skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Bull heading to kill live gas wells

Abstract

To kill a live closed-in gas well by bull heading down the tubing, the selected pump rate should be high enough to ensure efficient displacement of the gas into the formation (i.e., to avoid the kill fluid bypassing the gas). On the other hand, the pressures that develop during bull heading at high rate must not exceed wellhead pressure rating, tubing or casing burst pressures or the formation breakdown gradient, since this will lead, at best, to a very inefficient kill job. Given these constraints, the optimum kill rate, requited hydraulic horsepower, density and type of kill fluids have to be selected. For this purpose a numerical simulator has been developed, which predicts the sequence of events during bull heading. Pressures and flow rates in the well during the kill job are calculated, taking to account slip between the gas and kill fluid, hydrostatic and friction pressure drop, wellbore gas compression and leak-off to the formation. Comparison with the results of a dedicated field test demonstrates that these parameters can be estimated accurately. Example calculations will be presented to show how the simulator can be used to identify an optimum kill scenario.

Authors:
; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
382628
Report Number(s):
CONF-9410272-
TRN: IM9645%%179
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: SPE Institute of Petroleum meeting, London (United Kingdom), Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of European petroleum conference: Proceedings. Volume 2; PB: 538 p.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
03 NATURAL GAS; NATURAL GAS WELLS; WELL PRESSURE; PRESSURE CONTROL; FLUID INJECTION; MATHEMATICAL MODELS

Citation Formats

Oudeman, P, Avest, D ter, Grodal, E O, Asheim, H A, and Meissner, R J.H. Bull heading to kill live gas wells. United States: N. p., 1994. Web.
Oudeman, P, Avest, D ter, Grodal, E O, Asheim, H A, & Meissner, R J.H. Bull heading to kill live gas wells. United States.
Oudeman, P, Avest, D ter, Grodal, E O, Asheim, H A, and Meissner, R J.H. 1994. "Bull heading to kill live gas wells". United States.
@article{osti_382628,
title = {Bull heading to kill live gas wells},
author = {Oudeman, P and Avest, D ter and Grodal, E O and Asheim, H A and Meissner, R J.H.},
abstractNote = {To kill a live closed-in gas well by bull heading down the tubing, the selected pump rate should be high enough to ensure efficient displacement of the gas into the formation (i.e., to avoid the kill fluid bypassing the gas). On the other hand, the pressures that develop during bull heading at high rate must not exceed wellhead pressure rating, tubing or casing burst pressures or the formation breakdown gradient, since this will lead, at best, to a very inefficient kill job. Given these constraints, the optimum kill rate, requited hydraulic horsepower, density and type of kill fluids have to be selected. For this purpose a numerical simulator has been developed, which predicts the sequence of events during bull heading. Pressures and flow rates in the well during the kill job are calculated, taking to account slip between the gas and kill fluid, hydrostatic and friction pressure drop, wellbore gas compression and leak-off to the formation. Comparison with the results of a dedicated field test demonstrates that these parameters can be estimated accurately. Example calculations will be presented to show how the simulator can be used to identify an optimum kill scenario.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/382628}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1994},
month = {Sat Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1994}
}

Conference:
Other availability
Please see Document Availability for additional information on obtaining the full-text document. Library patrons may search WorldCat to identify libraries that hold this conference proceeding.

Save / Share: