Society of Petroleum Engineers j

SPE 38615

Rotary Drilling System Optimizes BHA Performance in Horizontal Austin Chalk Wells
B.M. Wisenbaker, SPE, and T.L Moser, Sonat Exploration; M.L. Edwards", SPE. NALCO/Exxon Energy Chemical, LP;
and W.H. Eggleston, SPE, Halliburton Energy Services

Copyright 1997. Soaery of Peiroleum Engineers. Inc.

from south Texas to east Louisiana (Fig. 1). In addition to
This paper was prepared tor presentation at me 1997 SPE Annual Tectimcal Conference ana fracture systems, the Austin Chalk also has extensive faulting
EiDitMion. naK) in San Antonio. IX U.S.A.. S-3 Oeteoer 1997.
and formation dip changes. These faults, fractures, and dip
This paper was selected lor presentation by an SPE Program Committee laitowmg review el
mtormauon contained in an abstract suemmad by me autnor(s). Contents b< me paper, as
changes can significantly affect the build and drop tendencies
prgPned. have net otan reviewed by me Society ot Petroleum Engineers and are subject to of the BHA. To keep the BHA in the target zone, mechanical
O.X. .on by the autnor(s). the maienai. as presented, does not necetsahly reflect any
posinon of me Society d Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at course corrections are usually required. The target zone in the
SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of me Society of
Petroleum Engineers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage e) any part of mis paper
Austin Chalk is typically a 15- to 30-ft window that is believed
tor commercial purposes witnout me written consent oi me Society of Petroleum Engineers is to contain the highest degree of fracturing (Fig. 2).
prorubtted. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract ol not more man 300
words: illustrations may not be coined. The abstract must contain conspicuous
acknowledgment of wnere and by wnem me paper was presented. Write librarian. SPE. P.O.
Bex 833836. Richardson. TX 75083-3836. U.S.A.. fa* 0V972-952-943S. Previous BHA Configurations
A bent housing PDM has been used as the conventional means
of controlling inclination in the Austin Chalk. The motors have
Abstract
been used (1) without an adjustable stabilizer and (2) with an
The placement of an adjustable stabilizer on the bottom of a
adjustable stabilizer placed behind the motor.
positive displacement motor (PDM) is being used to enhance
horizontal drilling. These findings are unique in that these are
PDM Without Adjustable Stabilizer. The BHA
the first known cases of its kind where an adjustable stabilizer
configuration shown in Fig. 3 is typical of those used in the
has been successfully run below a motor. Several case studies
Austin Chalk. A polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bit is
of Sonat Exploration's work in the Austin Chalk, particularly
used, and the assembly incorporates a dual power section with
in Newton County, Texas, and Vemon Parish. Louisiana, will
two points of stabilization. The medium-speed motor utilizes a
be supplied, with field operating results highlighted.
fluid-cooled bearing assembly and provides about 240 rpm at
The initial process of finding a bottomhole assembly
250 gal/min throughput. With a typical bend setting of 1.83°,
(BHA) that could control inclination while rotating without
sacrificing motor rate of penetration will be presented. General
the assembly is capable of producing build-up rates (BURs) of
b^fats of running a conventional steerable system will be 57100 ft to 77100 ft in the horizontal section.

reviewed, and the additional benefits offered by the new BHA To build angle with this steerable BHA, the tool face is
configuration that was developed will be discussed. These oriented toward the high side of the hole. Weight is applied to

benefits include reduction of trips, extension of horizontal the bit without rotation of the drillstring. The drillstring slides
sections (accessing additional reserves), reduction of mud along the low side of the hole, allowing the BHA to build
additives, and increased life of the measurement-while-drilling angle. To drop angle, the same procedure is followed, except

(MWD) assembly and motor while drilling in deep, high- that the tool face is oriented toward the low side of the hole.
temperature wells. In addition, software simulation prior to Sliding a siesrable BHA to control wellbore inclination in

field testing provided an accurate BHA for implementation, the 15- to 30-ft target window of the Austin Chalk is very time

further reducing the cost of trial field testing. In conclusion, a consuming. Sliding becomes even more difficult as mud

comparison of earlier field data will be given to help quantify weights approach 12 lb/gal and lateral displacements approach

benefits of running rotary steerable systems as well as prejob 3.000 ft. Under these conditions, wellbore torque and drag
planning with software simulation programs. make sliding a steerable BHA slow and ultimately impossible,
even with the use of expensive lubricants. Penetration rates

