The loss of circulation during well drilling and cementing jobs is a serious problem for the oil and gas Industry. Loss of time is very costly and wellbore erosion can lead to inadequate zonal isolation putting the long-term integrity of the well in jeopardy. Lost circulation was a major challenge experienced by an operator when drilling wells in their 2011 campaign. The site geological prognosis indicated a high degree of depletion in sands and presence of natural fractures. As anticipated, severe lost circulation while drilling was experienced in these formations and drilling efficiently proved to be a challenging process due to heavy mud losses. An engineered fiber-based loss circulation control pills (EFLCC), based on special engineered fiber system and using a particle size distribution principle were developed to address this issue. The combination of fibers, special solids, and cementitious material was designed and tested in the laboratory to validate its ability to bridge the loss zone while permanently sealing the losses allowing further drilling to the next casing point. This paper presents the case history and field application of these novel engineered fiber-based loss circulation control pills for the successful treatment of heavy mud losses to formation in wells in offshore gas fields in Indonesia. The paper also includes a discussion of the methodology, material properties and applications.

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