Lost Circulation (eBook)

Lost Circulation: Mechanisms and Solutions provides the latest information on a long-existing problem for drilling and cementing engineers that can cause improper drilling conditions, safety risks, and annual losses of millions of wasted dollars for oil and gas companies.

While several conferences have convened on the topic, this book is the first reliable reference to provide a well-rounded, unbiased approach on the fundamental causes of lost circulation, how to diagnose it in the well, and how to treat and prevent it in future well planning operations.

As today's drilling operations become more complex, and include situations such as sub-salt formations, deepwater wells with losses caused by cooling, and more depleted reservoirs with reduced in-situ stresses, this book provides critical content on the current state of the industry that includes a breakdown of basics on stresses and fractures and how drilling fluids work in the wellbore.

The book then covers the more practical issues caused by induced fractures, such as how to understand where the losses are occurring and how to use proven preventative measures such as wellbore strengthening and the effect of base fluid on lost circulation performance.

Supported by realistic case studies, this book separates the many myths from the known facts, equipping today's drilling and cementing engineer with a go-to solution for every day well challenges.

• Understand the processes, challenges and solutions involved in lost circulation, a critical problem in drilling
• Gain a balance between fundamental understanding and practical application through real-world case studies
• Succeed in solving lost circulation in today's operations such as wells involving casing drilling, deepwater, and managed pressure drilling

Alexandre Lavrov is currently a Senior Scientist in the Rock Mechanics Group at SINTEF Petroleum Research, based in Norway. His main areas of research include petroleum-related rock mechanics, fracture mechanics of rocks, and mechanics of well cementing. Previously, Alexandre has worked as a Research Scientist for the Moscow State Mining University in Russia. He completed a post-doctoral with the Mining Group at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium in 2000-2002, before joining SINTEF Petroleum Research in 2003. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, The Society of Rheology, and the British Society for Strain Measurement. Alexandre is active in many publications, conferences, and advisory boards including the Organizing Committee of the SPE Workshop on Lost Circulation (2014). He has been the Technical Editor at the SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering journal since 2007. He won the SPE Outstanding Editor Award in 2008 and has published in many journals. Alexandre earned his undergraduate degree, PhD, and D.Sc. degrees from the Moscow State Mining University and all in Mining Engineering.

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Lost Circulation: Mechanisms and Solutions provides the latest information on a long-existing problem for drilling and cementing engineers that can cause improper drilling conditions, safety risks, and annual losses of millions of wasted dollars for oil and gas companies. While several conferences have convened on the topic, this book is the first reliable reference to provide a well-rounded, unbiased approach on the fundamental causes of lost circulation, how to diagnose it in the well, and how to treat and prevent it in future well planning operations. As today's drilling operations become more complex, and include situations such as sub-salt formations, deepwater wells with losses caused by cooling, and more depleted reservoirs with reduced in-situ stresses, this book provides critical content on the current state of the industry that includes a breakdown of basics on stresses and fractures and how drilling fluids work in the wellbore. The book then covers the more practical issues caused by induced fractures, such as how to understand where the losses are occurring and how to use proven preventative measures such as wellbore strengthening and the effect of base fluid on lost circulation performance. Supported by realistic case studies, this book separates the many myths from the known facts, equipping today's drilling and cementing engineer with a go-to solution for every day well challenges. Understand the processes, challenges and solutions involved in lost circulation, a critical problem in drilling Gain a balance between fundamental understanding and practical application through real-world case studies Succeed in solving lost circulation in today's operations such as wells involving casing drilling, deepwater, and managed pressure drilling