Introduction during sliding are usually less than 15% of the penetration
The Austin Chalk is a naturally fractured carbonate reservoir rates while rotating (Fig. 4). Thus, the key factor in

that is productive over a region spanning 650 miles, extending maximizing the overall rate of penetration (ROP) in horizontal
wells in the Austin Chalk is minimizing sliding time.

with Andergauge USA

 B.M. WISENBAKER. T.L. MOSER, M.L. EDWARDS. W.H. EGGLESTON
PDM With Adjustable Stabilizer Behind Motor. A few
years ago, several operators ran an adjustable stabilizer behind
a sieerabie motor in an attempt to control we 11 bore inclination
while rotating the drillstring. The intent of this configuration
was to allow inclination to be controlled with the adjustable
stabilizer or with the bent-housing motor. However, with the
limber 474-in. motors typically used in the Austin Chalk, the
adjustable stabilizer was too far behind the bit to effectively
control inclination with an acceptable response time. Because
this BHA configuration provided little advantage over running
a PDM alone, its use was discontinued.
New BHA Configuration
To increase wellbore control while rotating the drillstring, a
new BHA configuration has been developed in which an
adjustable stabilizer is placed ahead of a straight PDM and just
behind the bit. Three points of stabilization are critical in such
a BHA configuration. These points are provided by the
adjustable stabilizer, a stabilizer placed over the housing of the
motor bearing, and a stabilizer over the crossover between die
motor stators.
Computer modeling, using an in-house program.1
determined the stabilizer ODs and locations needed to
maintain the ideal borehole offsets for maximizing build and
drop tendencies. The computer model was used to select the
diameters of the bearing-housing stabilizer and crossover
stabilizer. Fig. 5 shows the effect that the diameter of the
bearing-housing stabilizer has on the BHA's rotary-mode
build-drop rate with the adjustable stabilizer in the open and
closed positions. The final BHA used a 5 V2-in.-OD bearing-
housing stabilizer placed about 11 ft behind the bit and 5 '/•*-
in.-OD crossover stabilizer located at about 24 ft behind the
bit.
Adjusting the downhole stabilizer between the open and
closed positions moves the BHA fulcrum point and changes
the sideloading on the bit (Fig. 6). In particular, closing the
adjustable stabilizer to the minimum position moves the
fulcrum point away from the bit to the 5 '/2-in. bearing-housing
stabilizer on the motor. Tnis fulcrum position gives an II-ft
pendulum assembly that creates negative sideloading on the
bit. causing the BHA to drop angle. Opening the adjustable
stabilizer to the maximum position creates a near-bit fulcrum
point a few feet from the bit face. This results in positive
sideloading on the bit. causing the BHA to build angle."
The rotary-mode build/drop rates predicted by the
computer model for the new BHA configurations were in
agreement with actual drilling results as seen in Fig. 7. With
the adjustable stabilizer in the maximum gauge position, this
BHA can achieve BURs of approximately 1.75°/IOO ft. With
the adjustable stabilizer in the minimum gauge position, the
BHA can provide drop rates of approximately 2.507100 ft.
Fig. 8 shows the new BRA. configuration. A dual power
section with sealed, oil-lubricated bearing pack is used. The
sealed-bearing-pack driveshaft has 21/: times the bending
strength and twice the torque capacity compared to the design
SPE 38615
of the previous generation. This increased strength allows the
assembly to safely pass through a 28°/100-ft dogleg, whereas
the previous design was limited to 15V100 ft. Furthermore, the
drivetrain is capable of withstanding inenial torque peaks
caused by the bit and adjustable stabilizer of up to 11.000
Ib-ft.
To meet the special demands that would be required of the
BHA in horizontal Austin Chalk wells, several refinements to
the stabilizer design and construction were necessary. First, the
design of the components that generate the pressure signal
indicating tool position was changed to ensure that the
magnitude of the signal was recognizable at the surface. The
signal magnitude and total pressure losses across the tool are
optimized for different mud weights by changing the diameter
of the venturi.
Next, several areas were addressed to mitigate potential
damage and wear that could be caused from the extreme
sideloads and rpms to which the stabilizer would be subjectc%
Because die stabilizer would be placed below the motor, u
would operate at double to triple the designed rpms.
Accordingly, the internal mandrel was shot peened to improve
fatigue life, pistons were strengthened, and piston cylinders
were outfitted with liners that could be replaced when worn.
These modifications increased stabilizer reliability and life,
thereby reducing running costs.
Initial runs were made with medium-speed motors, but in
an attempt to reduce repair costs, a switch was made to low-
speed motors. This change in motors has reduced repair costs
on the adjustable stabilizers by 73% and. as an added benefit,
has increased ROP. With the slow-speed motors, torque is only
slightly reduced compared to the high-speed motors, but there
is a significant reduction in horsepower, thus allowing the
BHA to maintain better contact with the bottom of the hole
and give the improved ROP. Specifications for both motors are
summarized in Tables 1 and 2.
Case Studies
The geographic location of runs made with the new n
configuration are highlighted in Fig. 1. Wells from two of the
fields shown in the figure are discussed here. The first well
was drilled in a 14.5-lb/gal-mud environmeni. where the new
BHA design was critical in maximizing ROP and minimizing
tool failures. The second well was drilled with 9-lb/gal mud to
a horizontal displacement of 8,018 ft. a record that could not
have been attained economically without the new BHA design.
Scobee 34 #1. This well was drilled in the Master's Creek
Field in the Austin Chalk in Vernon Parish, Louisiana. Drilling
activities proceeded as follows:
1. Spudded on December 25. 1996.
2. Drilled 13 '/2-in. hole to 3.200 ft and set 10 3/4-in. surface
casing.
3. Drilled 978-in. hole to intermediate casing point at 13,760
ft. and set 7 3/8-in. casing.
4. Drilled 6 V:-in. pilot hole to 14.293 ft.
 'E 38615 ROTARY DRILLING SYSTEM OPTIMIZES 8HA PERFORMANCE IN HORIZONTAL AUSTIN CHALK WELLS

