Drilling in the US Permian Basin is constantly evolving to optimize and reduce the total well construction cost. To be part of this fast-paced environment, operators and service companies should always engage in innovative thinking to find new ways to improve. Several solutions are being tested every day in different disciplines of well construction that contribute to major breakthroughs in optimization. Examples of these are: novel technologies, different well designs, and artificial intelligence for automation, just to name a few. One known solution for cost savings in the well design category are monobore wells that have proven to save about 40% on average (Norwood et al. 2016). Monobore projects utilize a single hole size to minimize different tool sizes for drilling and completions. While the reward is high, it should be carefully planned and analyzed to overcome any engineering challenges. For example, one major challenge an operator faced in Eddy County in conventional monobore wells is the geometry design for placement and optimum performance of an Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP). The well geometry required a specific design where within a curve section, a critical tangent section was required for optimum ESP operation. To accomplish this task several Bottom Hole Assemblies (BHA) with different bent housings are needed. To solve this problem, a Compound Angle Motor was run in a conventional monobore application in the Permian Basin in New Mexico with great success. The concept uses a low degree internal tilt of the drive mandrel with a compound external bend (similar to conventional motors) but allowing the external bend to be much lower due to the existing pointed mandrel (Jones and Sugiura 2021). This translates in the ability to drill several sections with the same tool while having a more neutral BHA to improve trajectory control. More than 19 wells utilizing the Compound Angle Motor have proven to provide substantial improvements in wellbore trajectory control, and asset utilization. In this Case Study we showcase these interesting results along with new challenges that emerge while pushing the limits.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.