LOGIX® automation and remote operations, iCruise® RSS, and Geo-Span® downlinking system contribute to safe and flawless execution in a complex well
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Complex 3D well with a high DDI in a congested multi-well pad
Malaysia
A customer in Malaysia was planning a brownfield redevelopment project to replenish declining oil production. The plan consisted of two oil producer wells and one water injector well, sidetracking off a whipstock from the donor well’s casing. This project required a complex, three-dimensional well trajectory with a high directional drilling index (DDI) due to the congested platform with many existing wells, further complicated by multi-stacked reservoir sands targets and close proximity of some older wells.
Notwithstanding the complex nature of the 3D well trajectory, the challenge was to deliver consistent, quality, and optimal wellbore placement to meet the client’s drilling conditions and geological targets; while taking special care to avoid nearby wells on the same drilling pad. This also needed to be accomplished in an efficient, cost-effective manner. It was an ideal situation to summon the Halliburton Sperry Drilling’s expertise and advanced technology services, featuring automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
of section steered autonomously
ROP Improvement
Of rig time saved in one section
Referencing the digital twins of a vast global database, the LOGIX® drilling performance applied a machine learning (ML) algorithm to compute the directional tendency ahead of the bit, based on past and future tool yields. Referencing the digital twins of a vast global database, LOGIX® automation and remote operations applied a machine learning (ML) algorithm to compute the directional tendency ahead of the bit, based on past and future tool yields. With constant assimilation and swift analysis of the real-time downhole measurement data, the algorithm, adapts to the formation’s constantly changing downhole environment. It adjusts based on the drill bit interaction, the bottom hole assembly (BHA) forces, and the various components that drive directional performance.
Meticulous well engineering and BHA analysis performed during the pre-drilling Design of Service (DOS) planning stage helped illuminate various risks based on offset data to ensure optimal iCruise RSS directional performance when drilling the 8½-inch wellbore.
The careful planning, well engineering, and BHA analysis coupled with the right drilling tools culminated in successful execution of the sidetrack. The wellbore precisely tracked the planned well path, practically painting over it, positioned 1.01 m below and 0.24 m to left of plan. This represented an outstanding achievement, with 97% of the run steered by the Logix automation and remote operations, 80% autonomously. The high level of automation was made possible by steering commands sent directly from on-surface software and downlinked via the Geo-Span system to the downhole iCruise RSS. The directional driller initiated the side-track at 843 m by manual steering at the rig site. After that, there was no further human intervention onsite or from the remote drilling center personnel, for the remainder of the section—from 843 m to 2159 m of well’s target depth. The on-bottom drilling rate of penetration was 32% faster, compared to the earlier two wells drilled in this redevelopment campaign, either by conventional methods or with partial autonomous steering. The successful execution of 86 closed-looped, downlinked steering commands from the Geo-Span system enabled the client to realize a rig time saving of 14 hours, which equates to USD 122,500 less expenditure (compared to other drilling partners of this client).