The Gulf of Thailand is characterized by shallow-water depth wells with bottomhole static temperature ranging from 240 to more than 420°F. These wells are drilled to an average of 12,000 ft MD and 9,000 ft TVD with a fast paced-batch drilling strategy. Most cement jobs are done offline, and on the surface section can be as frequent as 6 jobs per day. With multiple rigs, operators can require more than 100 cementing operations per month and cement volumes as high as 18,000 bbl. This efficient operations environment creates a demand for a logistically and operationally simple cement system that can be applied in all well sections and across the full range of expected temperatures. An advanced, lightweight seawater-based cementing concept was tested for this application. This new cementing system uses a single blend with only 3 to 4 primary liquid additives (including a stable, high-temperature, multifunctional polymer) to adjust all primary cement jobs for the entire wellbore. A sophisticated lab testing program was conducted for the innovative cementing concept according to the required demands on cement slurry design given the harsh wellbore conditions in the Gulf of Thailand. Tests revealed that the developed cementing systems meet all well requirements despite low densities of 13.3 to 14.0 ppg with high water content. This advanced cementing system was introduced in 2011 and has gradually been used on all wells since then -to date more than 500 wells in the Gulf of Thailand. In addition to improving logistics, use of the system has enhanced cement bond quality in production tubing cementing jobs. This improvement also reduced pay at risk due to insufficient cement isolation. This is evident in the whole range of well temperatures.

The Well X in Nong Yao field, is an infill-well designed for the Gulf of Thailand which presented several interesting challenges due to its complexity, tortuosity, and potential collision risks with other wells. This paper demonstrates the application of a Real-time Advanced Survey Correction (RASC) with Multi Station Analysis (MSA) to correct the Measurement While Drilling (MWD)'s azimuth. The Well X is a 3D Complex design with a high drilling difficulty index (DDI) at 6.9, high tortuosity of 316 degree, and which has an aggressive build on inclination and azimuthal U-turning well path. The well also creates difficult doglegs severity (DLS) up to 5.5deg/100ft, which is near the limit of the flexibility required to achieve the horizontal landing point. The conventional MWD survey, with proximity scanning with the nearby Well A, demonstrates high risk with a calculated Oriented Separation Factor (OSF) of 1.01. The RASC-MSA method is applied with a clearly defined workflow during execution in real-time and provide significant improvement in calculated OSF. RASC-MSA is applied for every 1,000 ft interval drilling below the 9.625in casing shoe. The workflow ensures that the directional driller follows the corrected survey along the well path and especially in the last 300 ft before reaching the electrical submersible pump (ESP) tangent section. The result from RASC-MSA, indicated a 29 ft lateral shift on the left side of the MWD standard surveys. Without this technique, Well X has a high potential to collide with Well A and Well B (Figure 1) as the actual OSF may less than 1 while drilling. The final 3D Least Distance proximity scanning with Well A shows a minimum OSF = 1.35, which is a 30% improvement compared to the conventional MWD survey. Another nearby well, Well B, indicates a minimum OSF=1.66 and passed the anti-collision OSF rule. In consideration of the drilling efficiency, availability, cost effectiveness and time saving, the RASC-MSA analysis to correct the MWD's azimuth are applied and the separation factor can be improved by 30%. In conclusion, the collision risk management technique applied successfully met the complex challenges of Well X, which was successfully drilled and safely delivered. Figure 1 3D visualization to exhibit the collision issue between Well X and nearby existing Wells A and Well B.

Mubadala Petroleum conducts a fast-paced drilling program in the Gulf of Thailand, where rapid response resolutions are often required. This paper demonstrates the Remote Operation (RO) approach, which is an integrated approach comprised of people, software, network, and technology to transform operations, and moves analytical activities to safer office-based environments (Figure 1). The approach provides a high level of performance, leveraging global domain expertise, real-time collaboration, data visualization techniques, and intelligent planning within the restrictive context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Figure 1 Remote Operation relevant function RO is the ability to operate a system at a distance. This is an adopted innovation and technology in the oil and gas industry, which is a completely new way of working. The principal concept for introducing the RO approach was to reduce the Personnel on Board (POB) and the HSE exposure, which was particularly relevant during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The approach relied on leading-edge digital technology, as the RO was required to handle real-time directional drilling (DD), measurements, and logging while drilling (MLWD). During the implementation, the crew was trained in multi-skilling related to the DD/MLWD function, while working with the necessity of digital technology. Digital transformation is emerging as a driver of sweeping change in the world around us. Today, the Oil and Gas industry has redefined its boundaries through automation and digitalization. The potential benefits of going digital are clear, including increased productivity, safer operations, and significant cost savings. This exercise, it allowed us to reduce the POB on-site by 40% while maintaining both drilling efficiency and service quality. The drilling data can be monitored in real-time. The Remote Operation Center (ROC) has the capacity to execution and montor directional drilling, formation evaluation, programming, and dumping data from various tools. An experienced crew were assigned to the RO team ensuring competencies and familiarity with drilling operation in specific field characterization. This transformation supported our business continuity objectives by reducing the number of people traveling offshore during the COVID-19 pandemic while allowing us to achieve all our drilling performance objectives. In this new environment, following the turmoil of pandemics, this exercise indicates an opportunity to make fundamental improvements to the way business is conducted using the Remote Operations approach. RO takes a significant step towards the future for highly traditional industry. Preparing the industry toward the future may prove to be the most important outcome of the application of RO during the COVID-19 pandemic. The application of RO during the COVID pandemic has confirmed the possibility of more permanent improvements and increased resilience against future pandemics and other challenging events, as well as a new and more effective way of working during normal times.

