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Developing revolutionary technology requires persistence, perseverance, and vision to take an idea to a reliable product. A key factor in achieving the objective stems from how effectively the product development philosophy garners real results. For the development of the single-diameter wellbore, this philosophy resulted in a phased process that brought the technology from a concept to a reality. This technology had to undergo final validation of some of the components before entering the final phase of the development process. This phase consisted of qualifying the tool for a specific application, with all of the components having been previously qualified for functionality. Successful integrated testing on the single-diameter system resulted in qualifying the phased-expansion system. The field appraisal test recently completed simulated the deployment operations by replicating hole angle, hole size, mud types, drill bits and other variables that factor into the complexity of the downhole conditions. This paper will explain the product development philosophy and process used to drive the validation of the single-diameter wellbore. It will detail the current status of the technology, the process to determine quantifiers and the actual field appraisal and results. In addition, this paper will explain the factors that led to the product development and determined the commercial viability of the technology. Introduction Development Philosophy A constant diameter in the wellbore has been a tempting proposition for years as rigorous testing, design and optimization has propelled development towards a tangible and applicable system. This technology is based on a sound foundation of solid expandable tubular knowledge including an advanced understanding of pipe metallurgy, properties and the effects of stresses and strains endured during the expansion process. The uniform-diameter system was developed according to pre-determined and specific requirements. A dynamic test philosophy for qualifying new tools enabled the creation of a very robust toolset for global applications. A key objective established during the design concept was to develop a reliable tool for a myriad of conditions and applications. To achieve this goal, the design concept itself was closely controlled and incorporated multi-disciplinary processes from the design team that included drilling experts, engineers, designers and end users. Using modular components proved to be the most practical plan for construction as it provided for easier customization to specific applications, simplicity in overall design and quick and easy assembly of tools during issue mitigation. Although foundation design concepts that have been around for years in the industry were used, most of the components did not exist. Development of the multi-functional tools necessitated an extensive design task to fulfill all of the extended requirements.1 This approach resulted in the successful development of a complete technology suite that when used in its entirety facilitates a constant diameter across multiple liners or when used in part can perform a variety of specialized wellbore operations.

Distinguished Author Series articles are general, descriptive representations that summarize the state of the art in an area of technology by describing recent developments for readers who are not specialists in thetopics discussed. Written by individuals recognized as experts in the area, these articles provide key references to more definitive work and present specific details only to illustrate the technology. Purpose: to informthe general readership of recent advances in various areas of petroleum engineering. Summary Offshore production operations play a major and expanding role in the oilindustry. Compared with land operations, offshore operations typically requiremore planning because of the more complex systems, planning because of the morecomplex systems, equipment, and logistics involved. Higher completion rates andreserve bases are necessary to justify the high cost of developing offshorefields. Future exploration and development activity is trending toward deeperwater and more hostile environments, and innovative engineering and operatingtechniques will continue to be required to meet these challenges. Introduction The oil and gas industry began producing offshore in the late 1890's near Summerland, CA; wood wharves were built in the shallow ocean waters to supportderricks and necessary producing equipment. The industry has evolved andexpanded so that the number of offshore producing platforms now approaches 10,000 worldwide. Technology also has evolved for offshore production with specialized engineering and research in oceanography, platform construction anddesign, and production systems design. Today, offshore oil represents about 25% of the world's oil production. Themap in Fig. 1 shows the offshore basins in which industry is actively exploringand producing. It is evident that these offshore basins hold the key to future international oil supplies and that the petroleum industry must continue tomeet technological challenges in both established and frontier locations. Offshore production operations present a unique set of engineering andoperating problems compared with operations conducted on land. Developing fields offshore requires larger investments because of higher drilling and producing costs, transportation and logistical problems, and the need for aplatform base on which to conduct operations. For example, in 1983 the averageoffshore well drilled in the U.S. was twice as deep and four times as costly asthe average U.S. onshore well . Fields developed offshore, therefore, must becapable of producing at greater flow rates and in sufficient volumes to makethese significantly higher investments attractive. This paper provides anoverview of offshore production operations and keys on the major differences between offshore and land production operations, which include producing production operations, which include producing structures, well completions, production handling systems, operations organizations, and logistics. Offshore Structures The most obvious condition that sets offshore operations apart from those onland is the water itself. The offshore environment can range from shallow in land lakes and protected bays to deep, unprotected seas and oceans. Most operations offshore are conducted in water depths less than 300 ft [91 m];however, operations in water depths greater than 1,000 ft [305 m] now areoccurring frequently and will become more common with the advent of deep water technology. A platform must be constructed to support operations offshore, and special consideration is given to site-specific development and environmental conditions when designing the platform decks and structure. JPT P. 583