This document provides a project report on radial drilling technology submitted by three students at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune, India in partial fulfillment of their Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering. Radial drilling involves drilling small diameter horizontal laterals from existing vertical wells using high pressure water jets. The report covers the background and development of radial drilling technology, the process which involves milling casing and extending laterals with jetting, its advantages in improving reservoir connectivity and production. It also discusses the application of radial drilling to increase recovery from mature oilfields. The report aims to evaluate radial drilling as a low-cost technique to enhance oil recovery from existing reservoirs.
Rising oil prices have increased interest in technologies that can extend well lifetimes in mature fields. An acid-tunneling technique using coiled tubing to create tunnels into carbonate reservoirs has shown success in various fields. Case studies demonstrate increased and sustained oil production from wells in Venezuela, Indonesia, Kuwait, Romania, Oklahoma, and Libya treated with the technique. Operators have seen production increases from 100% to 360% from individual wells with payback periods of less than one month. The technology continues to be applied in more fields as further modifications improve its effectiveness.
Shale development in the US has been ongoing for at least the last decade, and many lessons can be learned from the US experience to help prevent air emissions and aquifer contamination in future developments around the world. Media reports and films such as "Gasland" imply that shale development is widely polluting fresh water aquifers and the atmosphere, with a wide range of estimates of contamination. This lecture examines the risk of contamination of aquifers through wellbores, either by hydrocarbon migration or hydraulic fracturing operations, and is primarily based on a comprehensive three-year study funded by the US National Science Foundation examining nearly 18,000 wells drilled in the Wattenberg Field in Colorado, plus other relevant studies. In the midst of the Wattenberg field is heavy urban and agricultural development, with over 30,000 water wells interspersed with the oil and gas wells, resulting in a natural laboratory to measure aquifer contamination. Lessons learned have universal applications with clear relationships established between well construction methods in both conventional and unconventional wells and contamination risks.
This document discusses the Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program. It provides the following key details in 3 sentences:
The SPE Distinguished Lecturer Program is funded primarily by the SPE Foundation through member donations and Offshore Europe. It allows industry professionals to serve as lecturers on topics like CO2 storage and CO2-EOR. Additional support is provided by AIME to further the program's educational mission.
Adoption of the applied surface-backpressure types of managed pressure drilling (MPD) technologies in deepwater have mainly involved the use of a rotating control device (RCD). The RCD creates a closed drilling system in which the flow out of the well is diverted towards an automated MPD choke manifold (with a high-resolution mass flow meter) that aside from regulating backpressure also increases sensitivity and reduces reaction time to kicks, losses, and other unwanted drilling events. This integration of MPD equipment into floating drilling rigs to provide them with MPD capabilities, including the capacity to perform pressurized mud cap drilling (PMCD) and riser gas mitigation (RGM), has produced improvements not only in drillability and efficiency, but most importantly in process safety. Case histories on how MPD has performed will be presented on the following: • allowed drilling to reach target depth in rank wildcat deepwater wells that have formations prone to severe circulation losses and narrow mud weight windows; • increased drilling efficiency by minimizing non-productive time associated with downhole pressure-related problems and by allowing for the setting of deeper casing seats; • enhanced operational and process safety by allowing for immediate detection of kicks, losses and other critical downhole events. • provided riser gas mitigation capabilities that can detect a gas influx once it enters the drilling fluid stream, and not after it has already broken out above the rig blow-out preventers (BOPs).
Dr. Zbigniew E. Ring is a Lead Principal Engineer at BP North America, where he leads projects involving measurement and prediction of adsorption constants, modeling of experimental hydrotreating data, and improving models for predicting conversions accounting for nitrogen in feedstocks. He previously held leadership roles developing residue hydrocracking technologies and managing research on upgrading Canadian bitumen-derived streams. Dr. Ring has over 30 years of experience in hydroprocessing research, process development, and mathematical modeling.
Gaurav Sharma is seeking a position that allows him to utilize his skills and knowledge in petroleum engineering to contribute meaningfully to an industry. He has a Bachelor of Technology in Petroleum Engineering from Indian School of Mines with good grades. His professional experience includes positions at Hindustan Oil Exploration Company, Enquest Private Ltd, and Cairn India Ltd where he gained experience in areas such as field development planning, well testing, completions design, and operations execution and management. He has worked on both offshore and onshore projects.
Drilling horizontal wells is the common mode of operation for field development in permeability-challenged unconventional reservoirs such as an organic shale. Assumptions are made regarding the homogeneity of the reservoir as wells are drilled away from the vertical pilot well. It is assumed that the reservoir characteristics remain uniform and that the structure is known to remain in a constant orientation based on the dip information at the pilot wellbore. Experience tells us that these assumptions can lead to wells placed out of zone and in rocks with much different reservoir quality and stress magnitude, which can adversely affect the well’s production potential. Lateral measurements and petrophysical interpretations can be used to define variations in reservoir and completion quality, which can be used to optimally place perforation clusters in similar rock to increase production vs. peer geometric wells. A methodology to integrate data from many sources enables a better understanding of the variability and structural challenges of these complex reservoirs. This integrated methodology has been refined using learnings from various case studies that show increased production compared with results from geometric completions.
Kevin is currently the Chief Petrophysicist at Rock Oil Company. Recently, Kevin retired from Schlumberger as a Senior Petrophysicist based in Houston, TX with nearly 27 years of experience in petrophysics and rock physics, after graduating from the University of Tulsa with a degree in Petroleum Engineering. While at Schlumberger, he worked in the Production Technology Integration Center focusing on unconventional resource plays, mainly in the Eagle Ford and Permian basins. Additional areas of expertise have been deep water and shelf structures in the Gulf of Mexico, tight gas sands in South TX and Rockies, Alaska, Permian Basin, Unconventional Gas & Oil shales, Coal Bed Methane and international (Australia, Brazil, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Nigeria, Angola, Turkey and Saudi Arabia).
Kevin is a guest lecturer since 2012 at Rice University for a graduate level petroleum geology class entitled “Economic Geology – Petroleum”.
Extended-reach wells present difficult drilling challenges, which if inadequately understood and addressed can yield significant downside risks and extensive non-productive time (NPT). These challenges are mainly due to complex well designs that combine high-deviation and extended-reach wellbores with difficult geology and hostile environments. Understanding the challenges and developing solutions are important to deliver the well with the proper casing specifications for production purposes.
Geomechanically, due to their long reaches and high deviations, borehole instability and lost circulations are particularly dominant in the overburden shale sections of extended-reach and horizontal wells. However, a good understanding of the rock failure mechanisms and an innovative use of the wellbore strengthening techniques can mitigate these geomechanical challenges through integration with good drilling practices such as efficient equivalent circulating density (ECD) management and effective hole-cleaning strategies. In addition, the long open-hole exposure typically experienced in these wells can cause chemical, thermal and/or fluid penetration issues that can further complicate the difficult drilling conditions. These secondary influences further stress the importance of incorporating geomechanical understanding in drilling fluids formulation.
This presentation focuses on the geomechanical challenges of drilling extended-reach wells. It highlights the need to integrate geomechanical solutions with appropriate drilling practices, particularly solutions based on good understanding of the intricate relationship between borehole stability, lost circulation, ECD, hole cleaning and bottom-hole assembly (BHA) optimizations in overcoming the drilling performance limiters. A case history will be presented as an example.
Rising oil prices have increased interest in technologies that can extend well lifetimes in mature fields. An acid-tunneling technique using coiled tubing to create tunnels into carbonate reservoirs has shown success in various fields. Case studies demonstrate increased and sustained oil production from wells in Venezuela, Indonesia, Kuwait, Romania, Oklahoma, and Libya treated with the technique. Operators have seen production increases from 100% to 360% from individual wells with payback periods of less than one month. The technology continues to be applied in more fields as further modifications improve its effectiveness.
Shale development in the US has been ongoing for at least the last decade, and many lessons can be learned from the US experience to help prevent air emissions and aquifer contamination in future developments around the world. Media reports and films such as "Gasland" imply that shale development is widely polluting fresh water aquifers and the atmosphere, with a wide range of estimates of contamination. This lecture examines the risk of contamination of aquifers through wellbores, either by hydrocarbon migration or hydraulic fracturing operations, and is primarily based on a comprehensive three-year study funded by the US National Science Foundation examining nearly 18,000 wells drilled in the Wattenberg Field in Colorado, plus other relevant studies. In the midst of the Wattenberg field is heavy urban and agricultural development, with over 30,000 water wells interspersed with the oil and gas wells, resulting in a natural laboratory to measure aquifer contamination. Lessons learned have universal applications with clear relationships established between well construction methods in both conventional and unconventional wells and contamination risks.
This document discusses the Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program. It provides the following key details in 3 sentences:
The SPE Distinguished Lecturer Program is funded primarily by the SPE Foundation through member donations and Offshore Europe. It allows industry professionals to serve as lecturers on topics like CO2 storage and CO2-EOR. Additional support is provided by AIME to further the program's educational mission.
Adoption of the applied surface-backpressure types of managed pressure drilling (MPD) technologies in deepwater have mainly involved the use of a rotating control device (RCD). The RCD creates a closed drilling system in which the flow out of the well is diverted towards an automated MPD choke manifold (with a high-resolution mass flow meter) that aside from regulating backpressure also increases sensitivity and reduces reaction time to kicks, losses, and other unwanted drilling events. This integration of MPD equipment into floating drilling rigs to provide them with MPD capabilities, including the capacity to perform pressurized mud cap drilling (PMCD) and riser gas mitigation (RGM), has produced improvements not only in drillability and efficiency, but most importantly in process safety. Case histories on how MPD has performed will be presented on the following: • allowed drilling to reach target depth in rank wildcat deepwater wells that have formations prone to severe circulation losses and narrow mud weight windows; • increased drilling efficiency by minimizing non-productive time associated with downhole pressure-related problems and by allowing for the setting of deeper casing seats; • enhanced operational and process safety by allowing for immediate detection of kicks, losses and other critical downhole events. • provided riser gas mitigation capabilities that can detect a gas influx once it enters the drilling fluid stream, and not after it has already broken out above the rig blow-out preventers (BOPs).
Dr. Zbigniew E. Ring is a Lead Principal Engineer at BP North America, where he leads projects involving measurement and prediction of adsorption constants, modeling of experimental hydrotreating data, and improving models for predicting conversions accounting for nitrogen in feedstocks. He previously held leadership roles developing residue hydrocracking technologies and managing research on upgrading Canadian bitumen-derived streams. Dr. Ring has over 30 years of experience in hydroprocessing research, process development, and mathematical modeling.
Gaurav Sharma is seeking a position that allows him to utilize his skills and knowledge in petroleum engineering to contribute meaningfully to an industry. He has a Bachelor of Technology in Petroleum Engineering from Indian School of Mines with good grades. His professional experience includes positions at Hindustan Oil Exploration Company, Enquest Private Ltd, and Cairn India Ltd where he gained experience in areas such as field development planning, well testing, completions design, and operations execution and management. He has worked on both offshore and onshore projects.
Drilling horizontal wells is the common mode of operation for field development in permeability-challenged unconventional reservoirs such as an organic shale. Assumptions are made regarding the homogeneity of the reservoir as wells are drilled away from the vertical pilot well. It is assumed that the reservoir characteristics remain uniform and that the structure is known to remain in a constant orientation based on the dip information at the pilot wellbore. Experience tells us that these assumptions can lead to wells placed out of zone and in rocks with much different reservoir quality and stress magnitude, which can adversely affect the well’s production potential. Lateral measurements and petrophysical interpretations can be used to define variations in reservoir and completion quality, which can be used to optimally place perforation clusters in similar rock to increase production vs. peer geometric wells. A methodology to integrate data from many sources enables a better understanding of the variability and structural challenges of these complex reservoirs. This integrated methodology has been refined using learnings from various case studies that show increased production compared with results from geometric completions.
Kevin is currently the Chief Petrophysicist at Rock Oil Company. Recently, Kevin retired from Schlumberger as a Senior Petrophysicist based in Houston, TX with nearly 27 years of experience in petrophysics and rock physics, after graduating from the University of Tulsa with a degree in Petroleum Engineering. While at Schlumberger, he worked in the Production Technology Integration Center focusing on unconventional resource plays, mainly in the Eagle Ford and Permian basins. Additional areas of expertise have been deep water and shelf structures in the Gulf of Mexico, tight gas sands in South TX and Rockies, Alaska, Permian Basin, Unconventional Gas & Oil shales, Coal Bed Methane and international (Australia, Brazil, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Nigeria, Angola, Turkey and Saudi Arabia).
Kevin is a guest lecturer since 2012 at Rice University for a graduate level petroleum geology class entitled “Economic Geology – Petroleum”.
Extended-reach wells present difficult drilling challenges, which if inadequately understood and addressed can yield significant downside risks and extensive non-productive time (NPT). These challenges are mainly due to complex well designs that combine high-deviation and extended-reach wellbores with difficult geology and hostile environments. Understanding the challenges and developing solutions are important to deliver the well with the proper casing specifications for production purposes.
Geomechanically, due to their long reaches and high deviations, borehole instability and lost circulations are particularly dominant in the overburden shale sections of extended-reach and horizontal wells. However, a good understanding of the rock failure mechanisms and an innovative use of the wellbore strengthening techniques can mitigate these geomechanical challenges through integration with good drilling practices such as efficient equivalent circulating density (ECD) management and effective hole-cleaning strategies. In addition, the long open-hole exposure typically experienced in these wells can cause chemical, thermal and/or fluid penetration issues that can further complicate the difficult drilling conditions. These secondary influences further stress the importance of incorporating geomechanical understanding in drilling fluids formulation.
This presentation focuses on the geomechanical challenges of drilling extended-reach wells. It highlights the need to integrate geomechanical solutions with appropriate drilling practices, particularly solutions based on good understanding of the intricate relationship between borehole stability, lost circulation, ECD, hole cleaning and bottom-hole assembly (BHA) optimizations in overcoming the drilling performance limiters. A case history will be presented as an example.
Subsea pipelines are the arteries of the offshore industry, and around the world more than 18,000km are in service. Part of almost every project, they often form a large component of project cost. This course will provide a complete and up-to-date overview of the area of Subsea Pipeline Engineering, taking delegates through the pre-design phase, design, construction, installation, operation and maintenance.
It will give a complete picture of the work of design engineers and pipeline construction companies, using actual case studies from around the world to highlight the topics discussed. While the course requires no previous experience, this is not a superficial overview. The lecturers bring to the course a long experience of industry projects, in many parts of the world and under varied conditions. The technology is far from being static, and the trainers will discuss new developments and ideas for the future.
Swapnil Hosmani is seeking a position as a Process Engineer, bringing over 11 years of experience in chemical engineering. He has a B.E. in Chemical Engineering and has worked for Jacobs Engineering and Occidental Petroleum. He is looking to utilize his expertise in process design, development, and safety engineering to contribute to organizational goals.
The document discusses several innovations in oil and gas technology from the January 2020 edition of World Oil Magazine. It describes how various operators have used new technologies like ultra-deep resistivity services, dual drilling operations, acoustic logging tools, formation evaluation from cuttings, and horizontal lift systems to optimize operations, reduce costs, increase production and safely drill complex wells.
The primary funding for the Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program is provided by member donations to The SPE Foundation and a contribution from Offshore Europe. The program also receives support from companies that allow their employees to serve as lecturers and from AIME. The January 2020 tour lecture focuses on thriving in a lower oil price environment, including topics such as market dynamics, keys to success, technology impacts, and takeaway points.
This document provides information about a 4-day deepwater drilling optimization course offered by PetroSync. The course aims to help attendees learn skills to ensure deepwater wells are drilled, tested, and completed on time and on budget. It covers topics like deepwater drilling challenges, technologies used, case histories, well design projects, and proven solutions. Specific technical topics to be addressed include rig selection, subsurface surveys, wellhead equipment, blowout preventers, risers, and well control. The instructor has over 35 years of industry experience. Attendees would include drilling engineers, supervisors, and managers from operators involved in deepwater drilling.
Frontier Rare Earths provides an update on its Zandkopsdrift project and othe...Frontier Rare Earths Ltd
Frontier Rare Earths provides an update on the preliminary feasibility study being conducted on its Zandkopsdrift rare earth element project in South Africa. Good progress has been made on studies including geology, metallurgical testing, mine design, environmental permitting, and infrastructure. The preliminary feasibility study is expected to be completed in Q1 2013 and will further de-risk the project, followed immediately by a definitive feasibility study. Frontier has also expanded its rare earth expertise through new consultants experienced in rare earth processing.
This document summarizes a study evaluating mining methods for the 543-S copper deposit in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. An underground cut-and-fill method was selected based on the deposit's geometry. A block model of the deposit was created from drill data. Economic analysis was conducted to determine optimal pit limits and underground development. The study concluded the deposit has potential for open-pit, underground, or hybrid mining and that cut-and-fill is reasonable given the deposit. Future work includes environmental monitoring and feasibility assessments.
This document provides information on Abhay Ocean India Pvt Ltd, a company that specializes in marine engineering projects such as submarine pipelines, marine intakes/outfalls, and dredging. It details the company's experience with various marine outfall projects. It also outlines the scope of work for a proposed sea water intake and reject outfall system for a desalination plant, including surveying, designing, supplying, installing, and testing the submarine pipelines and intake/diffuser structures.
