TOPICS OF INTEREST
DIRECTIONAL/EXTENDED REACH WELLS
Why Shell Drilled a “Horseshoe” Well in the Permian Basin
Sometimes problems turn out to be an opportunity to try something new. In this case, the result was a well design unlike anything most in the shale sector have seen before.
Legacy Providers Lose Ground In Texas’ Crowded Directional Drilling Market
Directional drilling and measurement-while-drilling technology has become so democratized in the Texas shale sector that no provider holds more than 8% of the market share.
Devon Teams with Dow to Develop STACK Acreage
Under the agreement, the Oklahoma City independent will monetize half of its working interest in 133 undrilled locations in the form of a $100-million drilling carry during the next 4 years.
Analytical Study Examines Production of Multistage Horizontal Wells in the Bakken
Multistage horizontal well designs were first implemented in the Bakken in 2007. Since then, more than 12,000 wells have been completed in either the Middle Bakken or Three Forks zones.
Horizontal Infill Well With AICDs Improves Production in Mature Field
This paper compares the performance of three mature-field horizontal infill wells, one of which is completed with autonomous inflow-control devices (AICDs).
Nonaqueous, Nondamaging Fluid Implemented Offshore Abu Dhabi
This paper covers the 7-year history of drilling-fluids application in a reservoir drilling campaign offshore Abu Dhabi, from the early use of a solids-free, brine-/water-based mud to the recent application of nondamaging, nonaqueous fluids (NAFs) with micronized acid-soluble ilmenite.
Reduced-Friction Centralizers Field-Tested for Ultraextended-Reach-Drilling Completions
The complete paper documents the development, laboratory- and field testing, and lessons learned from a project to evaluate coated centralizers.
Permian Basin: Use of In-Situ Mechanical Rock Properties Improves Completions
Optimizing horizontal well placement is not limited to identifying the most-favorable reservoir, but also involves identifying the ideal target window within that reservoir.
Horizontal and Extended-Reach Wells
Drilling has become a complex operation that requires a multitude of tasks to be managed at the same time. Not surprisingly, then, drilling automation will gain momentum in the near future to deliver consistent execution and performance safely and with good wellbore quality.
Predicting Severe Slugging in Toe-Down Horizontal Wells
This paper presents the results of an experimental and modeling study that demonstrates the existence of severe slugging in systems with upward-inclined lateral flow paths, such as a toe-down well.
Directional Drilling Becomes Office Work at Chevron, Hess
Moving their directional drillers into their Houston real-time remote operations centers has improved drilling efficiency for two of the top shale producers.
Factory-Model Approach Improves Performance of Coiled-Tubing Drillout
This paper presents a factory-model approach to improving CT drillout performance that has been used successfully for more than 3 years and has become standard practice.
Ultrasonic Imaging Technology Evaluates a Lateral-Entry Module
This paper presents the data collected by an ultrasound downhole scanner, demonstrating a novel method for diagnosing multilateral wells.
Integrated Approach Overcomes Depleted-Reservoir Challenges
This paper describes challenges faced in a company’s first deepwater asset in Malaysia and the methods used to overcome these issues in the planning stage.
U-Shaped Re-Entry Drilling Revitalizes Depleted Reservoirs Offshore Congo
Against the background of a low-oil-price environment, a redevelopment project was launched to give a second life to a shallow, depleted, mature offshore Congo oil field with viscous oil (22 °API) in a cost‑effective manner.
Multilateral and Complex-Trajectory Wells
The oil industry is currently undergoing a technological transformation that will add value, improve processes, and reduce cost. Future drilling engineers will have knowledge of robotics, automation, and organizational efficiency, which is highly appealing for recruitment.
Proposed Steering Mechanism Reduces Tortuosity in Horizontal Wells
This paper describes a new approach to evaluating the effectiveness of the rotary-steerable-system (RSS) steering mechanism on wellbore tortuosity in horizontal wells.
Multiphase-Flow Simulation Helps Find Optimal Lateral Length for Best Production
This paper demonstrates a work flow to determine optimal lateral lengths and trajectories in the Midland Basin by studying the effect of the lateral length and trajectory on well production.
Horizontal and Complex-Trajectory Wells
With the arrival and development of rotary steerable systems in the late 1990s, the industry thought that drilling a perfectly smooth and controlled trajectory would not be an issue. Two decades later, we’re still talking about wellbore quality, especially with long and complex horizontal wells.
Drilling for Miles in the Marcellus: Laterals Reach New Lengths
Range Resources' drilling head talks about how the company went from drilling the shortest laterals in the Marcellus to the longest and why.
Unlocking Egypt’s Unconventional-Resource Potential
The Apollonia tight-gas chalk play is located in the Abu Gharadig Basin in the Western Desert of Egypt. This has long been ignored as a gas play in the overburden, while the Jurassic and Cretaceous oil fields deeper in the basin have been explored and developed.
Isolation Barriers With Coiled Tubing in Plug-and-Abandonment Operations
Plug-and-abandonment (P&A) operations can be expensive, leading to negative net present value. Historically, P&A operations in the North Sea—estimated to hold some 3,000 wells of declining production—were performed with either drilling or workover rigs.
Underbalanced Drilling With Coiled Tubing in Marginal Shallow Wells
The complete paper describes a recent directional coiled-tubing drilling (DCTD) job completed for an independent operator in the Appalachian Basin.
Horizontal Steam Injectors in the Kern River Field
A horizontal-steam-injection pilot project has been under way for the last 4 years in the Kern River heavy-oil field in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California.
Organophilic-Clay-Free Invert-Emulsion Fluid Helps Drill Record-Length Well in the UAE
This paper discusses the successful design, laboratory testing, and performance of an innovative, low-solids, organophilic-clay-free invert-emulsion fluid (OCF-IEF) used to drill the reservoir section of an extended-reach-drilling (ERD) well.
Simultaneous Drilling, Completions Concept Hopes To Extend Drilling Distances to 30 km
This paper presents a concept that enables simultaneous drilling and completion, with an aim to extend well reach substantially and with an ultimate objective of constructing 30-km-long production wells.
Hole Cleaning, Torque Management Lead to Longest Extended-Reach Well in Brazil
The Peregrino project, located in the post-salt zone of the Campos Basin, presents immense challenges for drilling extended-reach wells. This paper shares challenges imposed by the well profile and downhole environment on the design and execution phases.
Intelligent Completion in Laterals Becomes a Reality
A producer and a service company have collaborated to develop a downhole system to merge multilateral technology and intelligent completions to create “smart laterals.”
Multilateral/Extended-Reach Wells
Current long-reach technology already has a large effect on oil recovery. Many possible improvements, however, remain, and we see new contributions every year.
Sakhalin-1 Extended-Reach Well Eclipses 15,000 m
Advancements in extended-reach drilling continue from the ExxonMobil-operated Sakhalin-1 project. The latest “super complex” horizontal well stretches 15,000 m, which partner Rosneft says is a “world record.”
Optimizing Lateral Well Spacing by Improving Directional-Survey Accuracy
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how inaccuracy in standard directional-surveying methods affects wellbore position and to recommend practices to improve surveying accuracy for greater confidence in lateral spacing.
Horizontal Drilling With Dual-Channel Drillpipe
new drilling method provides a solution for challenges encountered in drilling of long horizontal wells, incorporating a dual drillstring with a separate channel for the return fluid from the well.
3D Simulator Predicts Realistic Mud Displacement in Deviated and Horizontal Wells
The complete paper discusses the advancements in mud-displacement simulation that overcome the limitations of the previous-generation simulator and provide a more-realistic simulation in highly deviated and horizontal wells.
Horizontal and Complex-Trajectory Wells
If it has been proved in the past that innovative technology is excellent for bringing more-efficient solutions to reduce costs, will digital technology be the panacea for the whole industry?
Integrated Cemented Inflow-Control-Device System Design
This paper discusses the first deployment of an ICD system combined with an OBC system for a workover operation in a mature producer well in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Integrated Completion Sensitivities for Horizontal-Well Design in the Vaca Muerta
The boom in organic shale plays has revealed the critical need to size hydraulic-facture treatments correctly to achieve commercial success.
What Happens to Directional Drillers When Computers Are Directing Drillers?
Software that offers turn-by-turn directions for drilling a horizontal well could drastically reduce the number of directional drillers.
Custom-Designed Coiled Tubing Leads to Success in Extended-Reach Operations
Advanced horizontal drilling, multistage hydraulic fracturing, and other technologies have helped make the Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas resource economically viable.
Overcoming Challenges and Optimizing Liner Deployment in Long Laterals
A North Sea field development included installation of long 4½-in. completion liners in the horizontal reservoir sections of each well. To minimize overall risk, the operator planned to use managed-pressure drilling (MPD).
Next-Generation High-Torque Connection for Extended-Reach Wells
This paper demonstrates how the latest generation of connections has been tested and validated to extreme loads before being installed in the wellbore.
Remote Directional Drilling and Logging in the Arctic
Few locations present as many challenges for drilling as the Arctic. It is one of the most hostile environments in the world, with some of the most remote locations, the toughest logistics challenges, and the largest gaps in infrastructure on the planet.
New Technology in a Mature East Malaysian Field
This paper describes the first job in southeast Asia in developing horizontal-well placement in a turbidite environment.
New Rotary-Steerable System Delivers High Dogleg Severity, Improves Penetration Rate
A new rotary-steerable system (RSS) was designed to give geometrically greater dogleg-severity (DLS) capability while still being able to withstand the increased bending stresses.
Bending Rules With High-Build-Rate Rotary-Steerable Systems
This paper explores the applications, benefits, and value of a high-build-rate rotary-steerable system (HRSS) capable of delivering dogleg severity (DLS) greater than 18°/100 ft.
Horizontal and Complex-Trajectory Wells
Advances made in horizontal and complex-trajectory wells demonstrate that, despite this historic downturn, the industry has kept innovating and optimizing to bring more-efficient solutions to the table.
A New Approach for Optimization of Long-Horizontal-Well Performance
Experience has revealed that frictional pressure loss in the wellbore hinders the full use of the entire length of the horizontal well. This paper presents a new approach to maximize the use of the full length of long horizontal drainholes.
Use of Microseismic Monitoring To Compare Completion Designs
This study compares the performance of openhole-packer completion systems with that of cemented-liner completion systems in the northern Montney gas resource play.
Friction-Load Redistribution for Extended-Reach- and Horizontal-Well Completions
In horizontal and extended-reach wells in which long completions are run into highly deviated or lateral zones, large compression loads arise because of running friction.
Completion and Well-Spacing Optimization for Horizontal Wells in Pad Development
In organic shales, hydraulic fracturing is important for optimizing the production of horizontal wells. For a standalone lateral, the propped surface should be maximized to increase production. In the case of a pad, well spacing is an additional factor.
Model for a Shale-Gas Formation With Salt-Sealed Natural Fractures
This paper offers an alternative explanation for the early boundary-dominated flow related to dissolution of salt-sealed natural fractures in the shale.
Toe-Up or Toe-Down: Does It Really Matter?
An analysis studied whether a well's toe could be affecting the production performance.
New Intelligent Completion System Enables Compartment-Level Control in Multilateral Wells
Although early inflow control devices and intelligent completions (ICs) were introduced almost 20 years ago, completion technology has not kept pace with advancements in drilling technology.
Drilling Improvements Work Toward the Perfect Well in the Eagle Ford
In the Eagle Ford, an integrated approach to engineering and operations was key to optimize performance and improve understanding of the area.
Breaking From the Norm To Reach Marginal Offshore Fields
A number of companies are pushing for alternative approaches to offshore development that seek to access marginal reservoirs. Their differing and unique ideas call for a departure from the usual playbook, but share a common goal of slashing capital costs.
Optimization of Single-Trip Milling Using Large-Diameter Coiled Tubing
Larger-diameter coiled tubing recently has been used to perform millouts because of its improved set-down force and increased annular velocities for cleanout purposes. Service companies and operators have reduced the number of wiper trips when using larger-diameter CT, to save time and money.
New Rotary Shouldered Connection Expands Capability of ERD Operation
Eight of the world’s 10 longest wells have been drilled by ExxonMobil as operator of the Sakhalin-1 project in Russia.
Innovative Tool Improves Hole-Cleaning Efficiency in Extended-Reach Wells
Saudi Aramco operates a large offshore oilfield development that has driven achievements in multilateral and extended-reach directional wells.
Getting a Feel for the Rock
The force required to drill through a rock is a direct test of its strength and stiffness. Developing a reliable measure of the properties of rock based on the force required to drill a long lateral is a large challenge.
Magnetic Referencing and Real-Time Survey Processing Enable Tighter Spacing of Wells
Wellbore position is computed from survey measurements taken by a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tool in the bottomhole assembly (BHA).
Multilateral/Extended-Reach Wells
The development of multilateral wells and long-reach wells has become important to maximizing recovery for many fields. These technologies are often applied in offshore environments, where large reservoir areas are drained from one or more platforms.
