Lost circulation: mechanisms and solutions

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.

Front Cover; Lost Circulation; Lost Circulation; Copyright; Contents; Preface; LIST OF ACRONYMS; 1 -- The Challenge of Lost Circulation; REFERENCES; 2 -- Stresses in Rocks; 2.1 STRESS, STRENGTH, AND FAILURE; 2.2 IN SITU STRESSES; 2.3 PORE PRESSURE; 2.4 DEPLETION-INDUCED STRESS CHANGES; 2.5 INJECTION-INDUCED STRESS CHANGES; 2.6 STRESSES IN THE NEAR-WELL AREA; 2.7 MEASUREMENT OF IN SITU STRESSES; 2.8 SUMMARY; REFERENCES; 3 -- Natural Fractures in Rocks; 3.1 GEOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF NATURAL FRACTURES; 3.2 ROCK MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF NATURAL FRACTURES; 3.3 FLUID FLOW IN FRACTURES

3.4 PARTICLE TRANSPORT IN FRACTURES3.5 SUMMARY; REFERENCES; 4 -- Drilling Fluid; 4.1 FUNCTIONS OF DRILLING FLUID; 4.2 PROPERTIES OF DRILLING FLUIDS; 4.3 COMPOSITION OF DRILLING FLUIDS; 4.4 SOLID PARTICLES: SIZE, SHAPE, AND SETTLING; 4.5 HOW DOES DRILLING FLUID WORK?; 4.6 SUMMARY; REFERENCES; 5 -- Mechanisms and Diagnostics of Lost Circulation; 5.1 MEASURING THE LOSSES; 5.2 LOSSES CAUSED BY HIGH-PERMEABILITY MATRIX; 5.3 LOSSES IN VUGULAR FORMATIONS; 5.4 LOSSES CAUSED BY NATURAL FRACTURES; 5.5 LOSSES CAUSED BY INDUCED FRACTURES; 5.6 SEVERE LOSSES, TOTAL LOSSES, AND BOREHOLE BALLOONING

5.7 what should we choose…