The Marcellus Shale is one of the largest unconventional shale plays in the US, but its geology makes maintaining directional control difficult. Talisman needed an RSS that would increase ROP and improve drilling efficiency on the horizontal wells it was drilling in the play.
SLB moved directional drilling services using PowerDrive Orbit™ rotary steerable system fitted with MDi516 and SDi516 drill bits to deliver precise directional control while improving ROP.
We increased ROP 35 f/h, including connection and survey time, drilled an additional 840 ft in a 24 h period, and saved 1.3 days.
SLB used the PowerDrive Orbit RSS fitted with drill bits. The PowerDrive Orbit RSS increases drilling efficiency with an engineered pad-actuation system. The RSS also enhances trajectory control using multi-axis inclination and azimuth measurements and has full hold inclination and azimuth (HIA) capability on any rig type worldwide.
Using PowerDrive Orbit RSS reduces the number of BHA runs and openhole exposure, improves ROP, and provides consistent DLS at a higher speeds. The system provides greater tolerance to stick/slip and shock and vibration as well as optimizes drilling in real time to support critical steering decisions. It delivers precisely positioned, high-quality wellbores through an extended-range gamma ray sensor. The system's six-axis continuous inclination and azimuth delivers more accurate well positioning. A closed-loop HIA reduces well tortuosity and improves hole quality.
Talisman drilled four wells using the PowerDrive Orbit RSS. Including connection and survey time, ROP increased by approximately 35 ft/h, which resulted in an additional 840 ft drilled in a 24-h period, leading to a total time savings of 1.3 days. Using the RSS to drill the turn at 3°/100 ft resulted in a drilling rate 30 ft/h faster than what a conventional motor had previously achieved.
