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12

Stuck pipe
Contents
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Differential sticking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
ENVIRO-SPOT spotting fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
DUAL PHASE spotting fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-5
Determining depth to stuck zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-9
Packing off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-9
Undergauge hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-11
Plastic flowing formations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-11
Wall-cake buildup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-11
Keyseating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-12
Freeing stuck pipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-16

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Stuck pipe

Overview
In drilling operations, the drillpipe is considered stuck
when it cannot be raised, lowered, or rotated. Stuck
pipe can be caused by several different mechanisms.
Typical stuck pipe situations are:
C
C
C
C

Differential-pressure effects
Packing off
Undergauge hole
Keyseating

Differential sticking
Most incidents of stuck pipe are caused by differentialpressure effects. Excessive differential pressures across
lower-pressure permeable zones can cause the
drillstring to push into the wellbore wall where it
becomes stuck. See Figure 12-1.
Differential sticking may be identified by the following
characteristics:
C
C

Pipe sticks after remaining motionless for a period

of time
Pipe cannot be rotated or moved when circulation is
maintained

12-2

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At moment of sticking
Drill
collar

Mud cake

Isolated area

After short time lapse

Original cake
thickness

Slightly
thickened
mud cake
and fillet

Isolated area

Figure 12-1: Differential-pressure effect. The difference in pressure between the hydrostatic
head pressure and the formation pore pressure forces the drillpipe into the wallcake and sticks
the pipe.

To avoid or minimize the risk of differential sticking,

follow these guidelines:
C
C
C
C
C
C
C

Revised August 1, 1997

Drill with the lowest practical mud weight.

Maintain a low filtration rate.
Keep low-gravity solids to a minimum.
Never allow the drillpipe to remain motionless for any
period of time.
Ream any undergauge section.
Add appropriate bridging agents.
Change to an oil/synthetic-based mud.

12-3

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When differential sticking occurs, spotting fluid can

sometimes free the drillpipe.

ENVIRO-SPOT

spotting fluid

Note: It is critical to have a spotting fluid readily

available and apply it within six hours of the stuck pipe
occurrence.
Spotting fluids are designed to penetrate and break up
the filter cake. To mix the ENVIRO-SPOT spotting
fluid, start with the required volume of oil and add
ENVIRO-SPOT, water, and BAROID in that order.
Base fluids can be diesel, mineral oil, water, etc. See
Table 12-1.

ENVIRO-SPOT spotting fluid formulation for 100 bbl

7.3
(0.87)

10.0
(1.20)

12.0
(1.44)

14.0
(1.68)

16.0
(1.92)

18.0
(2.16)

Oil, bbl (m3)

64 (10.3)

58 (9.2)

54 (8.6)

49 (7.8)

51 (8.1)

44 (7.0)

ENVIRO-SPOT,
55 gal drum

6 (.98)

6 (.98)

6 (.98)

6 (.98)

6 (.98)

6 (.98)

Water, bbl (m3)

28 (4.5)

26 (4.1)

22 (3.5)

21 (3.3)

11 (1.7)

10 (1.6)

BAROID, lb (kg)

n/a

14,000
(6,350)

25,000
(11,340)

35,000
(15,876)

46,500
(21,092)

57,000
(25,855)

Weight, lb/gal (sg)

Table 12-1: ENVIRO-SPOT formulation. ENVIRO-SPOT is a good all-purpose spotting

fluid suitable for use in many different drilling regions.

12-4

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DUAL PHASE

Density

spotting fluid

Make the spotting fluid density equal to the mud weight

in use. PHASE ONE has a starting density of 14.2
lb/gal (1.70 sg) and can be increased with calcium
chloride to as high as 15.1 lb/gal (1.81 sg). PHASE
ONE can be reduced with seawater/drill water to the
desired density. PHASE TWO has a starting density of
8.6 lb/gal (1.03 sg). Adjust the density of PHASE
TWO, as needed, by additions of weight material.

Volumes Needed
PHASE ONE - 50 bbl minimum
PHASE TWO - 100 bbl minimum
Note: Larger volumes may be required to ensure that
the stuck point is covered by the spotting fluid.

