The document provides key points for drillers regarding mud motor operation, including monitoring standpipe pressure to initiate rotation, engaging the bit on bottom to increase pressure, periodically checking off-bottom pressure as cuttings increase, and taking caution to prevent motor stall which causes reactive torque to increase and can damage components. The reactive torque from the motor's right-hand rotation must also be considered when orienting the tool.
The document provides key points for drillers regarding mud motor operation, including monitoring standpipe pressure to initiate rotation, engaging the bit on bottom to increase pressure, periodically checking off-bottom pressure as cuttings increase, and taking caution to prevent motor stall which causes reactive torque to increase and can damage components. The reactive torque from the motor's right-hand rotation must also be considered when orienting the tool.
The document provides key points for drillers regarding mud motor operation, including monitoring standpipe pressure to initiate rotation, engaging the bit on bottom to increase pressure, periodically checking off-bottom pressure as cuttings increase, and taking caution to prevent motor stall which causes reactive torque to increase and can damage components. The reactive torque from the motor's right-hand rotation must also be considered when orienting the tool.
The document provides key points for drillers regarding mud motor operation, including monitoring standpipe pressure to initiate rotation, engaging the bit on bottom to increase pressure, periodically checking off-bottom pressure as cuttings increase, and taking caution to prevent motor stall which causes reactive torque to increase and can damage components. The reactive torque from the motor's right-hand rotation must also be considered when orienting the tool.
DRILLING 1. In order to drill using a motor, the standpipe pressure must be monitored. 2. Initially, rotation must be started in the offbottom position. 3. The performance charts in this booklet will give the required pressure to initiate the rotation for a given motor size. 4. Note that more pressure may be required than indicated on these charts to initiate rotation. Regions such as keyseats may cause difficulties if the motor is not oriented properly or set to a high build angle. 5. The off-bottom pressure, as measured on the standpipe gauge, will include the pressure differential across the motor as well as any other losses due to other tools and friction. 6. Once the motor is rotating it may then engage the well bottom. Contacting the bottom will be directly visible on the pressure indicator, as the pressure on-bottom will increase from the pressure off-bottom. 7. Caution must be taken not to allow the differential pressure to exceed the maximum differential pressure for a given motor size. 8. The weight on bit may be increased until the desired rate of penetration (ROP), torque or maximum differential pressure is reached. As drilling commences, the weight will drill off thus lowering the torque and consequently the pressure on the indicators. 9. It is important to re-check the off-bottom pressure periodically to ensure the motor is running optimally. As the amount of cuttings increase in the drilling fluid, some hydraulic power will go to lifting these cuttings so the pressure may need to be adjusted. RUNNING IN For the most part, 1. A motor can be run into the hole in a similar fashion as a conventional drilling tool. 2. Extra care is warranted if the motor is set to a high angle on the adjustable or fixed housing. 3. The motor may become stuck in the BOP, casing shoes or liner hangers. Key points for Driller’s to understand
4. The motor may need to be running when navigating tight regions of the bore hole. This procedure should not be used within the cased portion of the well. If the well depth is deep, it may be worthwhile to periodically stop the run- in and circulate to prevent the bit from plugging and to pump cool fluid to the motor which will reduce the chance of the motor becoming too hot causing stator chunking problems.During this time it may be prudent to move the motor up and down slightly so the bit rotation does not form ledges in the casing or to the well bore if in open hole. 5. Care should be taken to prevent backpressure on the motor. It may cause the motor to turn in reverse and increases the chance of un-screwing the internal connections.
REACTIVE TORQUE 1. Since the motor causes a right hand rotation, when viewed from the rig floor, the reactive torque is left-hand or counter clockwise. This reactive torque can cause the drill string connections to tighten if the torque exceeds the initial make-up torque. 2. The reactive torque results in twisting the drill string and therefore must be considered when orienting the motor. The measurement of tool face, azimuth and inclination will likely be more accurate than calculating the angle of twist from the drill string properties. MOTOR STALL 1. Motor will stall when the bit stops rotating. This can occur either from excessive weight applied to the bit or from the bit becoming stuck. 2. In either case the reactive torque will increase and if not properly released may cause excessive damage to motor components and possibly other tools in the assembly. 3. Caution must be taken when releasing stored reactive torque as releasing it suddenly may cause connections to backoff. 4. Continued circulation through a stalled motor may cause excessive wear to the elastomer in the power section. Key points for Driller’s to understand
5. A motor stalling can be seen as a sudden pressure increase on the standpipe
pressure indicators. 6. The following procedure should be used in order to continue drilling: • Stop any drill string rotation immediately. Continued rotation will only increase the torque in the assembly. • Back off completely on the pumps before lifting off the bottom. • Release the torque. Use the brake to slowly release the torque from the drill string. • Raise the bit. By lifting the bit off bottom you will be able to increase flow once again to initiate rotation similar to the start-up procedure
ROTATING THE MOTOR
1. To reduce the effects of rotating bending/cyclic fatigue, a balance must be made between the rotation speed and the motor bend angle versus the build rate. 2. For a straight hole with a straight motor, the likelihood of bending is very low so there is minimal concern of bending fatigue. As the build rate increases the bending stresses in the motor increase. In addition to this, as the bend angle of the motor increases, this also increases the bending stresses in the tool. 3. The ideal rotary speed is a function of bend angle and build rate. As a rule of thumb, a rotary speed of 50 RPM and a bend angle of 1.5 or less can be used to reduce the bending fatigue in the motor. 4. From previous experience, 90% of the time the drilling parameters are such that this rule of thumb should work. When the bend angle and build rates are set high, then the rotary speed and the length of time the motor is rotated should be reduced to lessen the effects of rotational bending.
