Fundamentals of Sustainable Drilling Engineering

M. E. Hossain, Abdulaziz Abdullah Al-Majed

• Publisher: Wiley-Scrivener
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9780470878170
• eBook ISBN: 9781119100294
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Fossil Fuels
• Index: Technology & Engineering

The book clearly explains the concepts of the drilling engineering and presents the existing knowledge ranging from the history of drilling technology to well completion. This textbook takes on the difficult issue of sustainability in drilling engineering and tries to present the engineering terminologies in a clear manner so that the new hire, as well as the veteran driller, will be able to understand the drilling concepts with minimum effort.

This textbook is an excellent resource for petroleum engineering students, drilling engineers, supervisors & managers, researchers and environmental engineers for planning every aspect of rig operations in the most sustainable, environmentally responsible manner, using the most up-to-date technological advancements in equipment and processes.

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Introduction

This chapter introduces the fundamental aspects of the drilling. It covers the basic definitions related to drilling engineering, importance and the procedure for drilling operations. The applications and history of drilling are also outlined. The systematic approach and the introduction to casing sets are discussed. Finally, the aspects of sustainable drilling operations will be introduced.

1.2 Introduction of Drilling Engineering

Some scholars consider petroleum hydrocarbons to be the lifeblood of modern civilization. The life cycle of petroleum operations includes exploration and development, production, refining, marketing, transportation/distribution to the end user, and final utilization. The drilling technology has been developed through the efforts of many individuals, professionals, companies, and organizations. This technology is a necessary step for petroleum exploration and production. Drilling is one of the oldest technologies in the world. Drilling engineering is a branch of knowledge where the design, analysis, and implement procedure are completed to drill a well as sustainably as possible. In a word, it is the technology used to utilize crude oil and natural gas reserves. The responsibilities of a drilling engineer are to facilitate the efficient penetration of the earth by wellbore and to facilitate cementing operations from the surface to an optimum target depth that prevents any situation that may jeopardize the environment.

1.3 Importance of Drilling Engineering

It is well known that the petroleum industry drives the energy sector, which in turn drives the modern civilization. It is not unlikely that every day human beings are getting benefits out of the petroleum industry. The present modern civilization is based on energy and hydrocarbon resources. The growth of human civilization and necessities of livelihood with time inspired human beings to bore a hole for different reasons (such as drinking water, agriculture, hydrocarbon extraction for lighting, power generation, to assemble different mechanical parts, etc.). There is no surface hydrocarbon resource; rather, all resources are underground on this globe. To keep serving the whole civilization, drilling engineering has a significant role in this issue. Moreover, the world’s energy sector is dependent on the drilling engineering. Without drilling a hole, how are we going to extract the hydrocarbon from underground to the surface of the earth? To the best of our knowledge, right now, there is no alternative technology available to extract hydrocarbon without drilling a hole. If the petroleum industry falls down, the whole civilization will probably collapse. Therefore, for the survival of our existence, we need to know and keep updating our knowledge, especially on the technology, of drilling engineering. Based on this motivation, human necessities of drilling a hole by excavation on earth have motivated the researchers to develop different sophisticated technologies for drilling engineering. In a word, we can say, drilling engineering has a vital role in our daily life, economy, society, and even in national and international politics.

1.4 Application of Drilling Engineering

By the development of human civilization with time, human beings have needed to make a hole in different objects for different purposes. It ranges from just a childhood playing game/toy, to modern drilling of a hole for the purpose of any scientific and technological usage. Humans have been using this technology for underground water withdrawal since ancient times. Drilling technology is a widely used expertise in the applied sciences and engineering, such as manufacturing industries, pharmaceutical industries, aerospace, military defense, research laboratories, and any small-scale laboratory to a heavy industry like petroleum. Modern cities and urban areas use the drilling technology to get the underground water for drinking and household use. The underground water extraction by boring a hole is also used agricultural irrigation purposes. Therefore, there is no specific field of application for this technology. It has been used for a widespread field based on its necessity. As this textbook is only focusing on drilling a hole with the hope of hydrocarbon discovery, here, the drilling engineering application means a shaft-like tool (i.e., drilling rig) with two or more cutting edges (i.e., drill bit) for making holes toward the underground hydrocarbon formation through the earth layers, especially by rotation. Hence, the major application of drilling engineering is to discover and produce redundant hydrocarbon from a potential oil field.

