IPTC-18920-MS

Drilling Performance Improvement with Rotary Steerable System RSS for

Shallow Soft Formation in the Gulf of Thailand

N. Thaiprasert, T. Pensook, N. Tangcharoen, and K. Pattanapong, PTTEP

Copyright 2016, International Petroleum Technology Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the International Petroleum Technology Conference held in Bangkok, Thailand, 14-16 November 2016.

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Abstract
In the past, the Rotary Steerable System (RSS) had rarely been utilized in PTTEP's Gulf of Thailand well
drilling due to poor economic justifications. As the technology becomes mature and thanks to competitive
market condition, the risks and the cost to run the system has come down to the level that its benefits and
saving can now be reconsidered.
With RSS ability to directionally drill while maintaining full string rotation, it is obvious that the target
wells to apply this system are those where significant amount of time is required to drill with the mud motor,
i.e. deep section where weight transfer becomes problematic.
The trials of RSS with Push-the-bit type and Point-the-bit type for performance-drilling had been
conducted by starting from the wells and sections that there was significant difference between sliding
and rotating rate of penetration (ROP). The application of RSS was then expanded to a more challenging
environment in the shallower and softer section. In this paper, the evaluation of RSS performance in fast-
drilling environment along with observations of design limitations as well as operational learning curve
were discussed. Each RSS type has different restrictions for specific application but through a continuous
improvement process, the RSS has proven to be an alternative fit-for-purpose drilling technology for PTTEP
to deliver the safest and most economical well.

Overview of RSS Technology

First introduced in the late 1990s, RSS technology still continues to be developed. The technology has been
recognized within the industry to allow operators to drill more challenging wells with following benefits:

• Increased ROP: No sliding intervals, Capability run more aggressive bits, Optimized use of drilling
parameters
• Reduced trip time through better hole quality: Improved hole cleaning, Reduced tortuosity,
Improved hole gauge.
Two types of RSS are presently available: push-the-bit and point-the-bit systems.
2 IPTC-18920-MS

Point-the-bit RSS has internal mechanism to tilt the bit shaft at an angle in the desired direction to
achieve the same effect similar to the mud motor bend while maintaining rotation. Each point-the-bit RSS
provider has different mechanisms to achieve this but two main principles are as follows:
– System that utilizes non-rotating collar or sleeve together with a specially designed stabilizer to grip
the formation which serves as an anchor for the system to know pointing direction.
– System that utilizes a more complex counter rotating system and universal joint. This system is fully
rotating on the outside of the tool.

Figure 1a—Point-the-bit RSS with non-rotating collar

Figure 1b—Fully-rotating Point-the-bit RSS

Push-the-bit RSS steers by using hydraulically actuated pads to push against the side of the wellbore,
thus displacing the tool and the bit in the direction desired. Two Push-the-bit systems that are widely used
in industry are:
– System that utilizes drilling fluid hydraulic force generated from differential pressures across the pads
to push the pads outward. The direction of this force applied on the back of the pads is controlled by
adjusting an internal valve to allow small amount of fluid to pass through.
– System that utilizes a non-rotating sleeve with hydraulic ribs to push onto the formation.

Figure 2a—Fully rotating Push-the-bit RSS

Figure 2b—Push-the-bit RSS with non-rotating sleeve

IPTC-18920-MS 3

Introductions
PTTEP Gulf of Thailand development well design for marginal gas fields can be categorized in two types
mainly based on pressure profiles of the well (Figure 3). The simplest design is a 3-string (3S) well which
is typically used for the wells with reservoir pressure between 1.0- 1.2 SG. The 3S well design starts from
12-1/4-in. surface hole drilled riser-less to deviate away from the platform to approximately 300 m true
vertical depth from rotary table (TVD RT) and cased off with 9-5/8-in. casing. Subsequently, the 8-1/2-in.
intermediate hole is drilled with seawater through a soft shale-sand sequence into more competent formation
before entering hydrocarbon bearing zone and then cased off with 7" casing. Normally, the directional work
of the well is completed in this section with the mud motor BHA. Finally, the 6-1/8-in. reservoir section,
mainly tangent profile, is drilled with rotary BHA using adjustable stabilizer for deviation control to total
depth (TD) and then completed with either 2-7/8-in. or 3-1/2-in. mono-bore cemented tubing.

Figure 3—PTTEP Gulf of Thailand Generic Development Well Design

The 4-string (4S) well design is for the wells targeting reservoirs with higher pressure as additional
casing is required to cover the pressure ramp and isolate potential weak sands in shallow sections from high
pressure zone. With the same hole size in the reservoir section as that in the 3S design, the 4S wells start with
14-3/4-in. × 13-3/8-in. surface section, 12-1/4-in. × 9-5/8-in. intermediate, 8-1/2-in. × 7-in. intermediate,
and 6-1/8-in. reservoir section. The directional work to line up the well for tangent in the 6-1/8-in. section
is normally completed either in the 12-1/4-in. or 8-1/2-in. section.
4 IPTC-18920-MS

Driver for RSS Utilization

As a general concern for implementing RSS in the Gulf of Thailand, the formation in a shallow section is
very soft where the RSS may not be in an ideal environment as per their designs and the benefit of the RSS
can be more obvious when using in drilling deeper intervals where sliding with the mud motor becomes
difficult. The strategy for implementation would be from the section with less risks and obvious benefit.
Initial idea is to start from 6-1/8-in. section and then move toward 8-1/2-in. section in 4S well design and
then finally 8-1/2-in. section in 3S well design. However, as the circulating temperature in the 6-1/8-in.
section is usually higher than 150 degC, a standard temperature rating for RSS at the time, and until the
economic for the 175 degC can be justified at later date, the application of RSS in the reservoir section was
not considered and discussed in this paper.
Since 2011, PTTEP started the development campaign for high pressure reservoirs. This led to significant
number of wells with 4S well design. Following the casing design requirement, the depth of the 9-5/8-
in. intermediate casings varied from 1,200 m to 1,900 m TVD RT. The directional profile of the 8-1/2-in.
section was usually holding tangent at 30-50 deg inclination. As the 6-1/8-in. section was planned with
rotary BHA using Adjustable Stabilizer (AGS), it was necessary to make constant trajectory control in
the 8-1/2in. section so that the trajectory does not deviate much from the plan. Upon post-run analysis of
previous motor BHAs, it can be generally observed that there is a rotary drop tendency requiring upward
steering to maintain the well path.
Figure 4 below shows the ROP performance of the 8-1/2-in. section drilled with the motor BHA in 2013.
It can be noticed that the difference in sliding ROP and rotating ROP is significant. If the sliding ROP
was duly replaced with rotary ROP by assumption of the RSS utilization, the potential time saving can be
approximated as much as 9.5 hours per well.

Figure 4—8-1/2" section ROP Performance of motor in 4-string well design

Implementation of RSS for 8-1/2-in. section (4S well design)

The push-the-bit RSS had been introduced to capture this potential well cost saving. At the same time, the
risks of running the system were assessed. Owing to benign formation and utilization of synthetic-based
drilling fluids in this section, the real-time drilling mechanic measurement from previous motor BHAs did
not present adverse stick and slip that could prevent RSS from functioning. Additionally, from wireline
caliper or lag time measurement after section TD, the average hole size is ranging between 8.6 to 8.9 inches
which should not be a concern with the system.
IPTC-18920-MS 5

The RSS had been implemented on two platforms with total 21 wells. In order to drive similar RSS
ROP performance as achievable in rotary mode with the motor BHA, the drilling parameters, weight on bit
(WOB), revolutions per minute (RPM) and Flow rate, must be applied as high as applicable considering
BHA vibrations and steerability of the RSS. The tool was setup to accommodate the flow range between
2100-2400 L/min. In addition, the drill bit needs to be aggressive design to allow cuttings to easily evacuate
from bit face. The choices of drill bits were discussed with the RSS provider starting from less aggressive
five-bladed 16 mm-cutter PDC bits, subsequently five-bladed 19 mm and then four-bladed 19 mm bits.

Results
The RSS utilization for 8-1/2-in. section in 4S wells was carried out without any major issue as expected.
The meterage drilled was 18,503 meters. Figure 5 shows the RSS ROP performance result. The overall ROP
(or IADC ROP which considers both on-bottom and off-bottom time) from 22 wells is 40 m/h comparing
to 26 m/h when drilling with the mud motor. This translated into a time saving of 249 hours.

