Ballooning – Episode 24

Wellbore ballooning or “breathing” is a topic often discussed but not properly understood. Ballooning or breathing is when fluid is forced into the rock’s micro fractures while pumping which are open only enough to contain fluid but not enough to permanently fracture the rock. When we stop pumping and reduce the hydrostatic or equivalent circulating density, the overburden of the rock forces the fluid back into the wellbore.