SPE 124891

Reelwell Drilling Method—A Unique Combination of MPD and Liner Drilling

Ola Vestavik, Reelwell; Scott Kerr, StatoilHydro; and Stuart Brown, Shell UK

Copyright 2009, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2009 SPE Offshore Europe Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition held in Aberdeen, UK, 8–11 September 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

The Reelwell Drilling Method is developed to improve the capability to drill wells through difficult pressure zones, to solve
hole cleaning problems and to increase the ERD horizontal displacement. The method uses a concentric drill string and new
downhole tools for improved downhole pressure control. The method was recently used for deepening of a well at Ullrigg in
Stavanger, Norway. Here the 8 ½” hole section was drilled with a downhole motor and MWD to verify the capability for
directional drilling and for downhole pressure control.

The results from the drilling operation show that the Reelwell Drilling Method has successfully verified all the pilot well
drilling objectives:
- Excellent interaction with conventional mud pulse MWD.
- Full directional drilling control.
- Precise downhole pressure control, including the capability for downhole pressure isolation.

The new equipment and procedures have been reviewed and certified by DNV, and the plain version of the Reelwell Drilling
Method is now ready for commercial applications. The liner drilling version is planned to be qualified within short time.

Introduction

The Reelwell Drilling Method has the recent years been developed in a Joint Industry Project supported by StatoilHydro,
Shell and The Research Council of Norway. During the development period 2005-2008 the Reelwell Drilling Method has
been successfully tested and verified in several full scale drilling operations at Ullrigg at IRIS in Stavanger, see ref /1/.

The new drilling method can be used to avoid drilling problems and to improve drilling performance for various applications.
However, unique features are obtained for the following applications:
- Managed Pressure Drilling – including unique downhole pressure isolation.
- Liner Drilling – optionally, a liner may be installed and potentially expanded enabling immediate wellbore isolation.
- Deep Water Drilling – enabling the use of low pressure riser and advanced well annulus gradients.
- Extended Reach Drilling – unique hole cleaning combined with hydraulic downhole thrust force.

The Reelwell Drilling Method was used to perform an onshore drilling operation at Ullrigg earlier this year. In this operation
the 8 ½” section of a test well was drilled in order to perform an integration and qualification of an industry standard version
of the plain drilling system, including MWD and directional drilling with downhole motor. Special attention was also given
to the downhole pressure control. The drilling operation was performed as a qualification program for field applications.
This program also included involvement from DNV, for certification of tools and procedures.

The following presents the new drilling method and the results from the drilling operation.
2 SPE 124891

EQUIPMENT ARRANGEMENTS

Ullrigg is a full scale drilling rig with top drive, pumps, mud cleaning system and storage tanks and well control equipment.
Figure 1 presents a schematic of well U3.

Figure 1. U3 well schematic.

The U3 well was established in 1987, and has been used for various well and drilling operations:
- 17 ½” hole drilled down to 334 m, 13.3/8” casing cemented to surface. Well used for TFL testing.
- 12 ½” section drilled and 9 5/8” casing installed and cemented, shoe at 796 m MD. 8 ½” section subsequently
drilled during various drilling trials down to 1048 m MD.
- Several sidetrack milling trials resulted in several partly /fully milled 3 ½” windows of the 9 5/8” casing at depths in
the range 696.5 – 766.9m MD.

The objective for the current drilling operations is to start drilling with 3-5 degrees build angle, to verify directional drilling
performance. The Gneiss formation at 1000 m depth is very hard rock, typical ROP experienced for conventional drilling at
this depth at Ullrigg is around 1 m/h.

Adaptation to the Drilling Rig

The Reelwell Drilling Method is based on a patented drilling fluid flow arrangement:
- A Dual concentric Drill String, one conduit is used for in-flow and the other conduit is used for the return fluid.
- A Sliding Piston attached to the drill string in the cased hole is used to aid the downhole pressure and WOB control.
- Optionally, a liner is conveyed while drilling and installed in the same run to enable simultaneous drilling and lining.
SPE 124891 3

Figure 2 presents a schematic of the two arrangements, i.e. Plain Drilling and Liner Drilling. The basic set-up with a top
string adapter, the dual drill string, the sliding piston, the dual float and the flow x-over, are the same for both arrangements.

Figure 2. Schematic of the Plain Drilling and Liner Drilling arrangements.

The Plain Drilling arrangement is shown on the left side of figure 2. The Sliding Piston is attached to the Dual Drill Pipe at a
predetermined distance above the BHA. The Dual Float and Flow X-over is positioned at the top of the BHA.