Natural fractures are very common in shale gas plays. It is often presumed that because the formations are so tight, gas can be produced economically only when extensive networks of natural fractures exist. The creation of large fracture surface area in contact with the reservoir is considered essential to commercial success. This is facilitated by multistage hydraulic fracturing of long horizontal wells using large volumes of low- viscosity (low-cost) fracturing fluid. However, the efficiency of this process in terms of water usage is now coming under close scrutiny. The success of these operations is beyond doubt, but what can be inferred about the accuracy of this conceptual picture in light of many years’ accumulated production data? What does production data tell us about the role of natural fractures? This presentation addresses these issues by using a semianalytic shale gas production model to analyze and interpret production data from many shale gas wells across several different plays.
Ian Walton is a senior research scientist at the Energy & Geoscience Institute of the University of Utah and an adjunct professor in the department of chemical engineering. He holds a PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Manchester. Walton has more than 25 years of petroleum industry experience, most recently as a scientific advisor for Schlumberger, and more than 15 years of university teaching experience.
The document summarizes funding sources and support for the Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program, which is primarily funded by member donations to The SPE Foundation and a contribution from Offshore Europe. Additional support comes from companies that allow employees to serve as lecturers and from AIME. The document then outlines the topics to be covered in a presentation on 4D seismic history matching.
This document summarizes the results of a survey sent to HPHT professionals regarding challenges in HPHT operations. According to the survey results, the biggest technology gaps are in cement design and performance, seals, and tubulars. The major challenges with equipment durability are reliability under extreme conditions, dynamic seals, and material failure due to high temperature. Ensuring electronic survivability requires considering temperature, pressure, shock, and vibration. While more is being done to address risks, over half of respondents felt not enough is being done to combat product failure at high temperatures. Key factors for successful QA/QC include thoroughness, testing under realistic conditions, and root cause analysis.
The Distinguished Lecturer Program is primarily funded by donations to the SPE Foundation and contributions from Offshore Europe. Additional support is provided by AIME. The program allows industry professionals to serve as lecturers. Martin Rylance will give a presentation called "The Fracts of Life" covering key aspects of geomechanics, formation permeability, fracturing, QA/QC, and the transition from vertical to horizontal wells.
The document summarizes a presentation on using wireline formation testing (WFT) to characterize reservoirs and reduce uncertainties. It discusses how WFT can be used to measure pressures, sample and analyze downhole fluids, conduct transient tests, and test in-situ stresses. The results from these WFT analyses can be integrated into reservoir modeling workflows and help understand properties like permeability, fluid contacts, and the safe drilling window. Advanced sensors and improved transient testing capabilities in new generation WFT tools are providing more downhole data to reduce risks in reservoir evaluation.
The lifecycle of developed fields, onshore and offshore will go through different stages of production up to the decline into late field life. Effective reservoir engineering management will lead to prolonging the life of field if a cost effective processing surface facilities strategy is put in place. Factors that lead to the decline in oil production or increase in OPEX may include increased water production, solids handling and the need for relatively higher compression requirements for gas lift. In order to maintain productivity and profitability, an effective holistic engineering approach to optimizing the process surface facilities must be utilized. The challenges of Optimizing Mature Field Production are: 1. Reservoir understanding with potential definition of additional reserves 2. Complete re-appraisal of the operability issues in the production facilities 3. Develop confidence to invest to optimize the process handling capabilities and capacity 4. Low CAPEX simplification of the surface facilities infrastructure to meet challenges 5. An implementation plan that recognizes the ‘Brownfield’ complexities 6. Selection of suitable optimum technology, configuration and training 7. Optimum upgrade plan of the facilities with minimum production losses Successful operation of mature fields and their surface facilities requires successful change management to the new operating strategy. Using a holistic approach can maximize the full potential of mature processing facilities at a manageable CAPEX and OPEX.
Dr. Wally Georgie Dr. Wally Georgie has a B.Sc degree in Chemistry, M.Sc in Polymer Technology, M.Sc in Safety Engineering and PhD in Applied Chemistry with training courses in oil and gas process engineering, production, reservoir and corrosion engineering. He has worked for over 37 years in different areas of oil and gas production facilities, including corrosion control, flow assurance, fluid separation, separator design, gas handling and produced water. He started his career in oil and gas services sector in 1978 based in the UK and working globally with different production issues then joined Statoil as senior staff engineer and later as technical advisor in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Working as part of operation team on oil and gas production facilities key focus areas included optimization, operation trouble-shooting, de-bottlenecking, oil water separation, slug handling, process verification, and myriad other fluid and gas handling issues. He then started working in March 1999 as a consultant globally both offshore and onshore, conventional and unconventional in the area of separation trouble shooting, operation assurance, produced water management, gas handling problems, flow assurance, system integrities and production chemistry, with emphasis in dealing with mature facilities worldwide.
Increasing interest by governments worldwide on reducing CO2 released into the atmosphere form a nexus of of opportunity with enhanced oil recovery which could benefit mature oil fields in nearly every country. Overall approximately two-thirds of original oil in place (OOIP) in mature conventional oil fields remains after primary or primary/secondary recovery efforts have taken place. CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2 EOR) has an excellent record of revitalizing these mature plays and can dramatically increase ultimate recovery. Since the first CO2 EOR project was initiated in 1972, more than 154 additional projects have been put into operation around the world and about two-thirds are located in the Permian basin and Gulf coast regions of the United States. While these regions have favorable geologic and reservoir conditions for CO2 EOR, they are also located near large natural sources of CO2.
In recent years an increasing number of projects have been developed in areas without natural supplies, and have instead utilized captured CO2 from a variety of anthropogenic sources including gas processing plants, ethanol plants, cement plants, and fertilizer plants. Today approximately 36% of active CO2 EOR projects utilize gas that would otherwise be vented to the atmosphere. Interest world-wide has increased, including projects in Canada, Brazil, Norway, Turkey, Trinidad, and more recently, and perhaps most significantly, in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. About 80% of all energy used in the world comes from fossil fuels, and many industrial and manufacturing processes generate CO2 that can be captured and used for EOR. In this 30 minute presentation a brief history of CO2 EOR is provided, implications for utilizing captured carbon are discussed, and a demonstration project is introduced with an overview of characterization, modeling, simulation, and monitoring actvities taking place during injection of more than a million metric tons (~19 Bcf) of anthropogenic CO2 into a mature waterflood.
Longer versions of the presentation can be requested and can cover details of geologic and seimic characterization, simulation studies, time-lapse monitoring, tracer studies, or other CO2 monitoring technologies.
Todd R Dragulski has over 26 years of experience in offshore and downstream oil and gas projects. He has worked as a project manager, engineering manager, and interface manager on projects involving FPSOs, offshore platforms, pipelines, and petrochemical facilities. Some of the key projects he has worked on include offshore water management projects in Mexico for PEMEX, FLNG developments in Equatorial Guinea for Ophir Holdings, and platform and pipeline upgrades for BP in Trinidad.
Review of EOR Selection for light tight oil
Key Themes:
Upfront EOR Development Planning
Cash is king but Permeability Rules
Geology Selects Technology
Nanospheres, Steam Flooding, Misc Gas Flooding, EOR Selection Criteria
Center for Sustainable Shale Development Comparison to State/Federal RegulationsMarcellus Drilling News
A chart comparing the 15 standards proposed by the CSSD to existing standards and regulations by PA, OH, WV and the federal government. The CSSD is attempting to show why their "voluntary" standards are better than existing standards. They make statements that CSSD certification/standard is meant to work with state regulations, not supersede or replace it. However, the CSSD standards are expensive to follow, especially with smaller drillers--and without proof that they protect the environment any more than existing regulations.
The SPE Foundation and member donations primarily fund the SPE Distinguished Lecturer Program. Companies also support the program by allowing employees to serve as lecturers. Additional support comes from AIME. The program provides 30 minute presentations on reservoir topics. Robert Hawkes will present on hydraulic fracture flowback dynamics, discussing load fluid recovery and its implications for long term production. His presentation will cover laboratory observations, field data, and diagnostic tools to understand flowback mechanisms and estimate ultimate load fluid recovery.
The new Center for Sustainable Shale Development, a collective of both drilling companies and environmentalist groups, have proposed a new standards certification program. These 15 standards are the initial "first cut" at promoting more environmentally-friendly shale in the Marcellus Shale region. The intent is for drillers and pipeline companies to become certified by the CSSD. Without certification? Persona non grata.
The document discusses a new technology from The Lateral Drilling Inc. that uses coiled tubing and high-pressure jets to drill lateral wellbores up to 300 feet from existing wells. This increases both near-term production from oil and gas reservoirs as well as overall recovery over the long-term. The technology has the potential to reverse declining production rates seen across the industry. The Lateral Drilling specializes in well stimulation services using pressure jet radial drilling optimization and offers joint ventures to decrease clients' capital costs through accepting partial payment in production results. They also provide geological and technical assistance for candidate well evaluation and selection.
BDC VUB # 150 TTRC modified oct 26_KDKKevin Kelley
The document discusses performing a thru-tubing recompletion on well BDC #150. It recommends:
1) Perforating additional pay zones below the current zone using an e-line operation and installing a thru-tubing screen for sand control.
2) The recompletion is estimated to recover an additional 3 million barrels of oil with a net present value of $150 million.
3) The estimated cost of the recompletion is $120 million and it would payout within 4.4 months, providing an attractive return on investment.
Subsea pipelines are the arteries of the offshore industry, and around the world more than 18,000km are in service. Part of almost every project, they often form a large component of project cost. This course will provide a complete and up-to-date overview of the area of Subsea Pipeline Engineering, taking delegates through the pre-design phase, design, construction, installation, operation and maintenance.
It will give a complete picture of the work of design engineers and pipeline construction companies, using actual case studies from around the world to highlight the topics discussed. While the course requires no previous experience, this is not a superficial overview. The lecturers bring to the course a long experience of industry projects, in many parts of the world and under varied conditions. The technology is far from being static, and the trainers will discuss new developments and ideas for the future.
Swapnil Hosmani is seeking a position as a Process Engineer, bringing over 11 years of experience in chemical engineering. He has a B.E. in Chemical Engineering and has worked for Jacobs Engineering and Occidental Petroleum. He is looking to utilize his expertise in process design, development, and safety engineering to contribute to organizational goals.
The document discusses several innovations in oil and gas technology from the January 2020 edition of World Oil Magazine. It describes how various operators have used new technologies like ultra-deep resistivity services, dual drilling operations, acoustic logging tools, formation evaluation from cuttings, and horizontal lift systems to optimize operations, reduce costs, increase production and safely drill complex wells.
The primary funding for the Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program is provided by member donations to The SPE Foundation and a contribution from Offshore Europe. The program also receives support from companies that allow their employees to serve as lecturers and from AIME. The January 2020 tour lecture focuses on thriving in a lower oil price environment, including topics such as market dynamics, keys to success, technology impacts, and takeaway points.
This document provides information about a 4-day deepwater drilling optimization course offered by PetroSync. The course aims to help attendees learn skills to ensure deepwater wells are drilled, tested, and completed on time and on budget. It covers topics like deepwater drilling challenges, technologies used, case histories, well design projects, and proven solutions. Specific technical topics to be addressed include rig selection, subsurface surveys, wellhead equipment, blowout preventers, risers, and well control. The instructor has over 35 years of industry experience. Attendees would include drilling engineers, supervisors, and managers from operators involved in deepwater drilling.
Frontier Rare Earths provides an update on its Zandkopsdrift project and othe...Frontier Rare Earths Ltd
Frontier Rare Earths provides an update on the preliminary feasibility study being conducted on its Zandkopsdrift rare earth element project in South Africa. Good progress has been made on studies including geology, metallurgical testing, mine design, environmental permitting, and infrastructure. The preliminary feasibility study is expected to be completed in Q1 2013 and will further de-risk the project, followed immediately by a definitive feasibility study. Frontier has also expanded its rare earth expertise through new consultants experienced in rare earth processing.
This document summarizes a study evaluating mining methods for the 543-S copper deposit in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. An underground cut-and-fill method was selected based on the deposit's geometry. A block model of the deposit was created from drill data. Economic analysis was conducted to determine optimal pit limits and underground development. The study concluded the deposit has potential for open-pit, underground, or hybrid mining and that cut-and-fill is reasonable given the deposit. Future work includes environmental monitoring and feasibility assessments.
This document provides information on Abhay Ocean India Pvt Ltd, a company that specializes in marine engineering projects such as submarine pipelines, marine intakes/outfalls, and dredging. It details the company's experience with various marine outfall projects. It also outlines the scope of work for a proposed sea water intake and reject outfall system for a desalination plant, including surveying, designing, supplying, installing, and testing the submarine pipelines and intake/diffuser structures.
Natural fractures are very common in shale gas plays. It is often presumed that because the formations are so tight, gas can be produced economically only when extensive networks of natural fractures exist. The creation of large fracture surface area in contact with the reservoir is considered essential to commercial success. This is facilitated by multistage hydraulic fracturing of long horizontal wells using large volumes of low- viscosity (low-cost) fracturing fluid. However, the efficiency of this process in terms of water usage is now coming under close scrutiny. The success of these operations is beyond doubt, but what can be inferred about the accuracy of this conceptual picture in light of many years’ accumulated production data? What does production data tell us about the role of natural fractures? This presentation addresses these issues by using a semianalytic shale gas production model to analyze and interpret production data from many shale gas wells across several different plays.
Ian Walton is a senior research scientist at the Energy & Geoscience Institute of the University of Utah and an adjunct professor in the department of chemical engineering. He holds a PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Manchester. Walton has more than 25 years of petroleum industry experience, most recently as a scientific advisor for Schlumberger, and more than 15 years of university teaching experience.
The document summarizes funding sources and support for the Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program, which is primarily funded by member donations to The SPE Foundation and a contribution from Offshore Europe. Additional support comes from companies that allow employees to serve as lecturers and from AIME. The document then outlines the topics to be covered in a presentation on 4D seismic history matching.
This document summarizes the results of a survey sent to HPHT professionals regarding challenges in HPHT operations. According to the survey results, the biggest technology gaps are in cement design and performance, seals, and tubulars. The major challenges with equipment durability are reliability under extreme conditions, dynamic seals, and material failure due to high temperature. Ensuring electronic survivability requires considering temperature, pressure, shock, and vibration. While more is being done to address risks, over half of respondents felt not enough is being done to combat product failure at high temperatures. Key factors for successful QA/QC include thoroughness, testing under realistic conditions, and root cause analysis.
The Distinguished Lecturer Program is primarily funded by donations to the SPE Foundation and contributions from Offshore Europe. Additional support is provided by AIME. The program allows industry professionals to serve as lecturers. Martin Rylance will give a presentation called "The Fracts of Life" covering key aspects of geomechanics, formation permeability, fracturing, QA/QC, and the transition from vertical to horizontal wells.
The document summarizes a presentation on using wireline formation testing (WFT) to characterize reservoirs and reduce uncertainties. It discusses how WFT can be used to measure pressures, sample and analyze downhole fluids, conduct transient tests, and test in-situ stresses. The results from these WFT analyses can be integrated into reservoir modeling workflows and help understand properties like permeability, fluid contacts, and the safe drilling window. Advanced sensors and improved transient testing capabilities in new generation WFT tools are providing more downhole data to reduce risks in reservoir evaluation.
The lifecycle of developed fields, onshore and offshore will go through different stages of production up to the decline into late field life. Effective reservoir engineering management will lead to prolonging the life of field if a cost effective processing surface facilities strategy is put in place. Factors that lead to the decline in oil production or increase in OPEX may include increased water production, solids handling and the need for relatively higher compression requirements for gas lift. In order to maintain productivity and profitability, an effective holistic engineering approach to optimizing the process surface facilities must be utilized. The challenges of Optimizing Mature Field Production are: 1. Reservoir understanding with potential definition of additional reserves 2. Complete re-appraisal of the operability issues in the production facilities 3. Develop confidence to invest to optimize the process handling capabilities and capacity 4. Low CAPEX simplification of the surface facilities infrastructure to meet challenges 5. An implementation plan that recognizes the ‘Brownfield’ complexities 6. Selection of suitable optimum technology, configuration and training 7. Optimum upgrade plan of the facilities with minimum production losses Successful operation of mature fields and their surface facilities requires successful change management to the new operating strategy. Using a holistic approach can maximize the full potential of mature processing facilities at a manageable CAPEX and OPEX.
Dr. Wally Georgie Dr. Wally Georgie has a B.Sc degree in Chemistry, M.Sc in Polymer Technology, M.Sc in Safety Engineering and PhD in Applied Chemistry with training courses in oil and gas process engineering, production, reservoir and corrosion engineering. He has worked for over 37 years in different areas of oil and gas production facilities, including corrosion control, flow assurance, fluid separation, separator design, gas handling and produced water. He started his career in oil and gas services sector in 1978 based in the UK and working globally with different production issues then joined Statoil as senior staff engineer and later as technical advisor in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Working as part of operation team on oil and gas production facilities key focus areas included optimization, operation trouble-shooting, de-bottlenecking, oil water separation, slug handling, process verification, and myriad other fluid and gas handling issues. He then started working in March 1999 as a consultant globally both offshore and onshore, conventional and unconventional in the area of separation trouble shooting, operation assurance, produced water management, gas handling problems, flow assurance, system integrities and production chemistry, with emphasis in dealing with mature facilities worldwide.
Increasing interest by governments worldwide on reducing CO2 released into the atmosphere form a nexus of of opportunity with enhanced oil recovery which could benefit mature oil fields in nearly every country. Overall approximately two-thirds of original oil in place (OOIP) in mature conventional oil fields remains after primary or primary/secondary recovery efforts have taken place. CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2 EOR) has an excellent record of revitalizing these mature plays and can dramatically increase ultimate recovery. Since the first CO2 EOR project was initiated in 1972, more than 154 additional projects have been put into operation around the world and about two-thirds are located in the Permian basin and Gulf coast regions of the United States. While these regions have favorable geologic and reservoir conditions for CO2 EOR, they are also located near large natural sources of CO2.
In recent years an increasing number of projects have been developed in areas without natural supplies, and have instead utilized captured CO2 from a variety of anthropogenic sources including gas processing plants, ethanol plants, cement plants, and fertilizer plants. Today approximately 36% of active CO2 EOR projects utilize gas that would otherwise be vented to the atmosphere. Interest world-wide has increased, including projects in Canada, Brazil, Norway, Turkey, Trinidad, and more recently, and perhaps most significantly, in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. About 80% of all energy used in the world comes from fossil fuels, and many industrial and manufacturing processes generate CO2 that can be captured and used for EOR. In this 30 minute presentation a brief history of CO2 EOR is provided, implications for utilizing captured carbon are discussed, and a demonstration project is introduced with an overview of characterization, modeling, simulation, and monitoring actvities taking place during injection of more than a million metric tons (~19 Bcf) of anthropogenic CO2 into a mature waterflood.
Longer versions of the presentation can be requested and can cover details of geologic and seimic characterization, simulation studies, time-lapse monitoring, tracer studies, or other CO2 monitoring technologies.
Todd R Dragulski has over 26 years of experience in offshore and downstream oil and gas projects. He has worked as a project manager, engineering manager, and interface manager on projects involving FPSOs, offshore platforms, pipelines, and petrochemical facilities. Some of the key projects he has worked on include offshore water management projects in Mexico for PEMEX, FLNG developments in Equatorial Guinea for Ophir Holdings, and platform and pipeline upgrades for BP in Trinidad.
Review of EOR Selection for light tight oil
Key Themes:
Upfront EOR Development Planning
Cash is king but Permeability Rules
Geology Selects Technology
Nanospheres, Steam Flooding, Misc Gas Flooding, EOR Selection Criteria
Center for Sustainable Shale Development Comparison to State/Federal RegulationsMarcellus Drilling News
A chart comparing the 15 standards proposed by the CSSD to existing standards and regulations by PA, OH, WV and the federal government. The CSSD is attempting to show why their "voluntary" standards are better than existing standards. They make statements that CSSD certification/standard is meant to work with state regulations, not supersede or replace it. However, the CSSD standards are expensive to follow, especially with smaller drillers--and without proof that they protect the environment any more than existing regulations.
The SPE Foundation and member donations primarily fund the SPE Distinguished Lecturer Program. Companies also support the program by allowing employees to serve as lecturers. Additional support comes from AIME. The program provides 30 minute presentations on reservoir topics. Robert Hawkes will present on hydraulic fracture flowback dynamics, discussing load fluid recovery and its implications for long term production. His presentation will cover laboratory observations, field data, and diagnostic tools to understand flowback mechanisms and estimate ultimate load fluid recovery.
The new Center for Sustainable Shale Development, a collective of both drilling companies and environmentalist groups, have proposed a new standards certification program. These 15 standards are the initial "first cut" at promoting more environmentally-friendly shale in the Marcellus Shale region. The intent is for drillers and pipeline companies to become certified by the CSSD. Without certification? Persona non grata.
The document discusses a new technology from The Lateral Drilling Inc. that uses coiled tubing and high-pressure jets to drill lateral wellbores up to 300 feet from existing wells. This increases both near-term production from oil and gas reservoirs as well as overall recovery over the long-term. The technology has the potential to reverse declining production rates seen across the industry. The Lateral Drilling specializes in well stimulation services using pressure jet radial drilling optimization and offers joint ventures to decrease clients' capital costs through accepting partial payment in production results. They also provide geological and technical assistance for candidate well evaluation and selection.
BDC VUB # 150 TTRC modified oct 26_KDKKevin Kelley
The document discusses performing a thru-tubing recompletion on well BDC #150. It recommends:
1) Perforating additional pay zones below the current zone using an e-line operation and installing a thru-tubing screen for sand control.
2) The recompletion is estimated to recover an additional 3 million barrels of oil with a net present value of $150 million.
3) The estimated cost of the recompletion is $120 million and it would payout within 4.4 months, providing an attractive return on investment.
SELA Region Q4-2013 Thru-tubing Recompletion and Thru-tubing WorkoverKevin Kelley
The 5 thru-tubing projects in the Lake Washington Area were mostly economically successful. Total costs were $855.1 million with 83.2% of the estimated costs. Cumulative oil production was 12,820 barrels with payout achieved in 34 days. Lessons learned included planning for weather delays when working in winter, that thru-tubing gravel packs can be effective sand control, and thru-tubing work can be done without coiled tubing to reduce costs.
This document provides an operations report for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation for the fourth quarter of 2007. It includes information on capital spending, production volumes, rig activity, major developments and exploration activities. Capital spending for the quarter totaled $997 million, with $705 million spent on US E&P activity. Production volumes for the quarter were 53 million barrels of oil equivalent. Major developments discussed include discoveries and planned developments in the Gulf of Mexico.
Innovative design solutions for the developing world - A presentation on my work at Developing Technologies developing percussion drilling equipment that can be manufactured locally in rural Sierra Leone.
Brazil 2020: What Brazil will Look Like in the Future France Houdard
1. Brazil is the 5th largest country by area and has a highly advanced economy, with 45% of its energy coming from green sources. It is a major producer of minerals, fuels, foods, and manufactured goods.
2. Brazil's economy has grown significantly in recent decades and is projected to continue growing at 6% annually. Major cities and economic centers are concentrated along the eastern coast near natural resources in the west and central regions.
3. Brazil has developed world-leading innovation clusters in sectors like aerospace, information technology, and green energy such as biomass and hydro power where it is a global leader. The economy is transitioning toward knowledge-based industries and services.
DRILL RIGS - We are manufacturing, supplying, and exporting a comprehensive range of Water Drilling Rigs, Mining Rigs, Special Drilling Rigs and Equipments.
The document discusses workover jobs, which refer to interventions done on oil and gas wells to repair downhole equipment and address reservoir issues affecting production. Workovers are necessary when mechanical failures occur or reservoir conditions change. Common reasons for workovers include replacing damaged equipment, fixing casing issues, removing stuck tools, and addressing natural reservoir damage or depletion that reduces productivity. Workovers can involve complex operations like milling packers, fishing operations, and zone recompletions to restore or boost well production.
This document summarizes various drilling methods used in different industries. It focuses on mechanical hole making methods, including cable tool drilling, auger drilling, and rotary drilling. Cable tool drilling involves repeatedly lifting and dropping a string of tools to break up rock. It was an early method and remains useful for remote locations. Auger drilling uses rotating augers to efficiently drill holes for sampling or construction. Rotary drilling employs a rotating drill bit attached to a string of drill pipe to drill holes. It involves hoisting, rotating, and circulating equipment and is the predominant method used in oil/gas drilling.
The document discusses different types of drilling machines. It describes the main parts of drilling machines including the vice, spindle, sleeve, column, head, worktable and base. It then covers different types of drilling machines such as portable, bench-mounted, sensitive, upright, radial, gang, multiple spindle, automatic, and deep hole drilling machines. It provides details on radial drilling machines and their applications in underground mining, surface mining, drilling and other operations.
This document discusses drilling economics and optimization techniques. It covers topics such as drilling cost prediction, authorization for expenditure (AFE), drilling optimization techniques including drilling cost equations and breakeven calculations, and decision making using expected value calculations. Examples are provided for calculating cost per foot, determining breakeven points, and evaluating decisions using expected values.
The document discusses various ground improvement techniques including dry soil mixing, dynamic compaction, injection systems, rapid impact compaction, rigid inclusions, vibro compaction, vibro concrete columns, vibro piers, and wet soil mixing. It provides details on each technique such as how it is performed, the types of soils it can be used to treat, and examples of how it has been used to improve soil properties like bearing capacity, settlement, and liquefaction potential.
The document provides details about basic mud logging and rig components for both land and offshore rigs. It describes key rig components like the derrick, rotary table, blowout preventers, drill strings, and rig personnel. It also outlines different types of offshore rigs including jack-up rigs, semi-submersibles, drill ships, and platform rigs as well as their advantages and disadvantages.
This document discusses different types of drilling machines and their functions. It describes bench drilling machines, which are light duty machines used in small workshops to drill holes from 1 to 15 mm in diameter. Radial drilling machines are heavy duty machines used to drill larger holes, up to 7.5 cm, in heavy workpieces. The document outlines the parts and working of bench drilling machines and radial drilling machines. It also covers drilling machine operations like reaming, boring, counterboring, countersinking, spot facing and tapping.
The document discusses the basics of drilling in mining operations, including different types of drilling methods such as mechanical percussion and rotary drilling. It describes the components and functions of drilling equipment, including the rock drill, feed equipment, drilling rods, bits, and power sources. Different drilling methods are suited for different hole sizes and rock properties in various types of mining operations.
Drilling technology has evolved considerably over the past 150 years. There are now over 650 mobile offshore drilling units worldwide that can drill in water depths over 12,000 feet. Different types of offshore drilling rigs include semi-submersibles and jack-up rigs anchored to the seafloor. Drilling operations involve careful planning to identify locations where hydrocarbons are likely to exist based on geological and geophysical data collection methods.
Functions of drilling rig components PresentationThanos Paraschos
Drilling rigs are complex assemblies of equipment used to create boreholes, typically for natural gas or oil extraction. A typical rig requires 50-75 people and 35-45 trucks to assemble and operate. Rigs can drill wells over 10,000 feet deep and operate continuously for up to a year. Key components include the derrick, kelly, drill pipe, drill bit, casing, blowout preventer, and mud systems. Alternative deep drilling technologies using methods like water jets or lasers are being researched as promising ways to drill deeper more efficiently.
Casing is essential for safely drilling oil and gas wells. It must withstand forces during drilling and through the life of the well. Different casing strings are run to isolate formations with different pressures and seal off problematic zones to allow deeper drilling. Surface casing isolates fresh water and supports blowout preventers. Intermediate casing increases pressure integrity to drill deeper and protects progress. Production casing houses completion equipment and isolates the producing zone. Liners are shorter strings hung from intermediate casing to complete zones economically. Proper casing and cementing is crucial to isolate formations and prevent communication between zones.
Farhad Orak presented research on optimizing production from a field in South Pars gas field using nodal analysis and multilateral well design. The field contains four producing gas layers separated by anhydrite layers in a reservoir 400 meters thick. Conventional wells risk water coning issues on the flanks where lower layers are water-filled. The study models a dual opposed multilateral well using nodal analysis, finding production could be optimized to 114 million standard cubic feet per day by increasing tubing size to 6.18 inches, setting wellhead pressure to 2000 psi, assuming 5% water cut and a skin factor of +1. Recommendations include further investigating horizontal branch length and angle to increase reservoir exposure and controlling production
Marginal oil fields present economic challenges but can be profitably developed using unconventional techniques. The document outlines various unconventional techniques like horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, tiebacks, and cable deployed ESPs that have been successfully used in case studies to reduce costs and increase production from marginal fields, making them economically viable. It also discusses the data and time constraints faced in developing marginal fields and how various conventional techniques can help optimize costs.
This document summarizes the evolution of completion designs used by Total Austral in developing shale resources in the Vaca Muerta formation in Argentina over the past decade. It began with vertical exploratory wells to characterize the formation, followed by a short horizontal appraisal well. A pilot phase involved 12 horizontal wells to validate productivity from two zones, using plug-and-perf completions. Operational challenges were addressed. Subsequent phases increased lateral lengths, implemented new technologies like 4D seismic and chemical tracers, and optimized operations to increase production and reduce costs through testing of fracture parameters and improvements to water/proppant logistics and service reliability. The historical experience helped shift to more efficient best practices for unconventional well stimulation.
This article describes in a nut shell, the changing attitude of Oil and Gas
companies towards innovative drilling technologies in the down turn, some of the
important innovations in drilling technologies and its relevance to upstream oil and
gas, the pace of adoption of innovative drilling technologies in the upstream oil and
gas and the need for an optimistic future outlook.
The document discusses the SEC oil and gas reserves evaluation guidelines and their practical application. It examines key aspects of the guidelines including reasonable certainty, reliability of technology, and the use of analogy in evaluations. Examples are provided of applying volumetric and dynamic data, well testing, and reservoir modeling and analogy to proved reserves evaluations in oilfields in China according to SEC standards. The document concludes that accurate reserves evaluations per SEC guidelines are important for reflecting asset value and that future work can enhance proved reserves assessments through continued integration of domestic and international standards and new technologies.
Exploring Tight Gas Reservoir Using Intelligent Well TechnologyAbhinav Bisht
The document discusses exploring tight gas reservoirs economically using intelligent well completion (IWC) technology. Tight gas is found in low permeability rock and requires hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling to produce. IWC uses remotely operated valves for selective multi-stage fracturing of horizontal wells to improve efficiency. A case study describes how IWC and microseismic monitoring in China's Changbei Field helped optimize subsequent horizontal well completions in that field.
- The document provides personal and professional details of an individual with over 23 years of experience as a Petroleum Engineer in India and Saudi Arabia.
- Currently he works as a Senior Production Engineer for Saudi Aramco, where he is responsible for production optimization and enhancement for over 600,000 barrels per day.
- Throughout his career he has gained extensive experience in production planning and enhancement, well integrity, stimulation, and water shut-off operations on both offshore and onshore assets.
This paper discusses Dragon Oil's use of jet pumps for artificial lift on offshore wells in the Caspian Sea. Candidate wells were producing below expectations due to reservoir depletion and wax buildup. A multi-well jet pump system was installed using existing completions without workover. It included downhole jet pumps connected to a surface power unit. The system revived production from two wells, resolving wax issues and demonstrating jet pumps' potential to extend other offshore wells' lifetimes. Plans aim to expand this technology to more locations.
This white paper proposes a subsea separation system using cyclonic technology to improve the economic viability of developing tight, low reserve gas fields in the Southern North Sea. Computational fluid dynamics was used to verify that a cyclone unit could effectively separate solids from well fluids on the seabed. An accumulator would collect solid particles for removal by ROV, while a pipeline would transport separated gas to an offshore platform. Economic modeling indicated the proposed subsea system could reduce costs compared to conventional approaches, making marginal fields commercially feasible.
Richard Stoisits has over 42 years of experience in reservoir, production, operations and facility engineering. He currently works as a Senior Engineering Advisor for ExxonMobil, where he leads flow assurance studies for offshore developments and troubleshoots production problems for worldwide assets. Previously, he has held engineering roles at Raytheon Corporation, ARCO Exploration and Production Technology, and ARCO Oil & Gas. He has developed new technologies in areas such as multiphase flow, reservoir modeling, and production optimization.
This document summarizes a presentation on the use of formate brines for deep gas field development projects. It finds that formate brines provide operational efficiencies over conventional drilling fluids by providing a more stable wellbore, faster tripping speeds, and fewer well control incidents. These efficiencies can reduce well construction costs and times. The document also finds that fields developed using only formate brines were able to recover 90% of reserves within 7-8 years, indicating formate brines may enable more efficient production.
In attending this course, participants will gain knowledge and develops skills relating to HPHT Well Engineering. The course focuses on key characteristics and challenges of HPHT wells from well design, planning, engineering and operational perspectives. It covers a range of topics including:
• Well Design - Casing and drillstring design, well barriers, thermal effects, drilling fluid and cement selection
• Operational Planning - Rig selection, BOP equipment issues, rig team training
• Well Delivery – fingerprinting, well bore breathing, high-reliability drilling practices, well control and well abandonment
This document provides an overview of optimization of drilling parameters for directional drilling. It includes:
1. An introduction describing the importance of optimizing drilling parameters to reduce costs and improve performance.
2. A section on directional drilling techniques including build and hold trajectories, S-shaped trajectories, and horizontal wells.
3. Descriptions of different directional drilling methods like jetting deflection, whipstocks, motor deflection, and rotary steerable systems.
This paper discusses the development of single-diameter wellbore technology using solid expandable tubular systems. It describes:
1) How over 350 commercial installations helped prove the concept and technology.
2) The key benefits of single-diameter wells which reduce costs by conserving resources, saving time, and reducing environmental impact.
3) The multi-functional tool developed which can expand casing in one trip and provides contingencies like releasing connections if needed.
4) A field test in 2004 that successfully deployed and expanded 9-5/8 inch liners to test hydraulic isolation without cement. This demonstrated the viability of the single-diameter well construction method.
This document summarizes a paper presented at Offshore Europe 2005 that discusses realizing single-diameter wellbore technology using solid expandable tubulars. It provides details on:
- The development of expandable technology and its progression to enable single-diameter wells.
- A field test of the technology that successfully deployed and expanded 9-5/8 inch liners in a single trip.
- The multi-functional tool string used, including elements for expansion and contingencies.
- How the technology allows extended reach drilling and can increase reserves while reducing development costs.
HPHT (High Pressure - High Temperature) wells have a downhole environment of more than 10,000psi (690 bar) and/or 300 deg F (140 deg C). These conditions are increasingly encountered in many basins worldwide, as exploration and production examine deeper and hotter objectives.
In attending this course, participants will gain knowledge and develops skills relating to HPHT Well Engineering. The course focuses on key characteristics and challenges of HPHT wells from well design, planning, engineering and operational perspectives.
IRJET- Optimization of Field Development Scheduling and Water Injection Study...IRJET Journal
The document summarizes a reservoir simulation study of the Keyi oil field in Sudan to determine the optimal development and production methods. The study used a 3D reservoir simulation model to evaluate different development scenarios. The results showed that water injection significantly improved recovery over natural depletion alone, increasing cumulative oil production from 4.4 million stock tank barrels without water injection to 10.9 million stock tank barrels with water injection. Therefore, the study concluded that water injection is the suitable method for improving recovery from the Keyi oil field reservoirs.
Optimizing completions in deviated and extended reach wells is a key to safe drilling and optimum
production, particularly in complex terrain and formations. This work summarizes the systematic methodology
and engineering process employed to identify and refine the highly effective completions solution used in ERW
completion system and install highly productive and robust hard wares in horizontal and Extended Reach Wells
for Oil and Gas. A case study of an offshore project was presented and discussed. The unique completion design,
pre-project evaluation and the integrated effort undertaken to firstly, minimize completion and formation damage.
Secondly, maximize gravel placement and sand control method .Thirdly, to maximize filter cake removal
efficiencies. The importance of completions technologies was identified and a robust tool was developed .More
importantly, the ways of deploying these tools to achieve optimal performance in ERW’s completions was done.
The application of the whole system will allow existing constraints to be challenged and overcome successfully;
these achievements was possible, by applying sound practical engineering principle and continuous optimization,
with respect to the rig and environmental limitation space and rig capacity.
Keywords: Well Completions , Deviated and Extended Rearch Wells , Optimization
The Course also covers both successful and unsuccessful Case Histories in HPHT drilling operations from around the globe as reported by Operators & Drilling Contractors. New technologies available to the Industry are also covered.
This document summarizes an upcoming conference on maximizing production from a driller's perspective for horizontal drilling operations in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). The two-day conference will be held in Calgary, Alberta on September 16-17, 2014 and will focus on improving rates of penetration, optimizing well lengths, selecting optimal drilling fluids, downhole tools and drill bits, and casing designs to increase production and reduce costs. It will feature over 20 case studies from WCSB operators and experts from companies including Bellatrix Exploration, Apache Corporation, Talisman Energy, and Shell Canada who will discuss strategies and results for optimizing horizontal drilling operations.
1. 1
PROJECT REPORT ON
RADIAL DRILLING: A NEW WELL ENHANCEMENT
TECHNIQUE
SUBMITTED TO
SAVITRIBAI PHULE PUNE UNIVERSITY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
BACHELOR’S DEGREE
IN
PETROLEUM ENGINEERING
BY
K. Prerna (Exam No B80026738)
Ankit Priye (Exam No B80026709)
Gaurav Saxena (Exam No B80026730)
DEPARTMENT OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERING
MAHARASHTRA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
PUNE – 411038
2014-2015
2. i
MAEER’S
MAHARASHTRA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
PUNE
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that K Prerna, Ankit Priye and Gaurav
Saxena of Maharashtra
Institute of Technology, Pune have satisfactorily and
successfully
completed the Project work on
RADIAL DRILLING: A NEW WELL ENHANCEMENT
TECHNIQUE
in partial fulfilment of Bachelor’s Degree in Petroleum
Engineering under the Savitribai Phule Pune University in the
year 2014-2015.
Dr. P.B. Jadhav Prof. Sanjay Joshi
Head, Internal Guide,
Dept. of Petroleum Engineering, M.I.T., Pune.
M.I.T., Pune.
3. ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Firstly we would like to convey our sincere thanks to Mr. Ajay Ray, President GeoEnpro
Petroleum limited, for giving us the oppurtunity to work on this project.
We would like to use this opportunity to express our gratitude to Prof. Sanjay Joshi, who
supported us throughout the course of this project. We are thankful for his aspiring guidance,
invaluably constructive criticism and friendly advice during the project work. We are sincerely
grateful to him for sharing his truthful and illuminating views on a number of issues related to
the project.
In addition, we want to thank Prof. Dr. P. B. Jadhav, Head Of Department, Petroleum
Engineering, MIT Pune, without whom our project wouldn’t have been a success.
4. iii
List of Figures
Sr. No Figures Page
No
Figure
1.1
The Radial Drilling Technique 4
Figure
1.2
Typical bottom hole assembly illustrating components used to create
jet drills laterals.
5
Figure
4.1
Coiled tubing surface unit. 11
Figure
4.2
Radial Drilling BHA deflector sub, centralizer and gyro tool. 12
Figure
4.3
Milling bit for Radial drilling. 13
Figure
4.4
Jetting nozzle for Radial drilling. 13
Figure
4.5
Radial drilling procedure for a single lateral. 15
Figure
4.6
Coil Tubing Units used to deploy Radial Jetting Drilling Technology 16
Figure
4.7
‘Macaroni’ Straight Pipe Tubing arrangement used to deploy Radial
Jetting Drilling Technology
17
Figure
4.8
A sample piece of 4½ in. casing with multiple 1 in. holes milled with
cutting system
18
Figure
4.9
Jet Bit nozzle under pressure 19
Figure
4.10
Typical type cutting pattern from jet bit 19
Figure
4.11
Mechanism of Penetration. 21
Figure
4.12
This chart shows the relationship between penetration rates
associated with jet bit pressure
22
5. iv
Figure
4.13
This chart shows the relationship between penetration rates
associated with jet bit flow rates
22
Figure
4.14
Relationship between flow rate and extended limit of horizontal well 26
Figure
4.15
Effect of pump pressure 27
Figure
4.16
Effect of well roughness 28
Figure
4.17
Effect of flow rate ratio 29
Figure
4.18
Effect of mother-well depth 30
Figure
4.19
The effect of well diameter 31
Figure
4.20
Sensitivity Analysis 32
Figure
6.1
Production profile XYZ#01 49
Figure
6.2
Well schematic of XYZ#01 50
6. v
List of Tables
Sr. No. Tables Page No
Table 4.1 Structural parameters of jet nozzle 25
Table 4.2 Specification of Base Oil 38
Table 6.1 Holes details for well 1#. 42
Table 6.2 Production comparison of well 1# before and after Radial Drilling 43
Table 6.3 Production comparison of well 1# before and after Radial Drilling 44
Table 6.4 Production comparison of well 1# before and after Radial Drilling 45
Table 6.5 Production profile of well XYZ#01 49
Table 6.6 Previous well interventions of well XYZ#01 51
Table 6.7 Well details of XYZ#01 53
Table 6.8 Operations performed on well XYZ#01 53
Table 6.9 Laterals details drilled on well XYZ#01 66
Table 6.10 Equipments on the field 74
7. vi
Table of Contents
Chapter No Title Page No
List of figures iii
List of tables v
Abstract viii
1. Introduction 1
2. Literature Survey 6
3. HSE 7
4. Radial Drilling Technique 10
5. Indian Scenario 40
6. Case Study
6.1 Belayim Field, Egypt
6.2 Kharsang Field, India
41
7. Results 76
8. Conclusion 77
9. References 79
9. viii
ABSTRACT:
With a world context of high oil prices and a rate of increase in reserves from new discoveries,
that is not enough to compensate the rate of extraction, in addition to the high maturity of
oilfields currently being developed across all the world, companies have been working to
improve recovery factor of reserves, as a strategy to extend the useful life of the existing assets.
Working in this direction, radial drilling technology seems to be an alternative, which, in spite of
the fact that it currently raises uncertainty since it has never been tested in the past in or
currently, can be adapted to the existing wells thus becoming a low investment alternative.
The technology involves drilling lateral horizontal bores of small diameter and up to one hundred
meters long, with the possibility of placing several within the each productive layer. The laterals
are made in two steps:
The casing is milled with a ¾” milling bit.
The lateral extension is carried out by high pressure water jetting.
For this evaluation, pilot tests were performed in different oilfields, with the intention of
covering a wide range of possible scenarios and being able to evaluate the best applications for
this new alternative.
Radial Drilling (RD) is an economic, environmentally friendly technique to drill numerous micro
diameter lateral horizontal wells from different levels from an existing well. In this project
emphasis has been given to study the process of radial drilling technology, its advantages,
overcoming its limitation, its usage in the recovery of left out crude oil from exiting reservoirs
especially those from brown fields. It also provides ways to implement RD to such oil & gas
10. ix
fields before implementing the expensive IOR-EOR methods and also an analysis of its
economic feasibility is discussed. The Indian prospects of Radial Drilling technique has also
been analysed and recommendations has been given based upon the possibility of implementing
in the brown/ depleted fields of India.
11. 1
1. INTRODUCTION:
It is extremely important to have the possibility of increasing production and raising usable
reserves from the known horizons; due to these facts, the search for new technologies to increase
production was started, and it was then that the radial drilling technique appeared as a promising
one.
This process consists of making small diameter horizontal perforations by using water jets at
high pressure (jetting). The diameter of these lateral horizontal perforations is approximately 2
in. and up to 330 ft of extension each, at the same productive level. Each one has a bending
radius as small as 1 ft and is made in two steps:
1. The casing is perforated with a 0.75 in. milling bit.
2. Horizontal extension is made with high pressure fluid jetting.
This application combines the following important factors:
Low cost, it is applied to existing wells.
Low geological uncertainty.
Low environment risk.
Among various reasons for this technique to increase production, the following could be
highlighted:
Improves the conductivity of an important area around the well.
Possibility to define direction of the perforations.
Helps the mobilization of viscous oils.
Connects to areas of better petrophysical conditions.
Allows intervention of oil reservoirs limited by close aquifers.
12. 2
Radial Drilling Services Inc. (RDS), which is a registered Texas Corporation for the design,
manufacture, installation and provision of services related to radial drilling technology in North
America and worldwide, was founded by acting President Henk Jelsma in November 2004. Carl
Landers invented the radial drilling technology process and registered the patent in 1995 (Patent
No. 5413184). RDS obtained a license to the technology, improved the original technology and
added additional patented technologies. A wholly owned subsidiary of Radial Drilling Services
was set up in Calgary, Alberta Canada as RadCan Energy Services in 2006. The operations are
currently fully licensed in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Colombia.
Radial Drilling Technology involves a method and apparatus for horizontal milling through the
walls of a vertically extending well casing at a 90º angle to provide horizontally jetted radials
into the earths strata for a substantial distance radially from the vertically extending well casing.
It provides an .extended perforation, or creates an ultra short radius horizontal application. The
technology uses a combination of coil tubing operations, high pressure jet drilling and analytical
reservoir evaluation. Originally designed for stripper wells in the US, the technology was
enhanced by the RDS group in Houston and California with special focus on reliability and
repeatability. Additional applications include gyro-directed acid placement, new well production
optimization (in lieu of perforating), salt production and CO2 sequestering methods, steam
injection, radial “huff and puff”, water disposal, injection for pressure maintenance and
enhancement of water well production. Additionally, the technology is applicable to salt dome
gas storage projects, water well improvement and mineral leaching processes.
The process basically involves utilizing downhole mechanics and hydraulics to ‘pull’ a high
pressure jet hose horizontally up to 100 metres into the producing formation. Overburden
combined with matrix porosity acts as a dynamic balance to the pressures exerted by the surface
system resulting in a ‘blast effect’ which pulverizes the formation ahead of the jet nozzle.
Reverse jets provide thrust as well as a cleaning effect for the horizontal lateral.
13. 3
The difference between conventional drilling and radial drilling technology is that, during the
primary application, it can get past the near well-bore well damage, allowing the drill to access
the virgin part of the formation. Under the present technology, the system can operate reliably
and repeatedly to 2,500 metres total depth. However, a recent well has been completed in March
2006 to a total depth of 3,500 metres. Lateral distances of 100 metres are standard. Four laterals
are generally installed at the same depth, placed 90° apart. Additional levels can be jetted upon
request. Depending on target depth, the process takes generally 2-4 days for four laterals. A key
factor for the successful application of the technology is well selection where the client provides
information relating to formation type, vertical and horizontal permeability, casing design, and
production history. An assessment then is made to proceed with the drilling based on this data.
The radial drilling process can radically affect the entire value chain of production for any
company. Benefits of this process exceed what conventional drilling offers due to its efficiency
and economic nature. The main reasons to use radial drilling technology are: less wells drilled
therefore increased well spacing, less surface equipment used, and less environmental impact.
Also, the extended drainage radius obtained by this application results in additional recoverable
reserves per well drilled.
14. 4
Figure 1.2 illustrates the drilling apparatus for Radial Jet Drilling. For producing wells the
completion equipments are removed from the well. A diverter (or shoe) is then placed onto the
bottom of the producing string and lowered to the depth of formation to be jet drilled. This
diverter has curved path to enable the jet bit and flexible hose to turn from going straight down
the tubing in the well and to approximately 90° towards the oil/gas formation. The jet bit is
attached to a 10000 psi or higher pressure rated flexible hose that has the flexibility to pass
through a typical 3 in. radius diverter path. One end of this flexible hose is attached to a high
pressure fluid filter, which in turn is connected to either coiled tubing or straight tubing pipe
conveying the high pressure fluid from the top of the wellbore down to the filter. This tubing
conveys the high pressure fluid from the high pressure pump at the surface and through the
tubing with the fluid passing sequentially through the flexible hose, the jet bit and through the
Figure 1.1: The Radial Drilling Technique
15. 5
orifices of the jet bit to jet drill a lateral. An operator controls the jet drilling rate by controlling
the rate that the conveying tubing is lowered into the top of the vertical well. Some wells contain
steel casing and cement that must be penetrated before jet drilling. Other wells do not have steel
casing at the zone of interest; these are referred to as uncased wells- they are much more readily
jet drilled.
Figure 1.2: Typical bottom hole assembly illustrating components used
to create jet drills laterals.
16. 6
2. LITERATURE SURVEY
Radial drilling guidelines by Radial Drilling Services Inc. is a major help in understanding the
basic rules a and guidelines to be followed during radial drilling. It explains all the operations,
candidate selection, fluids used and describes various considerations or rules and regulations to
be followed during the drilling process.
Various SPE papers were referred to get the correct idea of the radial drilling technology.
SPE paper named, SPE 164773 Radial Drilling Technique for Improving Well Productivity in
Petrobel-Egypt by Adel M. Salem Ragab, Ph. D., American University in Cairo and Suez Canal
University, and Amr M. Kamel, B.Sc. Petrobel Company is the major source for understanding
the process of radil drilling, its mechanism and its effects. Radial drilling was first successfully
implemented for improving well productivity in Egypt. This paper gives us the details of this
radial drilling project in Egypt and the results obtained.
SPE paper headed, Extending Ability Of Micro-Hole Radial Horizontal Well Drilled By High-
Pressure Water Jet by Chi Huanpeng, Li Gensheng, Huang Zhongwei, Tian Shouceng, Di Fei,
presented at 2013 WJTA-IMCA Conference and Expo September, Houston, Texas refers to the
sensitivity analysis. A sensitivity study is carried out to identify the parameters controlling the
well extended limit. The sensitivity study includes the effect of flow rate, pump pressure, ratio
between the flow rate of the forward and backward orifices of the jet nozzle, well roughness,
well depth, and well diameter.
Presentation by Radial Drilling Services gave a major hand in understanding the Radial drilling
job step by step. It explains the bottom hole assembly (BHA) used for Radial Drilling, the fluids
used for RD, the various surface units and facilities used and the future aspects and growth of
radially drilled wells.
RDS field training manual describes the various operations and the health and safety
considerations taken care of while drilling a well. Its also sheds light on the abnormal activities
that could take place while radial drilling and the possible well damage that could take place.
17. 7
3. HSE CONSIDERATIONS
PPE(Personnel Protective Equipment)
a) All RDS personnel shall wear their PPE at all times on location.
b) Fall protection shall be worn any time personnel are 1m off the ground if no hard
rails are present.
c) Consult RDS safety website for PPE requirements when handling hazard products.
Safety meetings
a) Prior to start-up and at the beginning of all shifts, a technical/safety meeting shall
take place before the start of the operations regarding the tasks to be performed.
b) Coordinate operations between RDS operators and workover teams. This meeting is
fundamental for a safe and efficient work and to lessen risks and times of operation.
c) Discuss radial drilling hazards, location hazards and RDS safety policies.
d) Instruct all involved people of the (high) system pressures and safety issues.
e) Instruct all people that are NOT RDS Inc. employees that access to the unit is only
available upon invitation and NOT during operating times.
f) Local emergency numbers shall be posted in doghouse or unit.
g) All RDS employees present at well Site must sign a safety meeting document.
No jewelry of any kind shall be worn by RDS personnel during operations.
Drugs and Alcohol
a) Notify supervisor if you are taking any prescription drugs and insure all personnel
are aware of the side effects if needed.
b) NO alcohol is to be consumed 8 hours prior to commencing operations.
c) NO illegal drugs are to be used by RDS personnel at any time.
18. 8
Cautions and warnings
a) Any danger zone around RDS equipment shall be clearly marked and the hazard
identified.
b) The area between the unit and well shall be cautioned off with cones or tape.
Policies
a) No unauthorized personnel shall enter RDS units without permission and must be
accompanied by an RDS supervisor.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
a) MSDS’s shall be available to all personnel and must be complete and up to date
according to Inventory.
First Aid Kits
a) Must be complete, certified and up to date.
b) Clearly mounted and location identified.
