Techniques for Handling Upward Migration of Gas Kicks in a Shut-In Well

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the experimental evaluation of various proposed well control techniques which may be implemented when normal kill operations are delayed. Two 6000-ft wells, one containing the flow geometry present in a surface blowout preventer (BOP) stack and the other modeling the flow geometry of a subsea BOP stack in 3000 ft. of water, were used to evaluate (1) the constant drill pipe pressure method and (2) the static and dynamic volumetric methods that can be employed when a meaningful drill pipe pressure is not available. It was found that any of the three methods could be used to maintain an acceptable bottom hole pressure in a surface BOP system with a uniform annular geometry. However, the static volumetric method generally resulted in a decreasing bottom hole pressure once gas reaches the subsea choke line and is not recommended for deep-water floating drilling operations.