Figure 5—Result of 8-1/2" section ROP Performance with RSS in 4-string well design

Pushing Envelope to 3-String well design

Following a successful campaign with RSS in 8-1/2-in. of 4S well design, the RSS was then considered
for 8-1/2-in. intermediate section of 3S well design. The challenges for implementing RSS in this section
can be listed as follows:
– Soft formation and already fast drilling (both sliding and rotating) with the mud motor in shallow
sections. Historical ROP performance for the wells drilled with motors from 2010 to 2014 according
to difficulties of the well profile can be shown in Figure 6. It was obvious that the RSS would have low
chance to outperform the motor in 2D well profile and complicated directional wells with measured
depth less than 2,250 m.
– Drill with seawater and severe hole over-gauge. It is a combination of clay being dissolved in seawater
and high flow rate used. The risk is that RSS may not have good stabilization to achieve ideal three
point contact.
6 IPTC-18920-MS

– Swelling shale in some intervals can cause hole pack-off. This can be expected at deeper part of the
section where the formation is not dissolved with seawater.
– Experience of RSS personnel in fast drilling operations. The RSS provider at that time did not have
drilling experience in the Gulf of Thailand.

Figure 6—Historical IADC ROP with motors for PTTEP Gulf of

Thailand wells from 2010-2014 based on complexity of well profile

Implementation of RSS for 8-1/2-in. section (3S well design)

Several candidate wells from two platforms had been selected for a trial of RSS. The main criteria to select
these wells are those with section TD deeper than 2,000 m below RT with directional work requirement
at the deeper part of the section to line up for the subsequent 6-1/8-in. section. Offset wells on the same
platform drilled with the motor are used for performance comparison. Figure 7 shows plan view plots of
those wells.

Figure 7—Plan view of the 3-string wells selected for trial of RSS in 8-1/2-in. section
IPTC-18920-MS 7

Results and observations

All RSS runs in this trial can achieve the well trajectory requirement where the planned dogleg at the deeper
part was less than 1 deg/10m. The runs details are listed in the following tables.

Platform-99 (not actual name)

Well Name XX-99-F XX-99-D XX-99-H XX-99-K XX-99-B

Bit Model 5 Blade 19mm 4 Blade 19mm 4 Blade 19mm 4 Blade 19mm 4 Blade 19mm

RSS Push-the-bit RSS Push-the-bit RSS Point-the-bit RSS 7-in. Motor 7-in. Motor
2
Bit Total Flow Area (in. ) 1.190 0.969 0.994 0.994 0.994

Depth in (m) 355 363 351 353 351

Depth out (m) 2158 2871 2292 2244 2439

Operating Time (hours) 25 35.25 28.75 25.5 28

IADC ROP (m/h) 72.1 71.2 67.5 74.2 74.6

0-1-WT-A- 0-1-WT-G- 1-3-CT-S- 0-1-CT-G- 1-3-BT-G-

Bit Grading
X-I-ER-TD X-I-NO-TD X-I-BT-TD X-I-NO-TD X-1-WT-TD

Platform 88 (not actual name)

Well Name XX-88-M XX-88-H XX-88-C XX-88-B

Bit Model 5 Blade 19mm 5 Blade 19mm 5 Blade 19mm 4 Blade 19mm

RSS Push-the-bit RSS Push-the-bit RSS Push-the-bit RSS 7-in. Motor

Bit Total Flow Area (in.2) 1.086 1.086 1.086 0.902

Depth in (m) 368 378 378 366

Depth out (m) 2690 2588 2646 2660

Operating Time (hours) 42.5 26 25.75 51.5

IADC ROP (m/h) 54.6 85.0 88.1 44.5

0-1-WT-S- 2-3-CT-S- 1-2-CT-G- 2-4-BT-N,G-

Bit Grading
X-I-ER-TD X-I-HC-TD X-I-NO-TD X-1-WT-TD

Based on the Depth-Time plot in Figure 8 and cumulative IADC ROP in Figure 9 and Figure 10, it can be
observed that three RSS runs (XX-99-D, XX-88-H, and XX-88-C) had better performance than all of the
motor runs considering time taken to drill to 2,400 m measured depth (MD) RT where the other three RSS
runs were only better than the worst motor run. The difference in performance between those RSS runs can
be seen from the start of run in the shallow section as shown in Figure 9 and Figure 10.
8 IPTC-18920-MS

Figure 8—3S 8-1/2-in. section Drilling-Time Curve for RSS trial wells

Figure 9—3S 8-1/2in. section Cumulative IADC ROP comparison (XX-99 platform)
IPTC-18920-MS 9

