Drilling & Completion Tech Digest

HD imaging service enables detailed fracture characterization in Oman

In the Middle East, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) was experiencing heavy mud losses while drilling a well in an onshore carbonate reservoir. To isolate the challenging zones and optimize the completion design, PDO used Schlumberger’s  MicroScope HD service to accurately identify intervals with mud losses. Schlumberger launched the high-definition imaging-while-drilling service at the 2013 ATCE in New Orleans, La. It has been used in 45 wells to date.

Alternate Path technique ensures full gravel pack in cased, open-hole completions

ExxonMobil recently awarded Weatherford a limited international license for ExxonMobil’s Alternate Path technology patent portfolio for gravel packing cased and open-hole completion wells. It provides alternate flow paths called shunt tubes in the downhole tool used for packing gravel in the producing sections of a well.
The shunt tubes enable the packing operation to continue when sand prematurely blocks the well annulus. The shunt tubes divert the gravel slurry around sand blockages and through distributed portholes to fill voids in the annulus until a complete pack is in place.

GE receives EPA ‘mobile certification’ for Waukesha natural gas engines

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has certified two of GE’s Waukesha natural gas-fueled engine models for mobile, non-road applications. Patterson-UTI Drilling has used these engines to replace existing diesel systems at a well site in Harrison County, West Virginia. The contractor had been looking to reduce fuel costs, a major expense when operating their diesel-powered drilling rigs. GE states that the Waukesha L7044GSI-EPA engines can result in up to 80% lower fuel costs. Patterson-UTI is now working to replace additional diesel units with the GE engines in other locations in Ohio and Colorado. A Waukesha natural gas engine also was deployed recently to power electric submersible pump operations in the Mississippian formation for Devon Energy. The engines were part of GE’s integrated Power to Lift solution, which combines power and grid technologies, including a Waukesha L5794GSI natural gas engine that also received an EPA permit exemption.

gyroMWD provides real-time toolface

Scientific Drilling International (SDI) has run its high-accuracy gyroMWD Module in tandem with Baker Hughes’ measurement while drilling (MWD) services on several jobs. Proven applications to date have ranged from whipstock orientation to multi-pad drilling to survey validation within the Gulf of Mexico and on US land. Activity for other global markets is expected to expand. The gyroMWD Module provides real-time gyro toolface, allowing precision surveying in the presence of heavy magnetic interference, and delivers optimal performance and reliability through the proprietary TUF Preventative Maintenance System. The module reduces costs by enhancing ROP performance and reducing survey acquisition while enabling operational efficiency through flexible BHA configurations. SDI’s gyroMWD Module was developed to work with the Baker Hughes OnTrak MWD  Service and AutoTrak  Rotary Steerable.

Frigstad newbuild deepwater semis to use ‘closed-ring’ power design

Two seventh-generation semisubmersibles ordered by Frigstad Deepwater will use electrical power-generating stations, including a “closed-ring solution,” from Siemens Energy. The closed-ring design is a class-approved solution for operating with permanently closed bus-ties in the DNV DYNPOS-AUTRO and DYNPOS-ER class notations.
The semis of the Frigstad D90 design are under construction at the Chinese shipyard Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore. Delivery of the first rig is scheduled for December 2015. The second unit is to be delivered six months later. They will both be capable of operating in water depths up to 12,000 ft and drilling to 50,000-ft TD.
Frigstad’s order with Siemens stipulated that the rigs’ power plant must be able to operate with closed ring in the various DP modes to allow for operational flexibility, increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.
“Several years were devoted to developing these systems. They were designed in line with our customers’ needs and fulfill the requirements and regulations prescribed by the classification authorities,” Mario Azar, CEO of Siemens’ Oil & Gas Solutions Business Unit, said.

Multidimensional cutters improve footage by 37% in Cana Woodford shale

In Oklahoma’s Cana Woodford shale, Baker Hughes’ StayCool multidimensional cutter achieved a 10% improvement in ROP and a 37% improvement in footage when drilling through hard sands interbedded with hard limestones.

The cutter helps operators drill to TD faster and more cost effectively by extending cutter life and footage per run. Used exclusively on the Hughes Christensen Talon platform of premium PDC bits, the StayCool cutters incorporate a contoured diamond table, wear-resistant diamond materials and new interface designs.

The contoured design reduces friction, maintains a sharper cutting edge throughout the bit run and reduces mechanical specific energy.
Baker Hughes also recently launched its ClearStar fracturing fluid system. In 32 separate treatments on Colorado’s Wattenberg field, the new fluid system produced an average 11% more cumulative oil over 350 days of production compared with wells stimulated using premium, guar-based fluids.

The ClearStar system is a guar alternative that uses an efficient, refined cellulose derivative polymer to attain superior viscosity and achieve a low pH to reduce the potential for clay swelling that can restrict production flow. It delivers stable performance at temperatures up to 275°F (135°C).

The alternative fluid system can provide better flowback for increased production and improved economic results compared with guar, guar-derivate and borate systems in both conventional and unconventional reservoirs.

4,596-ft cased-hole expandable liner installed in Middle East water injection well

Enventure has set a length record for the 5 1/2-in. x 7 in. SET solid expandable liner, according to the company. The 4,596 ft. (pre-expansion length) Cased-Hole Liner (CHL) system was installed with zero recordable safety incidents in the Middle East.

The installation was performed in a water injection well to repair a corroded 7-in. liner previously considered for abandonment.

The CHL system regained pressure integrity in the well and allowed for a 4 1/2-in. conventional liner to be run and cemented downhole, which provided a second barrier to further extend the life of the well. The system was installed using a 750-hp workover rig and is hydraulically driven with minimal hookload.

“This milestone is another landmark achievement for Enventure, which further validates the effectiveness of SET technology in land drilling environments,” said Stacey Andrews, senior operations manager, Eastern Hemisphere, for Enventure.

Joint industry program to study subsea power for deepwater

Statoil and ABB have entered an agreement to develop solutions for subsea electrical power transmission, distribution and power conversion systems for water depths to 9,843 ft (3,000 meters) and over long distances.

The agreement is in the form of a cost-shared joint industry program (JIP) led by Statoil on behalf of other participating oil companies. ABB is the technology developer. The agreement follows a large subsea electrification study executed jointly by Statoil and ABB during 2012.

“The JIP will develop technologies needed to provide electrical power to subsea pumps, electrical submersible pumps and subsea gas compressors for projects on the Norwegian continental shelf, in the Gulf of Mexico and other places around the world,” Karl Johnny Hersvik, Statoil senior vice president for research, development and innovation, said. “A cost-efficient and reliable power supply system is a key element for Statoil’s ‘subsea factory.’”