Over the last few years, extended-reach drilling (ERD) field development has significantly increased globally, and its benefits are well recognized. ERD techniques are increasingly used to intersect hydrocarbon targets that are difficult to access due to logistic issues. While these wells are challenging to drill, complete, and service, the benefits can be significant. These benefits drive the development of technology and techniques to continuously expand the ERD envelope and increase the complexity of profiles to reach more challenging targets. The directional drilling and evaluation service supplier plays an important role. Each ERD well has a unique set of challenges. Common to all ERD projects is that many aspects of drilling engineering principles are not only pushed to the limit, but become highly interrelated and sensitive to smaller changes than conventional wells. For this reason, a team approach to planning and executing ERD activities should be considered critical. Each team member should bring to the project relevant experience, knowledge, a range of field-proven technology, and a solid global support structure. Drilling successful ERD wells in challenging conditions depends on various factors, which include careful planning and use of the latest technology. Planning involves understanding the geological structure, not only within the reservoir section, but also in the overburden where typically most of the time efficiency gains can be achieved. The last step in planning is designing an efficient bottomhole assembly (BHA) based on previous experiences, lessons learned and inputs from various teams. Good planning is supported by use of new technologies, especially tools that give real-time information, enabling quick and informed decisions to ensure safe and efficient drilling in a challenging environment. This paper discusses the planning and decision-making process to drill ERD wells by using latest real-time technologies in drilling challenging wells. This paper describes the experiences and huge success of drilling the longest 8.5-in. hole section in an ERD well, drilled and cased smoothly through challenging formations.
Casing-while-drilling is a relatively new well construction process or technology for simultaneously drilling and casing a wellbore, and has been utilized globally over the last 15 years or so. This technology has shown advantages of reducing overall drilling time and cost. It has demonstrated signs of reducing hole problems, such as mud losses, through plastering effect because of the rotation of the casing string against the formation. It provides assurance to case off unstable formations while drilling, resulting in significantly reduced well construction costs. Saudi Aramco has made several field test runs of this technology beginning in early October 2008, including deployments of both simple casing drilling with drill-through casing bit (non-retrievable) system and advanced bottom hole assembly (BHA) retrievable system designed for directional casing drilling. This paper will document the lessons learned from implementation of the technology, including planning and design, rig operations, problems encountered, modifications made to reduce risk after extensive review and investigation, and finally, successful deployment of a directional casing drilling to the planned casing point with a 17" x 13-⅜" system. In addition, the paper briefly outlines the further required improvements of casing drilling tools to ensure continued success in the future.
Offshore fields in Saudi Arabia are being developed based on optimum use of onshore drilling rigs. Rather than developing the field completely from offshore platforms, it is developed partially from man-made, interconnected drilling islands. Extended reach wells (ERWs) are necessary for optimum surface location use and maximum reservoir contact. As the wells increase the step-out, challenges arise not only during the drilling phase but also while running liners to target depth (TD). Wellbore geometry, hole instability issues and torque and drag forces, restrict the ability to deploy the liner to planned depths, setting technical limits to the oil and gas production potential. The main challenge of running liners through extended lateral sections is the lack of hookload to push the liner to TD, and the ability to rotate the drill pipe without rotating the liner. As more extended reach deployment becomes common practice, it is necessary to implement new running liner practices and tools that rotate the drill pipe above the liner, to break the frictional drag and make more surface weight available, to deploy the liners or completions to TD. This paper outlines the problem faced when deploying 7 in. liners in ERWs through 8½ in. hole lateral sections, and the solution using an innovative rotatable friction reduction tool, which allows the rotation of the drill pipe without transmitting torque to the liner. A case study is presented showing the main challenges, pre-job engineering calculations, field implementation, final results and lessons learned. Ultimately, the new rotatable friction reduction tool was a key component in the deployment of the longest 7 in. liner run in Saudi Arabia so far.
Summary Reactive formations, resulting in wellbore instability, can obstruct the running of casing, liners, and completions. This problem is particularly acute in highly deviated, complex wellbore geometries, and long horizontal sections, where increased exposure time can lead to deteriorating hole conditions. This paper reviews the use of a novel fluid-powered Turbine Reamer Shoe (TRS) to successfully run 9⅝" casing, 7" drilling and production liners, and 4½" liners and completions through problematic intervals and hole conditions. The downhole turbine provides high speed reamer rotation without rotating the entire string, and requires minimal modification to standard running practices. The 9⅝" and 7" casing/liner running turbines present a further novel design feature: an unobstructed through bore (at API drift ID of the string on which it is run) for rapid drill out and drilling ahead. Results from over 30 onshore and offshore wells from the Manifa development, and several other fields, including Berri, Zuluf, Qatif, and Safaniya are analysed. The TRS is now becoming a technology of choice in the planning of challenging wells, to mitigate the risk of sticking, and to reduce the flat time and HSE exposure involved in conditioning the wellbore and re-running casing, liners, and completions.
Over the past years, extended-reach drilling (ERD) field development has significantly increased globally, and its benefits are well recognized. ERD techniques are increasingly used to intersect hydrocarbon targets that are difficult to access due to logistic issues. While these wells are challenging to drill, complete, and service, the benefits can be wide ranging. These benefits drive the development of technology and techniques to continuously expand the ERD envelope and increase the complexity of profiles to reach more challenging targets. The directional drilling and evaluation service supplier plays an important role. Each ERD well has a unique set of challenges. Common to all ERD projects is that many aspects of drilling engineering principles are not only pushed to the limit, but become highly interrelated and sensitive to smaller changes than conventional wells. For this reason, a team approach to planning and executing ERD activities should be considered critical. Each team member should bring to the project relevant experience, knowledge, a range of field-proven technology, and a solid global support structure. Drilling successful ERD wells in challenging conditions depends on various factors, which include careful planning and use of the latest technology. Planning involves understanding the geological structure, not only within the reservoir section, but also in the overburden where typically most of the time efficiency gains can be achieved. The last step in planning is designing an efficient bottomhole assembly (BHA) based on previous experiences, lessons learned and inputs from various teams. Good planning is supported by use of new technologies, especially tools that give real-time information, enabling quick and informed decisions to ensure safe and efficient drilling in a challenging environment. The paper discusses the planning and decision-making process to drill ERD wells by using latest real-time technologies in drilling challenging wells. This paper will describe the experiences and huge success of drilling the longest 8.5-in. hole section in an ERD well, drilled and cased smoothly through challenging formations.
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