There are several reasons for obtaining gyroscopic surveys in directional wells. A gyro measurement provides reliable data when magnetic measurements are affected by interference from nearby wells; it can significantly reduce the positional uncertainty and provides redundancy data and gross error checks on MWD surveys. However, the complexity and extent of the necessary testing and handling of the tools have prevented widespread adoption, and gyro services have remained limited to "must-have" scenarios. The benefits of solid-state technology and new developments in communication capabilities are gradually changing the way of thinking related to wellbore positioning. The first gyro while drilling tools were introduced in the early 2000s and were based on spinning mass gyro technology. These gyros can be very accurate with low noise levels and drift; however, they are fragile, built with moving parts, and susceptible to calibration shifts. Extensive pre-job testing, validation during job execution and post-job analysis are required to obtain reliable directional survey data. Solid-state gyros have reached the same, or even better, levels of noise and drift without the fragility of their spinning mass counterpart. With different degrees of complexity and coverage, remote operations have been used for many years in the oilfield. Still, the adoption of monitoring gyro services with no personnel at the rig-site has been minimal due to the described complexity of the system and the small volume of jobs that prevented investment and the development of the necessary processes. Solid-state gyro technology addresses these challenges More than 30 gyro-while-drilling jobs have successfully run remotely. The changes in operational procedures forced by the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the demand for uncrewed operations, and solid-state gyro technology has shown high reliability with zero non-productive time due to tool failures or shifts in the calibration. This new way of working also results in a significant reduction in the environmental impact of the operations as all travel related to personnel and equipment has been reduced and battery life extended by up to 10. Several scenarios related to wellbore positioning and directional drilling greatly benefit by having a gyro in the BHA. The gyro technology and the workflow described in this paper show how this can be done reliably, maintaining the quality of the survey data and reducing the environmental impact.
Because wells are becoming increasingly longer and more complex in trajectory and construction, safe operating limits for running pipe are becoming increasingly smaller. Because of narrow buckling margins in small diameter drillpipe and tubing, an accurate measurement of pipe tension is critical to ensure success when running this pipe. Severe buckling could result in tubing damage or failure, generating potentially significant non-productive time (NPT) or loss of the wellbore. Unreliable surface measurements for hookload and the need to measure minor changes in weights have created a need for the means to measure them. A fully validated and applicable solution is available to overcome these challenges. When run in conjunction with a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) toolstring, including a pressure-while-drilling (PWD) sensor, directional sensor, a controller module and pulser, the tool containing strain gauges provides real-time updates and stores data in memory, with tension readings at the sensor depth, to represent the weight of the string below that point. This paper presents two cases in which this solution was successfully applied, using strain gauges to measure tension below a point of interest in a string of pipe or tubing in non-drilling applications. Accurate torque and drag modeling with tripping-in weights and buckling limits plotted against real-time updates from the strain gauge tool provided continuous updates on the load regime downhole. This enabled the tension to be maintained above the buckling limits. Where the tension fell below the limits, remedial actions were taken or operations were carefully continued with extra vigilance for any signs of a deteriorating situation or of string lockup. The benefits of using strain gauges have been found in yet another non-drilling application described in this paper. Technology to measure tension that has been traditionally used in the improvement of drilling performance can also be applied to improve the performance in activities that pose the challenges of overcoming low operational margins.
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