PTS conducts IWCF and IADC drilling and well intervention certification courses
STUCK PIPE PREVENTION COURSE
WITH ONLINE SIMULATOR TRAINING AND FISHING OPERATIONS
Stuck Pipe is, and historically has been, a major headache for the Oil & Gas Industry. Many wells have become more challenging in terms of well trajectories, hole size [smaller] and because we are more focussed on pushing the ‘drilling limit’. On the other hand, rigs are now equipped with better mud systems, downhole sensors and rotary steerable systems, to name a few, and many operators pay more emphasis on following the well in real time as well as having effective office to rig communication, no matter how remote the drilling location is. It is easy to understand and accept that prevention of stuck pipe makes a lot more economical sense than even the best of freeing tools and techniques. The recovery from a stuck pipe situation can be very time consuming and often leads to the loss in hole of expensive downhole tools.
The single most important factor in achieving successful prevention has to do with people. This applies to those working at the well site, as much as it does to those planning the well in the office. It requires a strong sense of teamwork. However, a good team at the well site cannot prevent stuck pipe if the planning and subsequent decision making is poor or sub-optimal. Neither will the office team be able to have a marked impact on events at the well site if the well site team does not manage the risks or use their skills and vigilance to detect or recognise signs from the hole. Stuck pipe incidents and associated costs will only drop to acceptable levels when everyone involved in drilling – i.e. the operating companies, drilling contractors and service companies – combine their efforts.
The Course Contents: -
The course homes in what the Office Staff needs to know and plan for and what the Field Staff need to know and implement. This includes: -
Planning of a Well. Demonstrating the need for a concerted approach to prevent stuck pipe incidents. Showing the importance of planning [office and field] and to act as a Team.
Causes and Mechanisms. How to identify the cause and mechanism of a drill string or casing getting stuck with examples from the field [including those of the customer, if available].
Hole Instability. How instability and associated solids packing off the drill string or casing is a major concern in the many wells we drill worldwide.
Team Exercise. Prevention of stuck pipe can be very successful if we act as a team. The Exercise will demonstrate that we must recognize the signs and take timely decisions. Selected team leaders will present the outcome of their exercises, followed by class discussion.
Case Studies and Prediction. Discussion on several stuck pipe cases [customer and/or other]. It will become evident that all stuck pipe events are preventable if we recognize the signs.
Freeing methods, Tools and Recovery. If we get stuck, it may not be too late to free the pipe. Discussion on what tools we must free and if still unsuccessful, what we can do to recover from a stuck pipe incident.
Reporting, Feedback and Follow-Up. Each incident requires a thorough after-action review. Improvements can only be expected if we then cascade this information and follow up on all action items.
NEW: Exercises with online simulator. Scenarios will be presented to candidates, and they simply need to fix them using the available means. This requires and understanding how jars work, how to resolve differentially stuck pipe, how to manage pack-offs and how to avoid getting stuck geometrically.
NEW: Fishing Operations. This is a new element to the Stuck Pipe Prevention Course. The duration of this element will be approx. 2.5 to 3 hours and will be lectured on in the afternoon of Day 2.
Contents Fishing Operations:
Fishing Priorities, such as having a record of all dimensions and strengths of fish and fishing recovery tools.
Fishing Tool Categories
Internal Catch, like taper tap, pin tap, rotating spear and rotating & releasing spear;
External Catch like box tap, die collar, safety joint, conventional overshot and short catch overshot;
Impact Tools like bumper sub, fishing jar and fishing accelerator;
Washover Tools [various milling shoes, wash pipe, drive sub]
Milling Tools [with flat bottom mill, offset mill, concave mill, rounded nose mill, tapered mill, pilot mill, section mill, packer milling & pickers etc.]
Junk Removal [magnet, core type basket, junk basket, reverse circulation junk basket]
Cutting Tools
Chemical Cutter & Radial
Torch Cutter
Jet Cutter & Colliding Tool
Explosive & Abrasive Cutter
Split Shot Cutter
Mechanical Cutter
Fishing Recommendation
The 7 STEPS that lead to a successful fishing job.
Managing Information
The course is meant for staff directly or indirectly involved in the delivery of challenging wells such as office-based planning and operations well engineers and field-based operator/contractor supervisory staff.
Main learnings: -
Recognizing the importance of meticulously planning the well by performing a thorough risk assessment on all stages being drilled or being cased off.
Appreciating how critical it is to involve field staff [operator and drilling contractor] as well as service contractor [support] staff at an early stage of planning the well.
Identifying the possible causes and mechanisms that could stick the pipe and how to agree on successful mitigation plans.
Understanding hole instability and the operational challenges they pose in particular during the tripping phase. Identifying practices to stay out of trouble and/or how to effectively manage hole instability.
Understanding critical mud properties which – in conjunction with hole circulation and hole sweeping practices – enables us to clean the hole effectively.
Identifying freeing methods and why these methods need to be applied both timely and rigorously. Understanding how to optimally place and use the drilling and fishing jar and – if so required – the accelerator.
Appreciating that all stuck pipe incident learnings have to be captured as it may well be the trigger that prevents a stuck pipe incident on subsequent wells. Valuable learnings must be cascaded in an appropriate format.
Appreciating why crew training and optimal communication will greatly assist in achieving the ultimate well objectives.
Appreciating the critical information that we must have prior any attempt to fish for lost tools and equipment.
Identifying internal and external fishing tools, washover tools, milling tools, the make-up of a fishing assembly and the various cutting tools.
Understanding the vital steps that must be taken and which could lead to a successful recovery of the fish.
Delivery:
The course will be delivered as a:
2 days event, classroom or virtual, for office-based planning, field-based operator, field-based drilling, and operations well engineers as well as senior contractor staff and service contractor staff.
3-day event, 100% VIRTUAL, for office-based planning and operations well engineers as well as senior drilling and service contractor staff
3-day event, 100% VIRTUAL, for field-based operator and field-based drilling and service contractor staff
It will be important to get to know the preliminary well design as well as the intended attendees, so that the trainer can home in on the unique details of the challenges that the client is facing. Furthermore, in order to prepare well specific presentation material, it is advisable to give us an advance notice of approximately
1 to 2 months. Other request, such as syndicate style workshop sessions can also be discussed at per clients’ requirements.
