Publications

Pressurized Mud Cap Drilling (PMCD) is a technique commonly implemented in wells with heavy drilling fluid losses, while allowing safe and efficient drilling operations to commence to reach target depth. Unlike conventional drilling practice where losses are commonly cured or even reduced to controllable level, PMCD confronts the loss circulation event and uses it as advantage to drill deeper, preventing unnecessary NPT of curing the loss rate while at the same time promoting other aspects of barite and chemical savings. The correct preparation, precise equipment arrangement, and appropriate response to well behavior upon drilling, are success formula in drilling a PMCD well. The preparation phase covers contractual arrangements, a PMCD feasibility study, rig survey, equipment identification and setup, engineering/procedure structure, and finalizing the equipment preparation. Periodically, the project preparation timeline needs to be updated addressing the execution date. Non-technical aspects are also to be well thought out in the project timeline. For example, in an offshore environment, weather condition promotes additional consideration in term of planning and logistics. While a land rig operation needs to have economic access to massive water supply to prevent non-productive time in PMCD mode. Furthermore, whenever applicable, COV-19 personnel quarantine prior to mobilization might significantly affects the planning and PMCD execution. The emphasis is on a continuous learning curve implemented over two decades since PMCD implementation in Indonesia, along with its advantages and shortcomings to optimize project planning and execution guideline for drilling engineers.