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In well drilling it is more and more realized that well fluids should be considered as an integral part of the total process of well drilling. It is therefore imperative to understand the interaction between the drilling process, the rock to be drilled and the fluids to be used in order to drill and complete a quality well. As a result of this approach it becomes obvious that the cost of a well fluid cannot be considered in isolation any longer, but should be considered as an integral part of the total well cost.

By the end of this course delegates will be able to:

· Be able to describe the use of drilling and completion fluids

· Explain dangers and environmental problems associated with them

· Be able to conduct analyses on drilling mud, complete calculations for cement jobs

· Describe the equipment used for cementing and handling drilling mud

· Understand the interaction between the basic elements that form a well fluid

· Understand the interaction between the basic elements from a well fluid and the reservoir rock

· Design a well fluid that minimizes the interaction between rock and well fluid

· Design a well fluid that contributes to drilling a quality well at an economical cost

· Understand the importance of the role and function of a completion fluid

· Understand the role of designing a well fluid that has a minimal impact on the environment

Drilling Engineers, Senior Drilling Engineers, Drilling Supervisors, Petroleum Engineers, Completion Engineers, Tool Pushers, Reservoir and Senior Reservoir Engineers, Geologists, Production and Completion Engineers, Foremen, Industry Personnel

· Drilling fluid's importance, properties, and functions

· Transport of drilled cuttings – keeping cuttings in suspension

· Lubrication and cooling of the drill string-formation of a filter cake

· Pressure control Chemicals used in drilling fluids

· Salts, polymers, thinners and inhibitors

· Weighting agents

· High temperature chemicals, oil chemicals

· Circulation chemicals (LMC) and various service chemicals

· Criteria applicable to drilling fluids

· Health and Safety Data Sheets (personnel protection)

· Toxicological documentation (external environmental protection)

· Reporting of discharges, consumption and accidents composition of various formations

· Smectite, illite and kaolinite clays

· Clay formations

· Sand formations

· Reservoirs Composition and characteristics of drilling fluids:

· Bentonite mud

· KCL/polymer/glycol - NaCl/polymer – saturated salt systems

· HTHP-/polymer drilling fluid

· Cationic drilling fluid oil and paraffin based drilling fluids

· Drill-in-fluids with an overview drilling fluid systems mud handling equipment

· Mixing table, automatic dosing equipment

· Mud tanks, with piping, mud cannons, mud pumps

· Shakers (larger particles) and sieving machines, sand traps

· Degassers – hydrocyclones – centrifuges

· Drilled cutting injection equipment

· Selection of drilling fluid and preparation of the drilling fluid program

· Experience from similar areas

· Prognoses and fracture pressures

· Temperature prediction

· Casing program

· Environmental limitations testing drilling mud

· Test equipment on installations

· MBT-test

· Chemical analyses

· Drilling and bore hole problems in various sections

· Setting and cementing the casing

· Installation of the BOP and riser

· Specifications for composition of the drilling fluid

· Cement contamination hole problems and other operational conditions

· Gas in the drilling fluid

· Concentration of drill cuttings and stuck pipe

· Lost circulation

· High temperature and high pressure

· Operational conditions associated with health and safety and environmental hazards

· Methods for treating environmentally hazardous fluids workover and completion fluids

· Mixing and use of brines

· Packer fluids

· Perforation fluids

· Spacers

· Drill-in-fluids cementing

· Manufacture of cement

· Cement quality – chemical additives

· Cementing equipment

· Planning preparation and calculations for cement jobs

· Cementing methods and checking of completed cement jobs