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At-Bit Inclination Measurements Improves Directional Drilling Efficiency and Control
At-Bit Inclination Measurements Improves Directional Drilling Efficiency and Control
provide increased 2-dimensional directional response and control A case study done in Alaska [2] shows that significant drilling
for more efficient drilling. performance improvements can be achieved by reducing the time
Efficient and precise placement of the borehole in the spent sliding. By comparing similar wells drilled with and
reservoir plays a key factor in optimizing production rates and without AIM technology a reduction of almost 100 percent was
increasing recovery rates. Using steerable mud motors seen in the time spent sliding. As as result the gross rate of
instrumented with an inclination sensor has proven to give the penetration was increased over 55 percent.
driller the tool he needs to achieve precise TVD control. Using a rotating near bit stabilizer instead of the standard
Case studies [1] have shown that reducing the wellbore motor housing sleeve stabilizer has proven to improve the rate of
undulations in horizontal wells can lead to increased oil penetration in sliding mode. It improves weight transfer to the bit
production. Field examples show that wells with large by mechanically disclodging cuttings for more efficient cuttings
undulations develop water sumps. It has been found that when a removal. As a result this decreases drag and tendencies for the bit
large percentage of the wellbore cross section filled with water, to stick/slip which leads to a more consistent weight transer to the
reduced oil entry occurs. Productivity modelling predicts that this bit. This improves toolface orientations and more differential
could lead to up to 50 percent reduction in productivity. pressure can safely be applied on the motor for higher rate of
penetration.
Description of equipment An example from an offshore field development in Nigeria
The mechanical design of a positive displacement mud motor shows the improvements in the rate of penetration that can be
makes it difficult to install a hard-wired connection from near-bit obtained by uing a motor with a rotating near bit stabilizer, see
sensors through the motor to the MWD tool. It also causes figure 2. The three first horizontal wells were drilled with motors
operational problems when changing BHA components between equipped with conventional motor housing stabilizers. The last
the motor and the MWD tool. A telemetry system is used that four wells were drilled using a rotating near bit stabilizer on the
transmits the data from near the bit up the hole to the MWD, motors. The overall rate of penetration increased between 50 to
bypassing these issues while keeping the system reliable, versatile 100 percent when compared to the first three wells drilled. This is
and cost effective. not to say that all these drilling improvements were solely related
The At-bit Inclination Measurement (AIM*) tool has an to the rotating near bit stabilizer. The impact of lessons learnt
electronics package including a single axis inclinometer during the drilling campain was also a key component in the
incorporated into the drive shaft of a standard PowerPak* motor. improvements seen.
This allows for a real-time inclination measurement 1-foot (0.3m)
from the bit. The electronics are housed inside a rotating near bit 2-D rotary steerable system
stabilizer sleeve. (See fig 1). Another application were AIM has shown to improve the
Using a rotating near bit stabilizer rather than the conventional directional drilling efficiency is in conjuction with a variable
fixed motor stabilizer has shown to improve the rate of gauge stabilizer for 2–dimensional directional control. Normally
penetration while sliding by reducing the drag resistance and the variable gauge stabilizers are placed behind the motor.
reducing the tendency of bit sticking. However, the further away from the bit you place a stabilizer the
Since the sensor is mounted in the center of this rotating stabilizer less impact it will have on the directional behavior of the bottom
there are only minor differences between the inclination hole assembly (BHA). This is especially true with new the
measurement obtained while sliding or rotating. The tool generation extended motor power sections.
