SPE 26352

Society of Petroleum Engineers

Drilling of Horizontal Wells in Western Siberia

H.H. Jelsma*, B.C. Comeaux*, and B. Meyerov,

Sperry-Sun Drilling Services

● SPE Members

Copyright 1993, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 68th Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers held in Houston, Texas, 3-6 October 1993.

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,
as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, es presented, does not necessarily reflect
any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society
of Petroleum Engineers. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous
acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A. Telex, 163246 SPEUT.

ABSTRACT
The pursuit of oil and gas in the former Soviet Union
poses both technical and political challenges to
Western companies. This paper discusses how some
of the difficulties were overcome while drilling
horizontal wells in Western Siberia. It describes
various combinations of Russian and Western
technology which have been used to provide the
most cost effective methods, It also provides a
general understanding of political and environmental
issues involved in drilling in Siberia which are largely
unknown to the West.
One of the greatest challenges in this “new” frontier
is the use of equipment designs which are
substantially different from Western technology.
This is further compounded by the general lack of
equipment. While some Western equipment
(particularly rigs and MWD) offers distinct
advantages in drilling horizontal wells in Siberia, it is
not generally cost effective to completely replace
existing Russian equipment with Western equipment.
Nor is it politically acceptable, The attitude of “we
are from the West and are here to show you how to
drill” does not work here.

BACKGROUND Our experience is that successful operations in

Siberia requires that the existing labor force and
The steady decline in production from the prolific equipment should be used to the greatest extent
Siberian oil fields has prompted Russian authorities to possible. One reason is that the infrastructure will
enter into joint ventures with Western companies in simply not support massive equipment transportation.
hopes of halting the decline and, ultimately, Further, it is easier to support and maintain existing
increasing production. Few Western service Russian equipment because the Russians are familiar
companies have attempted to participate in this with the requirements for proper maintenance of their
emerging market. Sperry-Sun Drilling Services equipment. Finally, bringing in massive amounts of
entered into a joint venture in Western Siberia with Western equipment and personnel poses an affront to
the goal of using horizontal drilling technology to the pride of the Russians, who have struggled to
increase production. We discovered that it was make the best of a politically stifling environment for
necessary to adapt to the technical and political over seventy years. Therefore, our modus operandi
environment in Siberia in order to operate has been to utilize the local people and equipment to
successfully there, the fullest extent possible, while bringing in only the
most essential equipment from the West.
References and figures at end of paper.
2 DRILLING OF HORIZONTAL WELLS IN WESTERN SIBERIA
Horizontal drilling technology is used in the Ob River
region of Western Siberia (Figure 1 ) primarily to
conform to environmental restrictions on drilling.
This will be discussed in the next section. A
secondary reason for using horizontal drilling is to
increase reservoir exposure,
The wells discussed here are Langepas, Belozerneft,
Surgut, Raduzhnyy, and Noyabr’sk. As shown in
Figure 1, they were drilled in locations around
Nefteyugansk and Nizhnevartovsk. These wells will
be discussed in general terms to illustrate the major
problems which arose in the course of drilling and
completing them.
DESCRIPTION AND APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY
A. Drilling Operations and Procedures
The typical well profile used for these horizontal wells
sets 245mm (9-5/8 in) casing at 500m (1640 ft) to
case off a shallow water zone (Figure 2). The well is
kicked off below this casing shoe using build rates of
6°/30 m (60/100 ft) or less. The tangent section sail
angle is determined by the expected depth of the
marker bed, the hydratable “Bazhenov” shale, The
Bazhenov must be entered at an angle which will
allow the final build rate into the “Ural” target zone
to be less than a maximum of 18°/30m (18°/100 ft).
Build rates above this create excessive bending
stresses in the casing and Russian drill pipe. It is
important to achieve the correct trajectory before
entering the Bazhenov because borehole stability is
adversely affected by directional correction runs.
A pilot hole is drilled as standard procedure to verify
the reservoir location. Formation tops are indicated
by wireline logging, since only directional MWD is
available. The Russian knowledge and technology in
geology (logs and interpretation) and geophysics
(seismic and interpretation) provide good well
placement. However, the Russian drilling guidance
(MWD) and directional survey systems are poor
compared to current Western standards. The result
is that contour maps frequently change and formation
tops are frequently off depth. In horizontal wells,
this uncertainty is reduced by drilling a tangent
section, using a Western MWD directional sensor
package and extensive use of conventional mud
logging.
B. Environmental Considerations
Because of environmental concerns, significant
efforts are made to minimize the size of the surface
SPE 26352
locations. Two means are used to accomplish this
goal: (1) pad drilling, and (2) horizontal drilling.
Although we have employed both techniques in these
wells, we will describe each method separately.
Pad drilling is commonly used in Western Siberia to
minimize surface location size. A rail system is
constructed on an earthen mound to overcome soil
bearing capacity limitations. The rails are laid over a
row of eight to ten proposed wells which are spaced
approximately 7m (23 ft) apart (Figure 3). The rig is
hydraulically moved from well to well on these rails.
All new wells drilled in this area involving Sperry-Sun
Drilling Services have been drilled from such pads.
In addition to reducing the environmental impact, pad
drilling also reduces the number of times that the rig
is completely torn down and reassembled. Because
the soil has a low bearing capacity and will not
support large loads, the rig is designed to be broken
down into small pieces for transporting, which
increases the mobilization time and can take from 30
to 45 days. By reducing the number of these
complete teardowns, the amount of time which the
rigs spends drilling is increased.
The Russians employ two rig crews, one for drilling
and one for teardown and assembly. By using a
separate crew strictly for teardown and assembly,
the drilling crew is able to drill continuously. When
the moving crew completes a rigup, the drilling crew
moves to the new location and immediately begins
drilling the next series of eight to ten wells. The
moving crew then begins the teardown and
relocation of the rig from the completed well site.
This system has resulted in Russian rigs drilling 5
wells in the time Western rigs have drilled 1 -1/2 to 2
wells. Therefore, the Russian mobilization operations
have proven to be very efficient.
Horizontal drilling reduces the number of wells
required to exploit a reservoir, which further reduces
the number of surface locations. As mentioned
previously, however, the primary reason for the use
of horizontal drilling technology is to conform to
environmental restrictions which prevents placing the
rig surface location within 2.5 km (1 .55 mi) of the
Ob River (Figure 4). Since the Ural reservoir is
located directly beneath the Ob River at
approximately 2800m TVD (9200 ft), medium-radius
horizontal drilling techniques are considered to be the
most efficient and environmentally acceptable means
to reach the reservoir.
SPE 26352 H.H. JELSMA, B.C. COMEAUX, B.B. MEYEROV
C. Drilling Equipment Technology
The technology used in Russia for formation
evaluation (wireline) is generally adequate for non-
horizontal drilling. Wireline capabilities include
gamma, Resistivity, and casing collar locators. In
these type wells, directional surveying is usually done
using steering tools and magnetic multi-shots. The
nature of the wireline multishot equipment makes it
susceptible to human errors, and surveys are
frequently incorrect.
For horizontal drilling, more sophisticated technology
is required. For example, directional MWD equipment
has been brought in from the West to allow the real-
time trajectory corrections necessary to drill the wells
efficiently. (Although Russian MWD systems do
exist, the smallest one has an outer diameter of 190
mm (7-1/2 in), which is too large for the final hole
sections. ) Formation evaluation MWD tools have not
been brought in due to the complexity of these
systems, which require additional repair facilities and
equipment to properly maintain. Instead, standard
electric logs are run using a tubing conveyed logging
system in the upper hole sections. in 120- 152 mm
(4-3/4 -6 in) holes, no downhole logging devices are
available in Russia. In the absence of small hole
logging equipment, surface logging of sample returns
takes on even greater significance, and is used
extensively.
Drill Bits
Both Russian and Western drill bits have been used to
drill these wells, with the Russian bits utilized for the
larger hole sections. Smaller Russian bits have not
held up well in the deeper drilling environments due
to bearing problems. Western bits designed for high
RPM have been able to drill longer under the high
rotation rates typical with turbine motors. A recent
comparison’ shows that an off-the-shelf Western bit
with bearings that had been designed for high rpm
drilling completed an interval which typically requires
ten Russian bits. The life of the Russian bits used on
the Noyabr’sk well (Table 1 ) was typically short, with
an average life of 12 hours, which was in agreement
with results of this study. Figure 5 shows the
relatively high percentage of trip time compared to
total time. By comparison, Western bits have lasted
several days under the same conditions.
Turbines and Downhole Motors
The Russians have had many years of experience
with downhole turbines2. They are used successfully
in the kickoff and tangent sections although positive
3
displacement motors are occasionally used (Figure 6).
Russian motors manufactured in Perm have excellent
power sections but weak bearings and complicated
gear reducer sections. Use of Western adjustable
housing motors improves steerability by allowing the
directional characteristics of the motor to be fine-
tuned on location. These motors are also
significantly shorter which reduces the distance from
the bit to the directional sensor measure point,
thereby improving directional control. Although
motors have usually drilled slower than turbines, they
have generally been more reliable. The turbines are
cheaper to build because cast parts are used instead
of machined parts.
Bottom Hole Assemblies
The local preference for 168 mm (6-5/8 in) protective
casing, instead of the more common (in the West)
178 mm (7 in) casing, causes some compromises.
The 168 mm (6-5/8 in) casing has a drift inner
diameter of 154 mm (6-1/16 in). Therefore, standard
practice has been to use 149 mm (5-7/8 in) bits
combined with 121 mm (4-3/4 in) motors and other
BHA components (Figure 6). The internal drift must
be checked on every joint of the 168 mm (6-5/8 in)
casing to insure there are no restrictions. This
combination of bit size and collar size can result in a
less than desirable annular clearance, especially in
the reactive shales that overlay most reservoirs in
Western Siberia. For this reason the final build
section is cased off, putting the shales behind pipe
and allowing the 121 mm (4-3/4 in) BHA to drill out
into the target zone. Another alternative to using the
121 mm (4-3/4 in) assemblies is to bring in 88.9 mm
(3-1 /2 in) motors and MWD, although this causes
some compromises in hydraulics, hole cleaning and
buckling resistance.
Aluminum Drill Pipe
Russian aluminum drill pipe is used throughout the
well to reduce string weight. The pipe is positioned
at the top of the drill string for the build and tangent
sections, then moved into the tangent for drilling the
horizontal section. This is necessary to remain within
the safe working limits of the drilling rig and site.
Due to the marshy soil conditions, string weight is
restricted to prevent placing high loads on the soil,
which could subside and cause the rig to sink or lean.
The hoisting capacity of the rig derrick is also a
limiting factor for string weight in some cases.
Aluminum drill pipe has had both tensile and buckling
failures on these wells, but the alternative is to
reduce the lateral reach of the wells and/or use steel
drill pipe. A factor which exacerbates this problem is
4 DRILLING OF HORIZONTAL WELLS IN WESTERN SIBERIA
the high pH mud that is commonly used, which
increases corrosion problems of the steel connections
threaded onto the aluminum tube. This has been
responsible for five pipe failures on one well.
Techniques used to minimize these drill pipe failures
include extensive torque and drag analysis, using
Russian specifications for the aluminum pipe. Very
careful engineering design is required to analyze the
expected loads on the drill pipe and rig, including a
risk assessment of worst case scenarios. Onsite
calculations determine the proper positioning of the
aluminum pipe for safe operations. Other common
drill pipe failures, e.g., twistoffs, are reduced by
applying commonly accepted Western practices such
as working the pipe whenever the hole is tight.
Rotary Table Limitations
A problem inherent in the Russian BU 3000 Rig
equipment is the design of the rotary table. Since
Russian drilling practice (in non-horizontal wells) is to
drill an entire well with turbine motors, drill string
rotation is not normally required. The rotary table is
electrically driven without rheostat control and is
mainly intended for making up connections. This
results in near instantaneous acceleration to a fixed
34 or 78 rpm depending on the gear. Western
technology, by contrast, allows a smooth increase in
rotational speed and fine tuning to the desired final
