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20 Years of Formation Pressure While Drilling (FPWD) – What Have We Discovered?

Experience is presented from 20 years of formation- pressure-while-drilling (FPWD) to capture best practices, dispel common misconceptions and demonstrate unique techniques when faced with specific well and formation scenarios to enable efficient, fit for purpose data capture. Challenges, after all, are the main driver behind innovation and progress. A historical review of more than 10,000 FPWD tool runs has been conducted, salient data summarized, analyzed, and presented to gain insights. Examination of all stuck pipe & lost in hole (LIH) events with an FPWD tool present in the bottom hole assembly (BHA) was performed to understand the sticking mechanism and root cause and, if any relationship with formation pressure acquisition was present. Specific acquisition challenges resulting in a wide range of upgrades in tool specifications or capability are explored and detailed. Early use of FPWD was primarily used for pore pressure calibration, to navigate narrow mud windows and to optimize drilling fluid density, particularly sub-salt. The ever-present supercharging phenomenon more pronounced in a while drilling environment curbed the use of FPWD measurements for detailed pressure characterization. This has now evolved with robust operational practices, better understanding of supercharging magnitude and operators challenging wireline conveyed logging on both time and risk incurred for extensive pressure surveys in a full range of environments in terms of overbalance, mobility and well geometry. Evolution of FPWD capabilities to operate in high overbalance environments and pretest performance techniques, coupled with managed pressure drilling (MPD) capabilities in ultra deep-water wells, have acted as enablers for operational success. Custom digitally enabled acquisition workflows that are tailored for specific formation conditions have also significantly aided in seal and pretest success rates. Collectively, these advancements assist operators to optimize drilling operations, minimize uncertainties, and successfully accomplish well and data objectives. With deepwater drilling trending towards tighter drilling margins, addition of newer micronized mud systems and substantial depletion, the environment has become more complex. The relentless focus on efficiency and reduction in Non-Productive Time (NPT) continues, while at the same time operator experience has diminished.
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Our vision is to advance the science of formation evaluation through electrical, nuclear, lithological, and other well logging techniques; to promote the proper application of these techniques to exploration for and exploitation of gas, oil and other naturally occurring substances; to maintain high ethical standards and to further the interests of persons professionally engaged in these endeavors. With the support of our Oil and Gas, Service, Software and Educational Institutions we can make a difference in the industry.