Case study: Automatic kick control reduces kick size, time to establish control of well

The International Research Institute of Stavanger (IRIS) evaluated two well control procedures using pressure-while-drilling (PWD) technology: dynamic shut-in and automatic kick control (AKC). Jing Zhou, Senior Research Scientist at IRIS, explained how both methods capitalized on improvements in PWD technology at the 2014 IADC Well Control Europe Conference in Aberdeen on 2 December. Using a well flow model and cases from a North Sea drilling operation, IRIS found that using the AKC procedure reduces the time needed to establish control of the well and reduces the total kick size.