speed. The effect of this near-instantaneous rotation
is the high torsional impact loads that are placed on
the drillstring. Obviously, this type loading has a
deleterious effect on drillstring life.
The weight indicator on Russian BU 3000 rigs
reflects relative changes sufficiently well to drill
effectively while rotating the drillstring. Rotary table
torque is monitored with an ammeter, which gives a
crude, relative measurement. However, for oriented
drilling (sliding), these rigs generally lack a standpipe
pressure gauge which is sufficiently accurate for
motor drilling.
D. Mud Systems
Another area of difficulty concerns the tradeoffs
required in the choices of mud systems. Russian
made shakers are used although they are not as
advanced as Western designs and are usually
improperly maintained. The result is that the mud
systems typically must cope with high amounts of
drill solids.
Fresh water muds are used in order to obtain good
SPE 26352
spontaneous potential logs. Due to environmental
concerns, the use of oil based muds is prohibited by
the government. The bentonites used in the fresh
water mud systems are mainly calcium and sodium
based (instead of potassium) which results in slower
yield. Although prehydration would improve the early
yield, the space required for the prehydration tanks is
generally not available.
Although the formations are normally pressured (i.e.,
1.03 g/cm3 pore pressure)(8.6 lbm/gal), they are
commonly drilled with a 1.14 to 1.20 g/cm3 (9.5 to
10.0 lbm/gal) mud weight. This is partly due to poor
solids control and partly due to an attempt to
enhance mechanical wellbore stability. With a true
vertical depth at TD of 3000m (9842 ft), this results
in an overbalance pressure of 3400 to 4800 kPa
(500 to 700 psi). Since logging considerations
dictate that a freshwater mud be used, the ability to
chemically inhibit shales is severely impaired.
Therefore, standard practice is to use high mud
weight in attempt to substitute mechanical stability
for chemical stability.
Unfortunately, this high overbalance can contribute
significantly to formation damage via invasion of
fines from the drilling mud into the formation. The
situation is exacerbated by the presence of high. drill
solids in the mud.
Most Russian rigs operate without blowout
preventers. Excessive mud weight is used to provide
the primary means of well control and, thereby taking
kicks. Obviously, the downside of this practice is too
high mud weight which results in lost circulation and,
potentially, in a kick. The fracture gradient was
sufficiently high in these wells to avoid this problem.
E. Completion Technology
Historically, completions on land wells have not
received the close attention which has been given to
offshore completions. The main reason is that the
available resources for completions were used for the
offshore wells. Another reason is that drilling
organizations were driven by aggressive yearly
meterage requirement which resulted in drilling,
rather than completions, being emphasized.
Our horizontal wells were completed with a variety of
techniques (Figure 7). Most wells were left open
hole. The wells drilled for Surgut were cased,
cemented, and perforated. The Belozerneft well was
completed with a slotted liner, and initially was
SPE 26352 H.H, JELSMA, B.C. COMEAUX, B.B. MEYEROV
thought to be a successful well. However, this well
became clogged with sand, possibly due to the slots
being too large and flow rates too high, resulting in
excessive drawdown pressure. Attempts have been
made to mimic Western completion technology with
limited success, as in the case of the slotted liner,
which was made by cutting holes in the casing with
a welding torch. Unfortunately, no completion
companies from the West were operating in Siberia
at the time. If they had been, then prepacked liners
would have been a good option to prevent early
sand up. Clearly, completion techniques need
improvement before drilling horizontal wells can be
economically successful on a consistent basis.
F. Production History
On the first Surgut well, enthusiasm over initial
production rates led to progressively higher test flow
3
rates. This well was produced at 500 m /d (3200
bopd) compared to typical production rates for the
area of 30 m3/d (190 bopd). Unfortunately, the well
produced 57% water cut very quickly. It is believed
that water from older wells in the field which had
been water flooded invaded the productive zone of
the new well, thus bypassing the hydrocarbons. It is
also believed that the production rates were
excessive and exacerbated the premature high water
cut.
G. Logistics
Logistics have been a significant constraint to
operations in Siberia. One manifestation of this is
that technology which is taken for granted in the
West is either not present or not properly maintained.
The White Nights Well represents one example of the
impact which logistics can have. On this well, the
drillstring was stuck in the lateral section, requiring a
set of jars. It took five days to get the jars into the
country, and then the jars had to be air-freighted into
Moscow at great expense.
Another detrimental effect on operations is that
telephone communication is very limited from a
typical well site, and not very reliable even from the
area of Nizhnevartovsk to Moscow. Independent
satellite communications stations provide the most
reliable alternative, but are expensive to purchase
and use.
Transporting equipment over long distances has been
mostly successful, with a trucking and rail system
that is fairly reliable. However, access to these has
been hindered by the limited number of scheduled
5
runs. The vehicles are generally good, but the lack of
adequate inventories of spare parts to repair broken
vehicles and the six months lead time required to
obtain parts severely hampers the effectiveness of
the system. Fuel supplies are not reliable, creating
further delays.
When transportation is available, it may still be
difficult to obtain supplies and equipment because of
the severe weather conditions. The winter season
presents arctic drilling conditions, while summer
temperatures allow normally frozen lakes and rivers
to thaw, thus making access to rigsite locations
difficult if not impossible. Soil conditions in general
do not support heavy hauling.
H. Cost
Compared to importing all Western equipment, using
