Influx Management and solutions to it's challanges
What is Influx Management?
Influx Management consists of early detection of small influxes and controlling and circulating out the influx without resorting to conventional well control methods.
Challenges associated with Influx Management?
The influx must be detected early enough to handle it without exceeding the limitations of the equipment in use. When circulating out the influx there is a risk of exceeding the fracture pressure in the well.
What Are Your Options?
- Close the BOP and manage the influx through conventional well control methods. This can be a time-consuming exercise and is difficult in deepwater environments because of the friction caused by the long choke line.
- Use Surface Back Pressure MPD. If the influx occurs when the well is circulated and the RCD is installed and SBP MPD system can detect, control, and circulate out an influx. Applying back pressure creates an undesirable pressure profile in the well and care must be taken to not exceeding the fracture pressure at the Shoe.
- Use EC-Drill® Dual MPD to ensure early detection regardless of operation. Control and circulate out the influx using the Subsea Pump Module or a Surface choke while exerting less pressure at the Shoe.
How EC-Drill® Dual MPD helps you with Influx Management?
EC-Drill® Dual MPD gives earlier detection than other monitoring systems resulting in confirmation of smaller influxes. By using the Subsea Pump Module as the Controller, less pressure is exerted on the surface equipment and on the open hole. The heavier fluid in the system, and the friction from the Mud Return Line means less back pressure is required if opting for the surface choke as Controller. The EC-Drill® Dual MPD can be used even if taking an influx when running casing. The flexibility of the system ensures an ideal approach for managing the influx regardless of well conditions and enables larger influxes to be handled without exceeding equipment limitations or the fracture pressure in the well.
An overbalanced mud weight is used with the controlled mud level enabling conventional drilling to be returned to at any time.
EC-Drill® Dual MPD
EC-Drill® Dual MPD is a Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) system where two MPD methods are combined.
It operates by default in CML mode with the ability to seamlessly switch to SBP mode to enable the best of both MPD worlds. This is achieved by adding a Riser Closure Device to the EC-Drill system.
Rapid influx suppression, Controlled riser gas handling, Influx Management (IME), Dynamic Pore Pressure testing, Dynamic FIT and LOT