BAKER HUGHES - Drilling Fluids Reference Manual

DEEPWATER DRILLING FLUIDS
DEEPWATER DRILLING FLUIDS
Chapter 13
Deepwater drilling operations have grown to encompass large areas of the globe as oil companies
search for and develop large hydrocarbon reserves. These are extremely high cost operations and offer
considerable opportunities for drilling fluids to play a problem solving role.
INTRODUCTION
Deepwater drilling operations started as early as the 1960’s. Activity steadily grew throughout the
70’s and by the late 80’s the activity, primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil, had stimulated the
market to the point that both retro-fitting rigs and even some new-builds were commercially viable.
Interest in deepwater continued to grow spurring worldwide activity in such areas as Trinidad,
Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the entire west coast of Africa, West of Shetlands, the far
North Sea, Norway, Atlantic coast of Canada and Egypt. The area of greatest activity has traditionally
been the Gulf of Mexico, though other areas have shown much promise for future growth.
Deepwater drilling operations face many challenges, many of them fluids related. Identification of the
challenges and integrating the applicable deepwater fluid system must be thought out carefully.
Deepwater wells present unique technical and operational challenges for drilling fluid systems,
including:
• High daily operational costs
• Lost circulation
• Fluid selection and design
• Solids transport
• Wellbore stability, including low fracture gradients
• Shallow hazards
• Gas hydrates
• Salt
• Reservoir productivity
• Environmental compliance
• Large fluid volumes
• Low seabed temperatures
• Elevated bottom hole temperatures
• Annular pressure build-up
• Logistics
BAKER HUGHES DRILLING FLUIDS
REFERENCE MANUAL
REVISION 2006 13-1