FORMULA SHEET – FIELD UNITS

WELL CONTROL FOR DRILLING OPERATIONS

ROUNDING RULES

 When calculating kill mud weight, ROUND UP to one decimal place (for example: round up 10.73 ppg to 10.8 ppg; round up 11.03 ppg to 11.1 ppg).
 When calculating Leak Off Test Equivalent Mud Weight, ROUND DOWN to one decimal place (for example: round down 11.76 ppg to 11.7 ppg: round down
13.89 ppg to 13.8 ppg).
 When calculating Pressure Reduction Schedule, ROUND DOWN to a whole number (for example: round down 21.6 psi/100 stks to 21 psi/100 stks).
 If the Kill Mud Weight or Leak Off values are to be used in subsequent calculations, use the rounded value in the future calculation. Do not use the unrounded
calculated value.

ROUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS

See table to right where:

ROUNDING and
MEASUREMENT UNITS
ANSWER FORMAT
X = Whole number
Depth feet X
X.XXXX = Whole number with 4 decimal places
Pressure psi X
Pressure Gradient psi/foot X.XXXX
Mud Weight (MW) ppg X.X
Volume bbls X.X
Capacity and Displacement bbls/foot X.XXXX
Pump Speed in Strokes Per Minute SPM X
Strokes stk or stks X
Speed in Feet per Hour feet/hour X
2
Area in X.XXXX
Force lbs X
Wait and Weight Pressure Reduction psi/100 stks X
Schedule or
psi/10 steps

* 10 steps = Surface to Bit strokes divided by 10.

Revision 1 22 October 2015 Page 1 of 5

1. Force (lbs) = Pressure psi x Diameter2 x 0.7854 (Diameter in inches)

𝑭
2. Pressure (psi) = Force lbs ÷ Diameter2 ÷ 0.7854 or
𝑫² 𝒙 𝟎.𝟕𝟖𝟓𝟒

𝑰𝑫²
3. Tubular Capacity (bbls/foot) = ID2 ÷ 1029.4 or (ID = Internal Diameter of Tubular)
𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟗.𝟒

𝑫²−𝒅²
4. Annular Capacity (bbls/foot) = (D2 – d2) ÷ 1029.4 or (D = Hole Diameter or Casing ID, d = Outside
𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟗.𝟒
Diameter of Tubular)
5. Height of Fluid in a Pipe/Annulus (feet) = Kick Volume bbls ÷ Annular Capacity bbls/foot or Pipe Capacity bbls/foot

6. Hydrostatic Pressure (psi) = Mud Weight ppg x 0.052 x TVD feet

7. Hydrostatic Pressure Gradient (psi/foot) = Mud Weight ppg x 0.052

8. Formation Pressure (psi) = Hydrostatic Pressure in Drill String psi + SIDPP psi
(also referred to as Bottomhole Pressure at Shut In)

𝑷𝒔𝒊
9. Mud Weight (ppg) = Pressure Gradient psi/foot ÷ 0.052 or Pressure psi ÷ TVD feet ÷ 0.052 or
𝟎.𝟎𝟓𝟐 𝒙 𝑻𝑽𝑫

10. Equivalent Mud Weight (ppg) = Pressure psi ÷ 0.052 ÷ TVD feet or (Surface Pressure psi ÷ TVD feet ÷0.052) + MW ppg

or
𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔.
𝟎.𝟎𝟓𝟐 𝒙 𝑻𝑽𝑫
or (𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔.
𝟎.𝟎𝟓𝟐 𝒙 𝑻𝑽𝑫
) + MW ppg

11. Equivalent Circulating Density (ppg) = [Annular Pressure Loss psi ÷ 0.052 ÷ TVD feet] + Original MW ppg

or (𝟎.𝟎𝟓𝟐𝑨𝑷𝑳𝒙 𝑻𝑽𝑫) + MW ppg

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12. Kill Mud Weight (ppg) = [SIDPP psi ÷ 0.052 ÷ TVD feet] + Original MW ppg or (𝟎.𝟎𝟓𝟐
𝑺𝑰𝑫𝑷𝑷
𝒙 𝑻𝑽𝑫
)+ Original MW ppg

13. Initial Circulating Pressure (psi) (ICP) = Slow Circulating Rate Pressure psi + SIDPP psi

14.Final Circulating Pressure (psi) (FCP) = Slow Circulating Rate Pressure psi x [Kill MW ppg ÷ Original MW ppg]

or SCR x (𝑲𝑴𝑾
𝑶𝑴𝑾
)
15. New Pump Pressure with New SPM (psi) = Current Pressure psi x [New SPM ÷ Old SPM]² (Only approximate)

or (𝑵𝒆𝒘
𝑶𝒍𝒅 𝑺𝑷𝑴
) x Current Pressure
𝑺𝑷𝑴 ²
psi

16. New Pump Pressure with New MW (psi) = Current Pressure psi x [New MW ppg ÷ Old MW ppg] (Only approximate)

or (𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝑴𝑾
𝑶𝒍𝒅 𝑴𝑾
) x Current Pressure psi

