A Proven Multidisciplinary Approach in Combating Water Flow Potential While Drilling the Asmari Formation in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi

摘要

Water influx from a shallow sandstone formation caused problems in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. Four wells were drilled in one field and have consistently recorded water flow issues causing Non- Productive Time. This paper looks into the problems recorded in the Drilling Reports and End of Well Reports and provides a technical proposal to combat the problems. The Asmari Formation is encountered in the 26" hole section and is normally cased off with 20" casing. The water influx problems which were in some instances combined with losses not only hampered the drilling operations but also resulted in poor cement jobs requiring remedial actions and challenging well abandonment. The main objectives are; i. Drill the 26" hole section through the Asmari Formation and cement the 20" casing to surface with no water influx and no mud losses ii. Cementing the 20" casing to surface and eliminate remedial cement jobs The approach described in this paper to achieve the above mentioned objectives was derived from three technical drilling disciplines, Drilling Fluids System, Cement Slurry Design and Operational Practices. The proposed approach was successfully applied to the recent well drilled in the field in 2016/2017. This is illustrated in the case study at the end of this paper which clearly shows that the objectives were fully met.