Well Control & Blowout Prevention Flashcards
7 cards from real CPA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Well Control & Blowout Prevention flashcards as text
What is the 'Driller's Method' for killing a well?
Answer: Circulating the kick fluid out with original mud weight, then circulating kill-weight mud
The Driller's Method uses two separate circulations: the first with original mud weight to remove the kick fluid, and the second with kill-weight mud to replace all drilling fluid in the system.
What is the 'Wait and Weight Method' (also called the Engineer's Method) for killing a well?
Answer: Weighting up the mud to kill weight before starting circulation, then circulating in one step
The Wait and Weight Method involves first weighting up the drilling mud to kill weight at surface, then circulating it in one single circulation to simultaneously remove the kick and replace the mud.
How is 'kill mud weight' calculated?
Answer: Current mud weight plus the mud weight equivalent of the SIDPP
Kill mud weight equals the current mud weight plus the additional weight needed to overcome the underbalance shown by SIDPP, calculated as: current MW + (SIDPP ÷ 0.052 ÷ TVD).
What is a 'volumetric method' of well control typically used for?
Answer: Controlling a well when the drill string is off bottom or out of the hole
The volumetric method allows controlled migration of a gas kick to surface by incrementally bleeding small amounts of fluid from the annulus when pipe is off-bottom or pulled from the hole.
What is a 'bullhead kill' in well control?
Answer: Forcibly pumping kill fluids back into the formation without circulating to surface
A bullhead kill forces kill-weight fluid down the wellbore against formation pressure, pushing the kick fluid back into the formation rather than circulating it to surface.
What is the maximum allowable annular surface pressure (MAASP) used to determine?
Answer: The maximum casing pressure allowed before the weakest exposed formation fractures
MAASP is the maximum pressure allowed on the casing annulus before the weakest exposed formation below the shoe will fracture, which could result in lost circulation and loss of well control.
What is the significance of a 'hard shut-in' versus a 'soft shut-in' procedure?
Answer: Hard shut-in closes the BOP immediately, while soft shut-in opens the choke before closing the BOP
A soft shut-in involves opening the choke before closing the BOP to prevent pressure surges, while a hard shut-in closes the BOP immediately without first opening the choke; modern well control practice generally favors hard shut-in for speed.