Efficient Openhole Logging of the Horizontal Wells

As horizontal and deviated drilling continues to increase, safe and efficient data acquisition for reservoir characterization and completion design is essential for maximizing production in the open-hole lateral sections. The UltraTRAC all-terrain wireline tractor significantly reduces time, cost and risk in conveying downhole tools in horizontal open holes and across high-angle, extended-reach wells. The technology marks a step-change from conventional methods, which require open-hole logging tools to be pushed downhole by mechanical force using drill pipe. The process, typically involving a drilling crew and a wireline crew working in synchronized fashion, is time-consuming and risky.

Middle East operator Tatweer Petroleum deployed the tractor in the Bahrain Oilfield, where horizontal drilling is increasingly being used to boost production rates. The tractor conveyed tools strings up to 2,400 ft. (732 m) per hour in the open-hole laterals of two wells, enabling the operator to acquire high-quality images for formation evaluation while saving up to 70% logging time and reducing rig costs by $40,000 per well.