During the drilling of a high-angle exploration well offshore Norway, a comprehensive reservoir characterization suite was needed to thoroughly assess the reservoir. This suite included gathering formation pressures for profiling reservoir pressure and mobility, as well as fluid gradients. It was essential to obtain representative fluid samples containing both hydrocarbons and water for laboratory pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) analysis. Meeting NOD regulations required the acquisition of both pressure data and fluid samples. The operator's past downhole sampling activities had exclusively used wireline tools.
Using SpectraSphere™ fluid mapping-while-drilling service with WDP technology marked a substantial shift in the operator's workflow for meeting downhole fluid sampling needs. SpectraSphere service offered the capability to obtain formation pressures while drilling, perform downhole fluid analysis (DFA) to fully characterize the formation fluid, and retrieve physical fluid samples to the surface for laboratory analysis. NeoLink™ real-time downhole wired drillpipe control was deployed to enable efficient interaction at low latency with the downhole BHA and optimize the operation for performance and safety. The integration of NeoLink wired drillpipe control and SpectraSphere service enabled instant transmission of downhole commands, a significant improvement comparted with the several minutes required for traditional surface-to-downhole downlink commands.
Using WDP in this sampling-while-drilling application saved about 2 hours of rig time per well, while also significantly reducing the risk of pipe-sticking events. In total, approximately 3 days of rig time were saved. Due to these efforts, the operator successfully achieved all data acquisition goals in a single run, enhancing reservoir understanding and operational safety.
