WorldWide Drilling Resource

Making High-Temperature Drilling Safer Adapted from Information by Drill Cool Systems, Inc. Early geothermal drilling professionals encountered many safety risks. They experienced burn hazards and jeopardized well control due to high-temperature drilling fluid. These risks are still a problem today. In 1977, a time during geothermal drilling’s vast expansion in California, a geother- mal well was being drilled, and was unexpectedly hot in the upper sections. At the surface, drilling fluid was flashing, and this posed a severe safety risk to personnel. The rigs’ operator turned to a fabricator named Elwood Champness for a solu- tion to this high-temperature well risk. To control the temperature of the well, Elwood built the first Geo-Cooler TM using the resources at his fabrication shop. Reducing the surface temperature of the drilling fluid meant the operation could continue with- out an excessive risk to rig personnel. Total depth was reached and well temperature control continued to make these operations possible into the 1980s. The demand for the Geo-Cooler TM grew in the high-temperature well commu- nity because it made the operation safe. By reducing the surface temperature of drilling fluid, it provided a heat sink for the returning, hot annular fluid. This meant the fluid would not flash or burn personnel as it entered the shakers. In addition, this cool annular fluid also reduced the temperature of the blowout preventer and its internal components. When elastomers are heated to high temperatures, they start to decompose and their mechanical properties deteriorate. Extrusion and cracking of the packers occurs as a result of this process, which can ultimately lead to a well control incident. So, reducing surface temperature plays an important role in well control with these kinds of operations. High-temperature drilling is here to stay and new technology will be needed to make it economical. Low oil prices and increased production cost has led operators to look for ways to decrease capital expenditures and maintain a high standard of safety. By protecting equipment and consumables from high temperatures, operations can be made more economical and better pro- tect employees. 28 OCTOBER 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Open the Doorway to all the Event Photos during JUBILEE 2018. To see all the photos from this event, go to www.worldwidedrillingresource.com or click here. Feel free to download at will and print the photo(s) of your choice. Compliments of WorldWide Drilling Resource ® . Photos are copyrighted and released for personal use only - no commercial use permitted. A geothermal well blowout. Modern Containerized Geo-Cooler TM . GEO