Fire Extinguisher
a) Must be ABC.
b) Clearly mounted and location identified.
c) Inspected annually and tagged.
19. 9
Zone 1 and Zone 2 Restrictions
a) Identified as: Zone 7.5m radius and Zone 2 15m radius.
b) NO cell phones, lighters, or smoking in Zone 1 and 2.
c) Further in line with client restrictions and guidelines.
Guards and Shields
a) To be removed only for repair and/or maintenance purposes and shall be replaced
immediately after completion of maintenance.
Communication
a) Have in place communication equipment for each RDS operator and assure constant
open lines from the operators to the supervisor and back.
Accidents and near misses
a) Report all accidents and near misses to supervisor and management as soon as
possible after occurrence.
20. 10
4. THE RADIAL DRILLING TECHNIQUE
Definition :
RD is an unconventional drilling method which utilizes Coil Tubing conveyed drilling to create
micro diameter holes by expending the energy of high velocity jet fluids. A small section of
casing of the mother well is cut and then lateral holes are drilled in desired direction.
The Equipment Used:
The hardware used are bottom hole assembly consisting of Casing cutter, small diameter bit,
mud motor, hydraulic piston along with auxiliary tools of tubing end connector, anchor, orienter,
steering tool, controller. Also a coil tubing unit is used to convey the drilling process from the
surface.
4.1 Radial Drilling Surface Equipment.
The surface equipment of radial drilling is a simple coiled tubing unit this unit includes all the
required equipment for this job such as a high pressure pump up to 10000 psi, goose nick,
monitoring equipment and injector head as shown in Figure 4.1.
21. 11
4.2 Radial drilling bottom hole assembly
The bottom hole assembly (BHA) of radial drilling is consist of deflector sub or shoe, one
side centralizer, and gyro tool as shown in Figure 4.2. This equipment is lowered into the
hole connected with work string.
The function of this assembly is to guide the tool from vertical to horizontal through,
maintained the deflector sub on the side of the casing.
Figure 4.1: Coiled tubing surface
unit.
22. 12
4.3 Radial drilling Process and Field operation
Before starting the three steps of Radial drilling, we first run in hole with deflector sub, one side
centralizer to fit and guide the tool form vertical to horizontal and gyro tool for orientation on
drill pipes.
The three steps are performed as follow.
a) First step (milling the casing).
Is consisting mainly of a milling bit with a specific size the used size was 1 ¾" bit
connected with flexible shaft both are rotated by conventional mud motor connected
Figure 4.2: Radial Drilling BHA deflector sub,
centralizer and gyro tool.
23. 13
to coiled tubing up to surface connected to coiled tubing unit with its monitoring
system. The milling bit is shown in Figure 4.3.
b) Second step (jetting formation)
Jetting the formation with nozzle has three opening oriented forward and three
oriented from backward connected to a 0.5” hose. The jetting is performed with a
pressure greater than fracture pressure of the formation, the pressure range from 7000
psi to 10000 psi. The jet nozzle is shown in Figure 4.4.
c) Third step ( washing out the formation)
Washing out the formation accomplished by pulling out the hose. While pull out of
hole we keep pumping through the operation.
4.4 Technical Parameters & Specification:
Generally lateral hole of about 300ft-500ft length are drilled having a diameter of 30mm-50mm
(1.2 inches-1.9inches). The bit size is about 1 ¾ inches connected to deflector shoe with flexible
shaft via end connector to the coil and then to a conventional mud motor. Some observation
made were that well with deepest lateral hole show significant increase production rate.
Consolidated rock shows better results of this technique than unconsolidated. Rock mechanics
Figure 4.3: Milling bit for Radial
drilling.
Figure 4.4: Jetting nozzle
for Radial drilling.
24. 14
need to be studied properly in lieu of the decrease of rate before RD job is done. Also penetration
mechanism testing needs to be done along with penetration direction. For unconsolidated
formations gravel packing and slim tubes can be used to control blockage of holes. The
maximum working depth is about 10,000ft. Bottom hole temperature should be of maximum 248
degree Fahrenheit. Drilling fluids varies depending on reservoir lithology and formation fluid
properties. Water is generally used in most operations. For water sensitive formations diesel fuel
may be used which also is useful when dealing with waxy reservoir fluids. Hydraulic acid can be
used as a drilling fluid in carbonate formation. Because of high jet fluids, casing and formation
get eroded for which abrasives are used.
4.5 Candidate Recognition:
1) Gathering and organize well data provided by the client to include logs, well records,
reservoir characteristics and information on previous work over and treatments.
2) Reservoir information- OWC, GOC, zone thickness, dips and faults.
3) Tubular information: casing ID, OD, casing grade and cement quality.
4) Consider rat-hole / use of casing cutter.
5) Tailor coil length to formation / depth with onsite re-spooler.
6) Determine the well potential by considering cumulative production, remaining
recoverable reserves and available formation pressure.
7) Deviation survey: maximum inclination and inclination at zone of interest.
8) Check the logs- CBL, CCL and Gama-ray log.
9) Consider the implications of both the well bore and formation geometry.
10) Determine “safe” lateral length based on these factors.
11) Select formation compatible drilling fluids.
12) Consider chemical treatments / use of acid.
13) Complete a well specific plan to include all available information.
25. 15
4.6 Procedure of the Job:
Briefly it has three parts consisting of Milling, Jetting & Washing. The steps for performing the
drilling are as follows:
Run in hole (RIH) with deflector sub on the drill string to the depth as per as log data.
The drill string is oriented to correct direction through a gyro tool.
RIH with a milling tool to cut the desired casing location to start the lateral holes.
Figure 4.5: Radial drilling procedure for a single lateral.
26. 16
Pull out of hole (POOH) the milling tool.
RIH with jetting tool.
POOH with hose and jetting tool.
The deflector shoe is rotated and operation is repeated at each lateral hole for any horizontal
layer.
4.7 Radial Jet Drilling (RJD) System using Coil Tubing:
For jet drilling zones at depths over 4000 ft, it is best to use coil tubing since it can be run in and
out of the well rapidly, typically at rates of 100 ft/min. The coil tubing as shown in Figure 4.6
then conveys the high pressure fluid from the pump above ground down to the filter, which has
its bottom connected to the flexible tubing. With high pressures and the coil bending at the top of
the wellhead, the coil tubing will gain fatigue and have to be replaced after several cycles,
depending upon the pressure and the amount of curvatures at the top of the wellhead.
Unfortunately, the rental of coil tubing rigs can be very expensive and cost in excess of USD
$25000 per day.
27. 17
4.8 Radial Jet Drilling (RJD) using ‘Macaroni’ Straight Pipe Tubing:
A new jet drilling technique uses 1in. diameter Macaroni tubing to replace coiled tubing as
shown in Figure 4.7. The Macaroni tubing can be used with a PDM motor and milling bit to
bore 1in. holes in the casing. The tubing is retrieved to the surface and the flexible hose and jet
bit are attached to the bottom of the tubing and then lowered so the bit passes downhole, through
the diverter and drills a lateral. Due to the time it takes to the trip the 1 in. tubing in and out of
the wellbore, the system is employed to improve the efficiency. The basic operations are
unchanged except the bottom of the tubing is connected to a high pressure transfer hose that
travels with the pipe similar to traditional drilling techniques. A weight indicator is used on the
worker unit to control the penetration rate into the formation. This method eliminates the high
cost associated with coil tubing, lowers the upfront capital cost, significantly reduces the fatigue
of high pressure tubing and provides higher pressures of up to 20000 psi downhole to enable the
jet bit to drill hard rock.
Figure 4.6: Coil Tubing Units used to deploy Radial Jetting Drilling Technology
28. 18
4.9 Reaming the Casing:
Advanced casing cutting and casing reaming techniques have been developed. Figure 4.8 is a
photo of 1 in. holes drilled in a matter of minutes in thick P110 casing using a PDM motor, flex
shaft, and a milling bit (often referred to as a ballcutter). To be used in the process, the milling
bit needs to be able to bore four 1 in. holes in both thin and thick steel casings from shallower
depths to over 11000 ft deep. Internal reaming capabilities that ream complete windows in the
steel casing at the rate of about one inch per hour have been developed. By using this technique,
one can readily jet drill 10 laterals through one window into the formation.
Figure 4.7: ‘Macaroni’ Straight Pipe Tubing arrangement
used to deploy Radial Jetting Drilling Technology
29. 19
4.10 Jet Bits and Penetration Rates:
Figure 4.9 illustrates the jet bit. It produces a full cone vortex of high pressure fluid in the front
that erodes and shears the rock to produce a hole in front with a diameter larger than the jet bit.
Rear thrusters on the bit provide forward force propulsion (typically 10 to 50 lbf of thrust). These
thrusters also cut the deep slots or ‘fins’ into the rock which greatly increase the flow area to the
vertical.
Figure 4.10 illustrates the hole produced by a jet bit in sandstone, which measures 7 in. from tip
to tip. This bit is designed to operate at pressures up to 20000 psi and at flow rates from 8 to 40
gpm. To employ the high pressures and flow rates, special flexible tubing and special proprietary
short crimps are used to enable the 3 in. turn radius in the diverter.
Figure 4.8: A sample piece of 4½ in. casing with multiple 1 in.
holes milled with cutting system
30. 20
Mechanism of Penetration:
Four main penetration mechanisms were identified in radial drilling operation as shown in
Figure 4.11. These are as follows:
Surface Erosion: This is the process where the rock fragments are removed from the surface
of the rock due to the shear and compression forces exerted on the rock surface due to jetting
force.
Hydraulic Fracturing: The same theory of hydraulic fracturing stimulation, as the pressure
increase at the stagnation point diffuses in to formation, the formation may fail or crack if
this pressure is higher than the stresses set by formation stresses.
Poroelastic Tensile Failure: A rapid fluid pressure decrease at the rock surface will induce
effective tensile stresses in the formation equal to the decrease. If this induced tension is
higher than the sum of the smallest effective stress in the formation and the tensile strength,
the rock will fail in tension. This induced tension occurs as the compressibility of the rock
grains and pore fluid is not equal, and any deviation from equilibrium between the rock
grains and pore fluid has to be restored by fluid flowing through the pore space. This flow
Figure 4.9: Jet Bit nozzle under
pressure
Figure 4.10: Typical type cutting
pattern from jet bit
31. 21
takes time due to the finite permeability of the rock, and gives rise to this transient
poroelastic effect. However, for high permeability sandstones the time scale is around 1µs
which may be unrealistically fast. However, the time scales inversely with the permeability
and for chalk (1 mD) or shale (1 mD) this effect may be important.
Cavitation: When water accelerates to pass through corners of the nozzle, the pressure may
drop below the vapour pressure. This may cause vapour bubbles to form as the flow moves
into a larger area, the pressure recovers to a certain degree. This increases the pressure above
the vapour pressure, causing vapour bubbles to collapse or implode. The shock waves may be
extremely high and cause additional erosion and tension effect.
Figure 4.12 illustrates the improved rate of penetration for the medium flow rate bits versus
pressure. Note the rapid drilling rate increases through our Berea Sandstone as the bit pressure is
increased from 7000 psi to 12000 psi. The high flow bit with a bit pressure of 12000 psi
penetrated this 6 in. this Berea Sandstone in one second, which corresponds to a penetration rate
of 1800 ft/hr.
Figure 4.11: Mechanism of
Penetration.
32. 22
Figure 4.13 shows correlation between increased flow rate and increased penetration rate. New
higher-flow jet bits are enabling economical advancement in tighter and harder formation types,
which is reducing the run time required to create laterals.
They have jet drilled core samples varying from 3.5% porosity Dolomite, Indiana Limestone
(16% porosity and 10 mD), German Limestone cores (9.2% porosity and 2.1 mD), Austin Chalk,
heavy oil sandstone cores, Barnet Shale cores, Mercellus Shale cores and others.
Figure 4.12: This chart shows the relationship
between penetration rates associated with jet bit
pressure
33. 23
Mechanism of Pulling:
During drilling, forward force is generated by water jet from orifices on jet nozzle. There are 3
kinds of force on jet nozzle and flexible hose, that adds to the ‘pull’ effect. The net forces that
effect to drive jetting nozzle forward can be derive from three main mechanisms:
1. The Under Pressure Force
2. The Jetting Force
3. The Ejector Force
The Under-Pressure Force: Any flow emerging from a nozzle and impinging on a wall
will be deflected and create a static pressure lower than the pressure surrounding the area of
the nozzle perimeter. The radial velocity (Vr) is inversely proportional to the gap. Decreasing
the gap will increase the velocity; therefore the static pressure (Pstat) will decrease. The static
pressure can come down to the level of atmospheric pressure, creating a pressure differential
Figure 4.13: This chart shows the relationship
between penetration rates associated with jet bit
flow rates
34. 24
between nozzle front area and the surrounding fluid; hence creating a “pull” effect caused by
the “under pressure”.
The Jetting Force: Similar to commercial applications of pipe cleaning, the nozzle has
radial outlets (jets) into the radial direction and reverses nozzles for pulling forces. The
nozzle configuration should have a net pulling force. With the jets acting in an annular
chamber (radial hole) they will act with an ejector effect that will suck away water from the
front end of the nozzle head thus supporting the under pressure mechanism.
The Ejector Force: The reverse jets create a ejector force as they react to the fluid in the
hole and the reaction of the jet velocity impact against the jetted hole in the formation. The
forward force is a function of the angle at which the fluid is jetted against the wall of the hole
and a function of the amount of jets in the nozzle. A differential between the forward impact
forces versus the reverse force adds to the pulling force of the nozzle. Once established, this
force is the main contributor of the pulling power of the system. Centralizing the reverse jet
force and considering the resultant forward forces that result from the vectors, the system
permits forward motion in a straight line once the connection to the surface remains in slight
tension.
The main mechanism is Jetting force mechanism.
Driving Mechanism: Jetting force calculation
𝐒𝐣𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 = 𝛒𝐮 𝐨
𝟐
𝐀 𝐨 − ∑ 𝛒𝐮𝐢
𝟐
𝟔
𝐢=𝟏
𝐜𝐨𝐬𝛗𝐢 𝐀𝐢
Where:
𝐀 𝐎 =
𝛑
𝟒
𝐃 𝐨
𝟐
= 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚
35. 25
𝐀𝐢 =
𝛑
𝟒
𝐝𝐢
𝟐
= 𝐧𝐨𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚
𝐮 𝐨 =
𝐐
𝐀 𝐎
= 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲
4.11 Fluids Used in Jet Drilling:
All jet drilling fluids pass through small jet bit orifices so a high pressure filter downhole is
employed to prevent the fluid particles from plugging the orifices. Many different fluids and
additives have been used over the past decades to jet drill. They use 3% KCL in the fluid to
reduce clay swelling in the reservoir and a friction reducer to reduce the pressure loss in the
tubulars. Recent experiments with UltraFrac by Earthborn clean to replace hydrochloric acid
have been encouraging. It has performed as well or better than HCL, is earth friendly, safe and
does not deteriorate the pumping equipment.
36. 26
4.12 Sensitivity Study:
Based on the method established above and the parameters of jet nozzle in Table 1, a sensitivity
study is carried out to identify the parameters controlling the well extended limit. The sensitivity
study includes the effect of flow rate, pump pressure, ratio between the flow rate of the forward
and backward orifices of the jet nozzle (flow rate ratio for short), well roughness, mother-well
depth, and well diameter.
Table 4.1: Structural parameters of jet nozzle
Parameter Value Parameter Value
forward orifice diameter /mm 0.5 backward orifice diameter /mm 0.262
angle between forward orifice axis
0.524
angle between backward orifice
15
and jet nozzle axis /rad axis and jet nozzle axis /rad
the number of forward orifices 6 the number of backward orifices 8
inner diameter /mm 10 outer diameter /mm 18
inlet angle of the orifice /rad 0.236
37. 27
1) Effect of the Flow Rate
The extended limit of the well decreases along with the increase of flow rate (Figure 4.14). To
make the well extend longer, a lower flow rate should be selected. But the rock-breaking
efficiency is low with a lower flow rate. There is an optimum value of flow rate 60L/min to
balance the well extension and rock-breaking efficiency combining with the research of Liao H.
L. et al. (2012).
Figure 4.14: Relationship between flow rate and extended
limit of horizontal well
38. 28
2) Effect of the Pump Pressure
Figure 4.15 illustrates how the extended limit changes with the change in pump pressure from
30MPa to 60MPa. Pump pressure can increase the well extended limit significantly because of
the increasing inlet fluid pressure of the jet nozzle. Then, to increase the pump pressure is
recommended if the operation equipment and security condition allow in field operation.
Figure 4.15: Effect of pump
pressure
39. 29
3) Effect of the Well Roughness
The roughness of the well has an important effect on both annulus pressure loss and pressure
drawdown during production. In Figure 4.16, the well extended limit decreases with a more and
more high speed that is because both the friction force on the flexible hose and the ambient
pressure around the jet nozzle increase as the roughness increases. Thus, the ejecting force
decreases, resulting in the decrease of well extended limit.
Figure 4.16: Effect of well
roughness
40. 30
4) Effect of the Flow Rate Ratio
The well extended limit can change a lot when the flow rate ratio- k changes by changing the
ejecting force of the jet nozzle at the same pumping flow rate. The well extended limit of the
ideal condition (nozzle discharge coefficient = 1.0) and the actual condition (nozzle discharge
coefficient = 0.7-0.8) for different flow rate ratios are shown in Figure 4.17. The semi-log plots
in the figure are like downward parabola. The optimum flow rate ratio is about 1.0. And the
extended limit of ideal condition is about two times as that of actual condition. Improving the
nozzle discharge coefficient can help to extend the well length.
