SPE 167621-STU

Managed Pressure Drilling

Brandon Hilts, The University of Texas at Austin

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE International Student Paper Contest at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 30 September
2 October 2013.
This paper was selected for presentation by merit of placement in a regional student paper contest held in the program year preceding the International Student Paper Contest. Contents of the
paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any
position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members.

Abstract
Managed pressure drilling (MPD) is a drilling technology applied to unconventional prospects where
conventional, hydrostatically over-balanced drilling methods encounter problems. MPD finds its greatest success
in drilling plays where the margin between pore pressure and fracture gradient is very narrow. The MPD system
constitutes several skids containing manifolds, valves, and sensors that plumb into the drilling rig mud circulating
system. This system creates a closed atmosphere in the wellbore, which allows MPD technology to achieve a
target equivalent circulating density (ECD) by adjusting surface backpressure across the wellhead. Once the
target ECD is reached, stable bottom-hole pressure is established.
MPD allows drilling operations to continue at balance in oil and gas plays where primary well control
cannot meet the needs of pore pressures due to weak fracture gradients in the well profile. MPD technology
provides the required calculated surface backpressure to account for drilling fluid density deficiencies. The
system is also able to account for lost annular friction pressure during connections as well as variations in bottomhole pressure due to surge/swab effects resulting from hoisting operations. In addition to the increase in safety as
a result of wellbore stability gained from MPD, well economics improve greatly making managed pressure drilling
a highly selectable application.
Introduction
Managed pressure drilling is an effective technology implemented in unconventional drilling plays to
combat downhole pressure obstacles that are commonly encountered with the use of hydrostatic over-balance.
The conventional method of maintaining primary well control with hydrostatic over-balance creates variations in
bottom-hole pressure due to the addition and removal of annular friction pressure during drilling operations.
Typically, the impetus for bottom-hole pressure variations is mud pump shutdown and startup.
In most cases, conventional drilling prospects have sufficient margin between pore pressure and fracture
pressure, also known as the drilling window, to account for a bottome-hole pressure without regards to the
presence of annular friction pressure. These conventional plays have the ability to maintain primary well control
whether the wellbore is static or dynamic.
However, unconventional drilling prospects exist where the drilling window is very narrow. So narrow in
fact, that the fluctuation in bottom-hole pressure caused by mud pump operation threatens wellbore integrity.
These types of unconventional plays are ideally suited for managed pressure drilling. Managed pressure drilling
provides a solution to variations in bottom-hole pressure caused by mud pump operation as well as other
fluctuations in downhole pressure encountered during the drilling process.

SPE 167621-STU

MPD Functionality
Managed pressure drilling equipment plumbs into the mud circulating system of the drilling rig, thereby
creating a closed atmosphere in the wellbore. This closed atmosphere provides an additional surface
backpressure value to the bottom-hole pressure calculation. Surface backpressure can then be manipulated as
needed to mitigate reservoir influx and loss of drilling fluid into the surrounding subsurface formation. In other
words, managed pressure drilling adjusts surface backpressure in order to maintain a constant bottom-hole
pressure within the drilling window.
Managed Pressure Drilling

Conventional Drilling

Back Pressure

Depth

Depth

Static: BHP = HH MW

Static: BHP = HHMW + BP

Dynamic: BHP = HHMW + AFP

Dynamic: BHP = HHMW + AFP + BP

Losses Ensue

PP

PP

FP

FP

Pressure

Pressure

Figure 1
The variation in downhole pressure caused by mud pump operation is accounted for with managed
pressure drilling. During pump startup, MPD simultaneously reduces the applied surface backpressure in
proportion to the addition of annular friction pressure. The inverse occurs when the mud pumps are shutdown.
Surface backpressure is added proportionately as annular friction pressure is decreased. The end result is that
constant bottom-hole pressure is maintained and wellbore stability is achieved. Ultimately, managed pressure
drilling can adjust surface backpressure to account for numerous causes of fluctuation in bottom-hole pressure.
Diversion Mode
While MPD adjusts surface backpressure during the addition and removal of annular friction pressure in
the well profile, minor variation in bottom-hole pressure still occurs. This fluctuation in pressure frequently takes
place while adding pipe to the drill string at the rig floor, commonly known as a making a connection. As a
solution, managed pressure drilling can re-direct drilling fluid flow away from the standpipe, providing the
capability to maintain the mud pumps in operation at all times. This practice was referred to as diversion mode
during this research project.
During diversion mode, drilling fluid is re-directed away from the four-inch standpipe along an alternate
flow path. The flow path is routed to the rig pump diverter. From here, the drilling fluid is then conducted through
the managed pressure drilling choke manifold where the necessary surface backpressure is provided across the
wellhead. The ability to keep the mud pumps running during rig floor connections ensures a constant bottom-hole
pressure, which leads to improved wellbore integrity. In addition to more stability in the well profile, connection
time was decreased by thirty percent during drilling operations for this research well.
Extended Reach Drilling
Managed pressure drilling has been found to be very applicable in extended reach drilling (ERD)
operations. Wells drilled with extended reach are defined as having a step-out of more than two-to-one. This
means that for every foot drilled vertically, operators are deviating at least two feet horizontally. The problem with
ERD wells is the risk of exceeding fracture pressure due to the inherently high equivalent circulating densities
(ECD) they produce. While gracture gradient increases with true vertical depth (TVD), it remains relatively
constant along the horizontal segment of the wellbore. The risk for exceeding fracture pressure results from the
continual increase in annular friction pressure along the heel-to-toe section of the well.

SPE 167621-STU

Equivalent Circulating Density = Mud weight (ppg) +

Extended reach drilling (ERD)

Annular Friction Pressure

0.052 x TVD

Measured depth
= 10,000 f t.
Mud weight
= 9.8 lbs / gal
Annular friction pressure = 478 psi

2
Step-out
TVD = 2,000 ft.

TVD = 10,000 ft.

AFP increases
ECD (Deviated well) = 14.4 ppg

Figure 2

ECD (Vertical well) = 10.72 ppg

Figure 3

Comparing a vertical well with an ERD well allows us to better grasp the varying equivalent circulating
densities produced by each. Referring to Figure 3, the equation for calculating equivalent circulating density in
pounds per gallon is given. For both the vertical and ERD well, they have the same measured depth, mud weight
and annular friction pressure. The difference between them, as noted, is their true vertical depth. The calculated
equivalent circulating densities are listed for each corresponding well. Comparing the two values, it is seen that
the ERD well produces an ECD of almost 4 pounds per gallon higher than the vertical well. Managed pressure
drilling provides a solution to this problem by allowing the operator to drill with a lighter density drilling fluid while
holding surface backpressure in order to maintain the appropriate bottom-hole pressure. Following this method
will ensure the operator will control a constant bottom-hole pressure within the drilling window.
Conclusion
Managed pressure drilling provides a technical alternative for drilling plays where hydrostatic overbalancing threatens the integrity of the wellbore. By creating a closed atmosphere within the well profile, the MPD
system can regulate and control a constant bottom-hole pressure by applying surface backpressure across the
wellhead. This ability to control bottom-hole pressure allows operators to remain safely inside the drilling window,
mitigating wellbore damage during the drilling process. Using diversion mode during rig floor connections,
managed pressure drilling greatly reduces fluctuation in bottom-hole pressures all the while decreasing
connection time significantly. MPD also plays a great role in extended reach drilling by allowing exploration and
production activities to reach TD without encountering the equivalent circulating densities inherent to those
operations. In short, managed pressure drilling creates opportunity for advancement in drilling prospects that
were once economically infeasible.