The Liner Drilling arrangement is shown on the right side in figure 2. This arrangement also includes the following:
- A Lower Liner Coupling attached to the Dual Float in the BHA.
- An Upper Liner Coupling attached to the Sliding Piston.
- A Liner attached between the upper and lower Liner Coupling.

Figure 3 presents a flow schematic of the surface system. On the left of the figure is shown the mud pump which pumps the
drilling fluid into the side entry port of the Top String Adapter and down the annular channel of the drill string. The return
fluid from the well flows back through the inner channel of the dual drill string and passes through a surface choke system
before returning to the shakers and mud tanks. A separate Upper Annulus Control unit controls the pressure on the on the
well annulus.
4 SPE 124891

Figure 3. Schematic of the flow arrangement

Tools and Equipment

Table 1 gives an overview of the BHA and drill string data for the drilling operation. More details on the equipment follows.

Body OD LENGTH Total Length

Description Supplier
[IN] [m] [m]
8 1/2" Bit Smith 8 1/2 0,30 0,3
Downhole PDM INTEQ 4 3/4 9,25 9,6
X-0ver INTEQ 6 3/4 1,20 10,8
NM Stab INTEQ 6 1/2 2,50 13,3
OnTrack w/ Stop sub INTEQ 6 3/4 5,73 19
Mod Stab INTEQ 6 1/2 1,24 20,2
BCPM INTEQ 6 3/4 7,90 28,1
Stop Sub INTEQ 6 3/4 0,60 28,7
NM Stab INTEQ 6 1/2 2,50 31,2
Hydraulic Jar Smith 6 1/2 10,00 41,2
Dual Float & sensors Reelwell 7 7/8 2,50 44,7
6 5/8 DP dual Odfjell/Reelwell 6 5/8 399 444
Sliding Piston Reelwell 8 1/2 1,20 445
6 5/8 DP -dual Odfjell/Reelwell 6 5/8
Table 1. BHA and drill string data.
SPE 124891 5

8 ½” Drill Bit
The drill bit selected for use is an 8 ½” tricone roller cone bit from Smith. The drill bit is special suited for hard rock drilling
and good longevity. The bit has small teeth, and is expected to generate small size cuttings from the drilled rock.

Drilling Motor
The motor selected is a standard 4 ¾” motor from Baker Hughes Inteq. However, the motor is modified with a stabiliser to
enable the directional drilling of the 8 ½” hole. For the first run the motor is modified with an outer 7 5/8” casing. This
modification is performed in order to avoid cuttings transport problems in the annulus of the well around the motor. This
casing was removed during the second run, due to problems with this arrangement. The 4 ¾” motor is selected because it is
more suited to the planned flow rates than a standard 6 ¾” motor.

MWD
The MWD system is a standard 6 ¾” solution for directional drilling and pressure logging from Baker Hughes Inteq. The
MWD has downhole measurements of the drilling directions and downhole pressure, which is sent to the surface by
conventional mud pulses (Ontrack + BCPM).

Drilling Jar
The selected jar is a 6 ½” Jar of type Hydra Jar from Smith is positioned above the MWD.

Dual Float
The Dual Float with the integrated flow x-over is positioned above the Jar. The Dual Float is a patented surface controlled
valve positioned at the lower end of the dual drill string. The Dual Float enables simultaneous closure and opening of both
channels of the drill string. In the fail safe default position, the valve closes both channels of the dual drill string. The Dual
Float enables the downhole isolation of the well and thus pressure-less connections at surface during Managed Pressure
Drilling operations.

Dual Drill Pipe

Above the Dual float is a ca 400 m section of 6 5/8” Dual Drill Pipe. The 6 5/8” Drill pipe is a conventional drill pipe rented
from Odfjell. The inner pipe has 65 mm OD and a special inner connector design.

Sliding Piston
The Sliding Piston is installed in the drill string at a distance of ca 400 m above the drill bit to enable to drill at least 100 m of
open hole with the Sliding Piston inside the non-perforated zone of the casing. The piston allows drill pipe rotation and
isolates the well annulus outside the Dual Drill String. The Sliding Piston is arranged to allow for bypass flow when required,
but allows the pressurization of the well annulus between the Sliding Piston and the BOP. This arrangement converts the well
to a hydraulic cylinder, which the Sliding Piston seals within, and where the drill string is the cylinder rod. Different fluid
properties can be used below and above the piston. It is possible to have a high density kill mud in the well above the sliding
piston, while the fluid in the well below the Sliding Piston is a lower density active circulation fluid.

