"different drilling techniques to help keep the pressure managed" "There’s a word for that I just can’t remember it right now."
Yes, that's "Managed Pressure Drilling" or MPD
It's using the right equipment and carefully monitoring the exact pressure in the bore while drilling deeper
Too much pressure or too little are both bad, so it's a Goldilocks target of "just right"
In GSPE's case, they had a "loss of control" event that resulted in significant loss of drilling fluid and a halt to drilling to regain control
You're right about experience, it matters. Drilling this type of well isn't for sissies, we're betting on an experienced operator. The incident may have just been pressure variations much greater than expected.
The Tau 1 loss of control was unfortunate and disappointing, especially because it came at a bad time. It resulted in the ending of the first drilling program before the target was reached.
I'm betting on success in 2021!
spec