5. Set cement plus in pilot hole and drilled out cement plus 8. Drilled wiih same assembly to 3.785 ft vertical section.
to 13.825 ft. Average sliding ROP was 6 ft/hr. and average rotating
6. Picked up insert bit. adjustable bent housing motor, and ROP was -6 ft/hr. Sliding percentage was 30%.
MWD assembly; built angle to 90.5° at azimuth of 357° 9. Tripped for motor failure with 81 hours on BHA.
with BUR of 227100 ft. At this point, well was 18 ft 10. Picked 6'/s-in. PDC bit. 55/8-in. x 6-in. adjustable
below the target centerline. stabilizer, and 47.»-in. motor with 5'/2-in. bearing-housing
7. Picked up 6'/:-in. PDC bit and 2.12° adjustable bent stabilizer and 5'/j-in. crossover stabilizer between the two
housing motor, drilled to 2.138 ft vertical section. power sections. Average ROP was 34 ft/hr to a vertical
Average sliding ROP was 10 fi/hr. and average rotating section of 8.018 ft. This BHA had 128.5 rotating hours.
ROP was 37 ft/hr. Sliding percentage was 18%. 11. Stopped drilling on April 24. 1997, because of land
8. Tripped for motor failure. restrictions.
9. Picked up 6'/s-in. PDC bit. 55/8-in. x 6-in. adjustable
stabilizer, and 43/4-in. motor with S'/z-in. bearing-housing Total footage drilled was 18.899 ft. TVD was 9,160 ft. and the
stabilizer and 5'At-in. crossover stabilizer between the two maximum circulating bottomhole temperature was 246°F.
power sections. Average ROP was 38 ft/hr to a vertical
section of 3.911 ft. Reduction in Drilling Costs
10. Pulled out of the hole and laid down BHA. Picked up More than 30 runs have been made with an adjustable
(finsen bit. adjustable bent housing motor, and MWD stabilizer in front of a straight PDM. Application of the new
assembly to sidetrack for downdip lateral. Built angle to BHA configuration has resulted in substantial savings in
90° at azimuth of 166° with BUR of 177100 ft. At this drilling costs. In environments where mud weight has been
point, well was 6 ft below the target centerline. high (greater than 14 Ib/gal), savings have exceeded S200.000
11. Picked up 6*/8-in. bit. 5s/8-in. x 6-in. adjustable stabilizer, per well. These savings have accrued from reduction in tool
43/4-in. motor with 5'/2-in. bearing-housing stabilizer, and failures, reduction in the use of slide lubricants, and reduction
5'/4-in. crossover stabilizer between the two power in the number of wells needed to drain the reservoir.
sections. Average ROP was 40 ft/hr to a vertical section of
3,332 ft. Reduction in Tool Failures. Downhole tool failures are a
12. Slopped drilling on February 27, 1997, because of federal major problem in high-temperature and high-mud-weight
unit constraints. environments. The high solids content of heavyweight muds
causes difficulties in tripping pipe. Because rotating in and out
Total footage drilled was 21.999 ft. true vertical depth (TVD) of the hole in such situations is necessary, round-trip times can
was 14.100 ft, and the maximum circulating bottomhole be in excess of 30 hours.
temperature was 275 6F. Drilling with the new BHA design has resulted in increased
ROP and. thus, reduced drilling time. The increased ROP, in
Snyder Minerals 14 #1. This well was drilled in the turn, means that more footage can be made between mean-run
Brookeland Field in the Austin Chalk in Sabine Parish, time failures of the motor and MWD tools. Because Austin
Louisiana. Drilling activities proceeded as follows: Chalk wells are drilled underbalanced, heavy muds must be
ifjpudded on March 23.1997. pumped down the backside of the drillpipe to kill the well
2. Drilled 13 V:-in. hole to 2,065 ft and set 10 3A-in. surface during tripping to change out motors and MWD tools.
casing. Therefore, reducing the number of trips for downhole failures
3. Drilled 97/g-in. hole to intermediate casing point at not only reduces rig-time costs, but also decreases the cost of
8.828 ft and set 7 5/8-in. casing. mud needed to kill the well.
4. Picked up insert bit, adjustable bent housing motor, and A simplified equation for determining the cost per foot of
MWD assembly. Built angle to 92° at azimuth of 348° drilling a horizontal section can be found in the appendix of