Displacement
1. PHASE ONE should be mixed in the slugging pit.
Adjust the weight to the drilling fluid density. Pump
PHASE ONE into the drill string at the normal
pump rates.
2. PHASE TWO should be mixed in the slugging pit.
Adjust the weight to the drilling fluid density. Pump
PHASE TWO into the drill string at the normal
pump rates.
3. Pump the PHASE ONE through the bit leaving 10
barrels of PHASE ONE inside the drill string (If the
drill string capacity is greater than the volumes of
both PHASE ONE and PHASE TWO pills), mud
should be pumped to complete the spotting
procedure.12-4

Revised August 1, 1997

12-5

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Soak Time
1. Break circulation once per hour pumping one barrel
of fluid. PHASE ONE should have a minimum
soak/exposure time of nine (9) hours.
2. After nine hours of soak time, pump PHASE TWO
into the annulus at a slow pump rate. Leave 15
barrels of PHASE TWO inside the drill string.
3. Break circulation every hour pumping one barrel of
fluid.
4. When the pipe becomes free, pump all of the DUAL
PHASE out of the hole and discard the DUAL
PHASE and interface.
5. Once the DUAL PHASE has been discarded, the
mud should be conditioned with deflocculating and
fluid loss control additives.

12-6

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DUAL PHASE WORKSHEET

Date

________________

Pipe

OD

ID

Capacity/ft

Operator

________________

DC

Offshore Area

________________

HWDp ____________________

Block

________________

Dp 1

____________________

Last Casing Shoe

______

MD/ft

Dp 2

____________________

Total Depth

______

MD/ft

Dp 3

____________________

Bit Location

______

MD/ft

_____________________________

Bit Size

______

inches

Hole Data

____________________

BHA Length

______

feet

Annular Vol. DC/OH

____bbl

Drill Collar Length

______

feet

Annular Vol. HW/OH

____bbl

HW Pipe Length

______

feet

Annular Vol. Dp 1

____bbl

Drill Pipe Length

______

feet

Annular Vol. Dp 2

____bbl

Drill Pipe Length

______

feet

Annular Vol. Dp 3

____bbl

Drill Pipe Length

______

feet

Annular Vol. Dp 4

____bbl

Total String
Length

______

feet

Annular Vol. bit-shoe

____bbl

Pump Data

PHASE ONE Volume

Pump

______

bbl/stroke

Stroke to bit

______

strokes

Placing PHASE ONE & TWO

Feet of coverage DC/OH

____ bbl

Feet of coverage HW/OH

____ bbl

Feet of coverage Dp/OH

____ bbl

Strokes to
Spot

Feet of coverage Dp/OH

____ bbl

PHASE ONE____ bbl

______

Feet of coverage Dp/OH

____ bbl

PHASE TWO ____ bbl

______

Footage Covered PHASE ONE

____ bbl

Vol.

Table 12-2: DUAL PHASE worksheet. This worksheet can be used to calculate the
volumes required to be pumped and a pump schedule.

Revised August 1, 1997

12-7

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PHASE ONE
Desired
Density,
lb/gal

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50 bbl

PHASE
ONE
bbl

CaCl2
80 lb
Sacks

Topic Page

Stuck pipe

PHASE TWO
Water
bbl

Desired
Density,
lb/gal

100 bbl

PHASE
TWO
bbl

Water
bbl

Barite
sacks

15.1
43
79
15.5
53
20
332
15.0
43
71
15.0
53
22
370
14.9
44
62
14.3
58
20
332
14.8
45
54
14.2
56
22
325
Note: At 14.8-15.1 lb/gal-TCT is 63E F
14.0
57
22
315
14.7
46
43
13.5
65
15
300
14.6
47
32
13.0
68
15
255
14.5
48
24
12.5
73
12
222
14.4
49
15
12.0
75
12
193
14.3
49
9
11.0
80
10
147
14.2
50
0.0
10.5
82
10
120
14.0
48
2
10.0
83
10
100
13.5
44
6
9.5
95
0
74
13.0
40
10
9.2
98
0
35
12.5
35
15
8.6
100
0
0
12.0
31
19
11.5
27
23
11.0
22
28
10.5
18
32
10.0
14
36
9.5
10
41
9.0
5
44
Table 12-3: DUAL PHASE density table. This table can be used to calculate the required
amounts of materials to achieve the desired density.

