According to a report from Oil & Gas UK, a trade group. Drilling operation has dropped to 40 year low both last year and in 2016 as companies cut spending to cope with falling oil prices. Low drilling operation activities of onshore oil & gas has led to decline production of onshore oil & gas reserves, sudden change in high oil prices expected to bring high level of drilling activity. Safer and controlled drilling activity will be the key to the success drilling companies.

The increasing use of Managed pressure drilling (MPD) has been proven to enhance drilling operations in conventional, narrow margin, high pressure high temperature (HPHT) and, in particular, deepwater operations. Its success does not come easily, as the technique challenges the conventional drilling paradigm along with drilling contractors and operators’ policies and standards. Success of MPD operation not reply on the technics, personell skills but also what equipment used and how it is used. For MPD operation, various equipment are required. The main purpose of using the MPD system is to control the gas levels. By choking at surface and circulating gas through the mud gas separator, the system opens the possibility to bleed off high pressured gas layers in the well. For this operation it is important to maintain fluid flow through the U-tube to effectively maintain cuttings flow and flushing.

Kapwell ltd standard MGS (Mud Gas Separator) system comes with a sparge pump that is connected to the rig active pits whereby it takes suction of clean active mud and injects it to the MGS U-tube and lower cone section sparge flush nozzles. The primary purpose is to feed fresh mud into the MGS from the rig active pits in order to maintain fluid flow through the U-tube to effectively maintain cuttings flow and flushing. It also helps maintain the liquid mud seal integrity at all times by providing constant liquid flow and helps to sparge the conical section of the MGS to keep cuttings in suspension. If the mud gas separator is overloaded, gas will be blown back into the shale shaker room and other mud-processing facilities, creating an extremely hazardous environment with a high explosion risk. Also; live crude, condensate, and drilling mud will be expelled by the gas through the gas vent line. On offshore rigs, where the vent line often discharges at the top of the derrick, the liquids will fall back to the drilling rig or platform.

Lack of effective equipment capacities, system setup and technical know-how and ineffective training in operating companies is expected to remain a key challenge for industry participants over the forecast period. Contact Kapwell.co.uk for MPD specific tools and equipment

Note: The blogs are designed solely for the aim of providing technical knowledge for reference and educational purposes only.