A deepwater extended-reach well for a major operator in west Africa required a tangent section in a soft formation. The detailed drilling plan included the use of a tailored bottomhole assembly (BHA) with a point-the-bit rotary-steerable system (RSS) and an extended-gauge bit. The BHA had to overcome the tendency of the formation to drop inclination while creating a high-quality wellbore to provide sufficient hole-cleaning capacity in the deeper sections.
Introduction
West Africa has seen a significant shift in drilling activity, mainly in deep water. Many of the major international operators are carrying out important exploration-and-development activities there.
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