Definition
Any unplanned event or activity that forces a drilling operation to deviate from its predefined plan or critical path (Pritchard 2010).
Also known as a “trouble”; these unplanned events lead to nonproductive drilling time or minor impacts to the drilling (small amounts of fluid lost) to catastrophic wellbore failure and loss of control in the drilling operation (bottom hole assembly [BHA] is stuck in the borehole and the drill string twisted-off). These events are attributed to not only geological complexity but also mechanical failures or human error. Ultimately, these disruptions will affect the drilling timeline, budget, project completion, and reputation of the companies involved. Uncertainty drives risk everywhere. In the literature, drilling hazards are most often discussed with the completion of deep sea boreholes (e.g., Gala et al. 2010) but are not uncommon on land for engineering geology and associated geotechnical testing and monitoring boreholes, oil and gas...
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References
Baird RW (1976) Prediction of potential drilling hazards by high resolution geophysical techniques. Continental Oil Co., Houston, 88pp. http://bairdusa.com/shallow/
Gala, DM, York P, Pritchard DM, Rosenberg SM, Dodson JK, Utama B (2010) Drilling hazard mitigation technologies key in eliminating non-productive time in challenging wells. Society of Petroleum Engineers, SPE-129030-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/129030-MS
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The following publications are sources of the information regarding drilling safety:
International Association of Drilling Contractors: IADC Drilling Manual (12th Edition). http://www.iadc.org/ebookstore/ebook-the-iadc-drilling-manual-12th-edition-complete/
Canadian Diamond Drilling Association: Safe work methods surface handbook. https://www.cdda.ca/product/safe-work-methods-surface-handbook/
British Drilling Association: BDA Health & Safety Manual for Land Drilling 2015. http://www.britishdrillingassociation.co.uk/Publications/BDA-Health-Safety-Manual-for-Land-Drilling-2015-A-Code-of-Safe-Drilling-Practice-Free-for-BDA-members-10
National Groundwater Association: Environmental remediation drilling safety guideline. http://www.ngwa.org/Documents/erdsg.pdf
Government of Western Australian: Guidance about exploration drilling hazards. http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Safety/Guidance-about-exploration-6803.aspx
US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Guidance for drilling in and near embankment dams and their foundations. https://www.ferc.gov/industries/hydropower/safety/guidelines/eng-guide/drilling/guidelines.pdf
Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada: E3 Plus: Framework for responsible exploration. http://www.pdac.ca/docs/default-source/priorities/e3-plus---toolkits---health-and-safety/drilling.pdf?sfvrsn=7e281e6d_4
International Continental Scientific Drilling Program: Scientific Drilling. https://www.scientific-drilling.net/index.htm
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Stumpf, A.J. (2018). Drilling Hazards. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_96-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_96-1
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