Technology Application and Process Optimization for Success in Riserless Drilling

Abstract

Co p yr ig h t 2 0 14 , IA DC/ S P E Dr illin g Co n fer e nc e an d E xhib itio n Th is p ap er wa s pr e pa r ed for p re se n tatio n a t th e 2 0 14 I A D C/S PE Dr ill in g C on fe re n ce an d E xhib itio n h e ld in Fo rt Wo r th, Tex a s, US A, 4 -6 Ma r ch 2 0 1 4.Th is pa p er wa s se lect e d for p re sen t atio n b y a n IA DC /S P E p ro g r a m co mmi tte e fo llo win g r e vie w o f in fo r matio n co n ta in e d in a n a b str a ct sub mitt ed b y the a uth or ( s). Co n ten ts o f th e p ap e r h a ve no t b e en re vie w ed b y the Inte r n a tion al A sso cia tion of Dr illing Co ntr a cto r s o r th e S o cie ty o f P etr o leu m E ng ine e rs a nd ar e su bje ct to co r re ctio n b y th e a u t ho r (s) . Th e m ate r ia l do e s n ot n e ce ss a rily re flec t a n y p o sition of the Inte rn a tio n al A sso cia tio n o f Dr illin g Co ntr a cto r s o r th e S o ciety of P etr o le u m En g ine e rs, its officer s, o r me mb er s. E lectr o n ic r e pr o d u ction , d istr ib utio n, o r stor a g e of a ny pa r t o f this p a pe r with o u t th e wr itten co n se n t o f th e In ter n atio n a l A sso ciatio n of Drilling Co n tr a cto r s o r th e S ocie ty of P etr ole u m E n g in e er s is pr o h ib ited . Pe r mis sio n to r e pr o du ce in p r int is r e str icte d to a n a b str act of n ot mo r e th an 3 00 wo r ds ; illu str a tio n s ma y n o t b e co p ie d . T h e a bs tr act mu st co n tain co n sp icu o u s a ckn o wle d g m e nt of I A D C/S P E cop yr ig ht. AbstractDeepwater wells traditionally feature two or three riserless sections that present a unique set of issues. Any oversight in managing these issues could increase the risk to the wellbore and jeopardize the safe delivery of the entire project. Recent successes in an operator's field in the Gulf of Mexico indicated improvements could be made to a process that has been commonplace for the industry. In this case, many complications often encountered during riserless drilling were overcome by utilizing technologies that had been previously used in later sections of the wellbore.T hese riserless sections have very soft, unconsolidated sediments, potential shallow water flow, torque-and-drag implications, positional uncertainty and close proximity potential to other wells in the field. This close proximity brings along another set of complications such as very large holes with concentric reamers, precise dogleg severity control, magnetic interference, and anti-collision issues. Any combination of these conditions may exist in a well.Operators may want to consider adapting existing technology as a more cost-effective, efficient, and safe solution to riserless drilling complications. This paper presents case histories from successful deployments of available technologies to meet the demands of riserless drilling challenges. Technologies in focus are rotary steerable systems, gyro measurement while drilling (MWD), survey management and acoustic measurements in large hole sizes.T he oil and gas industry strives to manage risk...