Good drilling practices, particularly with regard to circulating and tripping activities, can greatly reduce the occurrence of stuck pip.

Stuck Pipe Procedures

Drilling Contractor personnel must be made aware of the tight hole and stuck pipe procedures and the Drillers have been informed of the correct action to take in the event of tight hole or other problems.

Drilling Jars

The Drilling Supervisor and the Drilling Contractor personnel must understand the operation of the drilling jars. They must know how each set of jars work, in order to make rational decisions when required.

Mud Monitoring and Conditioning

Mud must be properly conditioned prior to use. The quantity, shape, and condition of the cuttings provide valuable clues as to what is happening downhole, the shale shakers shall be monitored regularly by the Drilling Supervisor and the Mud Engineer.

Prior to Tripping

The hole shall be circulated clean prior to the start of a trip. Although a minimum circulating time shall be specified by the DSV, a trip shall not be started if there are still significant quantities of cuttings coming over the shakers.

During Tripping

If hole conditions worsen during a trip, circulation should be initiated as soon as possible.

Rotation and reciprocation, if practical, while circulating in inclined wells will assist hole cleaning by disturbing the cutting beds.

Always monitor the depths and magnitude of torque and overpull in order to help assess the condition of the hole.

Trip Frequency

Regular check trips shall be made, either at pre-determined intervals, when drilling through potential stuck pipe zones, or as hole conditions dictate.Short trips across permeable sands shall always be carried out, together with slow tripping past hydrocarbon bearing formations,

Tripping Practice

The following practices should be adopted during all tripping operations:

• Keep the drillstring moving whenever possible in the open hole.
• Exercise extreme caution when tripping in open hole. The Toolpusher or Drilling Supervisor shall always be on the rig floor for at least the first ten stands out and the last ten stands in and through any problem sections.
• Never try to force the string through a tight spot. The string can become stuck while being firmly pulled into a tight hole.
• As a minimum, the last three stands shall always be washed to bottom.
• At the first sign of tight hole, call the Toolpusher and Drilling Supervisor to the rig floor.

Overpull

By not immediately applying an overpull of more than half the weight of the collars below the jars, the driller should always be able to work the pipe back down.

If necessary, the Drilling Supervisor has the option to gradually increase overpull, each time checking to ensure that the pipe is free to go back down.

However, overpull in excess of the weight of the drill collars must not be applied as this will almost certainly result in the string becoming stuck.

Top Drive versus Kelly

Although top drive units have been found to be capable of reducing stuck pipe risks, downhole conditions shall be treated with the same consideration applied when drilling is performed using a kelly. eg., if wiper trips would normally have been made after every joint drilled during kelly drilling operations, wiper trips might be made only after each stand drilled (three joints) with a top drive, unless special care is taken. This can increase the risk of stuck pipe.

Also, there is a risk of complacency when using a top drive because top drives are regarded as being able to keep the pipe moving regardless of the downhole conditions. This may lead the Drilling Supervisor to delay taking actions to improve downhole conditions.

Downhole conditions, particularly with regard to tight hole, must be treated with the same amount of care with a top drive as with a Kelly.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities for avoiding and overcoming stuck pipe are given in the following table: