Published: 11/04/2016
Published: 11/04/2016
Successful 30-in casing drilling for exploratory wells in Tertiary formations led to the design of the first 34-in Direct XCD drillable alloy casing bit. The ultimate goal was to implement casing drilling in conductor sections of wells with robust well schematics, targeting Mesozoic formations. Using drillable alloy casing bit technology in the 30-in × 34-in conductor section would ensure the settlement of the 30-in casing in a single run, thus optimizing well construction time by drilling and casing the hole simultaneously to achieve the planned well design in less time.
To optimize the operation and the drilling time needed for the conductor sections of the exploratory wells, the operator and Schlumberger performed a technical feasibility study to analyze the viability of deploying the 34-in Direct XCD bit.
This study included a 34-in Direct XCD bit with 30-in casing, an integral drilling system with casing, and a drillable PDC bit that enables drilling and casing the section, eliminating the need to assemble a BHA and running dedicated wiper trips and casing.
The 30-in x 34-in conductor section was drilled and cased at a TD of 256 m. Drilling with the Direct XCD bit totaled 178 m in less than 10 hours, with an average ROP of 18.04 m/h. The operator achieved a 26.3% drilling time improvement in the conductor section compared with conventional drilling methods (1.31 fewer days).
Challenge: Reduce time and enhance efficiency of well construction in the shallow waters of Mexico, mplementing new casing drilling technology.
Solution: Use a casing drilling system including the Direct XCD drillable alloy casing bit to drill and case the hole simultaneously and reach planned TD in one run.
Results:
