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Drilling Time Optimization by De-Risking a Re-Engineered Well Architecture Implemented in Offshore Shallow-Water Tertiary Wells in Gulf of Mexico
Barrera, Edison (SLB, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico) | Gomez, Jose Manuel (SLB, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico) | Alarcon, Jose (SLB, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico) | Ponce, Jorge (SLB, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico) | Torres, Maria Andrea (SLB, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico) | Gonzalez, Pablo (SLB, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico) | Hernandez, Gladys (SLB, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico) | Hernรกndez, Cesar (SLB, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico) | Bravo, Carlos (SLB, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico)
Abstract The Gulf of Mexico area is well known for the high complexity of its wells. Whether on deepwater or shallow-water fields, wells on each field require specific customization on wellbore architecture and drilling practices to drill faster without compromising well integrity standards, safety, and oil production. Wellbore architecture is essential for the success of drilling operations and ensure the lifetime of the well throughout production and interventions. In the early stages of field development, a conservative approach increases the chances of success and obtains all the relevant information for well production and drilling optimization. This project describes the successful implementation of an optimized 3 casing-strings wellbore geometry in two shallow-water fields, de-risking engineering and drilling practices applied to accelerate well delivery. Different challenges are present across the area, related to mechanical stuck pipe while crossing geological faults, unstable formations due to mechanical disturbance, differential stuck pipe due to heterogenous formation pressure with depleted sands, lost circulation on weak zones and collision with other wells departing from the same location. Additionally, many of the quality events occurred in these fields were associated to incorrect operational strategies implemented, mainly during BHA or casing tripping. In close coordination between G&G (Geological and Geophysical department) and drilling engineering, the new casing points were carefully selected Based on offset wells and logging data, the strategy was to maintain high parameters when conditions allowed it and adjust them while crossing weaker zones. The strategy to minimize the risk of pack-off while drilling required ensuring that the hole is cleaned properly while drilling at highest ROP, sweeping pills schedule, bridging material and reaming procedures before connection, minimizing pack-off risk while drilling and saving time with clean trips. A further step to enhance performance and prevent high impact events was to exploit opportunities for real-time monitoring to ensure procedural adherence and follow the measures in the detailed multi-disciplinary risk analyses for critical activities. Additionally, leveraging the improved architecture, an integral multi-bowl wellhead was designed and implemented, giving practical advantages for casing running, and operational time reduction.
- North America > Mexico (1.00)
- North America > United States > Texas > Dawson County (0.24)
- Geology > Geological Subdiscipline > Geomechanics (0.47)
- Geology > Structural Geology > Fault (0.35)
- Well Drilling > Wellbore Design > Wellbore integrity (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Well Planning > Trajectory design (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Drilling Operations > Directional drilling (1.00)
- (4 more...)
Compressible Carbon: Particle Behavior in Drilling Fluids and Field-Scale Deployment
Petersen, Thomas (ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company) | Wu, Qian (ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company) | Liu, Nanjun (ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company) | OโDonnell, Brian J. (ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company) | Korn, Gene (ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company) | Hewitt, Parker (ExxonMobil Upstream Integrated Solutions) | Zhou, Changjun (Superior Graphite Co.)
Abstract Annular pressure buildup (APB) can occur due to an increase in fluid temperature during the production of hot reservoir fluids, geomechanical loading from the surrounding rock formation, and hydraulic connectivity to pressurized reservoirs. In this study, a novel, compressible, carbonaceous fluids additive was deployed and tested for APB mitigation in a well-scale field trial. The additive is shown to appreciably reduce pressure changes in trapped, downhole volumes by increasing the fluid mixture's compressibility and reducing its thermal expansivity. The proposed additive, referred to as compressible carbon, is a granular spongy carbon with an internal porosity that remains closed to fluid ingress. Lab-scale results demonstrate the durability of compressible carbon in high temperature and high pressure environments when immersed in typical drilling fluids. At a loading of 20% by volume, the use of carbon reduced pressure buildup by 30%-50% relative to reference measurements performed in fluids without carbon. Moreover, the particles showed no long-term relaxation while being held at 10,000 psi and 220ยฐF for up to three months, and exhibited only a marginal loss in reversible compressibility over 100s of pressure cycles between 500psi and 13,500psi. Following the material's characterization in the lab, field trial results were collected during the deployment and testing of carbon in two unconventional land wells above the cemented section of the production-by-intermediate annulus. Wireline logging on both wells confirmed minimal fluid losses to the formation and an adequate cement barrier that reached above the outer-lying casing shoes. Field-scale performance of compressible carbon was confirmed by pressuring up on the annuli at surface and comparing the injection volumes to those collected on an offset well without carbon. Although alternate methods of reducing pressure buildup in wells exist, compressible carbon is a versatile new material that provides repeated APB relief across the pressure ranges that are relevant to deepwater wells. To minimize the risk of first application in deepwater wells, successful deployment and expected performance were demonstrated in two unconventional land wells, paving the way for subsequent applications offshore.
