SPE 139339

First Retrievable Directional Casing While Drilling (DCwD) Application in

Peruvian Fields Generates Time Reduction and Improves Drilling Performance
Preventing Potential Non-Planned Downtime
E. Beaumont, L. de Crevoisier, and F. Baquero, Perenco; J. Sanguino and D. Herrera, Tesco Corporation; and
E. Cordero, Schlumberger

Copyright 2010, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Latin American & Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference held in Lima, Peru, 1–3 December 2010.

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
Drilling Operations in Peruvian Jungle requires a complex logistical preparation similar to an offshore project. This high logistic
cost that is necessary to drill in this area means a big investment and strongly impacts the daily drilling cost. To minimize potential
non productive time (NPT), potential problems that were identified in offset wells (borehole instability, gumbo shales, stuck pipe,
etc.), and to improve the drilling performance, Perenco Peru Limited decided to use Directional Casing while Drilling (DCwD)
technology in their Block 67 campaign wells. Two wells (Piraña-4D and Dorado-2D) were drilled with this technology obtaining
success and achieving the operator’s targets.

The objectives for the Casing Drilling operations on the Block 67 wells were:
• Prove feasibility of both vertical and directional casing drilling technologies
• Save time upon the whole section by simultaneously Drilling and casing-off problematic formations
• Demonstrate efficiency of the technology to reduce risks associated with conventional drilling that could easily result in losing
the well and further unplanned sidetracks
• Prove adaptability of the technology to different well conditions (mainly variance on well trajectory)
• Evaluate the economical viability of the technique (cost & time savings)

This paper describes these experiences in terms of planning, preparation, execution and evaluation of results including the lessons
learnt generated during the process.

Introduction
Perenco acquired the Block 67 development assets in January 2008, and has 100% working interest and operatorship. Block 67 is
located in the Marañon basin in the Amazonian region of Peru, approximately 1,100km NNE of Lima and 280km NW of Iquitos.
In 2009 and 2010, Perenco Peru undertook an appraisal campaign of 9 wells located in the discovered areas, Paiche, Dorado and
Piraña. Campaign objectives were to fully delineate the fields and reduce uncertainties while defining the best techniques to
develop the block in a safely, costly and timely manner. In that aspect, Perenco has decided to carry out a 2-well pilot program in
order to study the applicability of the Casing Drilling technique to the Block 67 project. Two wells were defined as suitable
candidates:
• Piraña-4D, 3rd well drilled on Piraña Field by Perenco Peru in December 2009
• Dorado-2D, 3rd well drilled on Dorado Field by Perenco Peru in April 2010

The main drilling hazards associated with the surface hole were the time-consuming surface “gumbo” events, while in the
intermediate hole, severe drag and tight spots led the trips out-of-hole highly risky with extensive back-reaming and near-lost hole
2 SPE 139339

events were experienced in offset wells (severe pack-offs while tripping out in Piraña-2D and Piraña-3D).
Stratigraphy
Lithology Well Architechture Planning and Preparation
Age Formation Unit
Both jobs involved a rigorous planning stage where hazard analysis,
RT MSL
contingency plans, procedures and BHA design were analyzed and
0 ft 833 ft discussed between the operator and key services companies. The first
job goal was to prove the DCwD technology in terms of reliability,
Not to Scale 26 ft 807 ft
directional drilling capability and risk mitigation. These objectives were
20"
80 ft
successfully achieved in the first job, as will be shown in the next
sections. The second job’s objectives were focused on the improvement
MIOCENE

PEBAS

of the drilling performance at the same time that a more complex

directional well plan was chosen. A technical and economical
1,652 ft -819 ft evaluation was made at the end of this 2 pilot wells project to analyze
how Casing while Drilling technologies met the objectives set in terms
OLIGOCENE OLIGO-MIOCENE

13 3/8"
of time and cost savings.
CHAMBIRA

2,000 ft

This planning stage was comprised of a careful analysis of several

important aspects as: BHA design, motor selection, directional plan,
5,099 ft -4,211 ft
best drilling practices, drilling parameters, torque and drag modeling,
hydraulics, well control equipment, rig requirements, BHA retrieving
SHALE
POZO

5,415 ft -4,527 ft and setting operations, logging and cementing. The participation of
each one of the different parties during the planning process guaranteed
SST.

5,566 ft -4,678 ft
the success in the two applications (Mud, Directional and Casing
Drilling services). Lessons learnt understanding as well as to keep the
YAHYARANGO

same personnel and rig crew from the first job to the second was
Liner Hanger 6,370.0 ft
determinant to achieve a better performance by a well to other. It was
PALEOCENE

9 5/8"
well demonstrated that the learning curve is obtained progressively in
6,520 ft DCwD projects and therefore has a great potential to improve in future
6,536 ft -5,648 ft applications.
Basal Tena

Drilling Program
6,573 ft -5,685 ft Dorado and Piraña wells were drilled with a standard wellbore
Cachiyacu architecture (see Figure 1) in four phases: 26-in, 17 ½-in, 12 ¼-in and 8
6,581 ft -5,693 ft
½-in. Second and third intervals (17 ½-in and 12 ¼-in), were casing
Vivian
drilled in both Piraña-4D and Dorado-2D wells. The 17 ½-in surface
6,778 ft -5,890 ft phases were successfully vertical drilled with a non retrievable and
drillable shoe and a 13 3/8-in Buttress casing string (68ppf, K55).
Upper
Memb. Intervals footage was 1,883ft and 1,877ft, for Piraña-4D and Dorado-
7,020 ft -6,132 ft 2D, respectively.
CETICO

Glaucon
itico
CRETACEOUS

7,148 ft -6,260 ft
These 17 ½-in intervals were drilled and completed in 2.1 and 1.8 days
for Piraña-4D and Dorado-2D, respectively, through shallow Pebas and
Cetico