Figure 4.17: Effect of flow rate ratio
41. 31
5) Effect of Mother-Well Depth
The radial drilling is generally applied in shallow wells, and seldom is the application in deep
wells. The influence of mother-well depth on the well extended depth for two kinds of CT are
shown in Figure 4.18. The extended limit of 1.75 in CT is a bit larger than that of 1.5 in CT
because of less pressure loss in CT. The plots are nearly parallel to the abscissa axis and there is
only two meters decease from mother-well depth 800 m to 3800 m, indicating that the effect of
mother-well depth on the well extended limit is negligible.
Figure 4.18: Effect of mother-well depth
42. 32
6) Effect of the Well Diameter
The well extended limit increases by increasing the well diameter, but the increasing speed decreases
as shown in Figure 4.19. That is because small well diameter will result in large pressure loss in well
annulus and large resistance from ambient fluid around the jet nozzle.
Figure 4.19: The effect of
well diameter
43. 33
7) Sensitivity Analysis
By sensitivity analysis method, we quantify the level that how changes in the different parameters
above impact the extended limit of the well. The relationship of the dimensionless changing rate of the
four parameters and the well extended limit is shown in Figure 4.20. The pump pressure, flow rate,
well roughness and flow rate ratio of jet nozzle are dominant parameters that influence the extended
limit, which indicates that the pumping capacity and jet nozzle performance are of great importance to
radial drilling technique. Meanwhile, the extended limit is not sensitive to changing of the mother-well
depth, revealing that the radial drilling technique is feasible in deep wells.
Figure 4.20: Sensitivity
Analysis
44. 34
4.13 Key Benefits Of Radial Drilling:
1) Extended horizontal penetration (max. 100m), therefore reach beyond near wellbore damaged
zone.
2) Controllable length and direction of penetration (perpendicular deviation from the vertical
wellbore), thereby overcoming the limitations of hydraulic fracturing.
3) Reduced formation damage risk when applied as completion method, alternative for traditional
perforating.
4) Alternative to traditional injection and disposal applications.
5) No mud pits required (no environmental side effects).
6) Time and cost efficient application (drilling 4 laterals takes 2 to 4 days).
4.14 Limitations Of Radial Drilling
Difficulties of penetration under porosity of 3-4%.
Maximum working depth about 3000m.
Maximum tensile strength 1,00,000psi – maximum API grade that can be milled N80.
Maximum wellbore inclination 30 degrees and no more than 15 degrees at the target zone of
interest.
Bottom hole temperature not to exceed 120ᴼC.
Bottom hole pressure not to exceed 6500 psi.
Minimal wellbore OD & ID 5.5” and 120mm respectively.
45. 35
4.15 Fluid Selection:
Proper fluid selection and identification and selection of a reservoir compatible fluid system are of key
importance to achieve the optimal result of the application of the Radial Drilling Technology.
The following criteria for fluid design criteria:
1) Low viscosity: the small nozzle size and high jetting velocities require <20Cp.
2) Fluids need to be filtrated through 5µ filters
3) Fluid blending
4) Adjustable density
5) Chemical stability
Application of a fluid system should prevent the following:
1) Formation damage
2) Clay swelling
3) Wettability change
4) Emulsion production
5) Solids invasion
6) Hydrate development
46. 36
Compatibility requirements:
1) Reservoir fluids & rocks.
2) Inhibitors: corrosion, emulsion and scale.
3) Completion fluid brine.
4) Non corrosive and non-degrading.
Base fluids for milling phase:
1) Base: Fresh water (filtered down to 10 micron)
2) Organic lubricant Polymer (for lubrication)
3) Volume per Lateral 1,000 lts
4) Total volume 4 laterals: 4,000 lts
Base Fluids for jetting phase:
1) Base: Fresh water (filtered down to 10 micron)
2) Additive: e.g. clay inhibitors and/or other reservoir compatible additives
3) Organic Lubricant: Polymer (for lubrication)
4) Volume per Lateral: 750 lts
47. 37
As fluid selection is one of the critical aspects in Radial Drilling, RDS recommends that the
appropriate fluid specialists together with the reservoir engineers identify and design the optimal fluid
system depending on reservoir properties, fluid criteria’s as described above, and compatibility
requirements as described above.
4.16 Recommendation For Post Radial Drilling Activities:
Swabbing (flowing) of the wells after completion of radials
Post Radial Drilling activities are as important as the Radial Drilling itself. They include the cleaning
of the spend fluids during Radial Drilling by means of swabbing (flowing). This will provoke the
formation fluids to flow after stagnation during the radial drilling operations. Swabbing (flowing) is
a prerequisite to:
a) eliminate any of the spend fluids from the laterals;
b) eliminate any of the formation cuttings from the lateral;
c) Stimulate the formation after the operations.
It is recommended to calculate the spend fluids and acids that have been used during the Radial drilling
operations and to swab back one and a half times of these spend fluids.
It is recommended to perform the swabbing (flowing) within a closed system, with a tubing/packer
system:
48. 38
Method 1: Dual packer Method 2: Single packer
Wells will require a few days to settle on a basic flow level. This is normally between 10 to 15 days.
Generally there is a slow increase during that period and then the well will settle. This is mainly a
function of available (remaining) reservoir pressure.
Perforated
Lateral
Packers
Swabbing
tool
Perforated
Lateral
Packer
Swabbing
tool
49. 39
4.17 Specification Of Indian Base Oil
Table 4.2: Specification of Base Oil
4.18 Abnormal Events:
Abnormal events or problems that can be encountered while drilling..
1) Broken flex shaft;
2) Broken bits;
50. 40
3) Lost tools in well;
4) Stuck CT or tools;
5) Unit malfunctions;
6) CT over pulls above normal;
7) CT breakage;
8) Unsuccessful milling;
9) Unsuccessful jetting;
10) Loss of well control.
51. 41
5. INDIAN SCENARIO
RD has been done by Selan Exploration Technology Limited recently for the first time in India for
lateral jet drilling. The zone where it was done were mostly of Kalol VIII reservoir, Ahmedabad,
Gujarat. Three wells were selected and each well was performed with 6 numbers of lateral wells. The
reservoir is a silty sandstone layer having low permeability and porosity. The operation was done in
two steps: casing cutting using a tungsten carbide bit of size 22 mm and then performing jet drilling
using high pressure jet hose in variety of jet angles to drill the lateral holes. Coil tubing unit has been
used for the surface equipment. Hence from this it can be seen that RD jobs have been started and can
be applied in other states of India. The cost is low and dead fields can be reused to produce leftover
crudes.
Proposal for implementation of RD technology in India:
In many Indian states, especially that of Assam, Maharashtra & Gujarat many of the fields are either in
late of their production life or are nearly brown and dead. Such fields can be revived with RD
techniques. Many such fields are being produced with artificial gas lifts, SRP, Water Flooding
techniques, EOR processes etc. These methods are moderately costly job. So it is proposed that RD
technique can be taken as a sub step in field development strategy after primary recovery and before
applying IOR methods. Also various work-over jobs are being done to stimulate damaged producing
zone. So before any work-over jobs for improving skin are being performed Radial Drilling jobs can
help as it is a bypassing method. It bypasses the damaged skin zone and reaches to the virgin zones
beyond the damaged region from where newer unexploited existing crudes can be extracted.
This will help reduce the number of work-over jobs per field/reservoir. After radial drilling is done the
filed can be produced for other one-two years without much of workover/IOR-EOR jobs mostly. After
that work-over jobs can be taken up to stimulate the previously damage zone as well as zone extracted
through radial drilling techniques.
52. 42
6. CASE STUDY
6.1: BELAYIM FIELD, EGYPT:
Radial drilling technique applied for the first time in Egypt in Belayim land oil field in Petrobel
Company, Belayim oil field is located in the central part of the Gulf of Suez along of Sinai Peninsula.
Belayim oil fields are characterized by multiple layered reservoirs generally formed from sand with
interbedded shale and anhydrite from different ages. Belayim oil field manly production now depends
on artificial lift, secondary recovery is used (water injection).
Three pilot wells were selected to evaluate radial drilling technique from layered reservoir zones II-A,
IV. And Zone IV currently contains about 23% of Belayim OOIP and contributes about more than
27% of production
The first pilot well radially drilled to evaluate the radial drilling technique on 2010, the well was
producing from zone II-A and zone IV with daily average rate 40 cubic meter per day, static reservoir
pressure about 900 psi and productivity index is 2 barrel per day per psi, average porosity 20%,
heterogeneous permeability, well depth below 3000 meter and net pay thickness is 25 meter. Radial
drilling job were performed on this well by milling and jetting six lateral holes with 50 meter lateral
length at different depths from zone IV
53. 43
Table 6.1: Holes details for well 1#.
REMARKS
JETTING
PRESS. ,Psi
LENGTH OF
PENET RETION
, MT.
DEPTH OF
THE HOLE ,
MT
No. OF
HOLE
7000502340No.1
7000502339No.2
7000502338No.3
7000502337No.4
7000502336No.5
TRIED TWO TIMES TO
DRILL, NO SUCCESS
7000--2335No.6
DURING POH FOUND
THE BIT AND FLEX
SHAFT IN SIDE
DEFLECTOR SHOE
7000502334No.7
7000502333No.8
54. 44
An easy test called vacuum test was performed on this well before and after radial drilling job to
evaluate this technique. Production rate show a little increased after stimulating the well with this
technique.
Table 6.2: Production comparison of well 1# before and after Radial Drilling
BEFORE RADIAL DRILLING AFTER RADIAL DRILLING
RATE (B/D) WC% NET OIL RATE WC% NET OIL
251 12 35 346 16 46
Second pilot well was selected to evaluate radial drilling technique is well 2 #, the well was producing
from zone II, II-A and zone IV with daily average rate 75 cubic meter per day, static reservoir pressure
about 1990 psi at top of perforation 7126 feet sub sea level and productivity index is 1 barrel per day
per psi from last vacuum test before applied radial drilling, average porosity 20%, heterogeneous
permeability, well depth below 3000 meter and net pay thickness is 40.5 meter.
An easy test called vacuum test was performed on this well before and after radial drilling job to
evaluate this technique. Production rate show obviously increased after stimulating the well with this
technique. However the static well pressure decreased which mean a decrease in fluid level. and
productivity index still the same.
55. 45
Table 6.3: Production comparison of well 2# before and after Radial Drilling
BEFORE RADIAL DRILLING AFTER RADIAL DRILLING
RATE (B/D) WC%
NET OIL
(CM/D)
RATE (B/D) WC% NET OIL (CM/D)
471 1.6 74 818 16 109
The third pilot well was selected to evaluate radial drilling technique is well 3 #, the well was
producing from zone IV with daily average rate 30 cubic meter per day, static reservoir pressure about
970 psi at datum 7900 feet sub sea level and productivity index is 2 barrel per day per psi from last
vacuum test before applied radial drilling, average porosity 20%, heterogeneous permeability, well
depth below 3000 meter and net pay thickness is 26.5 meter.
Radial drilling job was performed on this well by milling and jetting four lateral holes at two depths
with 50 meter lateral length from zone IV. tried many time to make another two holes at another depth
but the holes were canceled due to 1 ¾” bit and flexible shaft lost in hole several time, and that cause
more lost time.
The third pilot well was selected to evaluate radial drilling technique is well 3 #, the well was
producing from zone IV with daily average rate 30 cubic meter per day, static reservoir pressure about
970 psi at datum 7900 feet sub sea level and productivity index is 2 barrel per day per psi from last
vacuum test before applied radial drilling, average porosity 20%, heterogeneous permeability, well
depth below 3000 meter and net pay thickness is 26.5 meter.
Radial drilling job was performed on this well by milling and jetting four lateral holes at two depths
with 50 meter lateral length from zone IV. tried many time to make another two holes at another depth
56. 46
but the holes were canceled due to 1 ¾” bit and flexible shaft lost in hole several time, and that cause
more lost time.
Table 6.4: Production comparison of well 3# before and after Radial Drilling
BEFORE RADIAL DRILLING AFTER RADIAL DRILLING
RATE (B/D) WC% NET OIL (CM/D) RATE (B/D) WC% NET OIL (CM/D)
189 3.2 34 252 3.2 39
58. 48
GENERAL WELL INFORMATION
Location XYZ#01 is proposed as a candidate for radial drilling operations. The well is
currently producing from the zones 905-912m BRT; 934-940m BRT & 937-940m BRT. A
total 04Nos. of laterals are planned to be drilled from this well. The complete well details with
its current production and well history is given below in this document. Well XYZ#01 is
producing from G layer and the laterals are planned for the same sand.
1. Well Objectives
Geological/ Production Objectives
1) To increase the formation exposure in G sands for enhancing the production of oil.
2) Evaluate well deliverability, reservoir pressures and increase in production rates observed
in this pilot project in order to assess the same for carrying out future radial drilling
operations in other wells.
Well Construction Objectives
1) To carry out radial drilling operations with Zero LTI frequency
2) Achieve all geological and production objectives of the well
3) Maintain hole quality and minimize formation damage
4) Achieve HSE objectives and stay within company HSE targets
5) To carry out operations within planned AFE budget and time
59. 49
2. Well Data Summary
1) Area / Block : MIT Oil Field
2) Well No. : XYZ#01
3) Operator : MIT Petroleum Ltd
4) RT / GL Elevation (Above MSL) : 196.41m / 192.35m
5) 7” Casing (26ppf, N-80, BTC) shoe : 1430.63m BRT
6) Float Collar : 1405.96m BRT
7) Bridge Plug Depth : 960m BRT
8) Open perforation interval : 905-912m BRT; 934-940m BRT & 937-940m
BRT (G)
9) Well Status : Well is currently producing 3KLOPD w/ SRP
assistance
10) Well Coordinates : Surface
Latitude: 27° 24' 15 N
Longitude: 96° 01' 48 E
Northing: 3,034,704.87m
Longitude: 206,318.82m
11) Directional Profile : Vertical well
12) Operating Base : MIT, PUNE
13) Expected date of Start of Operations : 10th
Mar, 2015
14) Planned Number of laterals : 04 Laterals
15) Expected no. of days for 4 laterals : 4.7 days (w/ 24 hour workover operations)
60. 50
a) Production Profile XYZ#01
Table 6.5: Production profile of well XYZ#01
Reservoir Perf Depth (MD) Perf Date Current Prod Cum oil Prod
G
934-940
905-912
21-11-1984
28-03-1998
Oil : 3 kl
Water : 0 kl
40,800 kl
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
1980.0 1985.0 1990.0 1995.0 2000.0 2005.0 2010.0 2015.0 2020.0
Gasrate(Mscf/d)
Oil/WaterRates(bbl/d)
Year
Production Rates
Oil Rate, bbl/d Water Rate, bbl/d Gas Rate, Mscf/d
G-00
SRP
Figure 6.1: Production profile
XYZ#01
61. 51
3. Well Schematic
WELL KSG # 16 (KHP)
Present completion:
Cambrian layer
G-00
General Data
Drilled :19.12.83 to 25.01.84
Bit size 20" 16 " CSG , 65 ppf DF : 196.41m amsl GL : 192.35 m amsl
to 54m H-40 STC @ 50.6 m. TD : 1561m dr. , 1562m Log
Status : SRP
Crude type : HWC API Gravity: 28.66 deg API
Last WOJ :Feb-11
Bit size 13-3/4" 10-3/4" CSG 40.5 ppf Technical Data
to 309 m. K-55 STC @ 300.88 m. Well Head
WF10" (5000 psi) x 6" (5000psi)
HF 6" (5000psi) x 3" (3000psi)
Production string ( 23.02.2011 )
FB shoe 0.19
Cement rise behind casing 2 X 2-7/8" EUE Tbg 18.52
605 m from surface PSN 0.34
92 X 2-7/8" EUE Tbg 862.44
1 sgl tbg w ith TH 8.79
DF-HF diff. 4.06
Total string length (m) 894.34 m
PSN @ 875.29 m Sucker Rod Completion :
2-7/8" tbg shoe @ 894.34 m 1* 3/4" SR w ith Sub-surface pump
52 x 3/4" Plane Sucker Rods
905m-912m (G-00) 28.3.98 60 x 3/4" Sucker Rods w ith spiral scrapers
934m-940m (G-00) on 18.8.88 Cumulative production from July'84 to Feb'11
937m-940m (G-00) 21/11/84 Oil: 37,054 kls, Gas:8,20438 m3
BP @ 960 m on 17.02.2011
963m-966m (G-00) 5/2/84 & 21/11/84
968m-972m(G-00) 28.3.'98 Remarks
Present Production Rate :
C/L : 1058.5 m on 15.11.03
TOC @ 1071m on 14.2.84 Reservoir data :
BP @ 1115m on 4.2.84 On 25.11.87 SBHP @ 951.5m = 104 ksc (STHP -25.1 ksc
shut in since 14.11.87)
1120m-1126m 31/1/84 On 28.09.01 FBHP @ 939m = 64.9 ksc (thru' 5.5 mm bean
at the rate of 8 klopd w ith 0-3 ksc of THP
Bit size 9-5/8"
to 1561 m.
