Collision avoidance, one of the hottest subjects in the oil and gas industry, must be treated as high priority before executing any drilling programs. Wellbore collision avoidance procedures have a huge impact on the wellbore placement for targetson many desired reservoirs. A well planner/ drilling engineer must perform these procedures at the very beginning of the well planning stage, especially if the drilling involves platforms. Having a trusted historical database of the field is crucial, and this is where the integrity of the survey database and the survey programs provided by client must be reviewed very carefully. Any human error, software malfunction, or incorrect surveys can lead to major accidents at the rigsite, death of, worker injuries, environment pollution and financial losses. This paper discuss the basic clearance calculations that indicate how far away one wellbore is from another and the mitigation measures that should be followed to have a valid collision avoidance procedures.

In many areas around the world, rotary steerable systems (RSS) have replaced steerable motors because of the inherent advantages of RSS technology that include improved directional control, reduced wellbore tortuosity, and comprehensive logging-while-drilling (LWD) measurements. Since the late 1990s, rotary steerable systems have revolutionized drilling and redefined how far directional drilling can go. Extended-reach drilling, multilaterals, and deepwater drilling have achieved new levels of efficiency. Well placement has also been enhanced, enabling the use of reservoir navigation that yields outstanding net-to-gross results. Although rotary steerable systems exhibit many advantages, they still face issues of limited buildup rates, weight-on-bit and reliability. Due to the dynamic market, operators are focusing on minimizing cost and saving time by reducing the number of trips, enhancing the rate of penetration (ROP), and reducing drilling footage to avoid directional work in problematic formations that can result in stick/slip and wellbore stability issues. To address the client needs, a new generation of RSS has been introduced. In 2014, a 6¾-in. high-build rate RSS was developed primarily for conventional markets, which have a need for high build rates and simultaneous acquisition of LWD data. The use of a high-build rate RSS in conjunction with an optimized bottomhole assembly (BHA) for build-rate capability has enabled operators to achieve buildup rates up to 12°/100 ft. In 2015, a 4¾-in. high-performance RSS was developed to fill the need of higher weight on bit and to provide a simple, rugged design with enhanced reliability. In this paper the authors present the new generation of rotatory steerable and its impact on the market. This paper will be supported by number of case studies from oil and gas.

One of the main challenges that today’s drilling operation faces is uncertainty in formation pressures. Excessive overbalance between the Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD) and formation pressure causes unnecessary, often detrimental formation breakdown, while underbalance drilling increases the risk of drilling kicks which can lead to catastrophic blowouts at the worst case scenario. Due to the uncertainty in formation pressures, managing the ECD becomes quite challenging and difficult. The ECD presents a significant drilling parameter particularly in wells that have a narrow window between the fracture gradient and pore-pressure gradient. Therefore, as early as possible knowledge of pore pressures, is highly sought after by the operating company. Formation pressure while drilling (FPWD) technology has proved over the past few years to provide accurate formation pressures during drilling. Apart from the use of formation pressures to calculate fluid gradients, mobilities and identify tight zones, it has also found its usefulness in ECD management. This paper presents a case study from an onshore horizontal well in the Middle East, which discusses the successful application of FPWD in ECD management. Due to the lack of reservoir formation pressure data, a heavier mud than necessary was used to drill the reservoir section to avoid risk of formation fluid influx. However, accurate measurements of pore pressures in real time recorded from a FPWD tool indicated lower pore pressures than expected. Consequently, based on that real time data, decision was made to significantly reduce the ECD, which resulted in improved hole cleaning, performance, increased rate of penetration, among other benefits.

Over the past years, extended-reach drilling (ERD) field development has significantly increased globally, and its benefits are well recognized. ERD techniques are increasingly used to intersect hydrocarbon targets that are difficult to access due to logistic issues. While these wells are challenging to drill, complete, and service, the benefits can be wide ranging. These benefits drive the development of technology and techniques to continuously expand the ERD envelope and increase the complexity of profiles to reach more challenging targets. The directional drilling and evaluation service supplier plays an important role. Each ERD well has a unique set of challenges. Common to all ERD projects is that many aspects of drilling engineering principles are not only pushed to the limit, but become highly interrelated and sensitive to smaller changes than conventional wells. For this reason, a team approach to planning and executing ERD activities should be considered critical. Each team member should bring to the project relevant experience, knowledge, a range of field-proven technology, and a solid global support structure. Drilling successful ERD wells in challenging conditions depends on various factors, which include careful planning and use of the latest technology. Planning involves understanding the geological structure, not only within the reservoir section, but also in the overburden where typically most of the time efficiency gains can be achieved. The last step in planning is designing an efficient bottomhole assembly (BHA) based on previous experiences, lessons learned and inputs from various teams. Good planning is supported by use of new technologies, especially tools that give real-time information, enabling quick and informed decisions to ensure safe and efficient drilling in a challenging environment. The paper discusses the planning and decision-making process to drill ERD wells by using latest real-time technologies in drilling challenging wells. This paper will describe the experiences and huge success of drilling the longest 8.5-in. hole section in an ERD well, drilled and cased smoothly through challenging formations.

Because fracture gradient changes with rock type, some formations are more sensitive to induced fractures than others. Depending upon depth, the fractures created will either be horizontal or vertical. If the depth is 2500 feet or less, horizontal fractures are usually produced. Because horizontal fractures require lifting the entire overburden, they are limited to shallow depths. At depths over 3500 feet, fractures are usually vertical. Because vertical fractures occur without lifting the overburden, they can be created at much lower pressure. The propagation pressure is generally much less than the pressure that would be required to initiate the fracture. Consequently, fracture losses, once initiated, are difficult to control. Wellbore instability, particularly in shale formations, is a major challenge in drilling operations. Many factors such as rock properties, in-situ stresses, chemical interactions between shale and drilling fluids, and thermal effects must be taken into consideration in well trajectory designs and drilling fluid formulations to mitigate wellbore instability-related problems. The Steerable Drilling Liner service combines a rotary steerable system with a liner to help overcome the challenges: drilling in zones with lower pressure and unstable shale/coal layers, and with formations of varying flow and pressure regimes. Running the liner while drilling keeps the wellbore stable and eliminates the need to pull the drillstring to run casing. This is how it reduces your risks and NPT, saving the costs associated with contingency plans. Because the liner is isolated from the reamer shoe, you can rotate the liner at much lower RPMs than the pilot and reamer bits. This design lessens the load on the liner, improving its fatigue life. The Steerable Drilling Liner steerable drilling liner service helps you to mitigate the risk of hole collapse and formation damage by reducing openhole exposure, Reduce NPT by eliminating extra trips and ensuring that the liner is installed at TD from the first run Enhance wellbore integrity by drilling with the liner, leading to the plastering effect, which reduces fluid loss and cuttings volume, Lower health, safety, and environmental (HSE) risks by reducing pipe handling and rigsite footprint size Steerable Drilling Liner service developed and qualified using a rigorous processes including extensive onshore testing at the service provider Experimental Test Area (BETA) facility before being successfully deployed offshore. Rely on Steerable Drilling Liner service performance in extreme environments; the cost-effective Steerable Drilling Liner service promotes wellbore stability and performs reliably in the challenging downhole environments. This Paper will reveal the technology overview, updates, case histories and field limitations