Chambira loose claystones, interbedded with sandstones, limestone and

7,181 ft -6,293 ft
anhydrite where typically gumbo events negatively impacted the
Agua average ROP on offset wells. The volumetric cementing operations for
Caliente
7,332 ft -6,444 ft these two 17 ½-in sections were better than initially expected due the
excellent borehole quality obtained by the Casing Drilling “smear” or
Raya
7,417 ft -6,529 ft
“plastering” effect, which is a mechanical effect to ground up the
7" cuttings circulating between the casing couplings and the borehole wall.
Basement
7,420 ft Its effect is unique and fundamental to strength the wellbore avoiding
NPT’s associated to wellbore stability, flow line plugging events, etc. In
Dorado-2D, for instance, cement evaluation logs recorded a 9 5/8-in top
Well TD 7,420 ft -6,532 ft of cement (TOC) at 4730ft (MD), versus a theoretical TOC at 4807ft
(MD). This data confirms borehole quality obtained with CwD.
Figure 1 – Wellbore architecture, stratigraphic and lithological description Dorado wells
SPE 139339 3

The 12 1/4-in intervals were drilled with Directional Casing while Drilling (DCwD) retrievable BHA’s. Piraña-4D trajectory
design was a J-shape well with a kick-off at 2,200ft, inclination built to 45° and held to TD at 6,678ft (See Figure 2). Dorado-2D
had a more challenging S-shape trajectory which was not commonly used in past Tesco’s worldwide applications, so this well
became an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the capability of the tools to follow a directional path with the well dropping back
to vertical. Dorado-2D was directionally casing drilled following an S-shape trajectory from 2107ft down to 6552ft (plan section
TD) wherein casing was brought from 0 up to 13º through the Chambira claystones, and then back to vertical to drill and case the
Pozo and Yaharuango intervals.

-2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000

0 0
-1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

0 0
20" Csg.

1000 1000

1000 1000

2000 2000
1 3 3 / 8 " Csg.
2000 2000
13 3/ 8" Csg.

3000 3000
3000 3000
TVD Scale = 1(in):1100(ft)

TVD Scale = 1(in):850(ft) 4000 4000

4000 4000

5000 5000
5000 5000

9 5/ 8" Csg.

6000 6000 6000 6000

Cetico Target 12Jan10

9 5 / 8 " Csg.
Pirana 67-15-PPi3-4D Rev#03 23Dec09
7000 7000 7000 7000
Cetico - Dorado-B V3
Pirana 67-15-PPI3-4D Gyro + GPIT

Dorado 67-8-PD1-2D MWD_DMAG+GPIT

Dorado 67-8-PD-2D Rev#05 06Abr10

8000 8000
8000 8000
-1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
-2000 -1000 0 1000 2000 3000
Vertical Section (ft) Azim = 289.57°, Scale = 1(in):1100(ft) Origin = 0 N/-S, 0 E/-W Verti cal Secti on (ft) Azi m = 4.3°, Scal e = 1(i n):850(ft) Ori gi n = 0 N/-S, 0 E/-W

Figure 2 – Vertical Section View, Piraña-4D (left) and Dorado-2D (right) wells (shows a comparison between planned and actual trajectories)

BHA Design
Piraña-4D BHA was designed to satisfy both reservoir and drilling purposes. For 12 ¼” sections, the BHA was composed as
shown in the Figure 3. The left side of the figure represents the BHA that was run in the Piraña-4D well and the second BHA
which is in the right represents the Dorado-2D BHA. In Dorado-2D the LWD was not run (just GR which was incorporated to the
MWD tool), so the resistivity (ARC6) and annular pressure while drilling (APWD) modules were replaced with a non magnetic
drill collar (NMDC) in the top of the assembly just to avoid magnetic interference between the MWD, the internal BHA and the
casing string. For this well the LWD data was not necessary in this interval but will be considered for some of the future DCwD
jobs in the Block 67 when drill reservoir intervals. A number of potential BHA designs are available to satisfy reservoir and/or
drilling requirements

Some components of the BHA are intrinsically unique and were specially designed for Tesco to perform Casing Drilling
Operations with retrievable BHA’s. The external BHA was mainly comprised of:
• An 8 ½-in PDC bit to drill the pilot hole
• A 12 ¼-in Type 5C Tesco Underreamer to enlarge the pilot hole diameter and allow the casing to run in the hole
• A low speed and high torque Schlumberger motor (PDM) and measurement while drilling (MWD) system to directionally
drill the hole and record the surveys.

The internal assembly is mainly comprised of:

4 SPE 139339

• One Tandem stabilizer to assure the proper centralization of the BHA inside the casing and avoid buckling adverse effects
• A Tesco Drill Lock Assembly (DLA) which performs the main and most important function in the casing drilling system: the
interface between the casing string and the BHA. Without the DLA, retrievable Casing Drilling would not be possible.

Their four main functions of the Drill Lock Assembly are: to allow the BHA to be locked into the casing both axially and
torsionally (once the tool is locked into the casing profile nipple- CPN), to transmit the axial loads to the underreamer & bit and
also, and to act as a seal between the casing and the BHA (see the upwards and downwards orientate cups in the figure 3 (red
highlighted zone and right side). This allows the fluid to flow inside the casing (sealed from the annulus area outside the casing)
until it has been directed through the BHA. After pasing through the bit, the fluid and cutting pass throught the annulus between
the casing and the openhole before passing over the shakers.

Latch sub
9 5/8in CSG 9 5/8in CSG
Sub Sub
9 5/8 in 9 5/8 in Lock sleeve
DLA 4 DLA 4
9 5/8in 9 5/8 in
CPN CPN
9 5/8"

9 5/ in 9 5/8 in
Inside Shoe Inside Shoe Packer cups
Shoe Joint Shoe Joint
Stab Stab

11in 9 5/8 in
Guide Shoe XO Guide Shoe XO

ARC 6 6 ¾ NMDC Axial locks

M

APWD W
D

MWD

M
W
MWD Stick Out= Stop dogs
D
96 ft 8 1/4in
Stick Out=
STAB
87 ft

6 ¾ in PDM 6 ¾ in PDM Torque dog

12 ¼ UR 12 ¼ UR

8 ½” BIT 8 ½” BIT

Figure 3 – DCwD BHA for 9 5/8-in x 12 ¼-in application. Piraña-4D and Dorado-2D. Right: Drill lock assembly (DLA) details

The 12 ¼-in underreamer (UR) was positioned below the mud motor to minimize the wear and cumulated revolutions of the casing
string. Typically drilling string revolutions are between 25 and 45 rpm but the portion of BHA below the motor is spinning at 135-
155 rpm’s to obtain a good ROP. Some lessons learnt regarding the operating window and drilling parameters were identified in
these jobs and will be presented in further sections.

This Retrievable BHA CwD technology allows to change the BHA whenever it becomes necessary to replace damaged
components (bit, MM, RSS, MWD, LWD, etc.) or just to change the BHA configuration in order to meet the job objectives. This
highlights the flexibility of the entire system to respond to any unplanned situation.

Mud Motor Selection

The mud motor selection is especially important for DCwD operations performance. In general terms, the recommended motors
are those with high torque capacity, low speed/flow ratio, and wide flow range. In these BHA’s designs (Piraña-4D and Dorado-
2D), the 8 ½-in bit and the 12 ¼-in Underreamer (UR) are driven by both the mud motor and top drive rotation. UR maximum
speed value must be between 150 and 200 rpm’s (dependant on the formation type and drilling torque), which means that the
drilling parameters (flow and surface rpm’s) must be carefully managed to avoid overpass this limit in order to protect the PDC
SPE 139339 5

UR arms and avoid unnecessary trips. These limits have been exceeded progressively according to Tesco past experiences and
continual improvements to the UR cutting structure design.

With the pre run analysis that was made for this motor, the engineers carefully considered both the motor selection and parameters
to minimize stalling during the entire run. When doing DCwD it is important to understand the elongation that occurs in large OD
components of the casing string due to increasing pressure. This can generate extra torque demand on the motor which has to be
considered when evaluating a PDM for these applications. Tesco in conjunction with Schlumberger evaluated this phenomenon
before recommending the selected motors.

A 6 ¾-in A675XP7850 Power Pack motor (0.28rev/gal, 1.50° bent) was selected for the first job. The motor performance was as
expected but, this DCwD BHA demonstrated a high tendency to build while rotating in the first job (Piraña-4D) which increased
the sliding time compared with offset conventionally drilled wells (26% vs. 15%), and thus impacted the average ROP. For this
reason a 1.15° bent instead of a 1.5° bent was selected for the second well (Dorado-2D) obtaining better results.

An additional change was made in the BHA design for Dorado-2D well to minimize the building tendency; an 8 3/8-in stabilizer
was installed just above the motor with the intention to control this phenomena. Although there was not observed a clear evidence
of its benefit in Dorado-2D, this stabilizer had shown good results in Tesco past experiences.

Additionally to the bent change, another improvement opportunity that was identified after the first well was the possibility to
install a 12/32” rotor nozzle in the motor. This allowed increasing the total flow to clean the hole and remove cuttings without
compromising the UR arms durability (especially when sliding to maintain a good ROP). A comparison can be made examining
the drilling parameters envelope in the Table 1. These two changes positively affected the drilling performance of the Dorado-2D
well.

Parameter Piraña-4D Dorado-2D Comments

Max UR WOB=25Klb. Drilled with a 200 psi differential pressure
Weight on Bit (WOB), Klb 8-20 8-20
on the motor
Total Revolutions, rpm 150-180 180-200 Max UR rpm's=200. Including motor and surface rpm's
Flow, gpm 450-550 475-600 Max Flow= 650 gpm due UR's rpm limit and MWD restriction
Due bypass nozzle change in Dorado-2D, equivalent ratio is 0.23
Flow/Speed ratio (motor) 0.28 0.28
rev/gal instead the original value of 0.28 rev/gal
Pressure, psi 1200-1450 1200-1600
Max drilling torque capability in the BTC conenction=45,000ft-lb
Drilling Torque, K(ft-lb) 5-14 5-15
due MLT Ring installation in all the casing string

Table 1- Drilling Parameters Envelope. Piraña-4D and Dorado-2D

Directional Plan
Directional plan revision is very important for torque and drag (T&D) modeling study and to anticipate possible fatigue failures
caused by reversing stress in high dogleg severity (DLS) points of the trajectory. The actual trajectory needs to be compared
during the drilling operations with the planned trajectory to anticipate potential risks on the casing string integrity. The DLS limit
to avoid fatigue failure on the 9 5/8-in BTC casing if it were J55 grade would be in the range of 4.0 to 4.5°/100ft (may increase as
the material grade increases).

In some cases, the friction factor used to calculate the T&D needs to be adjusted with actual values to have more accurate data,
especially when the anticipated drilling torque is close to the connection capacity. This analysis can be done with offset wells prior
to start the DCwD projects.

Piraña-4D well was planned following a J-shape trajectory with a KOP at 2,133ft and building from 0° to 45°, with a severity of
2°/100ft and then holding the tangent to TD at 6,678ft (MD). Anticipated torque calculated with Tesco CASING
DRILLER™Engineering software was 16,000 ft-lb which fits with the maximum peak values obtained at the end of the interval.
The average torque at the end of the section was between 8,000 and 14,000ft-lb with a very smooth performance.

For Dorado-2D, Perenco decided to drill a hole with an S-shape trajectory, as per reservoir targets, from 2107ft down to 6552ft
(plan section TD) wherein casing was brought from 0º up to 13º with a severity of 1.5°/100ft through the Chambira claystones, and
then back to vertical to drill and case the Pozo and Yaharuango intervals. This trajectory generated a slight lower torque during the
interval drilling operations.
6 SPE 139339

Torque and Drag Modeling

Torque and Drag modeling was estimated with Tesco CASING DRILLER™ Engineering software. All the results shown to be
consistent with the actual performance. Several calculations were made varying WOB, rpm’s, flow, etc. to predict the performance
of the operation within the operating parameters envelope. An example of the CASING DRILLER report can be visualized in the
Figure 4. This model divides the drill-string into elements determined by the survey file increments. Beginning at the bottom of
the string, the tensile and torsional forces are calculated all along the string. Both an open hole and cased hole friction factor are
specified and the hole definition is used to determine if the element lies in cased hole or open hole.