with BUR of 257100 ft. At this point, well was 1 ft below this paper. The equation involves sliding and rotating ROPs,
the target centerline. various hourly charges (rigs, rentals, and services), and footage

5. Picked up 6'/s-in. PDC bit, 55/8-in. x 6-in. adjustable charges for adjustable stabilizers and slide lubricants.

stabilizer, and 43/j-in. motor with S'/i-in. bearing-housing

Reduction in the Use of Slide Lubricants. With the new
stabilizer and 5'/4-in. crossover stabilizer between the two
BHA configuration, drilling can continue until rotary torque
power sections. Average ROP was 28 ft/hr to a vertical
becomes too high, instead of drilling until sliding is no longer
section of 2.873 ft.
possible. Thus, the use of lubricants has decreased. Currently,
6. Encountered 40-ft upthrown fault at 2.873 ft vertical
lubricants are being used only to reduce rotary torque at deep
section and drilled into the Eagleford (a swelling shale
measured depths. In 1996. slide lubricant costs decreased
formation below the Austin Chalk).
S36.000 per well (Fig. 9).
7. Tripped for a 2.12° bent adjustable housing motor to
sidetrack at 952 ft vertical section.
 B.M. WISENBAKER. T.L MOSER. M.L. EDWARDS. W.H. EGGLESTON
Reduction in the Number of Wells. A major part of any
operator's field development plan is maximizing well spacing
and horizontal lateral lengths. With the development of the
adjustable stabilizer technology, lateral lengths are being
extended. Where 4,000-fi dual opposing laterals have been
standard (giving 8.000 ft of horizontal displacement, as shown
in Fig. 10), 5.000-ft laterals should be possible (giving 10.000
ft of horizontal displacement). This 25% potential increase in
horizontal displacement from a single vertical wellbore
translates into 25% fewer wells needed to drain the reservoir.
Reduced well count is the most significant savings attributable
to the new BHA configuration.
Well-Selection Criteria
The new BHA design is not applicable to all wells in the
Austin Chalk. Response time, dogleg seventy, and wellbore
inclination must be considered.
Response Time. The operator must determine whether a
maximum BUR of 2.5 "/100 ft provides adequate response time
for course corrections. In areas of severe faulting, better
response time may be needed to maximize footage drilled in
the target window.
Dogleg Severity. To date, the maximum dogleg through which
the new BHA has passed has been 27°/100 ft. In more severe
doglegs, the bending stress is too high on the motor driveshaft
and on the connection between the motor and adjustable
stabilizer. To enable passage through more severe doglegs up
to 407100 ft. work is underway to design and develop a BHA
with flexible subs to be placed in the motor and between the
motor and the adjustable stabilizer.
Wellbore Inclination. The new BHA should not be run unless
the wellbore inclination is within 2s to 3° of formation dip. If
the wellbore is not within 2° to 3° of formation dip, a build or
drop trend may develop that is hard to break and that makes it
difficult to bring the wellbore back into the original target zone
and dipping plane.
Operational Notes
The motor driveshaft is the most vulnerable pan in the BHA
