Practical Directional Drilling Techniques in Pinedale Field Wyoming to Improve Drilling Performance

Han, Guangzhi; Lemesany, Lane; Azizov, Azar A.; DeLeon, Frank

doi:10.2118/167141-ms

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

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Bottomhole Assembly Result Analysis to Improve Drilling Performance in Pinedale Field, Wyoming, USA

et al. 2013

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The giant Pinedale gas field, which is approximately 35 miles long and 6 miles wide, is the largest structural feature in the northern Green River Basin of Wyoming, with conservative estimates of in-place natural gas at 159 Tcf. The Pinedale field ranks as the third-largest gas field in the United States by proved reserves. Gas production is primarily from a 5,500 ft-thick "Lance Pool" on top of the Ericson Sandstone. The pay zone consists of Upper Cretaceous sandstones of the Lance Formation, the Upper Mesaverde Group, and a Paleocene "unnamed" unit. The reservoir is classified as tight gas due to its low porosity and micro-Darcy permeability. The lenticular sands and stratigraphic nature of this area make horizontal drilling impractical, and deviated well drilling is prevalent.By 2010, the average drilling time was reduced to 15 days by application of automated vertical-seeking tools with limited availability and poor cost effectiveness. Design and reliability improvements to various downhole tools have further reduced the average drilling time to 12.8 days with a conventional adjustable kick-off sub (AKO) mud motor by 2012. However, due to the various downhole tools involved, a bottomhole assembly (BHA) result analysis is a key step to evaluate the effectiveness of each tool, improve BHA design, identify superior drilling strategy, and eventually optimize the overall drilling performance.Several field cases are presented in this paper to conduct BHA result analysis, and several suggestions are promoted for future operations. These suggestions can reduce bit trip, improve oriented drilling efficiency, increase rotation rate of penetration (ROP) and save substantial financial resources for customers. The valuable information and lessons learned are crucial for Pinedale drilling operations, and they may be readily applied in other tight gas fields with similar characteristics to optimize drilling performance.

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Bottomhole Assembly Result Analysis to Improve Drilling Performance in Pinedale Field, Wyoming, USA

et al. 2013

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The Effect of Bit Type on Reactive Torque and Consequent Toolface Control Anomalies

Ledgerwood

Spencer

Matthews

et al. 2015

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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The oil and gas drilling industry has developed a large body of knowledge about methods for drilling directional wells with steerable motors. Experience indicates that more aggressive drill bits are harder to steer. This is commonly attributed to the fact that bits with higher aggressivity produce larger torque changes for a given change in bit weight. The actual mechanics, however, of toolface disorientation during slide events is poorly understood. This paper reports on tests conducted on a full-size drill rig aimed at understanding the mechanics of toolface control. Toolface orientation and other data were measured downhole at 100 Hz. Nine different bits ranging from PDC to hybrid to roller-cone bits were tested on a motor/AKO BHA in slide mode. These tests confirm the common industry notions about the effect of aggressivity on toolface control. They also show that angular motion of the BHA while sliding is overdamped. Toolface orientation consequently follows the average of the torque signal generated by the bit. Furthermore, the toolface orientation is more easily disoriented by a torque signal at a frequency near or less than the natural frequency of the drillstring. PDC bits excite this more readily than bits with rolling cones. We also identify a toolface disorientation anomaly which we call a fast torque anomaly (FTA). FTAs occur because the bent motor/AKO has a preferred angular orientation in the borehole. FTAs have not been previously recognized, probably because they are not identifiable in mud-pulse signals. A BHA suffering FTAs would simply appear as a chaotic and profound loss of toolface control in mud-pulse data. Hybrid and roller-cone bits caused fewer FTAs than PDC bits.

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The Effect of Bit Type on Reactive Torque and Consequent Tool-Face-Control Anomalies

Ledgerwood

Spencer

Matthews

et al. 2016

SPE Drilling &Amp; Completion

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Summary The oil-and-gas drilling industry has developed a large body of knowledge about methods for drilling directional wells with steerable motors. Experience indicates that more-aggressive drill bits are harder to steer. This is commonly attributed to the fact that bits with higher aggressivity produce larger torque changes for a given change in bit weight. The actual mechanics, however, of tool-face disorientation during slide events is poorly understood. This paper reports on tests conducted on a full-size drill rig aimed at understanding the mechanics of tool-face control. Tool-face orientation and other data were measured downhole at 100 Hz. Nine different bits ranging from polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) to hybrid to roller-cone bits were tested on an adjustable-kick-off (AKO) motor bottomhole assembly (BHA) in slide mode. These tests confirm the common industry notions about the effect of aggressivity on tool-face control. They also show that angular motion of the BHA while sliding is overdamped. Tool-face orientation consequently follows the average of the torque signal generated by the bit. Furthermore, the tool-face orientation is more easily disoriented by a torque signal at a frequency near to or less than the torsional natural frequency of the drillstring. PDC bits excite this more readily than bits with rolling cones. We also identify a tool-face disorientation anomaly that we call a fast torque anomaly (FTA). FTAs occur because the bent motor/AKO has a preferred angular orientation in the borehole. FTAs have not been previously recognized, probably because they are not identifiable in mud-pulse signals. A BHA suffering FTAs would simply appear as a chaotic and profound loss of tool-face control in mud-pulse data. Hybrid and roller-cone bits caused fewer FTAs than PDC bits.

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Practical Directional Drilling Techniques in Pinedale Field Wyoming to Improve Drilling Performance

Abstract: The giant Pinedale anticline gas field, which is approximately 35 miles long and 6 miles wide, contains 159 Tcf of conservatively estimated in-place natural gas. The field ranks as the third-largest gas field in United States by proved reserves.

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

Bottomhole Assembly Result Analysis to Improve Drilling Performance in Pinedale Field, Wyoming, USA

Bottomhole Assembly Result Analysis to Improve Drilling Performance in Pinedale Field, Wyoming, USA

The Effect of Bit Type on Reactive Torque and Consequent Toolface Control Anomalies

The Effect of Bit Type on Reactive Torque and Consequent Tool-Face-Control Anomalies

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