Well engineering and construction

by Hussain Rabia

Well engineering and construction will present the origins of pore pressure and principles its determination.

It should be emphasized here that this subject alone requires more than one book to cover in detail.

Hence the emphasis will be placed on the practical utilization of pore pressure in the well planning process.

It is hoped that the ideas presented here will help the engineer to better understand lithological columns and deduce potential hole problems before producing a final well plan.

Knowledge of formation pressures is vital to the safe planning of a well. Accurate values of formation pressures are used to design safe mud weights to overcome fracturing the formation and prevent well kicks.

Well engineering and construction: The process of designing and selection of casing weights/grades is predominately dependent on the utilization of accurate values of formation pressure.

Cementing design, kick control, selection of wellhead and Xmas trees and even the rig rating are dependent on the formation pressures encountered in the well.

All formations penetrated during the drilling of a well contain pressure which may vary in magnitude depending on depth, location and proximity to other structures.

In order to understand the nature, extent and origin of formation pressures, it is necessary to define and explain basic wellbore pressure concepts.