Kick Tolerance Calculator

Kick tolerance is the largest influx you can take and still circulate out without fracturing the casing shoe. It is one of the key go/no-go checks before drilling ahead into a new section.

Formulas

Max kick heightH = [0.052·ShoeTVD·(FG − MW) − 0.052·TVD·KI] / [0.052·(MW − ρkick)]

Kick toleranceKT (bbl) = H × Annular capacity

Worked example

GIVEN

Shoe TVD 5,000 ft, shoe FG 14.5 ppg
MW 10.2 ppg, well TVD 10,000 ft
Kick intensity 0.5 ppg, gas 1.5 ppg
Annular capacity 0.0459 bbl/ft

WORKING

Numerator = 1,118 − 260 = 858 psi
Denominator = 0.052 × (10.2 − 1.5) = 0.4524 psi/ft
H = 858 / 0.4524 ≈ 1,897 ft

Kick tolerance ≈ 87 bbl — GO

FAQ

What kick intensity should I use?

Use your company standard — commonly 0.5 ppg for development wells and 1.0 ppg for exploration.

Does this account for gas expansion?

This is the standard single-bubble model at the shoe. For HPHT or very deep wells, run a full kick simulation.

Run it with your well data

Field & Metric units, works offline, save and share results with your crew.

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Reference only. Always verify against your company procedures and well-control certification.