Top String Adapter

The Dual Drill String is terminated in the Top String Adapter, which is installed at the top drive. This adapter contains a
swivel and has one flow port to allow pumping the drilling fluid down into the well and another flow port for the return flow
from the well. The top string adapter is attached to a hose for the side-entry inflow and is attached to the conventional swivel
in the travelling block for the return flow.

Other equipment
The Return Choke and flow control arrangement is positioned at the rig floor next to the driller cabin. The Upper Annulus
Contorl consists of a pump and pressure regulator set up for a maximum flow of around 400 lpm. The Surface Data
Acquisition and sensor package contains mainly pressure sensors and flow meters. The in-flow meter is mounted at the stand
pipe manifold and the return flow meter is mounted at the exit of the return choke. The system contains computer model for
automatic choke control.

A base oil of type EDC 95/11 is used as active fluid for low downhole pressure. As a passive fluid above the Sliding piston is
used water based mud, density 1.32 sg, in order to reduce the surface pressure on the annular BOP. In a second run water was
used both as active and passive drilling fluid. In this case the downhole pressure was directly calculated from the annular
shut-in pressure below the BOP, due to the static water column in the well annulus.
6 SPE 124891

RESULTS

Preparations
The preparations on the rig before the drilling trials could start included the following activities:
- Skidding the rig to U3, nipple up BOP, riser and flow lines.
- Prepare tanks, receive and mix mud/pills.
- Install choke assembly at the drill floor.
- Test downhole motor and MWD on surface.
- Prepare pipe handling for 6 5/8” DP.
- Make up BHA, Run In Hole, fill pipe and test downhole communication.
- Install Top Drive Adapter and displace to heavy fluid in well annulus.

The time used for the preparation of the drilling operation is similar to a conventional drilling operation; see separate daily
drilling reports in the appendix. The required activities for preparing the rig for the Reelwell Drilling Method are:
- Installation of the choke assembly at the drill floor and connect the UAC unit to the choke line.
- Install the TDA and hoses at the top drive.

The required time for the above activities is estimated to 1-3 hours of rig time in a normal operation. Additional time may be
required for preparing the pipe handling system for the dual drill pipes. However, on Ullrigg the pipe handling of the 6 5/8”
dual drill pipes is judged be the same as for a conventional operation using 6 5/8” drill pipes. Except from occasional
inspection and check of the inner pipe, no additional rig time was used due to the inner pipe during connections etc.

MWD and directional control

The Baker MWD and mud pulse telemetry proved to operate well, without any disturbance from the Inner pipe or the dual
float. The pulse telemetry signal was decoded 100% during the tests both with oil and water based drilling fluid in the used
flow range 550 – 700 lpm. The system gave excellent directional control, due to the relatively short and large diameter drill
string. The following can be concluded:
- The inclination angle of the well was built according to plan with a dogleg of around 4.2 degrees/30 m from 16.1
degrees at 1048 m up to 18.1 degrees at 1065 m and is projected to about 20.5 degrees at the new TD at 1082 m MD.
- The azimuth angle changes from 171.3 degrees at 1048 m to 168.7 degrees at 1065 m.
- Achieved build rate is max 4.5 degrees/30m. The build rate is expected to increase to about
5 degrees/30m if continued drilling for a longer section with the same drilling arrangement.

Constant downhole pressure

Figure 4 presents an example of flow and pressure data recorded during a shut-down of the flow into the well prior to a pipe
connection. The shut down is performed with an automated shutdown system. The points indicated by arrows in figure 4 are
explained as follows:
1. Starting opening of the Bypass and simultaneously increasing the choke.
2. The flow through the well is reduced so much that the mud pulse stops.
3. Bypass of well completed.
4. Isolate well, DF closure.
5. Stop pumping.
6. Open dump valve to bleed off pressure inside drill string and to verify that DF is closed.

As can be observed from figure 4, the system performance during the shut down operation is according to the specification.
The shut-down is performed using oil with density of 0.82 sg as the active drilling fluid. The natural pressure gradient is in
this case 82 bar at 1000 m depth. The downhole pressure across the closed DF is measured by the Reelwell downhole
pressure sub to be 27 bar for a downhole pressure of 109 bar.
SPE 124891 7

Figure 4. Example of results from a pump shut down prior to a pipe connection.

Baker MWD pressure sensor is located approximately 25 m below the Reelwell MWD pressure sensor. Hence the Reelwell
downhole pressure measurement is expected to be approximately 2 bar less than the Baker pressure measurement. The
measurements are in consistent with the relative accuracy of the sensors.