Well X is an infill horizontal well designed for the Gulf of Thailand. It is challenging due to the following factors - A long 8 ½ inch open hole section, An extended reach section at horizontal or near horizontal, the presence of loss circulation zones, an Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) ratio of 2.725 and a Drilling Difficulty Index (DDI) of 6.762. The key challenge was to successfully deploy the 7 inch casing across 12,350 ftMD of open hole, with potential loss circulation zones. In spite of these difficulties, the 7 inch casing was successfully landed with the use of an Ultra-High Speed Rotational Reamer Shoe. Historically, losses of circulation have posed significant challenges to well delivery in the Gulf of Thailand wells. In Well X, this is further complicated by a long open-hole section with a step-out of over 10,000 ftMD. It was determined that the successful deployment of the 7 inch casing would require some degree of agitation at the nose, and such a device must be tolerant to the Lost Circulation Materials (LCM) type and the composition of the drilling fluid and the cement. An ultra-high speed rotational reamer shoe was specially configured to meet the LCM requirements in the displaced fluid, for use in deploying the casing. While deploying the 7 inch casing, losses of up to 20 bbls/hr occurred from 7,043 ftMD while running at 15 joints/hr. A loss circulation recipe comprising of 60 bbls of 30 ppb Tiger LCM was mixed and successfully displaced through the customized ultra-high speed reamer shoe to cure losses. The casing was washed down from 10,569 to 11,610 ftMD, filling casing each stand. The 7 inch casing was successfully landed at the target depth of 12,353 feet and subsequently cemented. Drill out operations took 1.5 hours to complete. A formation integrity test (FIT) showed good shoe strength which was later confirmed by the cement evaluation logs. The comprehensive Ultra-High Speed Reamer Shoe was configured with a minimum restriction of 15mm, which is 5 times the diameter of the maximum particle size in the LCM of 3 mm. The tool was designed to tolerate the prescribed loss circulation materials, making it possible to cure the losses while running the casing string. The innovative Ultra-High Speed Reamer Shoe has demonstrated its usefulness by providing a higher probability for successfully deploying the 7 inch production casing over the extended reach section of Well X. The application of this technology can mitigate against non-productive time such as wiper trips or excessive washing down or casing rotation. It has proven to be a reliable technology that can be used in the industry in challenging well designs.

The objective of this research is to describe the methodology used to drill the most extended reach well (ERD) in the Gulf of Thailand. The Jasmine field is a mature, sophisticated, oil field with many shallow reservoir targets that require a minimum 10,000ft horizontal displacement. As such, the main challenges faced, and the novel technology applied is described in detail by this research. The research is an example of successfully drilling a challenging well, safely and efficiently. The Jasmine C – Well X, is a 3-string design structure with an 11-3/4in top hole, an 8-1/2in intermediate section, and a 6-1/8in reservoir horizontal section. Well X was constructed by utilizing an existing platform well slot. The challenge involved drilling from the top hole to the kickoff point and directional drilling away from the casing stump of the existing well to avoid any collision with nearby wells emanating from the Jasmine C platform. The 8-1/2in hole section was the most important segment as it had to reach the landing point precisely in order to start the 6-1/8in section for GeoSteering in the reservoir section. The 8-1/2in section encountered three challenges that could affect drilling efficiency.Directional Drilling – The complexities of the well profile:The method involved making well inclination (INC) lower than 82deg in the tangent interval in order to reduce the well's tortuosity as much as possible.Hole condition – Hole cleaning and fluid losses control:The method involved the use of Low Toxicity Oil Based Mud (LTOBM) CaCO3 system, the chemical elements in the drilling fluid system could help to seal the high permeable zones.Drilling Engineering – Torque and Drag (T&D) control:The method taked into account the 7in casing run to the bottom of the hole, which the casing driven system did not allow for rotation The well was completed successfully without any additional trips. A Total Depth (TD) was of 13,052ftMD was achieved to reach reservoirs at 3,260ft TVDSS. It was therefore announced in 2019 as a new ERD record for Mubadala Thailand (ERD ratio = 3.26, Directional Difficulty Index (DDI) = 6.95). The top hole and 9-5/8in casing were set in the right depth. An 8-1/2in section was accomplished on the planned trajectory with an average on bottom Rate of Penetration (ROP) at 319 ft/hr. The 6-1/8in section was drilled by geosteering to achieve sub-surface objectives. A total of 2,143ft intervals inside the reservoir was successfully achieved. While drilling, lost circulation events occured, but the mud system was conditioned with Lost Circulation Materials (LCM). Therefore, drilling performance was unaffected. Moreover, the Bit's Total Flow Area (TFA) and Rotary steering systems (RSS) flow restrictor was configured to allow directional drilling at a very low Flow rate of 470gpm. Addition, 30 joints of 5-1/2in Heavy Weight Drill Pipe (HWDP) and 39 joints of 4in HWDP were added into the Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) to transfer string weight to drill bitsand drill to well TD. As complexities of the well profile were fully aware, the casing was runned and minimized the open hole friction until the casing was deployed successfully. In the Gulf of Thailand, drilling the longest ERD well in a shallow True Vertical Depth (TVD) was clearly groundbreaking and entailed the successful management of the key operational challenges related to identification, job planning, design, technology selection, and implementation. This research illuminates the challenges and technical solutions of long ERD well and serves as an example of what can be achieved in the region and globally.