- Research Report > New Finding (1.00)
- Research Report > Experimental Study (0.66)
- Geology > Mineral (0.68)
- Geology > Geological Subdiscipline > Geomechanics (0.48)
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (0.68)
- Well Drilling > Pressure Management (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Drilling Fluids and Materials > Drilling fluid selection and formulation (chemistry, properties) (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Drilling Fluids and Materials > Drilling fluid management & disposal (1.00)
- (5 more...)
Abstract Riserless drilling of the upper intervals of subsea wells has been standard practice in deepwater well construction, while taking mud returns to the sea floor. It has dramatically increased the safety of drilling shallow sections of subsea wells by reducing the hazard of handling gas at the rig, should shallow gas zones be encountered. It has also been very beneficial in controlling shallow water flows in deepwater areas of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The shallow water flow (SWF) is a typical offshore drilling hazard, defined as the phenomenon involving the flow of water from the surrounding region of a casing up to the ocean floor together with formation sands and sometimes free gas. The flowing water is driven by a pressure difference that occurs when the drill bit has encountered the unconsolidated but over-pressured sand sections. In the past 40 years of drilling practices, the SWF hazard has been experienced in several deep-water basins around the world, especially in the deep-water area where the water depth ranges from 1300 to 8200 ft and the formation depth ranges from 300 to 4000 ft below mud line (BML). Shallow water flows from overpressure aquifers have been a serious concern in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico for drilling and production operations. They can create significant financial and operational risks for exploration and development projects. In the GOM, SWF intervals typically occur between 300 and 2,500 ft BML and in water depths greater than 1,500 ft. If left unchecked, the disturbance from the water flow can cause loss of soil strength surrounding the wellbore, thereby compromising the structural integrity of the well. In extreme cases, SWFs have led to collapsed casing and/or total loss of wellbores. The paper aims to present the origin of shallow water flows in a deepwater environment and mitigation strategies adopted by industry to carry out the operations safely.
- Well Drilling > Pressure Management > Well control (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Drilling Operations (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Drilling Fluids and Materials > Drilling fluid management & disposal (0.94)
- (4 more...)
Making hole has become a more difficult and complex operation as operators move into untapped horizons, especially deepwater and unconventional fields. It is this increased difficulty that is driving a growing number of companies to invest millions of dollars in advanced materials that seek to make drilling wells easier. The technologies many are working on involve not mechanical systems, but advanced chemistry and physical science. Some are using nanoparticles and others are reworking older technologies by adding new substances, all in an effort to make the undrillable drillable. Those reaching for this prize include teams of university researchers, young technology startups, and established firms that are buying intellectual property from others so they can join the race.
- Well Drilling > Wellbore Design > Wellbore integrity (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Pressure Management > Well control (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Drilling Operations (1.00)
- (5 more...)
Making hole has become a more difficult and complex operation as operators move into untapped horizons, especially deepwater and unconventional fields. It is this increased difficulty that is driving a growing number of companies to invest millions of dollars in advanced materials that seek to make drilling wells easier. The technologies many are working on involve not mechanical systems, but advanced chemistry and physical science. Some are using nanoparticles and others are reworking older technologies by adding new substances, all in an effort to make the undrillable drillable. Those reaching for this prize include teams of university researchers, young technology startups, and established firms that are buying intellectual property from others so they can join the race.
- Well Drilling > Wellbore Design > Wellbore integrity (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Pressure Management > Well control (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Drilling Operations (1.00)
- (5 more...)
Casing and tubing strings are the main parts of the well construction. All wells drilled for the purpose of oil/gas production (or injecting materials into underground formations) must be cased with material with sufficient strength and functionality. Therefore, this chapter provides the basic knowledge for practical casing and tubing strength evaluation and design. Casing is the major structural component of a well. Casing is needed to maintain borehole stability, prevent contamination of water sands, isolate water from producing formations, and control well pressures during drilling, production, and workover operations. Casing provides locations for the installation of blowout preventers, wellhead equipment, production packers, and production tubing. The cost of casing is a major part of the overall well cost, so selection of casing size, grade, connectors, and setting depth is a primary engineering and economic consideration. Tubing is the conduit through which oil and gas are ...
- Europe (1.00)
- North America > Canada (0.67)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.28)
- (2 more...)
