Stuck Pipe Prevention and Fishing Operations

Overview

Stuck pipe is one of the largest sources of non-productive time and unplanned cost in drilling. Each incident can mean days of fishing, lost equipment, sidetracks or even the loss of a well, yet most stuck pipe events are preventable when crews understand the mechanisms and recognise the warning signs early. This course explains the three main sticking mechanisms, pack-off and bridging, differential sticking and wellbore geometry, and how hole cleaning, wellbore stability and drilling practices influence each one. Participants learn to read trends in torque, drag, pressure and cuttings returns, to respond correctly in the first minutes after sticking, and to apply jarring and freeing techniques. The second part of the course covers fishing operations: tools, planning, economics and the decision to stop fishing and sidetrack.

Objectives

• Explain the main stuck pipe mechanisms and their causes
• Recognise early warning signs from drilling parameters
• Apply drilling practices that reduce the risk of sticking
• Respond correctly to a stuck pipe event
• Use jars and freeing techniques effectively
• Plan fishing operations and select fishing tools
• Evaluate fishing economics and sidetrack decisions

Who should attend

Training methodology

Real drilling data and incident reports form the core of the course. Participants analyse torque, drag and pressure trends leading up to actual stuck pipe events, identify the mechanism and decide on the first actions. Jarring calculations and fishing tool selection are practised on worked examples. A stuck pipe drill simulates the pressure of the first hour after an incident. Group discussion draws on participants' own experience, and the course ends with an assessment.

Programme outline

Dates and fees

Fees are in GBP. per delegate.

Certificate

Frequently asked questions