METHODS OF MAINTAINING SUFFICIENT HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE IN MULTIPLE INTERVALS OF A WELLBORE IN A SOFT FORMATION

摘要

According to an embodiment, a method of maintaining a hydrostatic pressure exerted on a wall of a wellbore in at least a first interval and a second interval of the wellbore, comprises the steps of: flowing a liquid through at least a first pressure regulator and a second pressure regulator, wherein the first pressure regulator is located in the first interval of the wellbore, wherein the second pressure regulator is located in the second interval of the wellbore, and wherein each of the first and second pressure regulators regulates the amount of pressure exerted by the liquid on the wall of the wellbore; and maintaining the amount of pressure for a specific period of time. According to another embodiment, a method of maintaining a hydrostatic pressure in multiple intervals of a soft subterranean formation, comprises the steps of: using a pressure regulator to maintain an amount of pressure exerted by a liquid on the face of the subterranean formation in each of the multiple intervals, wherein the step of using comprises maintaining liquid communication with each of the multiple intervals. According to certain embodiments, the wellbore is part of a soft subterranean formation.