17. Maximum Allowable Mud Weight (ppg) = [Surface Leak Off psi ÷ 0.052 ÷ Shoe TVD feet] + Test MW ppg

(Fracture Mud Weight) or (𝟎.𝟎𝟓𝟐 𝒙𝑳𝑶𝑻

𝑻𝑽𝑫𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒆
) + Test MW ppg

18. MAASP or MACP (psi) = [Maximum Allowable MW ppg - Current MW ppg] x 0.052 x Shoe TVD feet

19.New MAASP After Kill (psi) = [Maximum Allowable MW ppg - Kill MW ppg] x 0.052 x Shoe TVD feet

20. Additional Mud Returned by Slug (bbls) = [(Slug Weight ppg ÷ MW ppg) - 1] x Slug Volume bbls

21.Total Mud Returned by Slug (bbls) = (Slug Weight ppg ÷ MW ppg) x Slug Volume bbls

22. Level Drop After Pumping a Slug (bbls) = [(Slug Weight ppg ÷ MW ppg) - 1] x Slug Volume bbls ÷ Drill Pipe Capacity bbls/foot

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 [(𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒖𝒅 𝑯𝒚𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒑𝒔𝒊 – 𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑯𝒚𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒑𝒔𝒊) ÷ 𝟎.𝟎𝟓𝟐]
23.Riser Margin (ppg) = or
(𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝑻𝑽𝑫 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕 – 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕 – 𝑨𝒊𝒓 𝑮𝒂𝒑 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕)
[(Riser Mud Hydrostatic psi – Seawater Hydrostatic psi) ÷ 0.052] ÷ (Well TVD feet – Water Depth feet – Air Gap feet)

24. Casing (or Choke) Pressure After Subsea Start-Up (psi) = Shut In Casing Pressure psi – Choke Line Friction Loss psi

𝑷𝟏 𝒙 𝑽𝟏 𝑷𝟏 𝒙 𝑽𝟏
25. Boyles Law Formulae: P1 x V1 = P2 x V2 P2 = V2 = Atmospheric Pressure = 14.7 psi
𝑽𝟐 𝑷𝟐
P = Pressure V = Volume
26. Gas Migration Rate (feet/hour) = Shut-In Pressure Increase psi/hour ÷ Mud Gradient psi/foot (Can use SIDPP or SICP)
(Increase over last hour)
27. Volume to Bleed Due to Gas Migration (bbls) = (Working Pressure to Bleed psi ÷ Mud Gradient psi/foot) x Annular Capacity bbls/foot
(For Volumetric Method)

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 Well Completion / Workover Formula Sheet – Field Units

1. Kill Fluid Weight (ppg) = [SITP psi ÷ 0.052 ÷ Top Perfs TVD feet] + Original Fluid Weight ppg
2. Kill Fluid Weight (ppg) = BHP psi ÷ 0.052 ÷ TVD feet

BullHeading Formulae

3. Formation Fracture Pressure (psi) = Formation Fracture Gradient psi/foot x Top Perforations TVD feet
4. Initial Hydrostatic Pressure (psi) = Formation Pressure psi – SITP psi
5. Initial Average Fluid Density (ppg) = Initial Hydrostatic Pressure psi ÷ Top Perforations TVD feet ÷ 0.052
6. Max Initial Surface Pressure (psi) = Formation Fracture Pressure psi – Initial Hydrostatic Pressure psi

7. Max Final Surface Pressure (psi) = Formation Fracture Pressure psi – (Kill Mud Weight ppg x 0.052 x Top Perforations
TVD feet)

8. Volume to BullHead (bbls) = Surface Lines bbls + Surface to EOT bbls + EOT to Top Perfs bbls + Top Perfs to Bottom
Perfs bbls

{EOT = End of Tubing Perfs = Perforations}

9. BullHead SPM to Exceed Gas Migration = (Gas Migration Rate ft/hour ÷ 60) x Tubing Capacity bbls/foot ÷ Pump Output bbls/stk

Temperature Correction Formula for Brines

10. Fluid Density to Mix (ppg) = Fluid Density at Avg. Temp ppg + [(Avg. Temp F – Surface Temp F) x Weight Loss
ppg/degree F]
{Avg. = Average F = Degrees Fahrenheit}

Example Weight Loss Chart Brine Weight (ppg) Weight Loss (ppg/°F)
(Note: Values will vary based on type 8.4 – 9.0 0.0017
of fluid and other factors.) 9.1 – 11.0 0.0025
11.1 – 14.5 0.0033
14.6 – 17.0 0.0040
17.1 – 19.2 0.0048

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