- Well Drilling > Wellbore Design > Wellbore integrity (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Well Planning (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Pressure Management > Well control (1.00)
- (14 more...)
Integrated Engineering Approach for Drilling of the First Well in the Laptev Sea
Grishankov, Vyacheslav (Halliburton) | Galimkhanov, Aydar (Halliburton) | Bogdanov, Sergey (Halliburton) | Kharitonov, Andrey (Halliburton) | Tikhonov, Evgeny (Halliburton) | Khalilov, Almaz (Halliburton) | Berezin, Alexander (Halliburton) | Dubrovsky, Maxim (Halliburton) | Tsibulsky, Mikhail (Halliburton) | Suvorov, Anton (RN-Shelf-Arktika OOO) | Netichuk, Igor (RN-Shelf-Arktika OOO)
Abstract This document describes the integrated engineering approach and technical solution used to perform a construction project of the first wildcat well in Khatanga subsoil area of the Laptev Sea. Because of the small scope of performed geological exploration works and the absence of any previously drilled wells within the target area, a low degree of geological knowledge existed for this project. The unique location of the license area eventually complicated the profile of the Centralno-Olginskaya 1PO wildcat well and the logistics on the peninsula, consequently affecting the planning and performance of the project. In these conditions, RN-Shelf-Arktika OOO and Halliburton encountered a range of challenging tasks associated with high quality planning and safe performance of the expected work scope within the planned timeframes. Other challenges encountered included fulfilling all geological tasks required to reduce expenses and developing technological and organization solutions for the subsequent construction of wells and the discovery of a new oilfield in the Eastern Arctic. Because of the low level of geological knowledge about the territory, the operator regularly assigned new geological tasks. These changes eventually resulted in a longer wellbore (5530 m, rather than 4200 m), increased scope of geological activities (a longer coring interval of 156 m, rather than 90 m), and well design changes (five casing strings, rather than four). To ensure the fulfillment of the required tasks, the completion of the project was based on an integrated approach for the integrity of the proposed technological and organization solutions, high quality of planning, and risk management and application of advanced technologies. This approach ensured 100% fulfillment of the geological objectives within the established timeframes and helped to develop a map of lessons learned with recommendations to optimize time and costs in the construction of future wells at the new field. Because of the project remoteness and challenging climate conditions, the well construction cost is the key factor for efficient field development (Lebedeva et al. 2017).
- Asia > Russia (1.00)
- Europe > Russia (0.70)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.28)
- North America > United States > Colorado (0.28)
- Geology > Geological Subdiscipline > Geomechanics (1.00)
- Geology > Rock Type > Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Rock > Mudrock (0.46)
- Geophysics > Borehole Geophysics (0.68)
- Geophysics > Seismic Surveying (0.68)
- North America > United States > Colorado > Skinner Ridge Field (0.99)
- North America > United States > Colorado > Piceance Basin > Williams Fork Formation (0.99)
- Asia > Russia > Far Eastern Federal District > Sakhalin Island > Sea of Okhotsk > East Sakhalin - Central Sea of Okhotsk Basin > North Sakhalin Basin > Lebedinskoye Block > Lebedinskoye Field > Kirinskoye Formation (0.99)
- (24 more...)
- Well Drilling > Wellbore Design > Wellbore integrity (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Pressure Management > Well control (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Drilling Operations > Directional drilling (1.00)
- (16 more...)
