Directional/complex wells
Improved bit and bottomhole-assembly technologies and designs have helped turn what used to be record-breaking drilling runs into routine expectations.
This paper provides an account of the design, implementation, and operational insights from an enhanced geothermal system proppant stimulation targeting a volcanic, dry rock setting with an approximately 330°C bottomhole temperature.
This study evaluates the feasibility of drilling a closed-loop, unconventional geothermal system in the Pannonian Basin basement of Romania.
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A number of companies are pushing for alternative approaches to offshore development that seek to access marginal reservoirs. Their differing and unique ideas call for a departure from the usual playbook, but share a common goal of slashing capital costs. -
Larger-diameter coiled tubing recently has been used to perform millouts because of its improved set-down force and increased annular velocities for cleanout purposes. Service companies and operators have reduced the number of wiper trips when using larger-diameter CT, to save time and money.
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The force required to drill through a rock is a direct test of its strength and stiffness. Developing a reliable measure of the properties of rock based on the force required to drill a long lateral is a large challenge.
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Wellbore position is computed from survey measurements taken by a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tool in the bottomhole assembly (BHA).
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Saudi Aramco operates a large offshore oilfield development that has driven achievements in multilateral and extended-reach directional wells.
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Eight of the world’s 10 longest wells have been drilled by ExxonMobil as operator of the Sakhalin-1 project in Russia.
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The development of multilateral wells and long-reach wells has become important to maximizing recovery for many fields. These technologies are often applied in offshore environments, where large reservoir areas are drained from one or more platforms.
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This paper discusses the first multilateral well with a Level-4 junction combined with an inflow-control device (ICD) planned, designed, and drilled in the Upper Burgan reservoir of Raudhatain field, north Kuwait.
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The only wells that are straight or follow a smooth curve are in the pictures in well plans. Real wellbores are shaped by the mechanics of directional drilling tools, the skills and attention of drillers, the force of gravity, and the path followed by hydrocarbon-rich seams of rock.
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While rotary-steerable systems (RSSs) dominate the offshore directional-drilling markets, the land-based markets are still dominated by conventional directional-drilling tools. This paper presents a new RSS that is being designed and tested specifically for the onshore markets.