It can be observed in point 6 that the downhole well pressure shows a drop of ca 3.5 bar, as the pressure inside the drill string
is bled-off. The reason for this pressure drop is expected to be the volume change of the drill string and the very stiff and
tight formation. The volume changes of the drill string when bleeding off 27 bar is calculated to be approximately 5 liter due
to the elasticity of the string. This volume change in the well is calculated to lead to a pressure drop of about 3.5 bar due to
the compressibility of the oil in a stiff well. This is according to the observations.

The variations in well pressure during the shut down is small, and in accordance with the previous surface measurements.
This indicates that the DF and automatic choke system is capable of precise regulation and shut-in of the downhole pressure
during a stop of circulation, and therefore operates according to the specifications.

Figure 5 presents an example of flow and pressure data recorded during a start-up after a pipe connection.

The points indicated by arrows in figure 5 are explained as follows:

1. Starting the pump and increasing the flow rate.
2. The flow has reached a stable rate of 450 lpm, internal circulation inside the drill string.
3. Start to increase the choke first rapidly, then slowly to open the DF.
4. DF opens, clear signature at the pump pressure and the choke.
5. MWD starts, clear signature on the flow variations.
8 SPE 124891

Figure 5. Example of results from a pump start-up after a pipe connection.

As can be observed from figure 5, the system performance during the start-up is according to the specification. The start-up
shown here is performed using water as the active drilling fluid. The static downhole pressure is in this case ca 100 bar at
1000 m depth, whereas the downhole pressure across the closed DF is measured by annulus pressure to be ca 30 bar prior to
the opening.

Note that the downhole pressure is slightly increasing after the pump has started and as the pressure inside the drill pipe is
increasing due to choking. This observation can be explained by the same arguments as used to explain the drop in well
pressure after shut down. The reason for this increasing pressure is the elastic expansion of the drill pipe. The displacement
volume of the drill string inside the well is estimated to more than 5 liters prior to the opening of the DF, and this will cause
the pressure to increase inside the closed well.

Directly after opening of the DF, at point 4, the stand pipe pressure increases because the flow is directed through the BHA
and the small nozzles of the drill bit. Also the downhole pressure increases for a short period, as the static fluid inside and
around the BHA is accelerated up to a stable speed. The observed pressure peaks can be reduced by opening the DF at a
lower pump rate. In a field situation the pressure peaks during opening is expected to be reduced, due to less stiffness in a
permeable formation.

The variations in well pressure during start-up is considered small, and in accordance with the previous surface
measurements. This indicates that the DF and automatic choke system properly regulates the downhole pressure during start-
up, and thus operates according to the specifications.
SPE 124891 9

Drilling performance

The overall drilling performance was good despite the very hard formation. Total circulation time was ca 52 hours, drilling
time 27 hours. Hole opening was performed for the section 1045 – 1048 m due to the undergauge hole. A total of 33.9 m of
new formation was drilled to the new depth of 1082 m MD. Average ROP was 1.3 m/h, observed variations in the ROP was
between 0.3 and 5.4 m/h. Typical ROP was ca 2 m/h, about twice the expected rate. The drill bit performed well in the very
hard formation, its operation was according to the expectations

The motor stalled frequently when reaming the lower section of the hole from 1045 - 1048m, due to the undergauge hole and
the very hard formation. Otherwise, the motor performed well during drilling; however, motor stalls were occasionally
experienced.

The Baker MWD tool worked well throughout the drilling period. The MWD signals was very clear, and no disturbance
could be observed on the MWD signal from the Dual Float or from the inner pipe. The pressure is recorded once every ca 20
second during pulsing, once every second in tool memory when no flow. Pressure in memory available after unloading
directly from the tool at surface after retrieval.

The Reelwell MWD tool consist of a sub with pressure sensors positioned directly above the Dual Float to measure the
downhole temperature and pressures inside and outside the drill pipe. The system is based on electric signal transmission
through the drill pipe. The measurements are recorded and sent to surface every second.

The Dual Float proved to operate well during the drilling tests. Inspection of the DF after ended operation showed only minor
wear on its critical components.

The handling and performance of the Dual Drill Pipes was excellent during the operations. The pipes were handled in the
same manner as normal drill pipes both as singles and in stands, and no problems with the inner pipes or its operation was
noted. Inspection of the inner pipes after operation did not reveal any significant wear or any other problems with the design.
The handling of the Dual Drill Pipes is equal to handling of conventional drill pipes.

The Sliding Piston operation proved fine when using a high density annular fluid. However, a weakness in the piston design
was revealed as the piston seal was dislocated after it was pulled back out of the hole. The Piston will be upgraded with a
new sealing element that avoids such situations to occur in the future.

The Top Drive Adapter worked well without any leakages or any problem throughout the whole operation.