Figure 4 – CDE™ software screen with Torque and Drag calculations

Also the software is able to calculate the number of revolutions to failure and the fatigue life based on well trajectory, pipe
properties, ROP, RPM, WOB and DLS.

The 9 5/8-in Buttress connections were protected with the Tesco torque rings that were installed in each one of the couplings. The
torque rings enhance the 9 5/8-in BTC connections from the conventional torque rating of 9,000ft-lb to a maximum torque rating
of 49,190ft-lb. Torque rings provide a cheaper solution (compared with premium connections), when a wide drilling torque
window is necessary to drill with BTC connections. Some technical conditions dictate if a premium connection is mandatory for an
application (gas sealing capability, fatigue endurance, etc.).

Drilling Parameters
Drilling parameters for a DCwD job are usually set as an envelope that involves WOB, RPM’s, Flow, SPP, DLS and Torque. A
summary of the maximum drilling parameters and casing specification is provided on the Table 01. These parameters are based on
conservative predictions and could be set higher if the well conditions dictate it.

Bit and Underreamer arms selection

Bit selection is often based on the best performance offset wells recorded bit. It means that the quantity of bit blades as well as
PDC cutters size for it and the UR are based on offset bit records. Several UR arms configuration are available with single or
double cutters rows and Tesco has an Engineering Department that can design and manufacture an specific UR arms configuration
if is necessary.

Hydraulics
Hydraulics is a critical aspect in a Casing Drilling job. Due the particular wellbore architecture with Casing Drilling, a careful
SPE 139339 7

analysis was made during the planning stage to guarantee to have a good ECD that allows an efficient cleaning of the smaller
clearance between the casing and the borehole. The flow and mud properties were additionally analyzed in the BHA components
selection to have the widest operating envelope. Special attention was given to flow capabilities to select and pre set the
MWD&LWD components. Mud system properties are shown in the Table 02.

A water based mud fluid system was selected for the drilling campaign (PERFLEX™), based on technical, environmental and
lithological information in order to avoid NPT’s related with hole instability, clays swelling, stuck pipe, hole cleaning, bit balling,
seepage losses, etc.

For these DCwD applications, the drilling fluid was designed as thin as possible and a number of high viscosity sweeps were
prepared to be pumped in intervals with high ROP’s to maintain a clean hole and avoid packing off. “Pump off” values registered
by the drillers in each connection are an indicative of the hole cleaning condition and were scheduled to be made during each
connection. Pump Off is a quick measure of the hole cleaning obtained by the difference between the hookload value while
rotating with circulation and the value hookload value without circulation (off bottom).This allows the drillers to know if is
necessary to circulate bottoms up for more time. Annular pressure while drilling tool (APWD) was part of the assembly in the
Piraña-4D well and was very useful to follow in real time the hole cleaning. In offset conventionally wells, mud density was
gradually increased during the 12 ¼-in interval from 9.1 to 10.3. In these two jobs was observed that just increasing up to 10.1 was
enough to keep the borehole stability due the additional generated ECD commonly found in CwD applications.

17 1/2-in hole (13 3/8-in Casing) 12 1/4-in hole (9 5/8-in Casing)

Depth (MD), ft 80 – 2,000 Depth (MD), ft 2,000 – 6500
Mud Wt, lb/gal 8.9 – 9.2 Mud Wt, lb/gal 9.2 – 10.4
F. V., seconds 36 - 40 F. V., seconds 37-42
PV @ 120° F, cP 5 – 10 PV @ 120° F, cP 9-13
YP @ 120° F, lb/100ft2 12 – 14 YP @ 120° F, lb/100ft2 14 - 20
API Filtrate, cc/30 min <8 API Filtrate, cc/30 min 4–6
pH 9.0 – 9.5 pH 9.0 – 9.5
MBT, lb/bbl < 25 MBT, lb/bbl 10-25
Chlorides, ppm < 300 Chlorides, ppm 200 - 1200
Hardness, ppm < 200 Hardness, ppm 80 - 120

Table 2- Mud Properties as per Fluids program for 17 ½-in and 12 ¼-in intervals

Rig Modifications
API 6 5/8” REG
No rig modifications were necessary to implement
the Tesco DCwD technology. There are two Non-rotating support
different ways to set and retrieve the BHA’s. for links

Retrievable BHA’s for DCwD applications can be

set and retrieved by two options: drill pipe Hydraulic Actuator

conveyed tools and wireline conveyed tools. In this

case the drill pipe conveyed tools were used and
Length= 10ft
Tesco supplied its Casing Drive System (CDS™)
as part of the surface equipment for the drilling
operations which was connected to the Petrex Rig-
23 top drive. Grapples

The CDS™ (Figure 5) is made up to the rig’s top

drive. It holds and rotates the casing during the
Packer Cup
casing running and drilling operations. An internal
grapple, which is hydraulically activated from a Stabbing Guide

console, grips the casing transmitting torsional and

axial loads to the drilling string. Packer cups below the grapple seal against the inside of the casing to allow circulation down the
casing string from the top drive during drilling. The CDS™ is rated for 500Ton (load capacity and can handle pipes from 3 ½-in to
20-in). A work area was defined in the layout of the rig just to allow preparing and redressing of the Downhole tools by the
specialists.
Figure 5 - CDS installed on the rig (left) and CDS illustration (right)
8 SPE 139339

BHA retrieving and setting operations

As mentioned before all the BHA’s retrieving and setting operations were planned to be performed with drill pipe conveyed tools.
The process of releasing and retrieving the BHA was planned with mechanical tools that latch the upper section of the DLA,
release the locking mechanism and then grapple the tool to start the retrieving process. The setting/retrieving tools are operated by
mechanical and hydraulic forces which set the DLA into the CPN.

There were two possible surface arrangements for these operations with have few variables in each one: hang the casing on the
wellhead or set the casing on the rotary table. For Piraña-4D operation, the team selected the first option for retrieving operations;
hanging the casing with the 9 5/8-in hanger and setting all the string weight on the wellhead. In this arrangement the casing string
is handled with a running tool which is connected to the casing hanger; then the running tool is disconnected and the tripping
operations to retrieve or run the BHA is identical than in a conventional cased hole in terms of rig floor tools.

An improvement opportunity was identified during the first well after action review (AAR) and the procedure was entirely
changed during the planning stage for the second job. All the possible configurations were revised by Perenco, FMC, Petrex and
Tesco. For Dorado-2D, Tesco presented an alternative configuration using a Casing landing sub (CLS) to set the casing string on
the rotary table while perform the setting and/or retrieving operations (See Figure 6). The casing landing sub is a 9 5/8-in sub with
a conic shape in the top which fits in the rotary bushings geometry. The use of this tool made possible to work with more clear
space on the floor and needs to be used for BHA trips with a standard API bowl and drill pipe slips as shown in the Figure 6 on the
right side. This option guarantees a proper well control reaction as well as optimizing the timing to recover the BHA, reducing the
flat times. Each one of the configurations has advantages and disadvantages and the final decision must be taken according to the
well. Well head model, well control concerns and previous stuck pipe events in offset wells need to be considered to take the better
decision for a specific interval.

Figure 6: Positioning Casing landing sub (CLS) to set the casing sting on the rotary table (left). In the right side, API bowl and
C-plate to handle the drill pipe string to release/retrieve the BHA

Well Control Equipment

No well control incidents have been recorded in this area (offset wells). However, Well Control is always a critical part of the
drilling program. During the planning stage, several work sessions were conducted with the key personnel (drilling engineers,
company man, rig manager, tool pusher and supervisors, etc,), to analyze the hazards and response plan for each stage of the job
and assure a proper response of the key personnel for a kick or well control event.

As is well known, more than 70% of the kick events occur when tripping in/out of hole. In DCwD the bottom of the string is
always in the bottom of the hole. For this reason, kick events possibilities are minimized when DCwD.

Fundamental advantage between drilling with casing and conventional is that during trips well can be circulated from bottom at all
times. Focus of DCwD well control during trips is to assure well remains static. If there is any question, circulate.
SPE 139339 9

Tesco developed a Casing Circulating Tool (CCT™) which is a tool that allows well control operation anytime that a DP string is
inside the casing. This tool could be used to reciprocate and circulate through the DP and Casing string during setting or retrieving
trips if the hole dictates this action (see Figure 7).

For the 9 5/8-in interval, Petrex Rig-23 stack of BOP’s was prepared with both 9 5/8-in and 5in pipe rams and blinds. During the
drilling operation, no significant difference is observed in terms of equipment requirements and well control procedures compared
with a conventional drilling operation. Basically would be the same arrangement and procedures that are used to well control while
cementing. The situation changes when a DP trip is required for either run or retrieve a BHA (Figure 7, left side). Then will have a
secondary annular between the drill pipe and the Casing.

Well control procedures, BOP and choke manifold arrangements were carefully analyzed for each one of the possible retrieving
configurations (casing string supported on the rotary table, casing string supported below the rotary table).

Drillpipe
Drill Pipe Connection Box

Ball Valve

Top drive made up to top of TCD for

Casing Connection circulation and well kill
Floating
5000 psi packer cups Casing nut

Bottom of TCA made up to Drill Pipe Casing connection made Casing Thread
False Rotary up to the landing sub
Rotary Table Rotary Table
Packer cups
Packer Cups hold inner
annulus pressure Cup guide
BOP rams closed on casing OD
Sleeve
Circulation ports

Drillpipe Pin

Figure7 – Casing Circulating Tool (CCT) connection with LCS and BOP stack representation (left). Casing Circulating tool diagram and main
components (right)

Cementing and Centralization

In DCwD jobs, centralization is dependant to two conditions: centralization for stand off during cementing and centralization to
protect the casing. For Piraña-4D and Dorado-2D wells, the centralization program was prepared based on stabilization needs
instead to centralization for stand off needs. As was anticipated by past Casing while Drilling experiences, the borehole quality
was better than expected. This allowed to have a good CBL and reached the planned top of cement (TOC).

Cementing operation was made with volumetric calculations obtaining good cement quality in the two jobs. Tesco provided and
installed crimped on type centralizers specially designed for Casing Drilling operations (Figure 8).

Tesco Research and Devolopment group is working to develop a Pump Down Displacement Plug (PDDP), which would be used in
upcoming operations as floating equipment. The PDDP will be pumped through the casing string and will set into the CPN after
the BHA retrieving processand just before the cementing replacing the conventional floating equipment (float collar).
10 SPE 139339

Figure 8 – Casing Centralizers installation on the yard (Non hard face –NHF type, 9 5/8-in x 11-in)

Drilling Operations - Piraña-4D

First pilot well Piraña-4D was successfully drilled using Rotary and Directional Casing Drilling techniques in January 2010.
Surface 17 1/2-in x 13 3/8-in section (136ft – 2019ft) was drilled with Non-Retrievable CwD Bit. Casing point was reached in 17.6
hours (on-bottom), or in 34.5 hours (including circulations and connections). In comparison with the offset Piraña-3D which took
2.68 days from P/U BHA to beginning of nipple up the BOP, equivalent operations only took 1.84 days in Piraña-4D. Connection
time was very small, ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 min per connection. As a summary of this run, all surface and downhole operations
went very smoothly and the surface casing could have been drilled even deeper than 2019ft, since none of the limiting factors have
been reached.

Following a J-shape trajectory at 45° of inclination, 12 ¼-in x 9 5/8-in section was directionally casing drilled (DCwD) down to
section TD in 158 hours (on-bottom) and in 179.25 hours (including connection/survey/orienting time). The 9 5/8-in section was
completed in 11.46 days, to be compared with the 9.08 days required for Piraña-3D which set a record for the section on this
campaign and beneficiated from a learning curve (see TVD curve in Figure 9). As performed in previous wells, mud density was
gradually increased to stabilize hole from 9.3 to 10.3ppg. Thanks to the APWD tool it was decided not to go further than 10.3ppg
due the ECD already reaching 12.3ppg. In rotary mode, the BHA showed a tendency to build of 2 to 4º/100ft, which required
sliding nose down to counter that effect and stay on plan.

As a major achievement, 12 ¼-in x 9 5/8-in Directional Casing Drilling (DCwD) assembly directionally drilled and cased hole as
per trajectory plan from 2060ft to section TD 6678ft. This assembly reached 9-5/8-in casing point in 6.6 days with an average
penetration rate (ROP) of 29.2 ft/hr (33.7 ft/hr rotary, 21.2 ft/hr sliding, 26% sliding). Total drilling operations for this interval was
179.25 hours (7.5 days).

After the cementing job, which was volumetric calculated, the 9-5/8-in landing joint was POOH and 9-5/8-in hanger pack-off
installed. Cement evaluations logs recorded a 9-5/8 Top Of Cement at 4610ft-MD, versus a theoretical TOC at 4642ft (MD). This
data gives credits to the volumetric method. Then the well course was back on conventional drilling to complete the reservoir
section.

As an outstanding outcome of this first well, risks associated to casing drilling technique in the shallow sloughing shale and sticky
formations were less than when using conventional drilling technique.

Drilling Operations – Dorado-2D

In January 2010, once the results of Pirana-4D have been analyzed, it was decided to implement the Casing Drilling technique in a
second well, Dorado-2D, which operations took place end of April 2010.

After the 20-in shoe had been conventionally drilled out, the 13-3/8-in surface casing was rotary drilled vertically with a Non-
Retrievable 17-1/2-in CwD bit from 130ft down to 2007ft (plan section TD) where it was cemented with plugs. The section was
drilled in 22.2 hours (on-bottom), and in 27.25 hours (including circulations and connections). In comparison with Piraña-4D
where it took 2.07 days from P/U Tesco CDS to beginning of nipple up of BOP, equivalent operations only took 1.79 days in
SPE 139339 11

Dorado-2D. ROP on bottom was on average 84.6 ft/hr (Piraña-4D: 107 ft/hr). Total drilling operations for this interval was 27.25
hours (Piraña-4D: 30.50 hours). Connection time was very small, ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 min per connection.

Casing was cemented with plugs using same procedure of Piraña-4D. Similarly as observed in Piraña-4D, plastering effect reduces
hole diameter and is likely to promote channeling of the slurry.

After the 13-3/8-in shoe was conventionally drilled out without issue, the 9-5/8-in intermediate casing was then directionally
drilled with an 8-1/2-inx12-1/4-in retrievable directional BHA anchored below the 9-5/8-in shoe. Hole has followed an S-shape
trajectory from 2107ft down to 6552ft (plan section TD) wherein casing was brought from 0 up to 13º through the Chambira
claystones, and then back to vertical to drill and case the Pozo and Yaharuango intervals.

The build up section (2107ft to 2850ft) was carefully drilled taking surveys every joint to check the BHA response. Sliding was
effected with only RPM at motor of 140 rpm, since MWD tool was operationally limited to 600gpm. This gives room to
improvement, starting from the workshop preparation stage. The BHA showed a strong tendency to build of 2 to 4º/100ft, which
required sliding nose down to counter that effect and stay on plan.

The tangent section (2850ft – 4634ft) was drilled in the Chambira sloughing shales, taking surveys each 2/3 joints. Additionally to
its building tendency, the BHA showed a strong tendency to walk to the left (turn rate -7º/100ft). BHA behavior required sliding
15ft per joint (total 27%) to keep hole tangent angle at 13º and in the right direction. It directly affected the ROP since more WOB,
less RPM and less flow was used during the sliding courses. WOB was followed closely and worked in a narrow window of PDM
differential pressure (average 200psi), guarantying PDM downhole efficiency, rather than relying on flow rate only.

From 4634ft to 5255ft, this hole section was designed to drop hole angle from 13º to vertical before entering Pozo Shale and
Sandstone and deeper stiffer formations of Yaharuango. In only 600ft, hole dropped without troubles from 13º to vertical, with a
dog-leg severity of 1.7º/100ft. Having slide 23ft per joint, average penetration rate was 51 ft/hr (57 ft/hr rotary, 47 ft/hr sliding,
55% sliding).

The 12 ¼-in x 9 5/8-in DCwD assembly continued drilling and keeping well vertical from 5255ft to 6552ft. This section crossed
harder formations (Pozo shale, Yaharuango volcanic tuffs and limestone) and reached 9 5/8-in casing point only 6ft away from
target center with an average penetration rate of 30 ft/hr (31 ft/hr rotary, 23 ft/hr sliding, 11 % sliding). As harder formations were
encountered, ROP decreased. More WOB was applied and close control was focused on PDM differential pressure. Few sliding
courses were required since the well showed a tendency to walk in various directions due to more weight applied on bit was
forcing the BHA to turn.

In general terms, 12 ¼-in x 9 5/8-in DCwD assembly directionally drilled and cased hole as per trajectory plan from 2107ft to
section TD (6552ft). This assembly reached 9 5/8-in casing point in 96.4 hours (4.0 days). As was presented before, Piraña-4D was
158 hours. (6.6 days. Total drilling operations for this interval was 118.1 hours (4.9 days) compared with Piraña-4D that was
179.25 hours (7.5 days). This Dorado-2D 12 ¼-in x 9 5/8-in section drilling time was 32% shorter than in Piraña-4D.