Eliminating Losses in Permian Basin's Midland Basin Wells through Managed Pressure Drilling and Cementing
Thibodeaux, H.. (Chevron) | Williams, J.. (Chevron) | Duhe, N.. (Chevron) | Milazzo, J.. (Chevron) | Kvalo, M.. (Schlumberger) | Deplaude, O.. (Schlumberger) | Vargas, N.. (Schlumberger) | Hobin, J.. (Schlumberger) | Jesudas, J.. (Schlumberger) | Clements, J.. (Schlumberger)
Abstract The Permian basin has been one of the main drivers leading the recovery of recent drilling activity on U.S. land. It has been a focus for drilling activity that has targeted conventional reservoirs since the first well was drilled in 1925. Through the depletion of conventional reservoirs, fracture pressure in these zones has decreased due to the reduction in pore pressure. Some of these previously drilled reservoirs throughout the Permian Basin have been selected for the reinjection of produced water which has caused abnormal pore pressures to occur. The combination of having both loss and injection zones exposed in the same drilling interval has resulted in challenges for operators as they have to navigate the resulting mud weight windows of highly developed fields of the Midland and Delaware Basins. As development throughout the Permian basin continues, these mud weight windows will only become more difficult to manage. In one of Chevron's highly developed Midland Basin fields, managing the exposed injection and loss zones in the intermediate hole section proved to be challenging. This hole section had routinely experienced severe to complete losses upon entering the Upper Spraberry formation as a result of trying to manage higher pressures inflicted by the San Andres formation, a shallower injection zone. The mud weight could not be reduced to mitigate these losses without inducing an influx from the San Andres. Circulation could often not be reestablished upon entering the Spraberry formations which resulted in mud cap or blind drilling in order to reach section total depth (TD). These losses and overall wellbore conditions introduced higher risk and consequences in the form of well control events, wellbore instability, and mechanically or differentially sticking 9-5/8" casing prior to reaching planned set point. The immediate solution to isolate the wellbore problems was to implement a contingency liner, which comes at a premium and decreases drilling and completions efficiencies of the production hole section. Managed pressure drilling techniques were identified as a solution to simultaneously navigate a shallow injection zone and a deeper loss zone within the same hole section. The necessary equivalent mud weight profile was established through the reduction of MW and the addition of surface back pressure. This enabled a higher equivalent mud weight to be held at the shallow injection zone and a lower equivalent mud weight to be held across the loss zones. Additionally, managed pressure cementing techniques were used to achieve a similar pressure profile during cementing operations in order to increase the likelihood of maintaining returns while placing cement across the loss zones. Managed pressure drilling and cementing techniques implemented in this field contributed to the elimination of contingency liners and significant non-productive time in hole sections where both injection zones and loss zones were exposed. As laterals are extending beyond 10,000โ across the Permian Basin, the team has collectively proven the concept that the MPD system is part of an equipment package that can eliminate contingency liners and deliver the preferred sizes of production hole and production casing that is crucial to successfully reaching TD and efficiently placing hydraulic fracturing jobs at optimal rates.
- North America > United States > Texas (1.00)
- North America > United States > New Mexico (1.00)
- Geology > Geological Subdiscipline > Geomechanics (0.55)
- Geology > Rock Type > Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Rock (0.46)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Yeso Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Yates Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Wolfcamp Formation (0.99)
- (25 more...)
- Well Drilling > Wellbore Design > Wellbore integrity (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Pressure Management > Well control (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Pressure Management > Managed pressure drilling (1.00)
- (4 more...)
Abstract Due to technical and logistical challenges, an inovative solution was required to connect two offshore platforms in shallow water to allow gas transit as part of a pipeline network. A primary obstacle to conventional pipeline installation at this location was the presence of a large subsea canyon. As a result, the project team decided to utilize jack-up drilling rigs to drill a conduit and then install casing as a pipeline segment. The project utilized some unusual drilling technologies and unique techniques to deliver the final gas conduit. These included a robust program design for a remote location, large diameter hole opening in horizontal wells, active magnetic ranging to affect wellbore intersection at very low incident angle, and synchronizing two rigs' activities as they latched drill pipe and then pulled casing as a single string. Execution was ultimately successful due to the extensive planning work and diligence of the operations teams, and a number of interesting observations and lessons were captured in the process.
- Well Drilling > Wellbore Design > Wellbore integrity (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Pressure Management (1.00)
- Well Drilling > Drilling Operations > Directional drilling (1.00)
- (6 more...)
Abstract Differential Valves are used in multistage cementing tools to ensure having adequate cement placement and enhanced wellbore isolation. Multistage tools are recommended to use if the formation is unable to support the hydrostatic pressure of the cement column. In cases of lose circulation, multistage tools are used at designated depth to help placing cement all the way to surface. There are two types of multistage tools: conventional ones that can withstand low-pressure rating and more recently developed high-pressure rating tools. The low-pressure rating tool is used to support cement placement and is not considered as mechanical barrier against high-pressure formations. The high-pressure tools were developed based on additional requirements to improve wellbore isolation in high-pressure gas wells. The objective of this paper is to: Highlight the importance of multistage cementing tools and to de-risk their use Provide best practices to overcome common multistage tool issues Potential malfunctions can be due to either mechanical components malfunction or improper operational practices. These can be further divided into 4 categories, which are: packer issues, opening/closing DV ports, and drilling practices such as encountering losses while cementing and finally improper running operational procedures. This paper includes intensive review of actual runs including frequency of multistage tool issues based on casing size. Different mitigation plans are recommended for each potential issue and optimum drilling practices to overcome them. In addition, high-pressure multiage tools performance will be highlighted in improving wellbore isolation since their initial deployment 3 years ago.
- Asia > Middle East > Saudi Arabia (0.29)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.28)
- Europe > Norway > Norwegian Sea (0.25)
- Asia > Middle East > UAE > Abu Dhabi Emirate > Abu Dhabi (0.15)