Recover Stuck Drill Pipe in an Uncontrolled Well with Abrasive Cutting Technique on Coiled Tubing – Case Study

Abstract

Drilling low-pressure formations represent challenges. In the present paper, an operational situation became an issue when during the drilling of a deviated well, the circulation was lost, and the BHA got stuck, followed by a gas inflow observed in the return line. After a well control procedure and several failed attempts to control the well and recover the drilling BHA, another problem occurred when the drill pipe got plugged, making it impossible to continue pumping control pills. The scenario described above was presented to the Coiled Tubing and Thru Tubing companies with the request of a proposal to help solve three specific goals to achieve remove the plug in the inner of the drill pipe, getting communication between the drill pipe and the open hole to be able to pump Lost Control Material (LCM) and control de well, perform a cut of the drill pipe in case the pipe couldn't be recover after control the gas inflow. With an interdisciplinary group, the problem was analyzed, and a proposal was submitted, including three runs with Coiled Tubing and Thru Tubing tools. The first run a cleanout of the drill pipe with a downhole motor and taper mill. The second run will be with an abrasive punching BHA to establish communication with the annuls, and the third run will be for an abrasive cutting that will allow the recovery of the drill pipe above the free point. The job preparation includes the engineering program with the operational parameters and flow chart and the logistic preparation with the resources such as coiled tubing equipment, thru-tubing BHAs, chemicals, and fluids, among others. During the operation, other discussions and revisions forced a change in the plan from the initial proposal, performing two of the three runs for the cleanout and abrasive cutting, which represented a benefit by controlling the well with the slurry pumped working as a LCM that helped control the gas inflow. With a conclusion of a successful cut and drill pipe recovery, the operation data and analysis of the preparation vs. the execution are presented in the paper.