SPE 124498

High Dogleg Rotary Steerable System: A Step Change in Drilling Process

Sonny Bryan, Joe Cox, and Dennis Blackwell, SEECO, and Fred Slayden and Siva Naganathan, Schlumberger

Copyright 2009, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2009 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 4–7 October 2009.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to
reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.

Abstract
Directional drilling has long evolved from the days of Drilling primarily with rotary assemblies, motors and turbines to regular
use of rotary steerable systems (RSS) .Spears estimate that RSS decreases drilling time by 50% on average (no sliding
intervals) and overall well time by 25% (good quality borehole enabling smooth casing and wireline runs).However current
rotary steerable systems available in the market have several limitations:

Maximum Dogleg severity capability for RSS drilling 8.5in or 8.75in hole sizes from major service companies is about 6.5 to
8° /100ft in normal formations. In case of soft formations or excessive borehole enlargement these figures drop significantly
and BHA is tripped out of hole for running PDM.

Most RSS require a cement plug to be in place to perform consistent and reliable sidetracks. This results in additional time and
trips for the operator.

Controlled kick off from vertical is not possible with RSS that require a gravity vector defined to seek TF. This results in
quick course corrections and higher T&D.

Steering through highly inter-bedded formations close to horizontal is challenging to conventional RSS due to limited DLS
resulting in POOH.

This paper discusses the new generation of fully rotating RSS that has twice the dogleg severity capability of any current RSS
systems (up to 15°/100ft) .This new technology enables deeper Kick off lowers the horizontal displacement significantly (by
50% or more compare to current RSS), decreases overall measured depth and improves ROP. In addition to this, this new
technology has proven its directional versatility by performing open hole sidetracks, saving cost and operating times. It has
repeatedly demonstrated its ability to kick off accurately from vertical, land the well precisely on target depth and execute
closed loop trajectory controls while drilling lateral sections.

A number of case studies are covered in this paper with results from the field trials of this unique technology. With these
capabilities every driller's dream to drill more complex well profiles in single run without the need to trip out of hole with
time and cost savings will become reality.

Present Day Technologies and Limitations

At present any well planned with high dog legs (>10°/100ft) is drilled with positive displacement motors for a good reason -
PDMs have the capability to deliver consistent and reliable doglegs. Typically these wells are delivered with a minimum of
three BHAs. The vertical part of the well bore is drilled with a conventional rotary assembly or vertical seeking RSS or a
positive displacement motor set to very low bent or straight housing. Upon reaching the kick off point depth, BHA is pulled
out of hole and a PDM with high bent housing of 1.83 ° or 2.12 ° is run and the curve is drilled with slide rotate intervals to
landing point. Once the landing point is reached the BHA is again pulled out of hole and a Motor with low bent housing or a
conventional RSS is used to drill and geosteer in the lateral. Figure1 shows pictorical representation of this process.
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This process results in significant amount of flat times associated with POOH. In addition to this the Slide rotate profile of
PDM results in low bit on bottom time, high bore hole tortuosity, hole cleaning problems, high risk of LIH incidences , lower
ROP and generally poor bore hole quality.

These wells could certainly be drilled with the existing RSS (Figure2) – but due to lower DLS output from the existing RSS
technology the well would have to be kicked off much earlier and landed lot further out in the reservoir. This will result in
reduced exposure of the reservoir to the borehole and will result in decreased production rates.

Figure 1 Well delivery with PDM Figure 2 Well delivery with conventional RSS

The future - High Dog leg Rotary Steerable Systems

High dogleg RSS are designed to deliver vertical , curve and lateral sections of the well bore in one run thereby eliminating the
flat times and improving drilling efficiency. Figure 3 captures this objective.

This unique true hybrid RSS is directionally versatile, driller friendly and fully rotating. It is built to:
• Kick off precisely from vertical
• Deliver consistent and reliable high dog legs up to 15°/100ft in any type of formation (hard /soft/interbedded) or well
profile (2D/3D) similar to that of motors while bringing together all the advantages of drilling with a fully rotating
Rotary Steerable System such as good bore hole quality, lower Torque and drag, higher ROP, good hole cleaning and
low risk of LIH incidences.
• Soft land accurately on target TVD’s and delivers lateral sections by steering/ geosteering through interbedded
formations in manual or close loop inclination hold mode.
• Perform Open hole side tracks anytime , anywhere in the well bore

Figure 3 Well delivery with high dog leg RSS

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Principle of operation

In order to better understand the high DLS operating principle, let’s start with discussion on the existing systems – push and
point the bit RSS. Shown below in Figure 4 is the stick diagram of the various RSS systems.

In case of push the bit systems the points of contact are the bit, the pad interaction with the formation and the stabilizer on the
control collar. Since the pads are external to the tool, any large bore hole washouts will result in poor or no bore hole contact
of the pads thus significantly decreasing the dogleg capability.

In case of point the bit systems the contact points are the bit and 2 stabilizers on the collar of the tool. DLS is generated due to
the bend in the system. Since the “bend” is internal to the tool – either fixed or created by other means these systems are less
affected by borehole environment and have higher dogleg capabilities.

