30 CFR 250.427 : Mineral Resources (§ 1.1 To Parts 1291-1299) — (Parts 200-202 To Parts 591-599) — Bureau Of Safety And Environmental Enforcement, Department Of The Interior (Parts 200-202 To Parts 292-299) — Offshore (§ 250.101 To Part 285) — Oil And Gas And Sulphur Operations In The Outer Continental Shelf (§ 250.101 To § 250.1933) — Oil And Gas Drilling Operations (§ 250.400 To § 250.490) — Casing And Cementing Requirements (§ 250.420 To § 250.428) — What are the requirements for pressure integrity tests?

You must conduct a pressure integrity test below the surface casing or liner and all intermediate casings or liners. The District Manager may require you to run a pressure-integrity test at the conductor casing shoe if warranted by local geologic conditions or the planned casing setting depth. You must conduct each pressure integrity test after drilling at least 10 feet but no more than 50 feet of new hole below the casing shoe. You must test to either the formation leak-off pressure or to an equivalent drilling fluid weight if identified in an approved APD.

(a) You must use the pressure integrity test and related hole-behavior observations, such as pore-pressure test results, gas-cut drilling fluid, and well kicks to adjust the drilling fluid program and the setting depth of the next casing string. You must record all test results and hole-behavior observations made during the course of drilling related to formation integrity and pore pressure in the driller's report.

(b) While drilling, you must maintain the safe drilling margins identified in § 250.414. When you cannot maintain the safe margins, you must suspend drilling operations and remedy the situation.