Technology has made leaps and bounds to address growing reservoir complexity in recent years. E&P companies are now armed with the technical ability to drill in many locations previously considered undrillable.

Still, with the memory of Macondo sharply in mind, improving downhole certainty while decreasing exposure to risk remains a top concern for operators drilling in any environment, particularly in difficult scenarios.

Recent developments in closed-loop drilling technology advance current standards for drilling safety and operational performance. These systems offer a scalable set of capabilities that allow operators to monitor downhole pressures and contain, control, and manage annular flow. Ranging from early kick and loss detection to managed pressure drilling (MPD), closed-loop drilling methods provide answers to many of the obstacles drillers face, including expensive kick/loss episodes, total circulation losses, and narrow pore-pressure/fracture-gradient windows.

Closed-loop drilling systems have been applied across a broad scope of applications to provide critical downhole information to improve operations and increase overall safety and well integrity.

Enhance well control

Encountering an anomaly that accelerates into a full-scale well control event is the ultimate fear in an E&P project, especially when the stakes are high such as in deep water. Closed-loop systems decrease the likelihood of such an incident by greatly improving the ability to detect and respond to pressure fluctuations. Conventional means of reducing the probability or impact of a loss or a kick scenario include casing, fluid programs, and other barriers to well control incidents in the well design. On the back end, should an incident escalate, the blowout preventer and other mitigation procedures help minimize the consequences. Beyond upfront engineering and reactionary responses, there are no other lines of defense against well control events using traditional well construction methodologies. Closed-loop technology bridges that gap by providing the ability to precisely measure and manage minute fluid influxes and losses before they develop into an incident. This early warning and management capability serves as an additional control measure and effectively reduces the need to apply traditional secondary well-control practices.

Drill with more confidence

Operators can rely on closed-loop drilling systems not only to reduce risk but to provide high-fidelity real-time data. The outcome of a kick/loss scenario

can be exacerbated by slow detection or a misdiagnosis. A slow or incorrect response could lead to hydrocarbons reaching the surface and damaging the environment. A shut-down can cost millions of dollars in nonproductive time. The ability to monitor, detect, and react quickly to pressure changes in the stand pipe and at the surface enables the downhole pressure profile to be proactively managed and manipulated. More control helps the operator navigate safely and successfully through known and unknown hazards.

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