IADC/SPE 167940

First 30-in Casing Exit Enables Slot Recovery in Gulf of Suez’s East Zeit Field
Mohamed Reda, Dana Petroleum, Mohamed Fahmy, Mahmoud Khedr, Schlumberger

Copyright 2014, IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2014 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition held in Fort Worth, Texas, USA, 4–6 March 2014.

This paper was selected for presentation by an IADC/SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abs tract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not
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Abstract
To increase production in East Zeit field, the operator wanted to recover a slot occupied by a well with collapsed 30-in
conductor. Because of platform constraints, driving new pipe was not an option. Attempts to mill through an obstruction at
600ft were unsuccessful. And because the collapse occurred below the window, it was not possible to recover the damaged
conductor and sidetrack. A whipstock system was required that could anchor in the 30-in casing, enabling a full-gauge 16-in
window to be milled for sidetracking. However, there are no whipstocks made with anchors large enough to set in 30-in
casing.

To solve the problem, the service provider proposed running 600ft of 20-in casing inside the 30-in conductor. However, no case
histories for dual casing exits at these large sizes were available. Potential problems included ability to mill the 20-in (0.5-in)
and 30-in (1.0-in) casing wall thickness; potential mill tracking between the 20-in and 30-in casings; and the availability large
milling bits. A unique solution was proposed: set two joints of 20-in casing in slips before running the whipstock; set a 16-in
cased-hole WS using an expandable anchor just below the rotary table inside the 20-in casing; pull the entire assembly and hand-
cut the window in the 20-in casing; run in hole with the whipstock inside the 20-in casing and cement in place; access and mill
an exit through the 30-in conductor through the 20-in casing’s precut window. A software program was utilized to ensure the
correct alignment of the whipstock face to mitigate the risk of mill tracking.

In one trip, the whipstock system was safely run and successfully milled a window in the 30-in casing accessed through the
exiting porthole in the 20-in string. The 16-in OD cased-hole whipstock lead and follow mills completed a 22ft long 17½-in
exit in the 30-in casing. The exit was milled and dressed in just 11hrs during which 2000 lbs of steel accumulated at the ditch
magnets. The minimum window gauge was 16 ¾-in, and the bottom of both windows was at 584ft. This effort marked the
first time an exit was completed through 30-in casing. The whipstock assembly also drilled a 20ft rathole allowing the 16-in
directional BHA to pass through the casing exit and drill ahead without issues or delay.

Introduction
A slot recovery was planned on a platform in the Gulf of Suez, offshore Egypt. On the first attempt to pass through the 30”
conductor an obstruction was encountered at around 600 ft. An attempt to mill through the fish was performed without success.
Due to platform constraints, driving new conductor casing was not an option. The application required a whipstock system
capable of fitting inside the 30”conductor to recover the slot.

A search of worldwide inventory revealed there was not a suitable whipstock system available that would fit inside the 30”
conductor. The service provider proposed running 600 ft of 20” casing inside the 30” conductor and run a fast and reliable 20”
cased hole sidetracking system to exit both the 20” and the 30” casings.

Cased Hole Sidetracking System

The service provider’s cased hole exit system (TMCH) provides a flexible set of tools can be configured for a specific
application to quickly mill a full-gauge casing exit window for sidetracking (Figure 1-left).1 The fast-cutout ramp at the top
of the whipstock cradles a full-gauge lead mill while running in hole and sets the necessary kickoff angle to initiate cutout
(Figure 1-right). The result is a full-gauge window within a few inches of the cutout. The full-gauge section of the
whipstock extends the window and maximizes the window quality while minimizing effective dogleg severity. The midramp
accelerates the lead mill past its center point, facilitating completion of the window and rathole in one run.
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A variety of premium mills are available to optimize milling operations through high-grade steel, chrome casing and in
formations with UCS up to 40,000psi. The system is supported by four design, modeling and simulation systems.

 WhipSim - casing exit simulation software helps ensure subsequent drilling and completion strings are not affected
by the dogleg across the whipstock
 i-DRILL - engineered modeling system designed to optimize mill and whipstock configuration
 Runner - drillstring analysis program provides a complete sidetracking model and real-time parameter analysis
 IDEAS - drillbit design platform tests mill behavior to optimize cutting structure for each operation

Figure 1 – 20” TMCH whipstock system with a schematic of exit, follow and dress mill concept (left)
Fast-cutout ramp at the top of the whipstock (right)

The cased hole system has three retrievable anchors and one permanent configuration (Figure 2):
 Expandable anchor secures placement of the whipstock in the wellbore. This is the most versatile option as it
provides flexibility for a range of casing and tool sizes when a packing element is not required.
 Mechanical weight-set actuated anchor for use when borehole isolation with a packing element is required.
 Hydraulically set anchor system.
 Permanent packer anchor is used when borehole isolation with a permanent barrier is required.
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Figure 2 - Expandable anchor retrievable hydraulically actuated capable of spanning multiple casing sizes and weights;
Mechanical anchor retrievable weight-set-actuated with an anti-rotational slip design Hydraulic anchor - retrievable with
high-axial-load tolerance; Permanent packer hydraulically actuated 5000-psi element (left to right)

Engineering Analysis
An engineering analysis defined a primary objective was to set a whipstock and mill a minimum 16” full gauge window through
the well’s dual casing system (Figure 3). This size window opening would enable the operator to run and cement 13-3/8”
casing and resume drilling a borehole to TD for production. To accomplish the objective several plans were considered. An
initial plan was set with the following operational procedures:

 Run the 20” casing above the restriction and cement it in place inside the 30” conductor
 Pick up the TMCH whipstock assembly and set it inside the 20” casing
 Start milling and create a dual exit through both the 20” and 30”casings
 Sidetrack the well and drill new borehole

20” Casing

30” Casing
Rathole after
milling the 20” & Whipstock
30” Casings system inside
the 20” casing

Obstruction at
600 ft inside
30” casing

Figure 3 – Schematic of tool setup led the engineering team to question the viability of the initial plan
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Initial Plan Limitations

After searching a global drilling records database system (DRS), engineers determined no case histories for dual casing exits at
these large sizes had ever been performed. Additional research revealed the ability to mill both the 20” (0.5” wall thickness) and
30” (1.0” wall thickness) casing with one mill could be problematic possibility leading to several trips for a new 17½” milling
tool. There was also considerable potential for mill tracking between the 20” and 30” casings leading to further operational
inefficiencies. Finally, availability of 17½” backup bi-mills is limited because this size whipstock procedure had never been
performed according to the available records.

Brainstorming for Solution

In an attempt to eliminate the majority of the operational concerns, an alternative procedure was proposed that started with
running 600ft of 20” casing inside the 30” conductor. However, at this point a new tactic would be employed with rig personnel
setting two joints of 20” casing in the slips. Next, the whipstock would be inserted and set inside the 20” casing at the surface
using a hydraulic anchoring system while being suspended just below the rotary table. Next, the entire assembly would be
pulled and a window would be manually cut in the 20” casing facing the whip-face followed by the remaining 20” casing joints.
Next the entire assembly would be run-in hole and a cement job would set the 20” string inside the 30” casing. The mill would
then pass through the pre-cut window window thus eliminating the requirement to mill the 20” casing down-hole. Next, the rig
crew would pick up the 17½” new bi-mill bit and proceed creating an exit window in the 30” conductor sting.

Window Milling Analysis

A unique casing exit simulation software (WhipSim) was used to generating a three dimensional plot depicting a precise
window blueprint and to determine the mill’s initial cut versus depth (Figure 4). It also outlines the amount of steel that
should be milled out to form an in-gauge window as dictated by the minimum size requirement. Finally, the WS software
system ensures subsequent drilling strings would not be affected by the dogleg across the whipstock. Using the software,
engineers calculated the proper alignment of the whipstock face inside the 20” casing and identify the depths at which the mill
would engage the 30” casing down hole to mitigate risk of mill tracking. The program determined the milled window
dimensions as: 1) top of window -11.1-in; 2) bottom of window 141.2-in; 3) approximate total length 152.3-in; 4) amount of
steel removed 121lbm; 5) Slide angle at whip exit 2.5deg. A 16¾” backup mill would be on the rig floor in case the primary
mill could complete the 30” casing exit in one run.

Figure 4 – Simulation program determined the proper whip angle, top/bottom/total length of window and amount of steel to remove

Operational Challenges
Once the engineering team had agreed on the tools and unique procedures to accomplish the objective, they focused on
outlining specific procedures that could cause problems or operational inefficiencies on the first 30-in casing exit job ever
attempted:
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 Whipstock handling
 Setting the expandable anchor on surface
 Damaging the casing joint while setting the anchor
 High pressure hazard
 Whipstock orientation

Execution Sequence
With all pre-job requirements completed and HSE considered, the execution sequence commenced.

1. Make-up whipstock to the anchor

2. Reinforce the 20” casing OD to avoid damage while setting the anchor
3. Set one joint of 20” at the rotary
4. Pickup the 16” TMCH whipstock and slack off inside the 20” joint

5. Connect the hydraulic line to the whipstock and set the anchor
6. Pick-up to confirm anchor setting
7. Make-up an another joint of 20” casing
8. Mark window drawing to be cut, total cut length 26.90ft
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9. Weld the whipstock tip to ID of the 20” casing

10. Orientation performed using manual scribing
11. RIH with 20” casing and cement
12. RIH with 17½" bit clean-out assembly
13. Pickup/makeup 17½” bi-mill assembly
14. Drill cement from 557ft to 560ft
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15. Started milling 30” casing, total milling time 10 hrs, accumulated 1 ton of steel at collection magnets
16. Lead mill came out under gauge 0.75” Minimum actual window gauge is 16¾” follow mill 2” under gauge
17. RIH with directional BHA without issues

Conclusion
Collaboration and teamwork between Dana Petroleum, the rig crew and the service provider’s local and HQ engineering
teams resulted in the flawless execution of the first 30” casing exit sidetrack operation. The innovative procedure was
performed safely without an HSE incident enabling the operator to recover a valuable slot in East Zeit Field, Gulf of Suez.

Every component of the TMCH casing exit system proved reliable/durable throughout the entire milling and successful
sidetracking operation. The 30” conductor casing was cut through in a single run with the 17½” lead mill pulled in good dull
condition measuring only 0.75” under gauge after cutting one ton of high-grade casing steel. The WhipSim software program
added value by determining the correct 20” casing window dimensions for optimized tool pass through and ensured subsequent
drilling strings would not be affected by the dogleg across the whipstock.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank management at Dana Petroleum and Schlumberger for permission to publish the well history
and operational sequence of events outlined in this paper. Also, thanks go to Craig Fleming, Schlumberger, for his technical
writing and editorial contributions.

Reference
1. Finlay, A., Bain, J., Fairweather, A., Ford, J.: “Innovative Whipstock Technology/Procedures Successfully
Complete Challenging Low-Side, Uncemented Casing Exits: UK North Sea” paper SPE 149625 presented at the
SPE Deepwater Drilling and Completions Conference, Galveston, Texas USA 20-21 June 2012.