Drill-Xpress OCS-G 05825 A15 ST1

Well Information

Mississippi Canyon Block 109
12.25″ Open Hole
WBM
9.5 lb/gal
125 F

Challenge

Objective: To prevent gumbo related problems (bit balling, blinding of shale shakers
and plugging of flow line). Continue to TIH to 2,716′ MD. Oriented tool face of
MXL-1 mud motor to 275 degrees and commenced drilling ahead with sea water.
Adding DRILXPRESS® for shale stability and extending the yield of AQUAGEL and
added PAC-L for filtration control. Continue drilling and sliding from 2,297′ to 3,550′
MD/3,515′ TVD, pumping 40 bbl sweeps of DRILXPRESS® every connection. A
100 bbl high viscosity pill of DRILXPRESS® was pumped and the hole circulated
clean after reaching 3,550′ MD. A slug was then pumped to short trip to the shoe.
POOH to the shoe with no hole problems. TIH to bottom and circulate 100 bbl’s of
DRILXPRESS®, no excess cuttings upon return to shakers. Pumped slug and
POOH to L/D directional BHA and R/U casing crew. Ran casing successfully to
bottom. Circulate and condition mud and pumped cement . A spacer with 4 lb/bbl
of DRILXPRESS® was pumped ahead of the lead cement slurry. The fluid train for
the cement slurry consisted of the following: 121 bbl’s of 12.0 lb/gal lead, 43 bbl’s
of 16.4 lb/gal tail, 19 bbl’s of 16.9 tail followed by 5 bbl’s of sea water and 238 bbl’s
of 9.5 lb/gal WBM. WOC. Finish WOC and began nippling down BOP stack. Set
casing slips and cut casing, install wellhead. Finish nippling up and testing BOP’s.
P/U drill pipe and TIH. Tag up and began drilling cement from 3,427′ to 3,550′, then
drilled 10 feet of new formation and performed a FIT. Held 640 psi, with an
equivalent mud weight of 13.0 lb/gal. Test good.

Results

**Typical Mud Properties: FV 40 sec/qt @ 80F; PV 10 cP @ 120 F; YP
15; 6/3 Minute Gels 8.0/7.0; API Filtrate 12.0; MBT 22.5 ppb Eq.; pH
7.8@ 78 F; Pm 0.05; Pf/Mf -/0.10; Chlorides 13,500 mg/l; Total
Hardness 1,600 mg/l Offset wells drilled off of the same platform by
BP experienced a great deal of gumbo and gumbo related problems.