a combination of Russian and Western equipment can
be substantially cheaper. The typical cost of a single
horizontal well using all Western equipment ranges
from $800,000 to $1.2 million dollars, while the cost
of a well using a combination of Russian and Western
equipment is about $300,000 (Figure 8). For multi-
well programs, the cost of using all Western
equipment compares better to that of using a
combination. However, the advantage is still
significantly in favor of combining Russian and
Western equipment.
The Russian rig, mud, and crews are used to drill the
surface hole, accounting for about $60,000 of the
total. Although Russian rigs do not have all of the
features or capacity of typical Western rigs, the cost
of maintaining the rigs is less. Parts can be difficult
to get, but it is still more cost effective to rely on
local Russian parts supplies than to try to bring in
everything required from the West because of the
high transportation costs. The operating cost of
using Russian equipment and crews is considerably
less as well. The surface hole can be done quickly
with a very simple and inexpensive mud system.
Since the wells are typically vertical to this point,
there is no need for sophisticated directional control
equipment. Using local Russian drilling crews
reduces costs further compared to transporting and
housing Western personnel.
Once the surface hole has been drilled and cased,
then the Western directional drilling personnel,
directional MWD equipment, and mud systems are
brought in.
6 DRILLING OF HORIZONTAL WELLS IN WESTERN SIBERIA
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES
It is helpful to look back in history to understand the
current operating conditions in Russia. In the old
Communist marketplace, the lack of competition
coupled with arbitrary quotas resulted in a sacrifice
in product quality to meet deadlines, unless the
customer was the military or some other strategically
important industry. Suppliers who did not meet the
required production quota or who provided equipment
which failed often did not get paid.
The practice of assigning very specific production
capabilities to widely separated geographical regions
was intended to prevent any one area from becoming
self sufficient. The result of this segregation is that
the new independent states have been left without
complete production capabilities in many areas. The
only reason the oil industry has not suffered more
than it has as a result of this system is because of
the strategic importance of energy to the central
government.
Today, the Russian drilling associations are
contracted by the Russian production associations to
supply a producing oil well. If anything prevents the
drilling association from delivering the well, the risk
exists that the production association simply will not
pay for the drilling association’s services. In its
current form, this is the ultimate turnkey operation.
This practice has left drilling associations indebted for
billions of rubles. There is no real penalty for this
financial situation, so the drilling associations
continue to borrow more and more just to meet
payroll requirements. The government-run banks
continue to lend money to the drilling associations
because the government believes this is preferable to
the unemployment which would result if the drilling
associations went bankrupt.
When this practice is applied to Western service
companies who are accustomed to working on a day
rate basis and receiving payment regardless of the
success or failure of the well, the results can be
frustrating and expensive. At the same time,
confusion over who actually owns rights to the oil
further complicates matters3. For this reason, Sperry-
Sun Drilling Services decided to setup a joint venture
with the local government of Nefteyugansk, named
Siberian Sperry-Sun, and arranged to perform
services in return for oil, to be shipped to a port
where it could be sold on the open market for hard
currency.
The incentive for Western companies to enter into
this business climate is the vast oil and gas reserves
SPE 26352
of the Siberian region. This has been made easier to
accomplish due to Russia’s realization that they have
been unable to stop the production decline of recent
years using existing Russian technology. Although
legal issues must be dealt with, and final authority for
decisions is often in question, the effect of Western
companies sharing technology with the Russians
should ultimately be a win-win situation. The
Russian economy will gain a stable supply of oil and
gas exports, necessary for hard currency exchange,
and Western companies will be compensated for their
efforts. Neither of these situations have yet to be
realized on a consistent basis.
Although Western companies have been brought into
the CIS in hopes of improving on drilling performance
by applying Western technology and expertise, some
of the technical advice has been met with resistance.
Russian drillers can be docked a month’s pay, for
example, should any problems arise during their tour.
This is one reason why rig personnel are extremely
reluctant to try anything new (to them) on the advice
of a Westerner.
Russian authorities have a basic mistrust of
Westerners as a result of years of Cold War
propaganda. Coupled with this is the basic lack of
knowledge and experience with regard to Western
business practices, legal system, and the
government’s role in a market economy.4 On this
last point even Westerners cannot agree completely.
The business climate in Russia requires a great deal
of fortitude and patience in order to operate
successfully. The Russians are the first to admit this.
Companies who wish to do business in Russia or
anywhere in the CIS must be willing and able to
endure the labor pains (and costs) of this new
market.
CONCLUSIONS
Conclusions from Sperry-Sun Drilling Services’
experiences in drilling horizontal wells in Western
Siberia are:
1. Drilling horizontal wells in Western Siberia is
challenging both technically and politically. A
primary reason is that the system is in desperate
need of basic infrastructure development.
2. A combination of Western and Russian
technology and practices has been used to
successfully drill horizontal wells in Western Siberia.
This combination is more cost effective than drilling
SPE 26352 H. H. JELSMA, B. C. COMEAUX, B.B. MEYEROV 7

