Wellbore Enlargement for a Deepwater Casing Program: Case Study and 
Developments

Courville, David; Childers, Ronald; Miller, Gregory E.

doi:10.2523/87153-ms

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 3 publications

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“…Therefore, this makes reamers a viable drilling tool in today's complex well programs. (i.e., Courville et al 2004;Vila et al 2011) The BHA configuration is sometimes changed when drilling through intervals with high risk of differential sticking, for example, where fewer drill collars can be used and can be replaced by tri-spiral heavy-weight drillpipe to minimize surface contact area with the borehole walls while answering the weight requirements. The drilling services company recommends the best and optimized BHAs for each hole section.…”

Section: An Optimized Drilling Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Best Driller in the Gulf of Mexico

Griffon

Gauthier

2012

IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition

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An analysis of more than 100 Gulf of Mexico (GOM) deepwater wells reveals that one operator is experiencing more drilling success than its peers in terms of consistent and repeatable top quartile drilling performance. These results are driven by the operator's commitment to its drilling philosophy, its strong and well-established partnership with key service contractors, and its core drilling team of experienced and technically sound professionals.One service company has developed an enduring relationship with the operator and contributes to the performance that the operator demands. Such performance requires a well-aligned focus between the service company and the operator. Four key areas have been identified that have allowed this partnership to thrive: people and culture, performance, structure and processes, and technology.These key areas have played in major role in delivering multiple GOM drilling records, including the top 13 fastest wells (days per 1000 ft) from spud to total depth (TD)-with some wells drilled through extended salt intervals at IADC rate of penetration (ROP) records.Real results show how best-in-class performance can be achieved when the four identified keys to the successful partnership are combined to complement and enhance each other's strengths.

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Section: An Optimized Drilling Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Best Driller in the Gulf of Mexico

Griffon

Gauthier

2012

IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition

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Advanced Modeling Technology: Optimizing Bit-Reamer Interaction Leads to Performance Step-Change in Hole Enlargement While Drilling

Partin¹,

Compton²,

Nelson³

et al. 2010

IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition

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The increasing necessity for hole enlargement while drilling (HEWD) technology has resulted in an essential need for engineers to fully understand the interaction between the drill bit and the hole opening tool. Inefficiency and damaging bit and bottom hole assembly (BHA) vibrations, caused by improper bit and reamer selection when drilling through interbedded formations and formation transitions, are a leading cause of inconsistent performance including excessive torque, low rate of penetration (ROP) and downhole tool failures (DTF). To mitigate vibrations, operators required a comprehensive analysis system/process that would allow them to model the complex BHA interaction in a virtual environment and quantitatively compare the performance of various design scenarios. To solve the challenge, the drilling team utilized a comprehensive, 4-D finite element model that couples laboratory results with a sophisticated computer simulator that calculates the drilling system’s dynamic performance from the bit back to surface in a real-time domain. Unlike other modeling programs that assume the contact forces between the cutter and rock, this advanced model utilizes exact cutting structure details coupled with the laboratory-derived rock mechanics to accurately predict the behavior of the bit and reamer with the entire drill string and bottom hole assembly. The effects of each specific BHA component and variations in drilling parameters on vibrations, ROP, and directional tendency can then be quantitatively evaluated.

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Managing Downhole Vibrations for Hole-Enlargement-While-Drilling in Deepwater Environment: A Proven Approach Utilizing Drillstring Dynamics Model

Compton

Verano

Nelson

et al. 2010

SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference

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Deepwater drilling often requires simultaneous hole-enlargement-while-drilling to improve project economics and efficiently deliver wellbore requirements. The challenge is to properly adjust reamer aggressiveness to match PDC bit dynamics to reduce damaging vibrations while maximizing overall drilling efficiency. Recent R&D efforts, focused on redesigning the BHA and optimizing drilling parameters, have successfully reduced bit/under- reamer vibrations. In addition, many operators and service providers have established rig-site procedures to recognize and mitigate vibrations. However, the results are still mixed and the lack of understanding the root causes of different vibrations is considered to be the major hurdle to improving drilling efficiency and performance. To solve this challenge an advanced dynamics model was developed which incorporates the following critical information: Mechanical rock properties (UCS) Bit/reamer design including cutter, body, gauge profile Physical characteristics of BHA components Formation characteristics (heterogeneous, anisotropy, interbedded) Well trajectory and borehole geometry Drilling parameters (WOB/RPM) This model can be applied to any drillstring configuration to provide BHA detailed information about RSS, PDM, PDC/roller cone, stabilizers, reamers, MWD/LWD and other downhole tools. This FEA model accurately predicts the drilling system's dynamics behavior from bit to surface and simulates the transient response of the entire system in time domain. Using this model, the combined effects of bit, reamer, BHA and drilling parameters have on vibration can be quantified and optimized before commencing field operations. This innovative technology provides an effective tool to optimize drilling performance without using the costly trial-and-error approach. An operator working in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) required hole-enlargement-while-drilling to open a 12-1/4" pilot hole to 14- 3/4" from 13,000ft MD to approximately 20,000ft MD. The advanced drillstring dynamics model was utilized to optimize the BHA, bit and drilling parameters to minimize potential stick-slip and lateral vibrations. The optimization study, along with the operator's improved drilling practices, resulted in a 24% increase in penetration rate (ROP) compared to an offset well. Excluding the directional portions of the wellbore, the increase in ROP was calculated at 43%. The penetration rate increase reduced rig-time usage by 13.4hrs for a savings of $558,000USD.

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Wellbore Enlargement for a Deepwater Casing Program: Case Study and Developments

Cited by 6 publications

References 3 publications

The Best Driller in the Gulf of Mexico

The Best Driller in the Gulf of Mexico

Advanced Modeling Technology: Optimizing Bit-Reamer Interaction Leads to Performance Step-Change in Hole Enlargement While Drilling

Managing Downhole Vibrations for Hole-Enlargement-While-Drilling in Deepwater Environment: A Proven Approach Utilizing Drillstring Dynamics Model

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