Advanced Engineering Solutions to Achieve Best in Class Performance in Drilling Extended Reach Dual Lateral Wells in the Sultanate of Oman
Abstract A Large Omani Operator successfully achieved best in class performance in drilling extended reach dual-lateral wells in Oman. Turning the legs to achieve the required separation distance and continue drilling to the required depth through a thin fractured reservoir resulted in complex well trajectories and harsh drilling environment. This paper will focus on the newly innovative designs, engineering optimizations and utilizing lean methodology to overcome drilling risks and achieve best in class performance. Rotary Steerable system was utilized to drill the extended reach drilling (ERD) in 3D with continuous proportional steering technology. Advance modeling including lateral shocks, Torque and Drag and BHA design were as well key enablers. Logging while drilling tools supported reservoir mapping and real-time well placement decisions. To excel in lateral applications and overcome harsh drilling environment, a shallow cone tip profile with High Performance cutter bit technology was selected. A focus optimization project using lean tools was performed to map out the undercut process, visualize possible waste, perform root causes analysis and implement countermeasures to eliminate the process waste Regional benchmark showed that the performance of 11 wells drilled since the start of the campaign is located within the best 10% of the benchmark data which is marked as best in class performance. Due to the continues improvement, the campaign manages to reach a learning curve of 30%. Furthermore, the actual production from the wells was 300% more than the forecast. Using the advanced RSS and bit technologies resulted in reducing the Torque values in the lateral section by 30% which effectively increased the reservoir drilled interval by 22%. The designed BHA also managed to complete wells including multi undercuts (up to 6) in one run. One trip Whipstock System for creating the second leg is used as part of the well design. The Whipstock system which is uniquely set in the horizontal tangent section has achieved 100% success rate in setting and retrieving operations. The undercut activities have improved by 50% as a direct result of the optimization Lean project. In addition, utilizing lean methodology resulted in reducing the cost impact of the additional sidetracks (undercuts) which enabled having best reservoir quality and achieving savings over the total cost of ownership TCO. Extended Reach Dual lateral well design was utilized for the first time in PDO operations during this drilling campaign. This paper will present how advance modelling can enable the industry to deliver complex well designs. Additionally, it will introduce the company innovation in implementing the Lean philosophy to optimize the drilling operation.