Optimization of Upper Burgan Reservoir Multilateral Well With Inflow-Control Device
This paper discusses the first multilateral well with a Level-4 junction combined with an inflow-control device (ICD) planned, designed, and drilled in the Upper Burgan reservoir of Raudhatain field, north Kuwait.
Designing and Testing of New Rotary-Steerable System for Use Onshore
This is the teaser
The Search for Measures of Drilling Imperfection
The only wells that are straight or follow a smooth curve are in the pictures in well plans. Real wellbores are shaped by the mechanics of directional drilling tools, the skills and attention of drillers, the force of gravity, and the path followed by hydrocarbon-rich seams of rock.
Optimizing Spacing of Multistage-Fractured Horizontal Wells in Gas Reservoirs
This paper gives the recommended MSF horizontal-well spacing for several development scenarios in Saudi Arabian gas-reservoir environments.
Smart Horizontal Wells for Development of Thin-Oil-Rim Reservoirs
For thin-oil-rim reservoirs, well placement, well type, well path, and the completion methods must be evaluated with close integration of key reservoir and production-engineering considerations.
Horizontal and Complex-Trajectory Wells
There is no doubt that horizontal and complex-geometry wells have contributed significantly to the reliable supply of affordable energy, resulting in improvements to the quality of life of people around the globe.
Bilinear Flow in Horizontal Wells in a Homogeneous Reservoir
This paper offers insight into an integrated effort at combining analytical information, numerical well-test models, and geological evidence to explain the reservoir behavior observed in the Huntington field.
ICD Well History and Future Use in a Giant Oil Field Offshore Abu Dhabi
As part of a project that involves the use of four artificial islands to drill and complete more than 300 extended-reach-drilling (ERD) wells in a giant offshore oil field, several completion designs have been piloted for brownfield development.
Surface Torque/Tension Measurements Used To Detect and Calculate Stick/Slip
A surface-based torque and tension sub (TTS) was used to perform measurements while drilling several extended-reach horizontal wells.
Azimuthal Deep-Resistivity and Multilateral Technologies in the Orinoco Oil Belt
Complex reservoirs in the Junín block of the Orinoco oil belt of eastern Venezuela offer challenges in achieving higher production rates and maximizing extraheavy-oil recovery.
Cement-Integrity-Evaluation Solution in Extended-Reach Wells in the South China Sea
The combination of ultrasonic pulse-echo and flexural-attenuation measurements was adopted in this project in the South China Sea for cement-integrity evaluation.
First-Ever Level-4 Multilateral Well in North Kuwait Improves Oil Production
The first multilateral well in a North Kuwait field has been drilled recently.
Multilateral/Extended-Reach Wells
The development of multilateral wells and long-reach wells has become important to maximizing recovery for many oil fields.
Drilling of Multilateral Wells in Kuwait Aided With Geochemical Analysis
The Burgan reservoir consists of vertically stacked channel sands along with a fault network connected to the aquifer and contains highly viscous reservoir fluid.
Design Optimization of Horizontal Wells With Multiple Hydraulic Fractures
The ultimate performance of fractured wells in tight reservoirs is affected severely by the interfering effects inside the fracture and interfractures.
Horizontal and Complex-Trajectory Wells
Horizontal- or complex-geometry-well construction projects are potentially good candidates to work out new contractual arrangements. Authorization to proceed with these projects is technically based, and measurable key variables can be defined.
Hydrocarbon-Mobility Steering for Optimum Placement of a Power Water Injector
Tar mats are encountered in many Middle East carbonate reservoirs. In cases in which tar acts as a flow barrier between water and light oil, water injectors work most efficiently when placed horizontally immediately above the tar mat to maintain pressure support during production.
Innovative Geosteering Technology in Multilateral Wells
This paper describes placement of horizontal wells in this kind of heterogeneous reservoir through an integrated approach.
Managed-Pressure-Drilling Technology Succeeds in the Harding Field
This paper presents a case history of a North Sea well in which managed-pressure drilling (MPD) was used as the enabling technology to drill, case, and cement the well.
New-Generation Drillpipes Enhance Extended-Reach Drilling in South China Sea
This paper presents the results of a performance-improvement effort in extended-reach drilling (ERD) in three campaigns in the Huizhou HZ 25-4 oil field in the South China Sea.
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