and care should be taken when running it in the hole. While
this assembly is being run through the build section of the
well, the drillstring should not be rotated and the pumps should
not be turned on: otherwise, the motor driveshaft could be
damaged or broken to the extent that premature failure of this
assembly could occur. If the new BHA is being run into the
hole to finish the curve and continue drilling ahead, then the
entire BHA should be out of the curve and landed in the target
before drillstring rotation is started.
Conclusions
A new BHA configuration has been developed to help reduce
horizontal drillins costs in the Ausun Chalk formation. More
SPS 38615
than 30 runs have been made with the new design in which an
adjustable stabilizer is placed ahead of a straight PDM. These
runs have quantified cost reductions accruing from reduction
in tool failures, reduction in the use of slide lubricants, and
reduction in the number of wells needed to drain the reservoir.
In environments where mud weights have been greater than
14 lb/gal. savings have exceeded S200.000 per well.
Nomenclature
AS = adjustable stabilizer costs, per foot
BHA = bottomhole assembly
BUR = build-up rate
CPF = drilling costs in horizontal section, per foot
DC = drilling costs in horizontal section, per hour
LUB = lubricant costs, per foot
MWD = measurement while drilling
PDC = polycrystalline diamond compact
PDM = positive displacement motor m^
rpm = revolutions per minute
ROP = rate of penetration, ft/hr
RROP = rotating rate of penetration, ft/hr
SP = sliding percentage
SROP = sliding rate of penetration, ft/hr
TD = total depth
TVD = true vertical depth
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank Sonat Exploration, Halliburton
Energy Services, and Andergauge USA for their support of the
preparation of this paper. The authors also thank Brent
Murphy. Mark Cox, and Mark Deal of Sonat Exploration for
their valuable discussions and Mike Hooper of Haliibunon
Energy Services for his computer modeling efforts in
determining optimum stabilizer sizes and locations.
References
1. Williamson. J.S., "Predicting Borehole Assembly Performance,"
SPE Drilling Engineering. March 1987.37-46. ^
2. Bourgoyne, A.T.. Jr., et al.: Applied Drilling Engineering, SI >
Richardson. Texas. (1986) 437-443
Appendix—Cost-Per-Foot Economics
Three key variables in calculating economics for an adjustable
stabilizer below the motor are rotary ROP (RROP). sliding
ROP (SROP). and slide percentage (SP). SP is the slide time
divided by the total drilling time. These three variables can be
used in a simple equation for determining the cost per foot
(CPF) for drilling the horizontal section of a well:
DC
CPF = - ■+LUB + AS (A-l)
RROP(1-SP) + SROP«SP
where drillins costs (DC) include all hourly charges for the rig,
rentals, directional drilling. MWD services, and liquid mud.
LUB is the footage cost for lubricant, and AS is the footage
cost for the adjustable stabilizer. If an adjustable stabilizer is
not used, then AS = 0. If an adjustable stabilizer is used, then
SP = 0 and LUB = 0.
SPE 38615 ROTARY DRILLING SYSTEM OPTIMIZES BHA PERFORMANCE IN HORIZONTAL AUSTIN CHALK WEUS

Table 1—Specifications: Medium-Speed Motor Table 2—Specifications: Slow-Speed Motor

