The Importance of Human Factors Between a Drill Crew and an MPD Supervisor – A Human Factors Case Study by Boots on the Ground

Over the past several years, MPD has become a hot topic and a standard practice in our industry. More operators are seeing and accepting the benefits of this practice, and the rig contractors and MPD service providers are rising to meet this demand. Despite all the benefits MPD provides, there still is a part of our industry that is still skeptical of its utility and efficacy. These misgivings usually grow exponentially around the competence level of either the driller or choke operator/supervisor, or at times both. This abstract/paper will explore the importance of the relationship between the driller and choke operator and its benefit to the overall operation. The areas of discussion will include the human factor topics needed in high-stress situations on rigs. Specifically, the atmosphere builds up during critical situations of gas at the surface (flaring gas), increase and/or decrease in returns from the well, and an MPD supervisor's overall role in well control responsibilities on jobs. It will also explore the importance of an MPD supervisor's role in setting up and nurturing the drill crews’ competence during operations with MPD. It will detail the importance of an MPD Supervisor's understanding and "feel" for a well, and how vital it is to a Driller's confidence, especially now when many "green" Drillers feel the full burden of responsibility for well control related events and practices on the MPD wells.