7" CSG @ FC 1405.96 m
1430.63 m. N80 TD 1562m
LTC 26 ppf
Found
casing
damage in
the collar @
966m bdf
(28.04.10)
WELL XYZ#01
Figure 6.2: Well schematic of
XYZ#01
62. 52
4. Well History and Present Status
Table 6.6: Previous well interventions of well XYZ#01
G 905-912, 934-940. Well completed in SRP. Produced
clean oil 5 KLOPD & no water
BP @ 960m 17/02/11
G 905-912m 28.03.98 Produce clean oil @ 7-8 KLOPD by
control production. After that
production decline due to increase
water cut, sand ingression & coal
particles.
G1 968-972m 28.03.98
G 934-940m 18.08.88
G 937-940m 21.11.84
G1 963-966m 05.02 &
21.11.84
After re-perforation produced clean
oil @ 24 KLOPD thru 24mm bean.
till 11.07.87
TOC @ 1071m 14.02.84 Presence of oil was detected during
swabbing, but leakage in BP was
suspected and therefore cement
dumped on Top of BP.
BP @ 1115m 04.02.84
H 1120-1126m 31.01.84 Produced formation water(salinity
220 ppm and bi-carbonate 1067
ppm)
63. 53
WELL DETAILS
1. Rig, BOP and Wellhead Details
Workover Rig Specifications:
Name of Rig : XJ-250
Type : Mobile Well Service Unit
Derrick Height : 95 ft
Static Hook Load : 440000 lbs
D/Works : 350 HP (Driven by 1 x CAT C-9 Engine)
Drilling Line : 7/8”
Mud Pumps : 1 x 220HP NOV
R/Table : 11-1/2”
Clear Height Below R/beams : 10.8 ft (3.29 m)
Drill Floor Difference : 0.66m
(Original drilling RT to workover RT)
Kelly : 3” square kelly
Well Head
Wellhead Make : BHEL
Wellhead Type : Conventional flange type
BOP
7-1/16” – 5M BOP stack : 7-1/16”x5M Dual Ram
64. 54
2. Time Depth- XYZ#01
Well Name :XYZ #01
No. of Laterals : 04
Table 6.7: Well details of XYZ#01
OH size Depth (MD) Casing Size Depth (MD)
20" 54 16" 50.60
13.3/4" 309 10.3/4" 300.88
9.5/8" 1562 7" 1430.63
Planned Days on Well : P10 : 3.9 P50 : 4.7
Table 6.8: Operations performed on well XYZ#01
S.No
RADIAL DRILLING Program and
Details of Activities
Depth
m
(MD)
BRT
Cum
Most
Optimistic
days
(P10)
AFE
Time
Hrs
(P50)
Cum
AFE
Time
Days
(P50)
Actual Activity
Date & Time
Lateral # 1 hrs day hrs day
0 R/U workover rig on location. Carry
out HOC job. Pump WDM & allow
6 0.00 0.0 0.00 0.0 11/Mar/15 06:00
65. 55
soaking time. POOH sucker rods and
2.7/8" tubing completion to surface.
N/U BOP & carry out scrapping job.
Make arrangements to RIH w/ RDS
BHA.
1
M/U RDS BHA (2.3/8" pup jt. +
deflector shoe + 2.3/8" pup jt. +
XO to tubing + UBHO) and RIH
along with 2.7/8" tubing to depth
of lateral
939.0 5.00 0.2 6.00 0.3
11/Mar/15 12:00
2
R/U wireline to RIH CCL-GR for
depth correlation
939.0 0.50 0.2 0.60 0.3
11/Mar/15 12:36
3
Carry out CCL-GR run for depth
correlation. POOH & R/D wireline
sheaves
939.0 3.00 0.4 3.60 0.4
11/Mar/15 16:12
4 R/U slickline 939.0 0.75 0.4 0.90 0.5 11/Mar/15 17:06
5
RIH gyro and orient the deflector
shoe to desired Azimuth
(Proposed depth: 939m w/ 313deg
in Azimuth- Lateral Length- 50m)
& R/D slickline
939.0 4.00 0.6 4.80 0.7
11/Mar/15 21:54
6
Casing Milling Operations- Lateral
#1
939.0 0.00 0.6 0.00 0.7
11/Mar/15 21:54
7
R/U CT surface equipment (flow
cross, BOP, pipe injector &
gooseneck)- calibrate "0" at
939.0 3.00 0.7 3.60 0.8
12/Mar/15 01:30
66. 56
surface for the depth sensor
8
M/U bit + motor onto the Coil tubing
& surface test motor
939.0 0.50 0.7 0.60 0.8
12/Mar/15 02:06
9
RIH milling BHA on coil tubing to
the depth of deflector shoe
939.0 1.25 0.8 1.50 0.9
12/Mar/15 03:36
10 Carry out casing milling operations 939.0 1.25 0.8 1.50 1.0 12/Mar/15 05:06
11
POOH Milling BHA + Coil tubing to
surface- re test motor on surface, B/O
& L/D same.
939.0 2.00 0.9 2.40 1.1
12/Mar/15 07:30
12
Radial Drilling Operations -
Lateral # 1
939.0 0.00 0.9 0.00 1.1
12/Mar/15 07:30
13
M/U high pressure rubber hose onto
the Coil tubing. Pump @ low
discharge and surface test at surface
and start RIH to the deflector shoe
depth
939.0 1.50 0.9 1.80 1.1
12/Mar/15 09:18
14
M/U additional pump connections
with CT Unit. Pump base oil to fill
CT (total 135gal vol.). B/O pump
connections
939.0 1.25 1.0 1.50 1.2
12/Mar/15 10:48
15
Start radial drilling- jetting operations
and drill 50m of lateral in the desired
sand and direction
939.0 0.75 1.0 0.90 1.2
12/Mar/15 11:42
16 POOH with jetting BHA (hose + CT)
to surface. B/O hose from CT and
939.0 1.50 1.1 1.80 1.3 12/Mar/15 13:30
67. 57
L/D same.
17
R/D gooseneck and injector head in
order to P/U/ orient to the required
depth/ direction for the next lateral
939.0 0.50 1.1 0.60 1.3
12/Mar/15 14:06
18
Lateral # 2
Proposed Depth: 937m w/ 133deg
in Azimuth-
Lateral Length: 35m
937.0 0.00 1.1 0.00 1.3
12/Mar/15 14:06
19
P/U the string to the required lateral
depth
937.0 0.75 1.1 0.90 1.4
12/Mar/15 15:00
20 R/U slickline for gyro orientation 937.0 0.75 1.2 0.90 1.4 12/Mar/15 15:54
21
RIH gyro and orient the deflector
shoe to desired Azimuth & R/D
slickline
937.0 4.00 1.3 4.80 1.6
12/Mar/15 20:42
22
Casing Milling Operations- Lateral
# 2
937.0 0.00 1.3 0.00 1.6
12/Mar/15 20:42
23
R/U injector head and gooseneck.
calibrate "0" at surface for the depth
sensor
937.0 0.75 1.4 0.90 1.7
12/Mar/15 21:36
23
M/U bit + motor onto the Coil tubing
& surface test motor
937.0 0.50 1.4 0.60 1.7
12/Mar/15 22:12
24
RIH milling BHA on coil tubing to
the depth of deflector shoe
937.0 1.25 1.4 1.50 1.7
12/Mar/15 23:42
25 Carry out casing milling operations 937.0 1.25 1.5 1.50 1.8 13/Mar/15 01:12
68. 58
26
POOH Milling BHA + Coil tubing to
surface- re test motor on surface, B/O
& L/D same.
937.0 2.00 1.6 2.40 1.9
13/Mar/15 03:36
27
Radial Drilling Operations -
Lateral # 2
937.0 0.00 1.6 0.00 1.9
13/Mar/15 03:36
28
M/U high pressure rubber hose onto
the Coil tubing. Pump @ low
discharge and surface test at surface
and start RIH to the deflector shoe
depth
937.0 1.50 1.6 1.80 2.0
13/Mar/15 05:24
29
M/U additional pump connections
with CT Unit. Pump base oil to fill
CT (total 135gal vol.). B/O pump
connections
937.0 1.25 1.7 1.50 2.0
13/Mar/15 06:54
30
Start radial drilling- jetting operations
and drill 35m of lateral in the desired
sand and direction
937.0 0.75 1.7 0.90 2.1
13/Mar/15 07:48
31
POOH with jetting BHA (hose + CT)
to surface. B/O hose from CT and
L/D same.
937.0 1.50 1.8 1.80 2.2
13/Mar/15 09:36
32
R/D gooseneck and injector head in
order to P/U/ orient to the required
depth/ direction for the next lateral
937.0 0.50 1.8 0.60 2.2
13/Mar/15 10:12
33
Lateral # 3
Proposed Depth: 909m w/ 292deg
in Azimuth-
909 0.00 1.8 0.00 2.2
13/Mar/15 10:12
69. 59
Lateral Length: 60m
34
P/U the string to the required lateral
depth
909.0 0.75 1.8 0.90 2.2
13/Mar/15 11:06
35
R/U wireline to RIH CCL-GR for
depth correlation
909.0 0.50 1.9 0.60 2.2
13/Mar/15 11:42
36
Carry out CCL-GR run for depth
correlation. POOH & R/D wireline
sheaves
909.0 3.00 2.0 3.60 2.4
13/Mar/15 15:18
37 R/U slickline for gyro orientation 909.0 0.75 1.9 0.90 2.3 13/Mar/15 16:12
38
RIH gyro and orient the deflector
shoe to desired Azimuth & R/D
slickline
909.0 4.00 2.0 4.80 2.5
13/Mar/15 21:00
39
Casing Milling Operations- Lateral
# 3
909.0 0.00 2.0 0.00 2.5
13/Mar/15 21:00
40
R/U injector head and gooseneck.
calibrate "0" at surface for the depth
sensor
909.0 0.75 2.1 0.90 2.5
13/Mar/15 21:54
41
M/U bit + motor onto the Coil tubing
& surface test motor
909.0 0.50 2.1 0.60 2.5
13/Mar/15 22:30
42
RIH milling BHA on coil tubing to
the depth of deflector shoe
909.0 1.25 2.1 1.50 2.6
14/Mar/15 00:00
43 Carry out casing milling operations 909.0 1.25 2.2 1.50 2.6 14/Mar/15 01:30
44 POOH Milling BHA + Coil tubing to
surface- re test motor on surface, B/O
909.0 2.00 2.3 2.40 2.7 14/Mar/15 03:54
70. 60
& L/D same.
45
Radial Drilling Operations -
Lateral # 3
909.0 0.00 2.3 0.00 2.7
14/Mar/15 03:54
46
M/U high pressure rubber hose onto
the Coil tubing. Pump @ low
discharge and surface test at surface
and start RIH to the deflector shoe
depth
909.0 1.50 2.3 1.80 2.8
14/Mar/15 05:42
47
M/U additional pump connections
with CT Unit. Pump base oil to fill
CT (total 135gal vol.). B/O pump
connections
909.0 1.25 2.4 1.50 2.9
14/Mar/15 07:12
48
Start radial drilling- jetting operations
and drill 60m of lateral in the desired
sand and direction
909.0 0.75 2.4 0.90 2.9
14/Mar/15 08:06
49
POOH with jetting BHA (hose + CT)
to surface and L/D same.
909.0 1.50 2.5 1.80 3.0
14/Mar/15 09:54
50
R/D gooseneck and injector head in
order to P/U/ orient to the required
depth/ direction for the next lateral
909.0 0.50 2.5 0.60 3.0
14/Mar/15 10:30
51
Lateral # 4
Proposed Depth: 909m w/ 213deg
in Azimuth-
Lateral Length: 40m
907 0.00 2.5 0.00 3.0
14/Mar/15 10:30
52
P/U the string to the required lateral
depth
909.0 0.75 2.5 0.90 3.1
14/Mar/15 11:24
71. 61
53 R/U slickline for gyro orientation 909.0 0.75 2.6 0.90 3.1 14/Mar/15 12:18
54
RIH gyro and orient the deflector
shoe to desired Azimuth & R/D
slickline
909.0 4.00 2.7 4.80 3.3
14/Mar/15 17:06
55
Casing Milling Operations- Lateral
# 4
909.0 0.00 2.7 0.00 3.3
14/Mar/15 17:06
56
R/U injector head and gooseneck.
calibrate "0" at surface for the depth
sensor
909.0 0.75 2.8 0.90 3.3
14/Mar/15 18:00
57
M/U bit + motor onto the Coil tubing
& surface test motor
909.0 0.50 2.8 0.60 3.4
14/Mar/15 18:36
58
RIH milling BHA on coil tubing to
the depth of deflector shoe
909.0 1.25 2.8 1.50 3.4
14/Mar/15 20:06
59 Carry out casing milling operations 909.0 1.25 2.9 1.50 3.5 14/Mar/15 21:36
60
POOH Milling BHA + Coil tubing to
surface- re test motor on surface, B/O
& L/D same.
909.0 2.00 3.0 2.40 3.6
15/Mar/15 00:00
61
Radial Drilling Operations -
Lateral # 4
909.0 0.00 3.0 0.00 3.6
15/Mar/15 00:00
62
M/U high pressure rubber hose onto
the Coil tubing. Pump @ low
discharge and surface test at surface
and start RIH to the deflector shoe
depth
909.0 1.50 3.0 1.80 3.7
15/Mar/15 01:48
63 M/U additional pump connections 909.0 1.25 3.1 1.50 3.7 15/Mar/15 03:18
72. 62
with CT Unit. Pump base oil to fill
CT (total 135gal vol.). B/O pump
connections
64
Start radial drilling- jetting operations
and drill 40m of lateral in the desired
sand and direction
909.0 0.75 3.1 0.90 3.8
15/Mar/15 04:12
65
POOH with jetting BHA (hose + CT)
to surface and L/D same.
909.0 1.50 3.2 1.80 3.8
15/Mar/15 06:00
66
POOH RDS BHA to surface, B/O &
L/D same.
909.0 5.00 3.4 6.00 4.1
15/Mar/15 12:00
Handover the well to production
for well activation
907.0 0.00 3.4 0.00 4.1
15/Mar/15 12:00
SUB- TOTAL 85.00 3.5 102.00 4.3 15/Mar/15 12:00
Contingency @ 10% 8.50 0.4 10.20 0.4 15/Mar/15 22:12
TOTAL TIME 93.50 3.9 112.20 4.7 15/Mar/15 22:12
73. 62
A. RADIAL DRILLING PROGRAMME
1. Pre-Radial Drilling Preparation:
1) Have a pre job safety meeting with the crew & all parties involved & explain the job
procedure prior to every major job during the operations.
2) No oil dripping or spill is allowed within the well site.
3) Complete rig equipment & personnel are mobilized as per contract
4) All railings & work platforms must be in place.
5) All guy ropes are properly anchored.
6) All high pressure lines including mud pump, pop off valve line and discharge lines are
properly secured/ clamped.
7) Complete rig instrumentation is rigged up & functional
8) High pressure lines are pressure tested to 1000psi.
9) Ensure that the mast and rotary are perfectly centered with Xmas tree.
10) Ensure all instrumentation is hooked up, calibrated and verified jointly by Rig DIC and
Company representative.
11) Pre-radial drilling ops equipment check will be completed by the Company
representative, along with the representative of Radial Drilling Services.
12) Ensure the low discharge high pressure pump required to fill base oil into CT with the
required crossovers to connect to the CT reel are available. Additionally, also ensure that
the pump required for transferring oil from one barrel to another is also available and in
working condition with the required hose etc. available at location.
13) Ensure all rig equipment are serviced and in good operating condition, tanks are clean
and mud pump is also serviced to carry out all operations smoothly.
14) All tanks are properly cleaned and filled with clean water.
15) All personnel are wearing PPE. Eyewash units and showers are available at chemical
loading point.
16) Derrick man escape device is installed.
17) Derrick man climb assist is installed.
18) All required crossovers and tools are available.
74. 63
19) Sufficient spare parts to support the rig are available.
2. Chemical Requirements during the operations:
KCl brine is the formulation of fluid to be used during the radial drilling operations for
only casing milling operations.
For well killing/ circulation, processed oil is to be used.
The casing would be filled with processed oil and circulation during sand cleaning and
scrapper trip would be carried out using HOC. KCl brine would be used for casing milling.
For jetting the laterals, base oil would be used.
For quantities of chemicals to be used the following assumption is made:
1) KCl = 5-7% (1.03-1.04SG)
2) Base Oil = Total volume of CT is to be filled using base oil (CT Volume = 135gal)
3) Base oil requirements would be based on pumping rates and lateral length.
Flowrates suggested during casing milling & jetting operations would be around 5-8gpm,
but the final concentration of chemicals and flowrate required for the operations would be
confirmed at the time of operations by the RDS Supervisor.
3. Radial Drilling Operations:
A. Removal of Completion:
Prior to handing over well for radial drilling operations
1) Carry out pre-job safety meeting with all personnel involved.
75. 64
2) Connect kill line to casing and pressure test the line up to 1000psi.
3) Prepare workover fluid by using Potassium Chloride KCl (SG = 1.03-1.04 and pH = 7.5,
KOH may be added to maintain pH).
4) N/D horse head.
5) Bleed of casing and tubing pressure & Observe for 30 minutes for well activity and ensure
that well is dead.
6) Once the well is confirmed for no activity, then connect suitable pony rod over polished
rod.
7) N/D polished rod with stuffing box assembly.
8) N/U SR BOP.
9) POOH all sucker rods (113Nos.) with sub-surface pump and fill up workover fluid thru
tubing during POOH SRs. Observe for any swabbing effect during POOH of sucker rods.