The 9 5/8 section was drilled and cemented in 6.71 days, to be compared with the 9.77 days required for Piraña-4D. Compared to
Piraña-4D, ROP on average has been improved of 59%, bringing it to 85% of the ROP value in case of a well conventionally
drilled.

As described previously, Tesco provided a Casing Landing Sub (CLS), to make easier and safer the BHA retrieving process. The
retrieving process was done as planned and some pictures of the sequence can be observed in the Figure 10. Cementing process
was performed as in Piraña-4D. Once again, cement evaluation logs recorded a 9 5/8-in top of cement (TOC) at 4730ft (MD),
versus a theoretical TOC at 4807ft (MD). This data confirms volumetric method is appropriate in such well architecture; and
confirms borehole quality.
12 SPE 139339

Elapsed Time, days

0 5 10 15 20
0 ft

500 ft Dorado N-2D

Piraña-2D
1000 ft
Dorado-1D
1500 ft
Piraña-3D
2000 ft
Piraña-4D (DCwD)
2500 ft
Dorado-2D (DCwD)

3000 ft
Depth, ft

3500 ft

4000 ft

4500 ft

5000 ft

5500 ft

6000 ft

6500 ft

7000 ft

Figure 9 – TvD Comparison between conventional drilled wells and DCwD wells

HSRT (Hydraulic
Safety & Release Tool

MRPT (Mechanical
Release & Pulling Tool

Figure 10 – BHA retrieving process (running the retrieving tool on the left, handling the retrieved BHA on the right)
SPE 139339 13

Performance Evaluation and Lessons Learnt Application

Aside from the achievement in terms of the hole staying stable behind casing which considerably improves the drilling operations,
Dorado-2D was an opportunity to demonstrate how much time-savings the DCwD technique can deliver. Time versus Depth
(TvD) curve in Figure 9, shows that penetration rates achieved in Dorado-2D have been singularly improved compared to Piraña-
4D. Both on-bottom penetration and average rate to penetration (includes connection time) have been increased by 35% and 59%
respectively.

Piraña-3D, Piraña-4D, Dorado-2D, ∆ (Dorado 2D

Well Name
Conv DCwD DCwD vs. Piraña 4D)
ROP inst, on-bottom, ft/hr 103 51 69 35%
ROP average, including
55 29 46 59%
connection time, ft/hr

Table 2 – Rate of Penetration (ft/hr) comparison between Piraña 3D (conventionally drilled), versus Piraña 4D and Dorado 2D (DCwD)

The components used for Directional Casing while Drilling still contain limiting parameters (flowrate/HHP) which resulted in
having a lower ROP than conventional drilling this interval.
• Amount of sliding mode (26% in Dorado-2D vs. 26% in Piraña-4D vs. 14.5% in Piraña-3D) due to BHA tendency and
reactivity to WOB (higher bending lever effect).
• Connection time (average 10.30min each) remains high and should imply looking in other technology for downhole data
transmission.
• Limitation on RPM due to mechanical resistance limit of the TESCO underreamers (which can be solved with an improved
design)
• Window available to play on drilling parameters (WOB, RPM, flow) is much narrower while drilling directionally with
casing:
• WOB: with low SRPM, it is difficult to transmit 100% of it down to the bit via the casing string (compare to a DP string)
• RPM: as previously said, it is constrained by Underreamer specifications
• Q: same than above; and in Dorado-2D it was also constrained by the MWD tool working window.

Nevertheless, sharp amelioration of the rate of penetration from the first to the second well using the technique has been possible.
It resulted from the following:
• Short difference between average and on-bottom ROP’s measures how the rig crew has grown up quickly through the learning
curve. Connection and survey time stays as a minor percentage of the operative time.
• Frequency of surveys were lowered compared to Piraña-4D (every two joints)
• Higher hydraulic power has been designed for, by using a rotor by-pass jet in the downhole motor. While keeping parameters
within the underreamer limits, flow efficiency was increased at bit face, improving sliding operations and ROP.
• Drilling parameters have been equalized to the sliding/rotating modes from the top of the section, taking advantage of the
learning from Piraña-4D. Thus flow rate and surface RPM’s were adjusted to constantly maintain bottom RPM’s close to
underreamer specification (180 rpm).
• As drilling through harder formations, ROP decreased and required more WOB. In this well, trajectory design allowed
minimizing sliding at this point (11%), and thus ROP was maintained good.
• Motor bent was reduced from 1.5° to 1.15° which certainly reduced the need for sliding courses.
• Similarly, well trajectory design along with higher hydraulic power allowed better and continuous hole cleaning efficiency.
This did affect neither ROP nor sliding response all over the run.
• Particular care was brought to the effective workforce of the PDM, read through the Differential Pressure. To do so, WOB
was carefully maintained to keep pressure differential in a close window around 200-250 psi.

DCwD ROP average has been brought to 85% of the ROP of Piraña-3D conventionally drilled. This performance has overcome
the target which was set at 70-80%. Further improvements to various BHA components are possible to further increase both flow
rate and HHP in order to meet or exceed conventional ROP.

As observed in Piraña-4D, the most important benefit obtained by using the Directional Casing Drilling remains the huge time
reduction of the flat time. Piraña-4D flat curve was already half of the Piraña-3D one. Here Dorado-2D has already been a place of
improvements, as displayed in the below table. The saving of time is to be associated to the installation of the 9-5/8-in Casing
14 SPE 139339

Landing Sub and API bowl prior to RIH and POOH the DLA assembly with drill pipe, eliminating thus the need to intermediary
land the casing in the wellhead receptacle.

Compared to the 1st well, Dorado-2D 9 5/8-in DCwD resulted in a 32% reduction in operations time (see below Table 3).

