Early kick detection and well control decision-making for managed pressure drilling automation

摘要

Early kick detection and blowout prevention is a major concern in any drilling operation. Usually, conventional well control procedures rely merely on the pit gain and variations in pump pressure as the primary indicators to detect and handle a kick. These indicators are rudimentary and unreliable for drilling costly offshore wells while advanced well control techniques demand more reliable indicators for early detection of kicks. For instance, early kick detection plays a vital role in deploying Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) techniques successfully.