30 CFR § 250.428
What must I do in certain cementing and casing situations?
July 29, 2020
The table in this section describes actions that lessees must take when certain situations occur during casing and cementing activities.
Open Table
| If you encounter the following situation: | Then you must . . . |
|---|---|
| (a) Have unexpected formation pressures or conditions that warrant revising your casing design, | Submit a revised casing program to the District Manager for approval. |
| (b) Need to change casing setting depths or hole interval drilling depth (for a BHA with an under-reamer, this means bit depth) more than 100 feet true vertical depth (TVD) from the approved APD due to conditions encountered during drilling operations, | Submit those changes to the District Manager for approval and include a certification by a professional engineer (PE) that he or she reviewed and approved the proposed changes. |
| (c) Have indication of inadequate cement job (such as unplanned lost returns, no cement returns to mudline or expected height, cement channeling, or failure of equipment), | (1) Locate the top of cement by: (i) Running a temperature survey; (ii) Running a cement evaluation log; (iii) Using tracers in the cement and logging them prior to drill out; or (iv) Using a combination of these techniques. (2) Determine if your cement job is inadequate. If your cement job is determined to be inadequate, refer to paragraph (d) of this section. (3) If your cement job is determined to be adequate, report the results to the District Manager in your submitted WAR. |
| (d) Inadequate cement job, | Comply with §250.428(c)(1) and take remedial actions. The District Manager must review and approve all remedial actions either through a previously approved contingency plan within the permit or remedial actions included in a revised permit before you may take them, unless immediate actions must be taken to ensure the safety of the crew or to prevent a well-control event. If you complete any immediate action to ensure the safety of the crew or to prevent a well-control event, submit a description of the action to the District Manager when that action is complete. Any changes to the well program, that are not included in the approved permit, will require submittal of a certification by a professional engineer (PE) certifying that they have reviewed and approved the proposed changes. You must also meet any other requirements of the District Manager for remedial actions. |
| (e) Primary cement job that did not isolate abnormal pressure intervals, | Isolate those intervals from normal pressures by squeeze cementing before you complete; suspend operations; or abandon the well, whichever occurs first. |
| (f) Decide to produce a well that was not originally contemplated for production, | Have at least two cemented casing strings (does not include liners) in the well. Note: All producing wells must have at least two cemented casing strings. |
| (g) Want to drill a well without setting conductor casing, | Submit geologic data and information to the District Manager that demonstrates the absence of shallow hydrocarbons or hazards. This information must include logging and drilling fluid-monitoring from wells previously drilled within 500 feet of the proposed well path down to the next casing point. |
| (h) Need to use less than required cement for the surface casing during floating drilling operations to provide protection from burst and collapse pressures, | Submit information to the District Manager that demonstrates the use of less cement is necessary. |
| (i) Cement across a permafrost zone, | Use cement that sets before it freezes and has a low heat of hydration. |
| (j) Leave the annulus opposite a permafrost zone uncemented, | Fill the annulus with a liquid that has a freezing point below the minimum permafrost temperature and minimizes opposite a corrosion. |
| (k) Plan to use a valve(s) on the drive pipe during cementing operations for the conductor casing, surface casing, or liner, | Include a description of the plan in your APD. Your description must include a schematic of the valve and height above the water line. The valve must be remotely operated and full opening with visual observation while taking returns. The person in charge of observing returns must be in communication with the drill floor. You must record in your daily report and in the WAR if cement returns were observed. If cement returns are not observed, you must contact the District Manager and obtain approval of proposed plans to locate the top of cement before continuing with operations. |
[76 FR 64462, Oct. 18, 2011, as amended at 77 FR 50892, Aug. 22, 2012; 81 FR 26019, Apr. 29, 2016; 84 FR 21974, May 15, 2019]
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