Threaded Connections Threaded Connections
Box-Up (API-IF) 3 'h in. Box-Up (API-IF) 3 Vj in.
Box-Down (API-Reg) 3 7j in. Sox-Down (API-Reg) 37* in.
Overall Length (w/o Saver Sub) 37.2 ft Overall Length (w/o Saver Sub) 37.2 ft
Tool Weight 1.700 Ib Tool Weight 1.625 Ib
Hole-Size Range S'I%-7JI% in. Hole-Size Range 5'/,-7'/tin.
Motor-Flow Range 150 - 200 - 250 gal/min Motor-Flow Range 180 • 215 - 250 gal/min
Bit-Speed Range 150 - 200 - 240 rpm Bit-Speed Range 95 -110 -125 rpm
Motor Differential Pressure 1.200 psi Motor Differential Pressure 600 psi
Operating Torque 3.150 Ib-ft Operating Torque 2.800 Ib-ft
Stall Torque 6.300 Ib-ft Stall Torque 5.600 Ib-ft
Power 90 -120 • 144 hp Power 50 - 58 - 66 hp
Bit Differential Pressure 200-2.000 psi Bit Differential Pressure 200-2,000 psi

AUSTIN CHALK TREND

SIGNIFICANT AUSTIN CHALK FIELDS

ML£S
J
Fig. 1—Geographic extent of the Austin Chalk formation
 B.M. WISENBAKER. T.L. MOSER. M.L EDWARDS. W.H. EGGLESTON SPE 38615
7"**

I J«
Austin Chalk

Ash Marker,

• •■••

kTarget Window
■

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000
500

KIloH«n!fTi■^B 1L= Vertical Section

It■
Fig. 2—Typical Austin Chalk cross section in the Brookeland Field, Newton County, Texas

Dual-Power-Section Motor

7/
PDC Bit Crossover X/O FT FT X/O 30'Non-mag X/O 30'Non-mag Drtllpipe
Stabilizer Stabilizer Sub Sub Sub Sub Drill Collar Sub Drill Collar

Fig. 3—Conventional BHA used for drilling in the Austin Chalk without an adjustable stabilizer

Bent Adjustable
Motor Stabilizer

BHA Design

Fig. A—Comparison of drilling penetration rates for 10 wells in the Brookeland Field at greater than 2,500 ft vertical section
 E 38615 ROTARY DRILLING SYSTEM OPTIMIZES BHA PERFORMANCE IN HORIZONTAL AUSTIN CHALK WELLS

Range Of Control For an Opened and Closed

Near-Bit Adjustable Stabilizer

W/AdjStab- 6'

W/AdiStafi- 5.625'

5.(00

Bearing Pack Stabilizer OO (in.)

Fig. 5—Relationship between the diameter of the bearing-housing stabilizer and the range of the rotary-mode build/drop rate when the
adjustable stabilizer is in the open and closed positions.

Adjustable Bearing- Housing Cros sover

Stabilizer Stab iiizer Stab iiizer
279IW

i
Adjustable Stabilizer
in Open Position
26$ Ibf
772 !bl
BH 968 Ibl

■ Adjustable Stabilizer
in Closed Position
Olfll
152 Ibl
641 Ibf
916 Ibf

Fig. 6—Sideloading on the BHA when the adjustable stabilizer is in the open and closed positions
 B.M. WISENBAKER. T.L. MOSER. M.L. EDWARDS. W.H. EGGLESTON SPE 38615

ABHAP Predictability of Adjustable Stabilizers

2.S

1.5

2 o.s

•§
"■^ 0
o
w
a 6* Adjustable Stabilizer 5-5/8- Adjustabli
§ -0.5 Stabile

-1.5

•2

•2.5

Fig. 7—Comparison of rotary-mode build/drop rates predicted by the computer model with rates achieved during actual drilling of five wells

aliumn Gtug* Aoifnn Dual-Power-Section Motor

PDCBit Adjustable X/O Crossover X/O FT FT X/O 30' Non-mag X/O 30' Non-mag X/O DfiUpipe
Stabilizer Sub Stabilizer Stabilizer SuD Sub Sub Sub Drill Collar Sub Drill Collar Sub

Fig. B—flew BHA configuration with adjustable stabilizer

SP= 38615 ROTARY DRILLING SYSTEM OPTIMIZES BHA PERFORMANCE IN HORIZONTAL AUSTIN CHALK WELLS

120.000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sap Oct Nov Dec

Well Spud Month

Fig. 9—Decrease in 1996 slide-lubricant costs when using new BHA configuration

J.I
8.000'

10.000'

Fig. 10—Potential increase in horizontal displacement when using new BHA configuration