The high DLS RSS is a true hybrid system that combines the principle of the push and point the bit systems in order to deliver
maximum dogleg capability. The touch points for the system are the bit and 2 stabilizers on the collar of the tool. In steering
mode (Figure5) the electronics stabilizes a geostationary valve that diverts about 4 -5% of the mud to the pistons internal to the
Steering unit. At any given time 2 pistons are energized simultaneously .This is the push action of the system .When energized
the pistons strike against the inner diameter (ID) of the steering sleeve. The resultant force vector deflects the steering sleeve
and the amount of deflection is limited mechanically and electronically. The entire assembly is pivoted on a universal joint
close to the bit which deflects the bit in the desired direction. This is the point action of the system. Since the pivot point is
internal to the tool and is very close to the bit the system delivers high, consistent, reliable, repeatable doglegs independent of
the type of formation similar to that of the point the bit systems .In neutral mode (Figure6), electronics rotate the control valve
continuously, and the bit force is uniformly distributed along the borehole wall, as well as along with borehole axis thus
drilling ahead without generating any dogleg severity.

Figure 4 Stick diagram for various RSS

Figure 5 Steering mode Figure 6 Straight mode

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Planning for Success

As a first step in the introduction of any new service or technology, a hazard identification and remedial plan (HARC) exercise
was carried out to consider all the aspects of the service delivery. This included safety, training, repair and maintenance,
engineering support, communication and chain of command, prejob planning, on job work flow, post job deliverables and
close out. Mitigation measures were put in place for all potential hazards.

Extensive and upfront drilling engineering work went into each and every highDLS RSS jobs to ensure all aspects were
addressed. Some of the major steps are discussed below. At every step of the process there was open and good communication
and cooperation between the operator and the service company

As a first step offset well bit and drilling issues information was obtained from the operators. Well plan/Equipment plan was
then formulated to reach the given target by taking into account all drilling issues. Anti collision was run against all offset
wells.

Bit selection is critical to success of any project- with a true hybrid system it becomes even more important and challenging
due to the hybrid nature of the tool. Push the Bit systems generally require an aggressive side cutting bit for delivering
doglegs. Point the Bit systems need more stabilization from the bit in the form of a passive long side gauge bit in order to
deliver DLS. Hence for the High Dog Leg RSS extensive bit engineering work was carried out to understand bit – tool – rock
interaction in order to match the bit profile to the tool, to maximize the directional performance. It is important to note that
while doing so, offset well bit information was taken into account to maximize the drilling performance of the bit as well.

The next important step is to do detailed drilling engineering work. First on the list was the BHA design. Various BHA
designs were simulated through inhouse drilling simulation software model for to ensure that the integrity of the connections
and collars while drilling through high DLS. Attention was given to make the BHA more flexible. Shown below in Figure 7 is
one such BHA that successfully passed all the inhouse modelling and was deemed fit for downhole use.

Figure 7 Example High DLS RSS BHA

Once the BHA was firmed up, BHA Shock and vibration analysis was conducted to identify critical resonance
frequencies/RPMs that will need to be avoided while drilling .Then Torque & Drag simulations for drilling, tripping
operations was run to ensure pipe integrity and drillability .Hydraulics was carried out over various Mud weight and Flow
ranges in order to ensure maximum stand pipe pressure is not exceeded.

Auto downlink modulator system that is capable of performing fast downlinks while drilling ahead transparent to the drilling
process was deployed for improving drilling efficiency. Since the BHA iron components are being run at the edge of the
operating envelop as a precautionary measure a quick event detection system was deployed to identify when the BHA integrity
is beginning to be deteriorate. Automated Surface software that learns the BHA tendency as the drilling progresses and gives
recommendation on an advisory capacity by comparing the plan Vs actual surveys was run in order to assist the directional
driller. With high dog leg BHA at every opportunity MWD system that transmitted near bit inclination and Azimuth data was
run. Whenever this was not feasible, the Bit to D&I system distance was kept as short as possible in order to have a close
watch on the well path.

While drilling vertical sections closed loop vertical control mode was planned to be engaged to keep the well in line and
maximize ROP. While drilling lateral sections inclination hold was planned to be engaged to maximize ROP and keep the well
path in the reservoir. BHA connections were pre-torqued in the base to reduce rig time associated with BHA make up.

Clear focal points and communication channels were established between the operator and the service company prior to the
start of the job for smooth running of the jobs.
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Results
In this section we will present case histories of various applications of the tool during the field test.

Directional Response - 2D curve

The well shown below in Figure 8 was drilled for SEECO. Objective of this well was to drill and test high DLS RSS tool in a
2D curve at 10 ° /100ft DLS. High DLS RSS tool was deployed and below is the Plan Vs Actual plot showing an accurate
kick off from vertical , smooth and consistent DLS delivery in the curve at 10 ° /100ft and precise landing at the target TVD
at (+/-0.5 ft ).

