This case history outlines a recent North Sea Coiled Tubing Drilling Project (CTD). The Project consisted of 2 main phases – Onshore Testing and Offshore Operations.
The objective of the Project was to drill a 1000 ft sidetrack from an existing water injection well via a window cut in 7 inch casing. If the operation were to be unsuccessful, the well would be returned to its original configuration.
The existing perforations were successfully abandoned using a gel plug and a cement abandonment plug. A separate cement kick off plug was spotted above the cement abandonment plug. A pilot hole was drilled in the kick off plug and a window cut in the casing. Eighty feet of formation was then drilled.
Following a bottom hole assembly change access to the window was lost. Subsequent attempts to re-enter the window were unsuccessful. The drilling bottom hole assembly continued past the window into the original wellbore. Attempts were made to re-cement to allow a new window to be cut. These operations were unsuccessful.
The Project was terminated after 52 days on location. All cement was underreamed from the well, the perforations treated with an acid wash and the well successfully returned to injection.
This case history outlines a recent coiled tubing (CT) drilling project in the Dutch Sector of the North Sea. Operations were conducted from a jackup drilling unit. The drilling unit conducted preliminary operations, commenced the sidetrack and recompleted the well. CT was used to drill the reservoir section of the new hole.
For CT, the objective was to exit through the 5-in. liner shoetrack and drill 230 ft of a 3 3/4-in. directional hole. The surface equipment had been designed to allow for the CT to be stripped out of the hole if substantial drilling fluid losses occurred. In this case, the well would be cleaned up and tested and the 3 3/4-in. section left barefoot. In the event that drilling fluid losses did not occur, then the section would be drilled overbalance with a low toxicity oil-based mud (LTOBM) and a 2 7/8-in. slotted liner deployed.
The 5-in. shoe track was cleaned out successfully with a mill and a positive displacement motor. The 3/4-in. hole section was drilled from 12,276 ft to the required total depth at 12,486 ft in 33.5 hours with one bottomhole assembly (BHA) and bit.
This case shows that with the proper planning, detailed design and execution, CT drilling can provide a cost effective alternative for drilling sidetracks.
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