Page 371 - Practical Well Planning and Drilling Manual

Section 3 revised 11/00/bc 1/17/01 12:00 PM Page 347

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3.3

Drilling Problems

Following are some of the most common drilling problems that you
are likely to encounter while drilling. Many of these problems are avoid-
able. A good driller will look for all the signs coming from the well: pres-
sures, weights, torque, mud properties, shaker material, etc. This is
called “listening to the hole.” It takes experience to be able to listen
properly to the hole, but an experienced hand does develop almost a
sixth sense of what is happening in the well. There is nothing magical
about this, it just takes a lot of practical experience and theoretical study
to do it. In fact, this ability is one of the major benefits gained from
working on the brake as a driller. There is no doubt that this experience
later on gives a drilling supervisor or superintendent a greater ability to
make correct and timely decisions which will save the operator money.

3.3.1. Stuck Pipe

Refer to the notes on stuck pipe in Section 2.9.2 for information on
the various categories of stuck pipe.

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