1.5 History of Oil Discovery

Geology and time have created large deposits of crude oil in various parts of the earth. Until the mid-1800s, this vast untapped wealth lay mostly hidden below the surface of the earth. Some oil seeped naturally to the earth’s surface, and formed shallow pools. These oil seeps had long been known and were used for medicinal purposes, to caulk boats and buildings, and to lubricate machinery. Ancient people were using oil mainly as medicine. So, the use of oil is not new in human history. The first oil discovery in human life was in Babylon (Current Iraq) as oil pits in 450 BC. Then, the second discovery was in Macedonia in 325 BC, and this oil was being used by Alexander the Great. The third discovery of oil was in Kirkuk, Iraq. However, according to Wikipedia, the earliest known oil wells were drilled in China in 347. The Chinese were using bamboo as modern drill pipe to extract oil. They were able to drill at a depth of about 800 feet using bits attached with bamboo poles. The use of oil was limited to evaporating brine, producing salt, and for lighting and heating. The petroleum industry in Middle East was established by the eighth century. This was due to the use of tar at the street lights in Baghdad. However, some people believe that in the ninth century, oil fields were developed in Baku, Azerbaijan to produce naphtha. The Persian alchemist, Mohammad ibn Zakariya Razi, produced kerosene from petroleum using the distillation process in the ninth century. Kerosene was used mainly as kerosene lamps. The distillation process of crude oil was also carried out by Arab and Persian chemist to produce flammable products for military purposes. By the twelfth century, distillation process became available in Western Europe through Islamic Spain. History says Baku was the place where shallow pits were dug to facilitate collecting oil. The hand-dug holes, which were up to 115 feet deep, were in use by 1594. In fact, these holes were essentially oil wells and produced about 28,000 barrels of oil so far. The first break through in the oil industry’s drilling history was the year 1849, when Russian engineer F.N. Semyenov used a cable tool to drill an oil well on the Apsheron Peninsula. In the west, Canada was the first place of commercial oil production, when James Williams drilled the first oil well in North America in 1857. Later, in 1859, the first well in the USA was drilled near Titusville, Pennsylvania under the supervision of Colonel Edwin L. Drake, and it was about 69 feet deep. Table 1.1 shows the oil discovery in the different places around the world as an example case.

Table 1.1 First discovery of oil in different places in the world for commercial production.

Serial No.	Name of the Country	First Discovery of Oil
01	Oil pits near Babylon	450BC
02	Macedonia	325BC
03	Kirkuk (Iraq)	100
04	China (used bamboo for extract oil)	347
05	Azerbaijan (For medicine)	1264
06	Poland	1500
07	Russia	1597
08	Australia	1800
09	Romania	1857
10	Ontario, Canada	1858 (First Commercial use)
11	Pennsylvania, USA	1859
12	Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela	1878
13	Sumatra, Indonesia	1885
14	Norway/Netherland	1885
15	Nigeria	1907
16	Iran	1908
17	Tampico, Mexico	1910
18	Bahrain	1932
19	Saudi Arabia	1933
20	Kuwait	1938
21	Qatar	1939
22	Brazil	1939
23	Algeria	1956
24	United Arab Emirates	1960
25	Oman	1967
26	United Kingdom	1969
27	Sudan	1979

The first commercial oil well was situated in the southwestern Ontario town of Oil Springs. Williams acquired some property that was known to have oil gum beds. He dug through the gum beds in search of the source of the oily deposits, and discovered crude oil. This first oil well was simply a hole in the ground, with oil rising up close to the surface. With the use of hand pumps, the oil was extracted at a rate of 37 barrels of oil per day. Williams built and operated a local distillery from which he refined and sold kerosene. Ontario’s first oil boom—reflected in town names such as Petrolia—paralleled a larger oil boom in northern Pennsylvania, where energy dynasties were beginning to emerge. Oil was not being used widely in commercial basis before middle of the nineteenth century. Oil had been used as medicine, flaming torches, and for lighting purposes before that. Now a day’s oil is the backbone of nation’s economy and the heart of modern civilization.

1.6 An Overview of Drilling Engineering

A multitude of issues are needed to be resolved even before the consultants or engineers ever see the prospect of the project. Most importantly, these phases of works are being completed before any drilling operation. Here, the principal party is called the operator. This operator is normally the “Oil Company,” who is a well-known major company or an independent. The operator employs the drilling consultant to protect and negotiate the operator’s interest. Meanwhile, the operator also engages geologists to locate the area where s/he feels to have a good prospect for hydrocarbon reserve. The geologists may recommend drilling a wildcat well (a small exploratory oil well drilled in land not known to be an oil field to get the geological information) into an untested field, or s/he may recommend a development well (a well drilled in a proved production field or area to extract natural gas or crude oil) to get the desired information about the formation. The operator’s next objective is to hire a landman to acquire drilling rights. The oil companies normally have a paid staff of geologists and landmen. The main responsibility of landman is to determine who is going to own the minerals rights in the area to be drilled. He also tries to acquire lease rights from the landowner thr...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Summary
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Drilling Methods
• Chapter 3: Drilling Fluids
• Chapter 4: Drilling Hydraulics
• Chapter 5: Well Control and Monitoring Program
• Chapter 6: Formation Pore and Fracture Pressure Estimation
• Chapter 7: Basics of Drill String Design
• Chapter 8: Casing Design
• Chapter 9: Cementing
• Chapter 10: Horizontal and Directional Drilling
• Chapter 11: Well Drilling Cost Analysis
• Chapter 12: Well Completion
• Index