the wells using only Western equipment and SI METRIC CONVERSION FACTORS
personnel.

3. Russian hardware which could benefit from

improvement includes rig monitoring equipment,
rotary tables, availability of more standard casing
sizes, and drill pipe.

4. The completion design, equipment, and procedures

need significant improvement before the ultimate
economic success of drilling horizontal wells can be
realized. *Conversion factor is exact.

5. Trust must be earned and nurtured in order to

continue improving business relations and acceptance
of Western ideology. Western ideology must be
tested against new criteria and re-evaluated.

NOMENCLATURE

CIS - Confederation of Independent States

MWD - Measurement While Drilling
rpm - Revolutions per minute

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors express their appreciation to the fine

staff and management of Baroid Corporation and
Sperry-Sun Drilling Services who supported this work
from inception.

REFERENCES

1
Zaleski, T.: “Siberian Bit Test Proves Need For
Western Technology, ” Petroleum Engineer
International (September 1992) 38-45.
2
Tiraspolsky, W.: Hydraulic Downhole Drilling
Motors, Gulf Publishing Co., Houston (1 985) 35.
3
United States General Accounting Office Report
to the Chairman, Committee on Foreign
Relations, U.S. Senate, “Soviet Energy: U.S.
Attempts to Aid Oil Production Are Hindered by
Many Obstacles”, May 1991
4
Burt, J. A. : “Soviet Ventures Require Careful
Structuring, ” Oil and Gas Journal (June 1991)
78-81.