Drilling Slim Wells

3rd Quarter 2006 DEA(e) Sept 7&8th

DEA 2006(e) 7 8 Sept D Dupuis

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 Agenda
• Historic

• Aim

• Problematic (Challenges)

• Development-Achievement 1990-1997

• Experience

• Conclusions

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 Historic
• 1950’s Early experience

• Mining technology
– Transposition from mineral formations to sedimentary
formation
– Value of core
– Difficulties

• Retrofit system

• Adaptation of conventional Technology

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 Historic 1950’s
• Rising development costs are recognized as one of
the major problems facing the oil industry today. To
combat this situation, several new concepts designed to improve
drilling techniques have been advanced within recent years. Among
the ideas proving most effective is slim hole drilling.
• Carter's slim hole experience has been in both exploration and pool
development wells. In addition, slim hole practices have been
successfully applied to water injection wells. In comparison with
standard operations, both penetration rate and bit life decreased
using slim hole methods. No difficulty was encountered in coring,
logging and testing in reduced diameter holes. Actual slim hole
costs indicated a significant economic advantage over conventional
practices. Savings in dry hole costs ranged up to 25 per cent,
primarily from reductions in footage and day work rates. Additional
savings accrued in producing wells from economy in tubular
goods. Slim hole methods may not always be applicable, as
consideration should be given to specific drilling problems and
objectives. In many cases, however, slim hole drilling provides
significant economic advantages over conventional practices.

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 Historic Mining Technology
• Coring system deriving from mining industry use of
“rods”

• Focussing on geological evaluation and based upon

continuous coring of the formation

• Development of site core evaluation logging process

• Difficulties Kick control and “mud window”

• Leaders AMOCO BP

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 Historic Retrofit System

• Based on destructive drilling scale down of hole size

• Use of conventional rig

• Drilling methodology: use of small PDM and

Thrusters (sliding mode)

• Wire line log to evaluate formations

• Few records, cost of BHA

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Historic

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 Historic (Elf Forasol)

• Taking advantage of above experience development

of a specific system taking of above experience and
fitted for purpose equipment

• Destructive drilling as well as continuous coring

• Integration of services;

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 Aim

• Reduce cost

• Obtain data and production

• Reduce environmental impact

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 Problematic and challenges

• Minimum Final hole diameters, intermediate phases

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Problematic and challenges

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 Problematic and challenges
• Drilling
– Ad-equation hole diameter tubular dimension
• Pulling torque
• Hydraulic ECD (monitoring/ mud window)
– Monitoring of drilling parameters
• WOB especially
– Kick detection
– Kick control
• Data acquisition
– Coring, logging, testing
• Environment
– Waste treatment on site, surface lay out reduced as much as
possible
• Production
• Reduced crew, Service integration
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 Achievement Drilling

• Tubular

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Achievement Drilling ECD

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Achievement Drilling ECD mud window

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Achievement Drilling Parameters

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Achievement Drilling Kick detection

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 Achievement Drilling Kick control

• Procedure
– Same as conventional (driller’s method ..)
– Upon alert (pit level, KDS.. Close immediately
well
– Major kick was controlled as procedure with
no problem

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Achievement Data Acquisition

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Achievement Data Acquisition
• Continuous coring

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Achievement Data Acquisition
• Wire line logging

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Achievement Data Acquisition

• Testing

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Achievement Environment Lay out

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Achievement Environment Lay out

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Achievement Environment Lay out

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Achievement Environment Waste treatment

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Achievement Production

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Achievement Production

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Achievement Production

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 Achievement services integration

• Destructive drilling and continuous coring

• Integrated monitoring of drilling parameters

• Integrated waste control

• Integrated cementing operation

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Experience

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 Experience ELF (TOTAL)
Last drilling phase 3 3/8”

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Experience ELF (TOTAL)

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 Experience ELF (TOTAL)
Last drilling phase 4 ¾”

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Experience ELF (TOTAL)
Last drilling phase 4 ¾”

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 Experience ELF (TOTAL)

Last drilling phase 4 ¾”

3 geological side tracks

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 Experience Rumania Shell

Last drilling phase 4 ¾”

TVD ± 3000m

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 Experience Rumania Shell

Last drilling phase 4 ¾”

TVD ± 3000m

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 Experience Rumania Shell

• Geological evaluation in 4 ¾” drilling phase

– Wire line coring 2” size

• “Good as a full size core”
– Wireline logging
• Complete range of exploration tool run successfully
• Log quality exceptionally good
• Difficulties to make interpretation RFT (repeatability)
• One fishing job with the Side Wall Sample Gun (Side wall Gun)
– Cuttings analysis
• Size and quantity sufficient, low gas reading
– Well testing
• Conducted in 4” liner without any problem

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 Analysis Conclusion

• Drilling
– ROP similar to conventional, even in some
occasion better

– ECD, ad-equation string OD- hole diameter: key

element, narrow mud window prospect eliminate
slim hole drilling

– Environment benefit is more than obvious

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 Analysis Conclusion

• Geological evaluation
– Satisfactory (except for RFT and side core)

• Production
– Up to 500 m3 slimhole wells can be used as
producer, versus a standard well the production
is reduced of 10%
• Economy
– Up to 50 % see next dia

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Analysis Conclusion

47 %
62 %
48 %

18 %

53 %

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 Conclusion
• What went wrong ???
– Technical success
– Viable economically
– No commercial development !!!
Or back in 50’s

Slim hole methods may not always be applicable, as

consideration should be given to specific drilling
problems and objectives. In many cases, however,
slim hole drilling provides significant economic
advantages over conventional practices

Thanks Questions

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References

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