12-8

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Determining
depth to stuck
zone

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Measure the drillstring stretch to estimate the depth that

pipe is stuck. The following formula locates the depth at
which the pipe is stuck. The length of free pipe is based
on the drillstring dimensions and the measured amount
of stretch.
EeW
40.8 P
Where
L '

C
C
C
C
C

L is the length of free pipe (ft)

E is the modulus of elasticity (30 x 106) (psi)
e is the stretch (in)
W is the weight of pipe (per ft)
P is the amount of tension applied (lb/ft)

Packing off
Drilling-fluid systems with poor suspension
characteristics exhibit strong packing-off tendencies
(see Figure 12-2). Factors that can lead to caving of the
formation include:
C
C
C

Revised August 1, 1997

Pressure imbalance
Shale hydration
Bottomhole assembly striking the wall

12-9

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Stuck pipe

Packing off

Figure 12-2: Packing off. Massive particle caving sticks the drillbit.

12-10

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Undergauge hole
Undergauge hole is a condition where the borehole is
smaller than the bit diameter used to drill the section.
Undergauge hole can result from any of the following
causes:
C
C
C

Plastic flowing
formations

Plastic flowing formations

Wall-cake buildup in a permeable formation
Swelling shales

A plastic flowing formation is a formation that is plastic

(easily deformable when stressed) and can flow into the
borehole. When these types of formations are
penetrated by the bit, the hole is at gauge. However,
when the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the column of
drilling fluid is less than the hydrostatic pressure of the
formation, underbalance results, the formation flows,
and hole diameter decreases.
Undergauge hole is a common problem when drilling a
thick salt section with an oil mud. The salt can flow into
the borehole and make the section undergauge. When
plastic salt formations exist, they are usually below
5,000 feet. Spotting fresh water is the best way to free
the pipe from a plastic salt formation.

Wall-cake
buildup

Wall-cake buildup occurs when the drilling fluid has

poor filtration control across a permeable zone.
Excessive wall-cake buildup can also be caused by:
C
C

Revised August 1, 1997

High percentage of low-gravity solids

High differential pressures (excessive mud weights)

12-11

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Keyseating
Keyseating is a situation frequently encountered in
deviated or crooked holes when the drillpipe wears into
the wall. The normal drilling rotation of the drillstring
cuts into the formation wall in deviated areas where the
drillpipe tension creates pressure against the sides of the
hole.
Keyseating is diagnosed when the drillpipe can be
reciprocated within the range of tool joint distances or
until collar reaches the keyseat, while pipe rotation and
circulation remain normal. See Figure 12-3 for an
example of a keyseat effect in a crooked hole.

12-12

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Keyseating

A
Section A-A

Position of the pipe

before keyseating

Position of the pipe

after keyseating

Figure 12-3: Keyseating. The friction generated by drillpipe rotation against the borewall
cuts a narrow channel, or keyseat, into the formation.

Revised August 1, 1997

12-13

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A preventive measure is to carefully control upper hole

deviation and dogleg severity throughout the well path.
This action will eliminate the force that leads to keyseat
creation.
Once a keyseat is formed, the best solution is to ream
out the small-diameter portions of the hole with reaming
tools. See the example of reaming action in Figure 12-4.
This action will solve the immediate stuck-pipe
problem, but the keyseat can be formed again unless
preventive steps are taken.

12-14

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Reaming the Key

B
Section B-B

Drill collar in
keyseat

Reamer action in
enlarging keyseat

Figure 12-4: Reaming action. Attach a reamer to the drill assembly to widen the keyseat.

Revised August 1, 1997

12-15

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Freeing stuck pipe

The following guidelines can be used to free stuck pipe:

Cause...

Steps to free...

Differential sticking

Reduce mud weight.

Use spotting fluid.

Packing off

Back off and wash over.

Undergauge hole

Increase mud weight.

Underream.

Keyseating

Ream the keyseat.

12-16