Figure 8 : 2D curve Drilled for SEECO

Directional response – Vertical, 2D Curve and Lateral

The well shown below in Figure 9 was drilled for SEECO in NW Arkansas/Atoka Formation. Objective of this well was to
drill and test the high DLS RSS tool response in vertical, curve and lateral sections of the well bore. Shown in RED is the
actual well path with blue and dark red paths representing 2 different well profiles planned based on the dip of the formation.
The well was kicked off accurately in the planned direction; curve was built at consistent 10°/100ft DLS and was soft landed
at the desired target at an inclination of 88.2°.

Closed loop inclination hold was engaged at this point and the inclination was kept at +/- 0.5° of 88.2 ° for about a 1000ft as
shown in the log (Figure10) below. After this the well was nudged up for geosteering purposes in close loop manner – to
which the tool responded closely and built up inclination to 92 ° as required. At this point an early TD was called for due to
unexpected termination of reservoir due to faulting.

Figure 9 ( below) : 2D Curve and lateral

Drilled for SEECO

Figure 10 (Right) :Log from Inclinaiton hold run

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Directional Response - 3D curve

The well shown below (Figure11)was drilled in Woodford shale formation. High Dogleg RSS tool was utilized to drill a
complex 3D well that was quite close to the leased line at deep TVD of 13,000+ft. The tool successfully kicked off, built angle
and turned the wellbore azimuth by more than 70° delivering dog legs of about 15°/100ft following the well plan as shown in
the Plan Vs Actual plot below. The well reported a 40% increase in ROP compared to the offset well drilled with positive
displacement motors.

Figure 11: 3D well delivered by high DLS RSS in Woodford shale

Directional Response – Vertical hold

The well shown below ( Figure12) is a vertical well drilled in Queen city sand formation. High dogleg RSS tool was utilized
in this well to test the vertical hold functionality. The well drilled over 5500ft and the maximum displacement from surface
location was only about 3.3ft at TD. Offset wells utilizing PDM required about 33% of the time for sliding and course
correction.

Figure 12 (right) :Vertical well delivered by high

DLS RSS in Queen city sand
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Borehole Quality
Quality of borehole decides the success or failure of a casing run and hence the success of the entire well in any well bore and
more so in tight curvature well bores. High dogleg RSS system was tasked from its inception with the requirement to deliver
consistent and reliable doglegs with highest quality borehole. During the development and testing phase many horizontal
surface drilling tests were conducted to verify the same. In these tests blocks ( as per Figure 13 below) of different
compressive strengths were lined up on surface to a length of about 150ft to and the high DLS RSS along with various
combination of bits was used to drill through these in different directional settings to simulate downhole drilling conditions.
Once drilled the blocks are callipered with laser measurements to check for borehole dimensions and in every instance there
was no borehole rugosity. Figure 14 shows the picture of one such borehole.

Figure 13( left) : Test block Figure 14: Picture of drilled borehole

Figure 15 : 2D well bore in Marchand sand saving 5 days of rig time Figure 16: Well path for SEECO extending lateral by 800ft

Every borehole drilled by high dogleg RSS has been successfully completed with a casing run in water or oil based mud
environments. Figure 15 on the left hand side shows one such well drilled in Marchand sand. The well was successfully kicked
off and drilled at a dogleg of about 10 °/100ft to landing point and a casing was run without issues to bottom. It is worth noting
that the offset wells drilled with positive displacement motors required a minimum of 5 days of conditioning the hole with
wiper trips prior to running casing. Figure 16 on the right hand side shows a well drilled for SEECO where use of high DLS
RSS tool in curve reduced torque & drag by 33% leading to lengthening of the lateral section by about 800ft.
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Reliability
The objectives of the field test of high dogleg RSS was to ensure Reliability, Repeatability, Consistency and Quality .Case
studies discussed before have clearly bought forward all aspects except for reliability. Figure 17 shows the Actual well path
delivered by high DLS RSS at TVDs of 13,000ft. The tool was in hole for about 163 hours where it successfully kicked off
and drilled close to landing point .BHA was then POOH for Rate of penetration reasons and followed with a second BHA to
drill the lateral section. The longevity of the highDLS RSS directly translates into increase bit on bottom time and improved
drilling efficiency.

Figure 17: One of the long runs of high DLS RSS BHA

Conclusions
Based on the results from the field test we can see that the fully rotating High Dog Leg rotary steerable system has proven its
capability to:
• Kick off accurately from vertical
• Deliver consistent , Reliable and Repeatable High Doglegs of up to 15° /100ft in 2D or 3D well paths
• Precisely land horizontal wells and drill laterals with closed loop inclination control
• Deliver good Quality well bores which translates into better logging and casing runs
• Deliver a Reliable service

Acknowledgement
Authors wish to thank management of Schlumberger and SEECO for their permission to publish the paper

References
1. Development and testing of high dogleg rotartry steerable system: AADE2009 NTCE 14-06; Fred Slayden Schlumberger,
Siva Naganathan Schlumberger