continuously updates the inclination in both drilling modes. The Placing the variable stabilizer between the bit and the motor
measurement is made as close to true hole inclination as possible increases the directional response from normally 0.5° to 1 ° build
and not affected by BHA sag. and drop per 100 feet to almost 2° to 3°. This increased response
The system is currently available for operations in hole sizes allows the directional driller to better combat unpredictable BHA
ranging from 5 7/8” up to 26” with a temperature rating of 300°F behaviour due to changing formation effects. Therefore the need
(150º C). The tool is powered by batteries with a 180 to 300-hour to pull out of hole and modify the bottom hole assembly due to
operating life depending on tool size. unpredictable formation effects are signifigantly reduced. Usually
Maximum dogleg severity capacities are 30º/100 ft while sliding there is a standpipe pressure difference of between 100 to 200 psi
and 15º/100 ft while rotating for the 4 ¾” motor size, making it between the two available stabilizer positions. However in some
suitable for long to medium radius drilling. situations this pressure difference is very difficult to detect on
AIM can be used in combination with any type of PowerPak surface. When using conventional MWD systems if the stabilizer
power section and adjustable stabilizers. is in the wrong position or the BHA behaviour changes due to
formation effects, the changes will not be detected before 60 to 80
Application of equipment feet of new formation are drilled. Incorporating AIM into such a
Increasing the power or torque delivered to the bit from BHA, see figure 3, allows for earlier detection of those changes
steerable motors is one way of improving the drilling efficiency with the inclination sensor about 10 feet from the bit. In some
of steerable motor systems. Another way to increase the drilling situations this could be the difference between the need for a
efficiency is to improve the sliding process by both maximizing BHA trip or continue to drill ahead.
the rate of penetration while sliding and/or minimizing the Figure 4 shows a comparison between the inclination
amount of sliding needed. measured in the MWD tool and the inclination measurement from
IADC/SPE 59194 AT-BIT INCLINATION MEASUREMENTS IMPROVE DIRECTIONAL DRILLING EFFICIENCY AND CONTROL 3
AIM. The data is taken from a 6 1/8” horizontal well drilled in the the bit. The average vertical tolerance was ± 0.68m (± 2.2 ft).
Austin Chalk formation (US Land). The two measurements The last well was landed in a 8 ½-inch hole then a 6-inch lateral
correlate very closely, with only about 0.2° to 0.3° difference was drilled. A steerable motor equiped with AIM was used and
between the two inclination measurements. Different BHA sag the average vertical tolerance achieved was ± 0.27m (± 0.88 ft).
effects on the two measurements are the main reason for the The drain hole section was planned for 8 days and was done in
difference. It can be noted that when the stabilizer buttons are in a only 5 days. As a result there was no gas production in any of
retracted position and the BHA drops angle the difference these three last wells drilled with a near bit inclination
between the two measurements are smaller. measurement tool.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Ian Falconer, Greg Conran, Steve Kaufmann, Ivor Gray
and Okiemute Ejakopvi Enaibe of Schlumberger Oilfield Services
for their valuable assistance in developing this paper.
References
1. F.J.Kuchuk, C. Lenn, P.Hook, P. Fjerstad.: “Performance Evaluation
of Horizontal Wells.” SPE 39749 presented at the Asia Pacific
Conference on Integrated Modeling for Asset Management held in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 23-24 March 1998.
2. M.Varco, J.E.Smith D.M.Stone.: “Incination at the Bit Improves
Directional Precision for Slimhole Horizontal Wells: Local Case
Histories.” SPE 54593 presented at the 1999 Regional Meeting
hekd in Anchorage, Alaska, 26-28 May 1999.
* Mark of Schlumberger
IADC/SPE 59194 AT-BIT INCLINATION MEASUREMENTS IMPROVE DIRECTIONAL DRILLING EFFICIENCY AND CONTROL 5
Fig 2 – Offshore Nigeria field example of drilling improvements obtained with rotating near bit stabilizer motors
Fig 4 - Plot of MWD and AIM inclination from a 2-D steerable BHA example run
Fig 5 - Openhole sidetrack drilled using AIM tool, showing sequence of events that lead to a successful sidetrack after only 39 ft and before
the MWD tool had even encountered the new hole
IADC/SPE 59194 AT-BIT INCLINATION MEASUREMENTS IMPROVE DIRECTIONAL DRILLING EFFICIENCY AND CONTROL 7
Fig 6 - Vertical section view of horizontal drain with well trajectories from conventional steerable BHA’s and steerable BHA’s using near bit
inclintation sensors.
Fig. 7 - Production log images of well flowing and well shut in conditions.