Caving Analysis

Introduction

Cavings Analysis Provides Information on:

• the mode of wellbore failure
• the need to improve wellbore cleaning
• necessary remedial actions

General Features:
•Cavings are distinguished from regular cuttings by not having bit marks
•Typical cavings are 1 to 5 cm in size, but can range from 1mm to 10cm
•Small “coffee – ground cavings” are usually an indication of very soft rocks, for
example, water disintegrated shale or chalk
•Large blocky caving are most likely to have fallen in from pre-existing natural
fracture/joint sets in relatively hard rock, or a rubble zone near to a fault or diapir

Cavings are generally of three main types:

• Angular
• Tabular
• Splintery
Angular:
• Characterized by the presence of conjugate shear
surfaces – curved, rough/gouged surfaces
intersecting each other at acute angles
• Produced from rock shear failure. When the sheared
surfaces are fresh, they are from borehole breakouts
– drilling-induced near-wellbore shear failure
• When the sheared surfaces are old, the cavings are
most likely come from a rubble zone
• UBI/FMI logs will see symmetric failures on both
sides of the borehole wall in this case
 Angular Cavings from Chirag A15 (2740m)

Borehole wall

Sheared surfaces Sheared surfaces

UBI Logs Interpreted Borehole Breakout

An example of UBI image of

borehole breakout where angular
caving are produced
Tabular:
• Characterized by having one or more flat and
smooth surfaces; parallel surfaces are common
• Typically from failures along weak bedding planes,
or cleavages in pre-existing fracture/joint sets
• UBI/FMI logs show failures are much more
pronounced on one side of the borehole
Mungo P2 & P8 Tabular Cavings

Preexisting cleavages in nature fracture/joint sets

Bedding planes
Irregular Hole Geometry Seen by UBI Logs

(c) prediction

(b) Log interpretation

(a) UBI log
Example 1: Comparison of UBI log interpreted and geomechanics enlarged breakout
model predicted irregular breakout due to anisotropic rock strength

Example 2 : UBI log interpreted asymmetric breakout

due to failure along preexisting fracture/joint sets
Regular breakout
Splintery:
• Characterized by long, thin morphologies with fresh plume
structure – a key feature of tensile splitting in rocks
• Typically from near wellbore tensile spalling in the radial
direction – due to drilling too fast through low permeability
shale, or because the mud weight is lower than the pore
pressure in the adjacent formation
• Failure should be evenly distributed around the borehole
in homogeneous formations, but could show preferential
enlargement where tectonic or unequal stresses occur
Splintery Cavings from Chirag A15 (2350- 2360m)

Top view

Chirag A15
2350 – 2360m

Side view
 A Plume Structure

Look for this pattern on one or more faces of the splintery

cavings for the proof of tensile failure
 Remedial Actions
For angular caving:
• Raise mud weight if pore/frac window allows
• Manage hole cleaning if no extra mud weight window
available
• Optimize well trajectory in future wells
For tabular caving:
• Minimize fluid loss
• Reduce surge, swab forces and drill string vibration
• Avoid back reaming
For splintery caving:
• Increase mud weight
• Reduce penetration rate
Regular Cuttings at Shallow Depth

Regular cuttings (Chirag 1300m)

Regular Cuttings at Greater Depth

Regular cuttings (Chirag 2180m)

Top View of Chirag Cavings Collection

splintery

Angular

Chirag A15 (2400m), top view

Oblique View of Chirag Caving Collection

Chirag A15 (2400m), oblique view

Typical Tabular Cavings from Preexisting
Plane of Weakness (Mungo P2)
Typical angular caving from a rubble zone near a fault, angles
have been eroded due to prolonged stay in the borehole
(Amberjack GB /A32)
Mixed Cavings from West Bison