Estimating the location of leakage layer by drilling pressure loss engineering formula

The phenomenon of well leakage during drilling operations can damage oil and gas reservoirs, leading to malignant events such as well collapse, blowout, stuck drilling, and scrapping of some sections of the well, which poses a technical challenge in the safe and efficient development of oil and gas fields. Accurately determining the location of formation leakage is crucial for on-site resolution of drilling leakage issues. Conventional methods for determining leakage locations are complex, prone to errors, and economically inefficient. Therefore, a rapid method for estimating the leakage location and the time of leakage transition based on drilling pressure loss formula, standpipe pressure, and casing pressure was proposed. The method involves calculating flow regime friction based on the injected flow rate, displacement, circulating pressure loss, and flow regime, calculating leakage formation and determining leakage location based on the iteration of data from standpipe pressure and casing pressure before and after leakage, and determining the time for leakage transition according to standpipe pressure and casing pressure. The calculated leakage location for two leaking wells in the Bohai Sea region show a high overlap with the confirmed leakage location on site, with a calculation error below 5.06%, and the estimated leakage range 100% covers the on-site leakage locations. Furthermore, as the standpipe pressure increases, the leakage transition time also increases. The research method offers a convenient and concise calculation process, reducing errors caused by insufficient accuracy of input parameters. It can serve as a preliminary calculation method for determining leakage locations, providing technical support for on-site well plugging operations.