Aggreko mud cooling solution avoiding downtime through overheating
A complete drilling cycle without any NPT or failure of Logging tools and huge cost savings
Client:Global Oilfield Services Company
Location:Abu Dhabi
Sectors:Oil and Gas
THE CHALLENGE
Installation and commissioning of a complete mud cooling package
In high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) wells, temperature control when drilling mud is critical but often difficult to achieve with common mud cooling techniques. Due to the volatile environment of the drilling and overheating mud fluid, they can encounter a number of problems:
- Equipment failure due to broken seals
- Unstable mud properties leading to incorrect measurements with MWD and LWD tools
- Serious safety risks when oil-based fluids exceed flash point temperatures
Drilling is complex work and making sure that safety is adhered to is fundamental. Contractual obligations mean that financial penalties are often easy to incur due to tool failure or heating issues when temperatures rise.
Penalties can occur quickly for drilling companies due to nonproductive time (NPT) caused by tool failure or heating issues. This can be caused by things such as the bottom hole temperature (BHT) rising.
The customer needed a cooling solution for their drilling which made sure temperatures did not exceed dangerous levels and that non NPT didn’t occur.
THE SOLUTION
Timely mobilisation of mud cooling package which includes our chiller package, pump & heat exchangers
A quick turnaround time of just 3 days showcased the expertise and logistical skill set that Aggreko had at its disposal for tacking complex projects such as this one.
Aggreko carefully assessed the requirements and came up with an inhouse solution incorporating design, heat load calculation, and closed circuit solutions, which for the customer, was an ideal result for their short / long term drilling cycles.
By supplying and installing chiller units alongside circulating pumps and heat exchangers, the surface mud temperature at the manifold could be kept to a cool 14°c. This ensured that the BHT did not exceed 176°c which ultimately would cause faults and stop drilling.