Proposal Throughout the oil and gas industry a need exists to reduce hole size and subsequent casing strings to reach the pay zone in a safe manner with appropriate zonal isolation of the various formations. Benefits in achieving such well design can be economically advantageous to the operator. In certain fields of Saudi Arabia, a relatively thin gas cap exists at the top of the Arab-D oil-producing zone. Isolating this gas cap is necessary to prevent future production from the gap. In wells where a gas cap is expected, 300 to 400 ft of high angle 8–1/2 in. hole is drilled and cased off with a 7 in. liner. A 6–1/8 in. production hole is then drilled horizontally to total depth (TD). This paper will discuss how the planned installation of solid expandable tubular technology in combination with bi-center bit technology was used to drill an oil-producing well and accomplish the following objectives:Lower well costs and reduce environmental impact.Hydraulically isolate the gas cap at the top of the Arab-D zone.Reduce all hole diameters and casing string sizes above the gas cap zone by one size.Drill a 6–1/8 in. horizontal production hole beyond the expanded liner. The successful application of both technologies produced the following results:All hole diameters and casing strings above the gas cap were reduced by one size from the standard well design.A bi-center bit successfully drilled the build section in which the expandable casing was run.An expandable liner was run and cemented across the gas cap.The expandable liner was successfully pressure tested.A bi-center bit was used to drill the horizontal hole beyond the expanded liner. Introduction Since its introduction to the oil and gas industry in 1999, solid expandable tubular technology has often been used as a contingency measure to minimize the loss of hole size while dealing with drilling problems. Through technical developments, additional applications are being identified and implemented. A significant advancement in the technology consists of designing solid expandable tubulars into the well plan, rather than using them only as a contingency. When drilling with conventional casing, operators must begin their conductor holes with a larger diameter to reach the target depth with a predetermined casing size. A larger diameter results in the following tangential factors:a larger amount of well cuttingsmore steel in the holea larger riga greater environmental impact All of these factors contribute to a larger economic impact in an industry that is highly competitive and increasingly expensive. Couple the high costs to drill and produce a well with a company that operates scores of wells, and the economic influence that conventional drilling methods incur is enormous. When all aspects of the well construction process are optimized, the greatest economic value of solid expandable tubulars is achieved at minimum operational risk. Field Background and Objectives Economic factors led Saudi Aramco to consider the benefits of marrying bi-center bit and solid expandable tubular technologies to address a drilling challenge in the Ghawar oil field in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The challenge consists of a relatively thin gas cap at the top of the oil-producing Arab-D zone. Necessity dictates casing off this cap to avoid gas production and to reduce the risk of taking a kick or causing lost circulation while drilling the horizontal hole below it.

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TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax +1-972-952-9435. AbstractThe cost savings that are possible by sidetracking existing wellbores make the drilling and completion of ultra slim lateral wells very desirable. Obtaining image logs from horizontal wells, less than 6" diameter, has always been a challenge, because the size of conventional borehole imaging tools that currently exist on the market are simply too large. In addition, conventional deployment methods limit efficient rig time utilization and ultimately lead to higher cost. New conveyance and logging technology from Welltec ® (the Well Tractor®) and Weatherford (The Compact Micro Imager -CMI) allows operators to obtain excellent image logs in slim wells as small as 3" in diameter. Image logs are required to properly understand fracture details and to help in future drilling and completion decisions. This paper describes the logging operational experience of the CMI and the world's first slim hole imaging logs in Saudi Arabia deployed by the wireline tractor 218XR (XR: Extended Reach) in an open hole horizontal section.

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax +1-972-952-9435. AbstractOpenhole horizontal completions in consolidated formations have been commonplace for a number of years. This type of completion has been very successful due to the relative simplicity of the completion design and ability to segment the horizontal production interval by using openhole hydrostatic-set packers. Using inflow control devices (ICDs) in this completion design allows a uniform inflow across the entire horizontal wellbore, which mitigates early water or gas coning into the wellbore.A newly designed ICD has been developed and field-trialed successfully that eliminates the need for an inner string during installation, allowing circulation through the liner while running in hole as well as hydraulic setting of the openhole packers before pulling out of hole with the workstring. This also provides an improved well control condition. A temporary valve system has been incorporated into the ICD design that provides pressure integrity in the liner until after the upper completion has been installed. Once the upper completion is in place, the valves are triggered hydraulically with applied pressure in the production tubing and opened once the differential pressure is removed, allowing the ICD to be reconfigured into the production mode. Once the valves have been opened, the ICD performs normally for the operational life of the well.This completion technology also provides the added benefit of isolating the upper wellbore from the reservoir until after the upper completion is installed. This potentially prevents unwanted and costly fluid losses into the formation before the well is put on production. This paper will describe the new ICD design technology developed for the application and review initial case history well installations in Saudi Arabia.