Engineered System Drills East Siberia Complex Well Trajectory 4 Days Ahead of Plan

Drill horizontal section in remote East Siberia field

During development of a field in East Siberia, the operator wanted to improve drilling performance and extend drilling boundaries. The remote location, harsh weather, and the field's complex geology created a challenging environment for drilling. The formations in the field include extended salt intervals that are prone to excessive washout, hard dolomites and limestones that produce severe vibrations, and an unstable argillite shale that results in stuck drillstrings and less directional control.

To maintain the required trajectory and increase ROP and drilling efficiency, the operator requested an engineered drilling system that would drill efficiently in the harsh environment.

Optimize drilling performance in harsh weather

Using the i-DRILL system, Schlumberger designed an integrated BHA and recommended the optimal drilling parameters in the inclement weather where NPT for rig repair was a common occurrence. The PowerDrive X6 475 rotary steerable system, an MDSi613 SHARC PDC drill bit from Smith Bits, a Schlumberger company, and Flo-VIS NT premium-grade, nondispersed xanthan gum from M-I SWACO, a Schlumberger company, were combined for the first time to drill an extended-reach horizontal section. The PowerDrive X6 RSS, designed for full directional control while rotating the drillstring, was ideal for the harsh environment because it minimizes the effect of external drilling environment factors and focuses on performance and reliability.