Creative and Collaborative Engineering Delivers the Fastest Well in an Upper Miocene Reservoir, Shallow Water Field in The Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

This paper will detail the engineering strategies utilized from design and planning stage up to and beyond the field execution stage which resulted in drilling the fastest well in a shallow water field, delivering superior drilling performance and successfully targeting the Upper Miocene (tertiary) reservoir in Mexico. From the 9 wells drilled in this field, the fastest well "Y"-200 was drilled with an average well construction index of 179 m/day when compared to the field average of 54.2 m/day. This shallow water field manifests several specific challenges which include tough drilling conditions, fluid property and hydraulic management, logging constraints and critical selection of casing setting depths. In order to enhance the drilling performance results to lower costs and improve production timelines, the project team performed a deep-dive into the well challenges and engaged with multi disciplinary teams and service providers to brainstorm different design improvements and operational practices. By doing so, the performance accelerates the 6000 to 9000 bbls of initial production estimated per well. The application of these creative engineering ideas proves that change, when applied correctly can really create lasting and proven improvements in drilling performance.