The surface choke control worked well in all the surface tests, however, the actuator of one of the choke valves failed to
operate properly during the final rig tests. Still the manual back-up operation of the choke valve was successfully utilized.
The failure hampered the optimal choke control; however, this was not critical for the operation, since the return choke still
maintained the automatic control.

Figure 6 presents an example of measurements performed when simulating a sudden stop of the mud pump, performed
during the surface test campaign. The test corresponds to an emergency shut-down. As can be observed from the figure, the
mud pump stops at time 300 s. As can be observed from the figure, this sudden DF closure was performed with success,
indicated by the horizontal red line denoting the well pressure. The example demonstrates the capability of the system on
sudden response to close in the well pressure.

The pump and pressure regulator for controlling the annular well pressure proved to work without any problem.

The cuttings collected at the shale shaker are typically in the size of less than ca 5 mm, however, larger cuttings up to sizes of
ca 10 mm was observed. The cuttings transport was excellent during the whole drilling operation, both for oil and water
based fluids. No plugging in the return line or any problems in the surface system due to the cuttings was observed.
10 SPE 124891

Figure 6. Example of measurements during an emergency shut-down test.

Discussion

The drilling program has clearly demonstrated excellent MWD signal transmission both for the oil and the water based
drilling fluids. There were no signs of disturbance to the signal due to the DF or the inner pipe. The MWD signal was 100%
decoded during the drilling operations.

The drilling program has demonstrated excellent steering capability with this drilling system. The surveys shows clearly that
the directional drilling is performed as planned, and the maximum obtained dogleg is ca 4.5 degrees/30 m. The directional
drilling was stable due to the use of the torsional stiff 6 5/8” pipe

The results have shown that the pressure variations downhole measured during our automatic shut down trials are down to +-
1 bar for the surface tests and +- 2 bar for the downhole tests. The reason for the difference may be disturbance from the
MWD pulses or the less compressible environment at depth. The typical pressure drop when bleeding off the pressure inside
the drill pipe prior to connection was ca 5 bar. A procedure to avoid this pressure drop in the well could be to lower the drill
string into the well as the pressure is bled off to compensate for the lost “ballooning” volume of the drill string. For example
an expected volume change of 5 liter, corresponds to a drill string movement of ca 0.2 m.

The drilling program has demonstrated that the downhole pressure can be measured and controlled very precisely with the
automatic choke control system.

The pipe handling went as planned without any problems during the whole program. The Dual Drill Pipe was picked up as
singles, but was handled both as single joints and in three joint stands in the derrick, as for conventional drill pipes. The
handling speed was estimated to be the same as for conventional pipe handling.

The displacement to a heavy fluid in the well annulus was performed by pumping the fluid down the inner pipe through the
DF and taking the return in the well annulus. This operation was performed without any problems. The Sliding Piston proved
to hold the heavy fluid contained in the upper annulus as planned. The heavy annular fluid had a density of 1.32 sg, whereas
the active drilling fluid used was a base oil with density 0.82 sg.

The results demonstrate very high hole cleaning efficiency, and indicate the potential of the method to solve hole cleaning
problems experienced in the field. There was never observed cuttings fill in the well. No plugging or problems with the
surface chokes was observed.
SPE 124891 11

Conclusion

The goal for this work has been to perform a qualification of an industry standard version of the plain drilling system with
MWD, directional drilling tools and downhole motor. This was performed as a drilling program to deepen the well U3 at
Ullrigg in Stavanger. The main objectives were successfully demonstrated, i.e.:

1 MWD signal transmission – stable and clear MWD signals during drilling.
2 Steering capability – clear ability to steer and change direction.
3 Constant downhole pressure during pipe connections.

The drilling program has been successfully performed, drilling of an 8 ½” hole out of a 9 5/8” casing in an about 1050 m
deep well. All components of the drilling system have proven acceptable performance. The verification program has
confirmed the practical application of the Reelwell Drilling Method and its unique features for improved cuttings transport
and downhole pressure control.

The Reelwell Drilling Method plain drilling version is successfully developed, whereas the liner drilling version is previously
verified for operation inside a 10 ¾” casing, and is in adaptation for operation inside a 9 5/8” surface casing.

References

1. Vestavik O. et.al. Reelwell Drilling Method, SPE/IADC 119491, Amsterdam, March 2009.

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by Shell, StatoilHydro and the Demo2000 Program of the Research Council of Norway. Thanks to the
organisations for the funding - and for all their personnel involved during the planning and execution of project. Also thanks
to IRIS for constructive co-operation, and to all co-operating companies for their efforts in achieving the successful results.