The operator has faced an uphill challenge to extend the economic life of an existing producing field. The optimal selected solution was to unlock reserves in an adjacent field by drilling an extended reach (ERD) well (Well 1) from an existing platform across a major geohazard fault. In addition to the ERD well, another well (Well 2) was drilled to recover unswept volumes of minor reservoirs in the existing field. While the ERD ratio of Well 1 maybe only 2.4, the combined complexity of insufficient casing points due to slim hole requirement, narrow drilling margins and crossing a major fault at high angle, pushed the operator's drilling technical and HSE capability to the limit of Malaysia ERD experience. With the only remaining slot on the triple wellhead conductor, this well was the longest well drilled by the operator in Malaysia. These major drilling and geological challenges handcuffed the well design from the get-go, and risk assessments highlighted to stake holders, the risk of failure was prominent without innovative solutions. This paper elaborates the major challenges and innovative strategies that have enabled successful execution of Well 1, drilled in a fast track drilling program. The team's relentless effort to challenge conventional methods has enabled innovative solutions such as ‘Casing-while-Drilling’ from a splitter wellhead in a congested collision prone platform, use of low rheology drilling fluid for narrow margin drilling as well as top of the line directional equipment. To contain the possibility of exceeding the economic limits, the operator's team also re-strategized the traditionally time based drilling contracting work by implementing the "First in Malaysia" lump sum integrated drilling and completion services contract, where costs were no longer time based, but 100% performance incentivized (IDS and ICS).
State of the art technology provided by Casing-drilling Services has successfully delivered an Extended Reach Drilling well (ERD) under one of the most challenging scenarios. Challenge consisted on drilling the well from a triple-splitter wellhead in a Malaysian offshore field, navigate through a highly collision-prone platform, pass through a zone prone to loss circulation, and ultimately set up the casing as deep as possible to allow producing from the objective zones, which is located at adjacent fault block. To enable this long ERD well, the surface casing must be set as deep as possible for higher chance of success in reaching reservoir objectives. The triple-splitter wellhead design with 13 3/8-in. conduit constrained the casing design to smaller casing design. The engineering framework and the drilling techniques had to be adapted to overcome the expected challenges. Analysis of the solutions developed during design and execution, the outcome of the solutions, and the learnings from the project have been documented. The directional casing-drilling technique enables the surface hole to be drilled as deep as possible with a dynamic kill-while-drilling with a diverter in the event of any kick or shallow gas hazard. A feasibility study was performed during which all the key hazards from anti-collision in this highly congested platform, offset well losses, and well control issues were collected and mapped. After numerous engagements with industry expert/SMEs from both the operator and service providers, casing-drilling technology was selected based on lowest risk and highest chance of success. Strong collaboration at early planning stages was vital in this scenario where all the existing casing-drilling techniques and operational practices were challenged. The execution result was highly successful. This was the first application of directional casing-drilling from a triple-splitter wellhead with polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bit. The PDC bit has allowed significant increase in weight on bit (WOB) and subsequently an increase in rate of penetration (ROP), which is comparable to conventional drilling. In addition, the casing-drilling service eliminates the need to drill a pilot hole where dynamic kill is not possible. This case study provides guidelines, from the planning work to successful field execution, that can be applied for ERD well design.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.