.39 ppg.


References:
1.Transocean Sedco Forex – Jakarta Learning Centre – Pre-school exercises for Well Control With Answers.
2.  Well Control Manual part.1 & 2 – from Well Control School