Vista Oil & Gas Saves 2.5 Days Drilling the Curve and Achieves Longest Slimhole Lateral, Neuquén Basin

Aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: 13—Climate action.

Vista Oil & Gas used the PowerDrive Orbit G2 RSS to deliver high dogleg severity (DLS) and reduce shock and vibration and tortuosity, saving 2.5 days and lowering carbon emissions^† while drilling the curve—achieving a record 3,025-m slimhole lateral.

Vista Oil & Gas’s concerns

The Quintuco and Vaca Muerta Formations of the Neuquén Basin are characterized by highly interbedded, fractured rock and high reservoir pressure, which can lead to severe shock and vibration while drilling. These conditions can reduce drilling performance and directional control.

Conventional methods

Wells in this area of the Neuquén Basin are typically drilled with a mud motor to achieve the DLS required to reach TD.

What SLB recommended

For challenging applications, the PowerDrive Orbit G2 motorized RSS delivers higher DLS, enabling longer runs with improved directional control. A strategy was developed for drilling the 6 1/8-in curve section using this RSS with 5°/30-m DLS and then continue drilling the lateral for 2,500 m.

What Vista Oil & Gas achieved

The PowerDrive Orbit G2 RSS reduced shock and vibration by 92%, and the hold inclination and azimuth mode improved directional control to geosteer the well for a 100% footage in the pay zone while reducing tortuosity. The operator saved 2.5 drilling days in the curve, achieving up to 7.1°/30-m DLS, and drilled the longest lateral—3,025 m—in the Neuquén Basin for a 6 1/8-in hole section.

^†Calculations based on SLB transitional methodologies.