10) After the sub-surface pump comes out of hole, clamp it properly with plunger rod and
barrel. L/D pump on the catwalk. Check the pump visually for any damage.
11) N/D SR BOP with SRP well head fittings.
12) N/U tubing BOP and function test BOP
13) Connect 2-7/8” Pup joint with safety valve to the Tubing Hanger. Pick up TH slowly and
remove TH.
14) Make arrangements to RIH with 2.7/8” tubing to clear down to bottom @ 960m BRT
while circulating with hot oil.
15) Once the well is confirmed as clear to bottom, POOH tubing with PSN and fill up WOF
(processed oil) in casing to maintain liquid level up to top of BOP at all the time during
pulling out. Rack back all tubing joints while POOH.
16) Make arrangements and carry out a scrapper trip down to 960m BRT. Ensure no rotation is
done with the scrapper and the string is run carefully while the scrapper is going past the
perforations @ 905-912m & 934-940m BRT. Once the string is at bottom @ 960m BRT,
P/U string by 2m and carry out circulation using hot oil.
17) Make surface arrangements and hand-over the well for carrying out radial drilling
operations.
76. 65
18) Assistant Driller to strap all tubing being RIH for radial operations. AD to measure all
components of the RDS BHA, make fishing schematics of all components and prepare
tally prior to RIH.
19) Ensure, the pump required for filling CT reel with base oil is available with all
required connections.
20) Ensure pump required for transferring base oil from one barrel to another is
available with the required length of hose, fittings etc.
21) Place RDS unit as per RDS supervisor instructions
22) Ensure, wireline unit & slickline unit are available on site to be used as and when required.
23) Ensure all chemicals required during radial drilling operations viz: KCl, processed oil &
base oil are available on site.
24) Ensure all tubing are drifted from the monkey board while RIH- Drift dia. for 2.7/8”-
6.5ppf tubing is 2.347”.
77. 66
B. Radial Drilling Procedure:
Following are the laterals proposed to be drilled in this well:
Table 6.9: Laterals details drilled on well XYZ#01
Well
Name
No. of
Laterals
Details of Lateral
Depth (MDBRT) Azimuth Length
XYZ 04
907m 213° (± 3°) 40m
909m 292° (± 3°) 60m
937m 133° (± 3°) 35m
939m 313° (± 3°) 50m
1) M/U RDS BHA (2.3/8" pup jt. w/ centralizer + deflector shoe + 2.3/8" pup jt. w/
centralizer + UBHO + XO to tubing) and RIH along with 2.7/8" tubing to depth of
lateral (935m BRT- depth of deflector shoe)
2) R/U wireline to RIH CCL-GR for depth correlation.
3) Carry out CCL-GR run for depth correlation. POOH & R/D wireline sheaves.
4) R/U slickline
5) RIH gyro and orient the deflector shoe to desired Azimuth (Proposed Depth: 939m w/
313deg in Azimuth, Lateral Length: 50m) and R/D slickline
Casing Milling Operations- Lateral #1:
6) R/U CT surface equipment (flow cross, BOP, pipe injector & gooseneck)- calibrate "0"
at surface for the depth sensor
7) M/U bit + motor onto the Coil tubing & surface test motor
8) RIH milling BHA on coil tubing to the depth of deflector shoe
9) Carry out casing milling operations (using KCl brine)
78. 67
10) POOH Milling BHA + Coil tubing to surface- re test motor on surface, B/O & L/D
same.
Radial Drilling Operations - Lateral # 1
11) M/U high pressure rubber hose onto the Coil tubing. Pump @ low discharge and surface
test at surface and start RIH to the deflector shoe depth. While RIH pump @ low
flowrates of 3gpm to 200m above lateral depth using KCl brine. Once the deflector shoe
is tagged, jet the lateral for about 5m and pull back into the tubing shoe.
12) M/U additional pump connections with CT Unit. Pump base oil to fill CT (total 135gal
vol.). B/O pump connections (remember to fill CT with base oil for the lateral length to
be drilled- remaining volume of fluid is KCl brine. For this lateral of 50m the volume of
base oil to be filled = ~ 135gal)
13) Start radial drilling- jetting operations and drill 50m of lateral in the desired sand and
direction
14) POOH with jetting BHA (hose + CT) to surface and L/D same.
15) R/D gooseneck and injector head in order to P/U/ orient to the required depth/ direction
for the next lateral
Lateral # 2 (Proposed depth: 937m w/ 133deg in Azimuth, Lateral Length: 35m)
16) P/U string by 2m to 937m BRT.
17) R/U slickline for gyro orientation
18) RIH gyro and orient deflector shoe to desired Azimuth (Proposed: 937m w/ 133deg in
Azimuth)
19) R/U injector head and gooseneck. calibrate "0" at surface for the depth sensor
20) Repeat Steps 7 to 15 for casing milling & radial drilling operations for 35m in this
lateral.
Lateral # 3 (Proposed depth: 909m w/ 292deg in Azimuth, Lateral Length: 60m)
21) P/U string by 28m to 909m BRT.
22) R/U wireline to RIH CCL-GR for depth correlation.
23) Carry out CCL-GR run for depth correlation. POOH & R/D wireline sheaves.
24) R/U slickline for gyro orientation
79. 68
25) RIH gyro and orient deflector shoe to desired Azimuth (Proposed: 909m w/ 292deg in
Azimuth).
26) R/U injector head and gooseneck. calibrate "0" at surface for the depth sensor
27) Repeat Steps 7 to 15 for casing milling & radial drilling operations for 60m in this
lateral.
Lateral # 4 (Proposed depth: 907m w/ 213deg in Azimuth, Lateral Length: 40m)
28) P/U string by 2m to 907m BRT.
29) R/U slickline for gyro orientation
30) RIH gyro and orient deflector shoe to desired Azimuth (Proposed: 907m w/ 213deg in
Azimuth)
31) R/U injector head and gooseneck. calibrate "0" at surface for the depth sensor
32) Repeat Steps 7 to 15 for casing milling & radial drilling operations for 40m in this lateral
33) POOH RDS BHA to surface, B/O & L/D same.
34) Handover the well to production for well activation.
35) RIH final completion with tail pipe & production tubing as per running tally. Tubing
shoe @ 894.34m BRT & PSN @875.29m BRT as per the following sequence:
a) 2-7/8” OD, EUE, 6.5 ppf, N-80 FB Shoe.
b) 02 nos. 2-7/8” OD, EUE, 6.5 ppf, N-80 Tubing
c) 01 no. PSN
d) 2-7/8” OD, EUE, 6.5 ppf, N-80, tubing as per requirement up to surface
e) 01 no 2-7/8” OD, EUE, 6.5 ppf, N-80 tubing hanger with handling pup joint.
36) N/D tubing BOP & N/U SR BOP with necessary wellhead fittings.
37) RIH New Sub-surface pump with 3/4”SR with spiral scrappers. Test downhole pump on
surface prior to R/I.
38) Space out pump after seating on PSN.
39) ND SR BOP.
40) Complete the well with polished rod & stuffing box.
80. 69
41) Release Rig to next location.
42) Install horse head and commission the surface unit with proper spacing of stroke length
43) Start SRP and Pressure tests the downhole pump at 500 psi surface pressure.
44) Carry out production testing of well at WHT.
SUPPORT DATA
1. List of Equipment required during the radial drilling operations:
Following are the list of equipment supplied by RDS & GEPL during the radial drilling
operations:
A. RDSY 5:
Following are the parameters of the offered unit:
1) Coil Tubing size: 5/8” (15.9mm)
2) CT Length: 12138ft (3699m)
3) Size of Hole for Casing Exit: 22mm
4) Unit Weight: 16T
5) Power Supply: CAT C6.6 202HP, 2200rpm water cooled engine
6) Transmission: Direct Drive Hydraulic
7) Maximum Pump Pressure (Primary Pump): 15000 psi
8) Operating Pressure: 13000 psi
9) Maximum Pump Pressure (Secondary Pump): 20000 psi
10) Operating Pressure: 18000 psi
11) System Design: 15000psi
81. 70
12) Diesel Fuel Consumption: 20.80 ltrs/hr
13) Air Pressure: 120 psi
14) Length of Hose Supplied: 100m
15) Hole Size with Jetting: 50-60mm
B. Operating Details:
1) Unit Location: 100ft (33m) from wellhead
2) Coil Tubing Guide System: At well head
3) Max Grade of Casing: 80
4) Maximum Wall Thickness: 11mm
5) Maximum Depth: 3600m
6) Air System: 38 ltrs
7) Diesel Fuel: 1136 ltrs
C. Operating Fluid Volume:
1) Water System: 1700ltrs
2) Air System: 38 ltrs
3) Diesel Fuel: 1136 ltrs
D. Filtering System:
1) Mesh size: 5 microns and 10 microns available with the unit
82. 71
E. Downhole motor:
1) PDM Size: 1.1/16”
2) Mud Flowrate: 0.2-0.5 l/sec
3) Output shaft at no load conditions: 2.0-4.9 rpm
4) Pressure Drop at no load conditions: 1.0-2.4 MPa
5) Differential pressure during operation: 1.8-2.7 MPa
6) Maximum Efficiency: 40%
7) WOB: 6KN (0.6T)
F. Gyro Offered:
1) Gyro Size: 1.75” OD
2) Overall Length: 11feet including top crossover and mule shoe stinger assembly
3) Running Gear:
a) 1.75” Dia. 17-4 Ph Heat Treated Stainless Steel
b) Top Connector Crossover
c) Gyro Instrument Pressure Barrel
d) Alignment Sub
e) Probe Pressure Barrel
f) Internal Spring Landing Assembly
g) Bull Plug
h) Crossover adjustable for orientation of mule shoe stinger
i) Mule Shoe Stinger- 7/8” Diameter
j) Pressure Rating: 12000-14000 psi
4) UBHO provided
83. 72
5) Surface readout system: Well-Nav
6) Operates on single conductor and multiple conductor wireline
7) Temp. range: -55° F to 257° F (125° C)
8) Directional Data Measured:
a) Gyro tool face wellbore inclination hole
b) Direction (Azimuth)
c) High-Side
d) Orientation Wellbore Temperature
e) Optional Water level Contact
f) 35V DC minimum at probe cable head
RDS has vide queries asked has confirmed provision of the following with the
Gyroscope Equipment:
1) Crossovers to connect the gyro tool with the cable head provided by the
Company provided slickline services
2) Suitable connectors to make the gyro system compatible with the depth encoder
system of the wireline unit
3) Connector cable between logging cable and the gyro system
G. Accessories Offered:
Along with the above mentioned equipment, RDS will provide the following
with their RDS package:
1) Deflector shoe
2) Pup joint 2.3/8” EUE connection- 4 feet
3) UBHO for Gyro
4) Hydraulic Injector
84. 73
5) PDM (As specified above)
6) Flex Shaft
7) 22mm Bit
8) Nozzle
9) Jet Hose
10) Coil Tubing package
11) Pack-off
12) Coil Tubing BOP
13) Crossovers: to connect CT to 22mm tungsten bit
14) Crossovers to connect RDS BHA to 2.7/8” EUE Tubing
15) Centralizers 02Nos. available (in RDS BHA)
16) Pup joint above and below
17) 5 & 10 microns filtration screens
Equipment required to be provided by the Company:
1) Workover rig
2) Full access to location for RDS system
3) Adequate work platform
4) Wireline Equipment
5) Water Truck with around 15m3 water requirement for 4 laterals
6) Good illumination to the workover site for carrying out 24 hours operations
during radial drilling
85. 74
2. Equipment Matrix:
Table 6.10: Equipments on the field
Sl.
No. Item Status GEPL RDS
1 Well service unit on site X
2 Slickline equipment to run Gyro on site X
3
Wireline Equipment to run CCL-
GR for depth corelation
on site
X
4
Tanks to store drill water to be
supplied for casing milling &
radial drilling operations
On site available 2
tanks of 30KL
capacity X
5
Mud pump to transfer workover
fluid for radial operations on site X
6 2-7/8" EUE tubing pup joints on site X
7 Potassium Chloride (KCl) on site X
8
Base Oil
on site (available
total 40 drums) X
9
Night illumination between W/O
rig and RDS unit
Already installed
on the well service
unit X
10
Additional Crew for 24 hrs.
operations On Site X
11
Chiksan pipe for transferring
workover fluid from tanks to
RDS unit. on site X
12
Crossover to connect 2” Fig 602
to RDS filters (1” NPT) On site X
86. 75
13 RDS Coil Tubing Unit On site X
14
RDS BHA (2.3/8" pup joints w/
centralizers + deflector shoe +
UBHO + XO to connect to
2.7/8" tubing + PDM + rubber
hose) on site X
15 5 micron & 10 micron filters on site X
16
CT BOP + flow cross + pack-
off+ gooseneck+ injector head
etc. on site X
17 Crane- 30MT on site X
18 Memory Gyro On site X
19 Pump for base oil transfer to CT On site X
20
Pump for base oil barrel to barrel
transfer On site X
3. Unit of Measurements
All reporting from the well shall have following units:
1) Depth : m MDRT (m, Measured depth below rotary table)
2) Depth : m TVDRT (m, True vertical depth below RT)
3) Length : m (meter)
4) Diameter : in (inch)
5) Temperature : ºF (degree Fahrenheit)
6) Pressure : psi (pounds per square inch)
7) Workover Fluid Weight : gm/cc (gram per cubic centimeter i.e. SG)
8) Flow-rate : gpm (gallons per minute)
9) Hook Load : MT (metric ton)
10) Casing Weights : ppf (pounds per foot)
11) Torque : lbf-ft (pounds force foot)
87. 76
7. RESULT
Radial drilling is implememted to enhance the well produactivity. The case study on belayim
field shows successful radial drilling operation.
The enhancement of net oil production ranges from 12.5 % to 47%:
Well no. RATE BEFORE RD (B/D) RATE AFTER RD (B/D)
1 251 346
2 471 818
3 189 252
As the number of holes increase results show a good results than those of less number of
holes.
In Kharsang field, in well XYZ#01, before radial drilling the well was producing 3kl/d
(KiloLitres/day), and after implementing Radial Drilling technology well is delivering 4kl/d.
We can conclude that the well deliverability of well XYZ#01 is quite less.
88. 77
8. CONCLUSION
Radial drilling technique proved a lot of advantages from these advantages we can mention
that radial drilling technique can improve productivity index by different means by-passing
possible damaged zone, extending drainage area in productive formation, connecting fracture
in wellbore and improving drainage from low permeability, heterogeneous and layered
reservoirs.
On the other hand this technique proved some limitations like Maximum tensile strength
100,000 psi – maximum API grade that can be milled N-80, not suitable for highly deviated
and deep wells.
Despite its limitations, RJD can be effective for completing both new and workover wells
with radial up to 1,000 ft due to its low environmental impact, economical enhancement of
reservoir productivity, suitability for many formation types, enhanced effectiveness of
subsequent well stimulation treatments, and the speed at which laterals can be drilled.
Future work might focus on comparing the productivity of jet-drilled laterals to traditionally
drilled horizontal wells, skin factors, and comparison of theoretical productivity predictions
of horizontal wells to actual productivity of horizontal jet drilled laterals.
The various studies and experiments had drawn following conclusions:
Improved RJD technology is enabling more economical enhancements of both new
and older wells.
Based on the above results, radial drilling technique becomes a solution for a mature
oilfield and low oil production. With radial drilling technique we can decrease
damage radius and increase drainage radius and as a result we can increase production
to 200% to 400% from the previous one. Radial drilling operation is depending on
several parameters such as, cutting transport, borehole position and reservoir
characteristics.
Using this technique in consolidated rock is better than unconsolidated ones in order
to maintain the hole open.
89. 78
The screening criteria about Radial Drilling must be taken in consideration before the
operation specially depth & degree of consolidation.
Radial drilling by high pressure jet flow techniques can greatly increase oil recovery
and oil production rate.
90. 79
9. REFERENCES:
M.A.; Siso,M.; Hassan,A.M.; Pierpaolo,P; and Roberto, Abdel-Ghant, C.2011, “New
Technology Application, Radial Jet Drilling Petrobel, First Well in Egypt,” SPE 164773
2011-163, 10th Offshore Mediterranean Conference and Exhibition, Ravenna, Italy,
March 23-25.
Bruni,M.; Biassotti,H.; and Salomone, G.2007,“Radial Drilling in Argentina,” SPE
107382, SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference, Buenos
Aires, Argentina, April 15 -18.
Buckman Jet Drilling, 2010, Leading Innovators in Jet Drilling Technology,
www.buckmanenergyservices.com.
Marburn,B.; Sinaga,S.; Arliyando,A.; and Putra, S.2012, “Review of Ultra Short-Radius
Radial System(URRS),” Marburn,B.; Sinaga,S.; Arliyando,A.; and Putra,S.2012,
“Review of Ultra Short-Radius Radial System(URRS)”, International Petroleum
Technology Conference (IPTC), Bangkok, Thailand, February7-9. RadJet.2012, “Rad-Jet
Technology,” http://www.radjet.com/technology/radjet-vs-competitors/.
Radial Drilling Guidelines-march 2008, Radial Drilling Services Inc., page:3-6
Well Productivity Manual 2012 Radial Drilling Services, Inc.
WELL PRODUCTIVITY MANUAL 2012 | RADIAL DRILLING SERVICES, INC
WELL PRODUCES, IN