ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS Question 1 A turnkey drilling contractor began drilling a 9,000-ft well in September 1979. The well was in a high-activity area where 52 wells had been drilled previously in a township (approximately 36 sq mi). The contractor was reputable and had a successful history. The drilling superintendent called a bit company and obtained records on two wells in the section where the prospect well was to be drilled. Although the records were approximately 15 years old, it appeared that the formation pressures would be normal to a depth of 9,800 ft. Since the prospect well was to be drilled to 9,000 ft, pressure problems were not anticipated. The contractor elected to set 1094 -in. casing to 1,800 ft and use a 9.5-lb/gal mud to 9,000 ft in a 10.875 -in hole. At that point, responsibility would be turned over to the oil company. Drilling was uneventful until a depth of 8,750 ft was reached. At that point, a severe kick was taken. An underground blowout occurred that soon erupted into a surface blowout. The rig was destroyed and natural resources were lost until the well was killed three weeks later. A drilling consultant retained by a major European insurance group conducted a study that yielded the following results: All wells in the area appeared to be normal pressured until 9,800 ft. However, 4 of the 52 wells in the specific township and range had blown out in the past five years. It appeared that the blowouts came from the same zone as the well in question. A total of 16 of the remaining 48 wells had taken kicks or severe gas cutting from the same zone. All problems appeared to occur after a severe 1973 blowout taken from a 12,200-ft abnormal pressure zone. i. Was the well planning done properly? Explain [6 Marks) ii. What caused the severe kick? Explain [5 Marks) iii. What is the bit and hole size for 10 3/4-in casing? (3 Marks) iv. Discuss two possible reasons why the contractor decided to set 10%/4-in. casing to 1,800 ft and use a 9.5-lb/gal mud to 9,000 ft in a 10.875 -in hole. [8 Marks] v. How was the well killed? [3 Marks) 1