Drill extended-reach well through pressure-sensitive formation
Complex fracture and fault networks in a carbonate reservoir off the
coast of Venezuela contributed to numerous drilling risks, including severe
fluid losses, high equivalent circulating density (ECD) along the horizontal
section, differential sticking, packoff, and poor hole cleaning. With a narrow
operating window of just 0.4 ppg due to close pore and fracture gradients, the
operator needed to maintain precise control of bottomhole conditions without
sacrificing safety or drilling efficiency.