Total Depth Solutions' technologies provide effective, efficient and safe well construction method to mitigate borehole problems
David Whitby A , Budi Utama B and Richard Reading CA Weatherford International
B Weatherford Indonesia
C Apache Energy Ltd Australia
The APPEA Journal 51(1) 459-466 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ10029
Published: 2011
Abstract
Permit TL/2 in the Carnarvon Basin, WA, presents several challenges for top hole drilling and casing running operations. Previous experience showed that drilling the 16” hole section and running 13⅜” casing was typically a time consuming phase of the well due to fluid losses and tight hole conditions, consequently requiring the use of seawater to drill, back reaming, wiper trips and occasional spotting of pills.
The initial solution delivered to the operator as an alternative method to get 13⅜” casing to total depth (TD) was to employ a casing drill bit to ream the casing to bottom while also delivering an improved drill-out time. This would be coupled with a sophisticated, unique, reliable and simply operated top drive casing running system that was already installed on the rig. Reviewing the Weatherford Total Depth Solutions team’s systems with cost, time and capabilities analysis, the operator was certain that the application of a complete drilling with casing system (DwC™) would mitigate the known hole problems and yield a safe and more cost-effective surface hole operation, significantly reducing non-productive time (NPT).
This paper reviews: the problems that were traditionally encountered during conventional surface hole drilling and casing running operations; the decision-making process that the operator followed prior to employing DwC technology; and, the hazard mitigation and economic benefits realised through a one-way trip to total depth of about 1,000 m TVDRT, which broke to date the longest Weatherford 13⅜” DwC interval globally by the service company and operator.
Dave Whitby began his oilfield career with Security DBS as a coring field technician in 1997, after two years of surface and underground diamond drilling in north Queensland and central WA. Over the following nine years with Security DBS (purchased by Halliburton in this time) Dave was also heavily involved with drill bits and other downhole tools, leading to a sales role in Adelaide during 2002, and later in Perth until 2004. At this time, Dave was promoted to coring manager for Australasia. Corpro Systems recruited Dave in 2006 to set up coring services in Australasia. Seeking new challenges, Dave joined Weatherford in 2009 as the Asia Pacific Region Total Depth Solutions team leader, heading up an established team of applications engineers focused primarily on drilling with casing and other top drive casing running applications, and overcoming operators’ challenges in the safe and efficient running of casing. David.Whitby@ap.weatherford.com |
I Made Gde Budi Utama graduated from the Petroleum Engineering Department of Universitas Pembangunan Nasional (UPN) “Veteran†Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2005 with cum laude title. While at the university, Budi was a member of the SPE student chapter from 2000–3, as department coordinator and as committee chairman of a short course. Budi had also been actively involved in many activities of the local student oil and gas chapter (IATMI). Budi previously worked as a mud logger for Geoservices Indonesia (Geoprolog Intiwijaya) from August 2005 to December 2006. He then worked as a managed pressure drilling field engineer at Weatherford Indonesia from January–June 2006. Following that, he joined the Drilling With Casing Department as an applications engineer, and presently works in onshore planning and assists in drilling with casing field applications as a drilling/reaming with casing engineer. IMade.BudiUtama@ap.weatherford.com |
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Richard Reading began in the oilfield in 1992 with ODE on Barrow Island for two years for WAPET northwest of WA. Richard moved offshore in 1994 to work for several major rig contractors, during which time he worked on semi-submersibles and jackups in Australia, the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and Brunei, finishing up as a toolpusher. In 2007, Richard went to Apache Energy as a drilling supervisor for the Van Gogh project. After several months in that position, Richard moved to the Perth office as a workover coordinator while pursuing a degree from UWA in oil and gas engineering. Upon completion of the degree, Richard accepted his present position as an operations engineer with Apache in the Perth office. Richard.Reading@apachecorp.com |
