TRIPPING OPERATION IN OIL & GAS INDUSTY | 100 % PLACEMENT SUPPORT
Tripping operation in oil and gas drilling is the physical act of pulling the drill string out of the wellbore and then running it back in. This is done by physically breaking out or disconnecting every other 2 or 3 joints of drill pipe at a time (called a stand) and racking them vertically in the derrick. When feasible the driller will start each successive trip on a different break so that after several trips fresh pipe dope will have been applied to every segment of the drill string.
The most typical reason for tripping pipe is to replace a worn-out drill bit. Though there are many problems that occur to warrant the tripping of pipe. Downhole tools such as MWD (measurement while drilling), LWD (logging while drilling) or mud motors break down quite often. Another common reason for tripping is to replace damaged drill pipe. It is important to get the pipe out of the wellbore quickly and safely before it can snap.
Drill bits wear and tear like most any other piece of equipment. Once a bit becomes too worn to drill at an adequate rate or make a full-gauge hole, or if the bearings are thought to be near failure, a trip is undertaken to replace the bit. A trip is not considered a bit trip when the purpose of replacing the bit is to change sizes. This is only done when the crew sets surface, intermediate or longstring” as appropriate
Another major cause is known as a “twist off”. Twisting off is when the drill string parts by failing catastrophically under the torsional stress. This may happen if the drill string below is pinched in the wellbore, or as the result of a structural weakening of the pipe caused by a washout or a crack in a threaded connection member.
When pipe snaps or a part of the bit breaks off, the crew has to recover all of the separated items from the wellbore. Recovering snapped pipe usually involves placing a specialized tool with grips set inside of it over the broken pipe in an attempt to capture it.
