Poly Plug Ultra Squeeze East Texas

Well Information

Operator: Noble
Location: East Texas

Challenge

Cure loss circulation and increase mud weight when drilling into the Travis Peak Formation, which consists of fractured limestone. The objective is to cure loss circulation while safely drilling through tectonically stressed shale formations.

Solution

Poly Plug^® Ultra Squeeze

The well was experiencing dynamic seepage losses of 30 bbls/hour. A 20 bbl pill of Poly Plug^® Ultra Squeeze was mixed and spotted across the target formation. The drill pipe was pulled above the slurry and the Hydril closed. Slight hesitation squeezes were applied up to 250 psi. After squeezing in 2-3 bbl increments, the well was allowed to stabilize.

After squeezing a total of 8 bbls, the well stabilized with 200 psi on the casing and was left shut in for six hours. The plug was washed through and drilling fluid conditioned. The drill pipe was POOH to the casing shoe and a FIT performed to 10.9 EMW.

Results

When the well was tested the mud weight had increased from 10.1 to 10.7 and drilling commenced without further incident. The Poly Plug^® Ultra Squeeze’s inner zonal shut-off provided a chemical liner, increasing FIT across the Travis Peak Formation by 0.7 lb/gal.