Date of Award

1958

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Department

Geology

First Advisor

F. D. Holland Jr

Abstract

Collapse of casing due to formation slumping and salt flowage into cavities in these formations has presented a difficult problem. The major salt deposits of western North Dakota may be placed in three evaporite types: normal marine, penesaline, and saline. The four major formations encountered in oil well drilling are the Prairie Evaporite of Devonian age, Mississippian Charles, Permian Opeche, and the Spearfish of Triassic age. A variety of drilling muds including gypsum, lime, high PH, barium carbonate, and saturated salt base muds have been used to drill the salt units. The saturated salt base mud has proven to be the best suited to-date. At the request of the Amerada Petroleum Corporation, the Battelle Memorial Institute prepared a report covering the flow of salt associated with casing collapse. Although the report did not solve the collapsed casing problem, experimental results proved that under pressure, salt will flow, if a cavity provides space for movement. The elimination of such a cavity could be accomplished by the use of a salt base mud and a good casing cementing job.

Download

Share

COinS