Hole enlargement while drilling (HEWD) is an important technique in both deepwater and onshore drilling. Drilling interbedded formations is a difficult HEWD application. Two extreme cases can occur. One case is when the reamer drills in soft formation while the bit is in a harder formation. The other more difficult situation is when the reamer is in a hard formation while the bit drills ahead in soft formation. The latter creates an enormous challenge for the reamer to drill the harder formation without inducing large lateral and torsional vibrations which is detrimental to the reamer and other BHA components. An overall HEWD operating parameter management approach can greatly reduce probabilities of tool damage and unnecessary tripping while dramatically reducing drilling costs. A state-of-the-art BHA dynamic analysis program that allows modeling the reamer and bit in different formations plays a vital role in the overall HEWD management process. Before any planned HEWD operation, various possible operating scenarios can be virtually simulated through the BHA dynamic analysis program to evaluate the effect on BHA components of lateral and torsional vibrations. An optimized BHA configuration can be specified through these analyses and a set of optimal operating parameters for the chosen BHA can be developed. This paper presents an excellent case study of HEWD through severely depleted interbedded formations in the Gulf of Mexico. Previous offset wells had required multiple runs to HEWD this section due to reamer cutting structure damage. Models were constructed to compare performance with a range of BHA, WOB/WOR and RPM combinations. A set of optimal operating parameters and a road map were established for managing these parameters on the rig. Most importantly, the analyses recommended operating conditions that were substantially different from the accepted HEWD operation of increasing weight on bit (WOB) in harder formations. The analyses indicate that overall BHA performance was dramatically affected by weight on reamer (WOR). With a small sacrifice of ROP in the harder, more abrasive formations the HEWD system can effectively drill through the entire section without tripping due to component failure. This approach achieved excellent overall cost effective performance saving the operator $1.89 million on an offset well. Introduction The operator announced its field discovery in the Gulf of Mexico's Mars Basin in September, 2002. It is in 3,000ft of water, and is located approximately 88 miles southeast of Port Fourchon, Louisiana (Figure 1). During recent field development, the operator experienced problems with a BHA component. Specifically, the reamer 1,2 was suffering cutting structure damage driving up field development costs and slowing time to production. This paper will present the application challenges and resulting tool issues in addition to the problem analysis and engineering design changes to the reamer and operating parameters intended to solve the problem(s). Finally, the authors will present the results of applying the new technologies and operating parameters on the WELL #3 and how they saved the operator $1.89 million compared to costs incurred drilling the offset WELL #2.
fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractThe Ram-Powell Unit encompasses eight OCS leases in the Viosca Knoll Area of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. The blocks are located approximately 125 miles east, southeast of New Orleans and approximately 80 miles south of Mobile, Alabama in water depths ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 ft. Since the drilling of the discovery well on Viosca Knoll Block 912 in May 1985, five commercial pay sands have been logged between 5,500 and 13,500 ft subsea.This paper describes the planning and successful execution of the highly challenging A9 extended-reach well designed as the first development of the G sand interval. G sand represents the new geological play for the field as it is approximately 1,500 ft shallower than the main reservoir horizons of the field. The well was designed as a combined exploration and development project and a fast-track completion scheme was devisedThe authors will discuss the design strategy, which focused on hole cleaning and the urgency of getting the casing to bottom immediately after drilling. The drilling and completion team employed a systematic approach to planning and execution of the well, which integrated both drilling and completion.Along with detailing the planning and execution of the project, the authors also will detail the lessons learned, including the difficulty in distinguishing between borehole instability and hole cleaning problems when pulling out of the hole.
Good geomechanical modeling can provide valuable information for the efficient design and drilling of wellbores. Incorporating real-time wellbore stability monitoring during drilling can reduce the associated risks, especially for deepwater extended-reach wells. This paper presents the preparation, delivery, and outcome of the field trial for a real-time wellbore stability monitoring service delivered at Shell Exploration and Production Company's office in New Orleans. Three key objectives were set for the field trial:to develop the processes to incorporate real-time wellbore stability into the current operations center monitoring provision,to provide frequent updates of the wellbore stability model using a geomechanical modeling technique that was independent of the operator's own methods, andto monitor and verify the geomechanical model based upon the drilling experience enabling proactive decision making during drilling. For the operator's asset team, the main objective was to reduce trouble time and make execution of the well successful. Ram Powell VK 913 A-9 well was chosen as a candidate for the field trial. The Ram Powell tension-leg platform is located in 3200 feet of water in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. A-9 was planned as an extended-reach exploration and would have the highest angle at the shallowest depth in the field. A geomechanical model for the prospect had already been created using the operator's own well-established methodology. This pre-drill model was transferred into the service company's software, and the real-time model was calibrated to generate as close to the same output as possible. After verifying the real-time model using the drilling experience on the closest offset wells, the 24 hr realtime stability monitoring commenced. The real-time geomechanical monitoring encompassed pore pressure prediction, rock property calculations from formation evaluation tools, wellbore trajectory updates, and the use of surface and downhole drilling data to verify the geomechanical model. Integration of the real-time wellbore stability monitoring contributed to the successful drilling and casing of this deepwater extended-reach well. The trial resulted in a greater understanding of the geomechanics of the field. The trial also resulted in a better understanding of procedures for maximizing the value of real-time data and of associated monitoring services, services that will be incorporated in future Shell E&P wells. Introduction Shell Exploration and Production Company, in co-operation with Halliburton Sperry-Sun, established a real-time Operations Center (OC) within the operator's office in New Orleans.1 The operations center is regarded as enabling a multidisciplinary workspace that seamlessly integrates all aspects of the company's well construction activities. Halliburton Sperry-Sun and GeoMechanics International (GMI) had cooperatively developed a real-time enabled version of new geomechanical analysis software, and approached the operations center with a proposal to complement and enhance the existing well construction process. The proposal was accepted, and a trial was initiated to establish the feasibility of real-time wellbore stability monitoring within the operations center environment. An extended-reach (ERD) well design was chosen that would become the shallowest ERD well attempted on the prospect. Field Trial Outline The ultimate goal of the trial was to enable the real-time update of the geomechanical model output using measurements from the actual conditions encountered during drilling and, crucially, to provide the updates within a time frame and in a format that allowed proactive decision-making while drilling. To meet this goal, the trial had three central objectives. The first was to develop the processes that would allow the incorporation of real-time wellbore stability monitoring into the existing operations center well-construction structure. The second was to provide frequent updates of the wellbore stability model, which in this instance would use techniques that were independent of the operator's own methods. The third was to monitor and verify the geomechanical model based upon the drilling experience to enable proactive decision-making during drilling.
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