Activity Piraña4D Dorado-2D ∆t

9-5/8 DCwD, days 9.77 6.71 -3.06 -32 %
RIH Directional BHA on 9 5/8 csg, hours 17.75 9.25 -8.5 - 48 %
Drill & case (Making hole), days 7.49 4.92 -2.57 - 32 %
Retrieve Directional BHA w/ DP, hours 18 15.25 -2.75 - 15 %
Land & Cement Casing & BOP test, hours 19 18.5 -0.5 -2%

Table 3 – Timing comparison between Piraña-4D and Dorado-2D performance

More Benefits generated by DCwD application

Regardless the shown operational benefits discussed previously, DCwD process demonstrated to be more convenient than
conventional process in a number of situations as follows:
• Wellbore Strengthening: by filling the natural or micro fractures created during the drilling process, the wellbore is
strengthened by creating essentially a rudimentary impermeable wall-cake, filling the micro voids with material and
increasing the effective stress at wellbore-formation interface. This process provides a substantially stronger and more
stabilized wellbore resulting in a reduction in borehole breakouts and increase in mud loss resistance, eliminating substantial
amounts of NPT
• Safer condition for personnel with the use of Casing Drive System: less crew personnel interaction during the connections,
there is not needed a derrickman or any personnel working on highs.
• Rig Power Demand: Lower horsepower and therefore less fuel and maintenance are required due to the substantially reduced
circulating pressure and elimination of repetitive draw-works tripping. No pump failure or generation downtime was recorded
during the whole operations. For instance, in Piraña-4D the rig has casing drilled 7.5 days without any pump failure. Also,
average rig diesel consumption has been cut by almost half (average 12 ¼-in section consumption: 1500 gal/day vs. 2800
gal/day in conventional drilling).

Conclusion
After having captured Piraña-4D opportunities into Dorado-2D operations, Casing Drilling technique was demonstrated to be less
risky and quicker than conventional drilling technique for surface and intermediate holes: it proved to be adapted to Block 67 well
conditions; furthermore it was demonstrated to be less risky and quicker than conventional drilling technique for surface and
intermediate holes of Block 67 wells.

DCwD system had an outstanding performance in terms of reliability and directional drilling capability. Wellbore stability
obtained with the Casing Drilling process makes a clear difference in terms of time and cost savings and determines the future
application of the technology in the development of the fields.

Time saving achieved between the best conventional drilled well (Piraña-3D) and Dorado-2D (DCwD) was estimated in 36%. As
was shown potential problems like hole instability, clays swelling, stuck pipe, hole cleaning, gumbo, surface equipment downtime
and seepage losses were enterly mitigated with Directional Casing while Drilling implementation.

Perenco along with Tesco and Schlumberger D&M will focus on what was learnt in these two experiences to improve the
performance in future development of the Block 67 fields. There is a lot of room yet to enhance in terms of learning curve and
directional tools selection. Electromagnetic MWD, Rotary Steerable System, improved underreamer design arms, pump down
displacement plug (PDDP), premium connections are going to be part of the improvements that will be considered for the next
stage.
SPE 139339 15

Nomenclature
APWD Annular Pressure while Drilling
BHA Bottom Hole Assembly
BOP Blow out Preventor
BTC Buttress connection
CBL Cement Bond Logging
CDE Casing Drilling Engineering Software
CDS Casing Drive System
CLS Casing Landing Sub
CPN Casing Profile Nipple
CwD Casing while Drilling
DCwD Directional Casing while Drilling
DLA Drilling Lock Assembly
DLS Dog Leg Severity
DP Drill Pipe
ECD Equivalent Circulating Density
EM Electromagnetic
HHP Hydraulic Horse Power
HSRT Hydraulic Safety and Release Tool
LWD Logging while Drilling
MD Measured Depth
MRPT Mechanical Release and Pulling Tool
MWD Measurement while Drilling
NMDC Non-Magnetic Drill Collar
NPT Non Planned Time
PDDP Pump Down Displacement Plug
PDM Positive Displacement Motor
RPM Rotations per Minutes
RSS Rotary Steerable System
SRPM Surface Rotations per Minute
TD Total Depth
T&D Torque and Drag
TOC Top of Cement
UR Underreamer

Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge permission to publish this information from Perenco Peru Limited. The authors also thank the personnel
of Petrex Rig-23 as well as all the all other services companies involved in the project for their enthusiasm and dedication that
made possible the success of the Casing Drilling operations.

References
1. Borland, B., Watts, R., Warren, T., and Lesso, B., “Drilling High Angle Casing Directionally Drilled Wells with Fit-for-Purpose
String Sizes”, IADC/SPE 99248, presented at the 2006 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, Miami FL., 21-23 February, 2006.
2. Bourassa, K., Husby, T., Watts, R., Ovenson, D., Warren, T., Bjoerneli, H.M., Lesso, B., and Sunde, F., “A Case History of
Casing Directional Drilling in the Norwegian Sector of the North Sea”, SPE/IADC 112560, presented at the 2008 SPE/IADC
Drilling Conference, Orlando FL., 4-6 March, 2008.
3. Fontenot,K., Highnote, J., Warren, T., and Houtchens, B., “Casing Drilling Activity Expands in South Texas”, SPE 79862,
presented at the SPE/IADC Drilling Conference, Amsterdam, Feb 19-21, 2003.
4. Warren, T., Tessari, R., and Houtchens, B., “Directional Drilling with Casing”, WOCD-0430-01, presented at the World Oil
2004 Casing Drilling Technical Conference, Houston, TX., 30-31 March 2004.
5. Strickler, R., Mushovic, T., Warren, T., and Lesso, B., “Casing Directional Drilling Using a Rotary Steerable System”,
IADC/SPE 92195, presented at the 2005 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, Amsterdam, 23-25 February 2005.
6. Fontenot, K., Strickler, R.D. and Molina, P., “Improved Wellbore Stability Achieved with Casing Drilling Operations through
Drilling Fluids “Smear Effect”, WOCWD-0431-04, presented at the 2004 World Oil Casing While Drilling Technical Conference,
Houston, TX. March 30-31, 2004.