Bill Rehm, SWACO
With the advent of the super deep well the particular properties of gases become more critical. Both heavy hydrocarbon gases and the relatively lighter hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide follow the general gas laws, but the apparent problem from the floor of the drilling rig is quite different. The reservoirs in super deep wells contain gases under greater than critical pressure and temperatures that are liberated to the mud stream as a "liquid". This poses some very critical problems in the early detection and later control of high pressure gas reservoirs. The great depth of the new super deep wells enforces a time lag on all actions that can be very confusing and further masks the problem of critical pressure of gas. An understanding of these phenomena can help alleviate the difficulties experienced in drilling into very deep, high-pressure gas reservoirs.