Stuck Pipe Mitigating During Drill Pipe Connection Using Rotation Continuous Circulation Tool

Abstract

Avoiding stuck pipe incidents has a tremendous impact on the efficiency of drilling operations in the oil and gas field. Accumulated cuttings in the drilling BHA due to sudden stop of mud circulation could be the reason of mechanical stuck pipe. The stationary time while making connection might be the reason for getting differential pressure stuck pipe. A rotational continuous circulation tool (RCCT) has been developed to eliminate this risk. The RCCT allows for continuous circulation and rotation while making connections. It is a 4-inch drill pipe sub with a rotating sleeve. The sleeve is equipped with side-entry port. A side-entry hose, coming from the manifold, is connected to drill pipe through this side-entry port when needed. When operating the mud pump, the mud will move inside the side-entry hose going inside the drill pipe. This will provide continuous circulation. In order to provide continuous rotation, the rotary table is used. RCCT was trial-tested twice. In the latest trial, 300 ft of open-hole were drilled. The tool was successfully operated, maintaining both circulation and rotation during the connection time, with some considerations. When connecting RCCT, the length of the drill pipe stand increases by 4 to 6 ft. This will need a change of the links length from 11 ft to 13 ft to allow enough space between the Top Drive System (TDS) and the top tool joint. Also, there are limitations in some rigs regarding the height of the crown, where there is a possibility of hitting it when raising the TDS. This work summarizes the design, the operational considerations, and the deployment details of rotational continuous circulation tool. A trial-test is discussed as a demonstration.