Figure 10—3S 8-1/2-in. section Cumulative IADC ROP comparison (XX-88 platform)

The reasons for low ROP can be summarized as follows:

– RSS directional driller's learning curve to understand tool capability in potential washout formations
– Some off-bottom downlinks were still necessary for critical commands and hence increase flat time
– Several on-bottom downlinks had to be performed with controlled drilling i.e. decreased WOB to
reduce pressure fluctuations and increase success rate
– Downlinks to change tool setting were performed too often (precision control mindset)
After few wells of learning curve, the improvement can be seen in the last two wells on Platform 88
(XX-88-H and XX-88-C) which achieved IADC ROP of higher than 85 m/h. However, the RSS ROP in the
first 1500 m is still lower than the motor average for simple profiles.
It was observed that the Point-bit-system RSS with non-rotating collar had some difficulties drilling shoe
track with an indication of hole pack-off while drilling (pressure spikes) from time to time and encountered
tight spots while pulling out of hole.
Based on PTTEP assessment in the trial, the following pros and cons can be summarized:

Point-the-bit RSS with non-rotating collar or sleeve Push-the-bit RSS

– Fully rotating
– Higher dogleg
Advantages – No sign of hole pack-off
– Wider range of operating flow rate
– Drill faster in soft formation with high WOB

– Proned to pack-off around the tool if many cuttings

– Operating range depends on flow rate setup
generated
– Sensitive to LCM in mud system
Disadvantages – Slow shoe drilling to avoid pack-off
– Difficulties to overcome strong formation tendency
– Sensitive to stick and slip
– Lower achievable dogleg
– May need special bit design (such as long gauge bit)

For well profile with 1 deg/10m dogleg requirement and ROP to be pushed in tangent section, the Push-
the-bit system had the best performance in this trial.
As the performance outcome of the RSS services still depends largely on personnel factors at the trial
phase, the same RSS personnel who had been through the learning curve had been requested. However, it
is not always possible due to work schedule and personnel safety reasons. The work process to drill fast
with RSS in soft formations has been initiated with the RSS provider. Lessons learned were captured and
the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the RSS run in this section was written and launched for all
RSS personnels to follow.
10 IPTC-18920-MS

General precautions for running RSS and application for PTTEP

As all the RSS are an electro-mechanical devices, there are general limitations of the system that can restrict
its performance comparing to pure mechanical tool such as the mud motor.
– RSS Tools can be sensitive to shocks and vibrations, especially stick and slip resulting in poor
directional control.
– RSS Tools with many annular flow restrictions such as large collar size or small stabilizers flow-by
area in conjunction with non-rotating section have higher potential to restrict cutting flow and induce
pressure spikes in the fast drilling environment.
– Related to potential pressure spikes above, the drilling speed may need to be reduced for successful
downlink command sent from surface to RSS tool.
– Most RSS that are with seals to maintain hydraulic oil inside steering section can be sensitive to pack-
offs which can happen during the casing shoe drilling.
– Bit selection is a critical aspect that needs a balance between steerability and drillability.
– Less real-time LWD data density as several RSS real-time data is necessary to monitor the tool
functionality.

Conclusions
The trials of RSS with Push-the-bit type and Point-the-bit type has been conducted and the results are as
follows:

• Successful strategy to implement of RSS in 8-1/2-in. section of 4S well design with lower risk
has resulted in significant saving and then expanded towards softer formations in 3S well 8-1/2-
in. section.
• Both types of RSS can be used for Gulf of Thailand soft formations to deliver required well
trajectory. From performance results and observations in the 8-1/2-in. section of 3S well design,
the RSS can be considered as an alternative to the mud motor once the measured depth of this
section is in the range of 2,200 – 2,400 m or deeper.
• To date, PTTEP had eighty-six 4-string wells and thirty-five 3-string wells drilled with RSS and
resulted in significant saving.
• To deliver ROP performance as that of Push-the-bit RSS, improvements on Point-the-bit RSS with
non-rotating collar will need to be further investigated.
In conclusions: RSS is an alternative fit-for-purpose drilling system to be considered for delivering the
safest and most economical wells in PTTEP's asset in the Gulf of Thailand.

Acknowledgements
The success of technology adoption will not happen without good teamwork and mindset of continuous
improvement. The authors would like to thank RSS providers that involved in the project, rig team and
management of PTTEP Offshore Drilling Department.

References
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IPTC-18920-MS 11

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