Publications

Annular pressure build up (APB) have long been a concern in petroleum industry, particularly in high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) subsea wells. Subsea wellhead typically has limitation in monitoring and bleeding off all annuli. Subsea wells can experience significant tubing/casing heat up, not only during production or injection, but also during well testing and drilling. APB is the pressure generated within an annulus by thermal expansion of trapped annular fluids when exposed to high temperatures induced by hydrocarbons producing or fluid injecting.. This may lead to significant damage to the cement sheath causing zonal isolation issues and may also cause tubular collapse/burst, leading to further well control issues or production loss. Managing APB in deep water well requires careful planning and design. Tubular elongate and trapped annular fluids expand which can be causing severe loads, must be thoroughly considered during planning. Tubular burst and collapse are the most probable problem during APB situation. In terms of completion, production packer selection strategy also will be a concern due to the APB. The study presented herein focus on planning mitigation plan due to APB issues during drilling, completion and production phases. The aims of this study are to provide knowledge of APB, aspects of design and operation that should be carefully considered and methodologies to mitigate APB. The recent researches which vigorously carried on in petroleum industry worldwide regarding the APB will be incorporated in this study. It is expected that the result of the study presented here, can be used as reference in future research and engineering application in Indonesia in terms of subsea wells development. Keywords: APB, Annular Pressure, Annular Pressure Buildup, Thermal Expansion, Subsea Completion