INNOVATIVE DRILLING

SYSTEM WITH BUILT IN

KICK- OFF RAMP
ALLOWING
DEPENDABLE CURVE
Presented by
BUILDING
M Afzal Akthar
Mister Ali
Sumit Bhadauria
Vivek Choudhary

INTRODUCTION
Necessity is the mother of all
Innovation
This technology was developed by engineers
& drillers at Chesapeake Operating Inc.,
operating on Granite wash formation in
Okhlohoma USA
Better to understand the challenges to
appreciate the Innovative solution

GRANITE WASH FORMATION

Stretches from
North Texas to
okhlohoma
covering 500 Sq.
miles
10 or more
excellent
reservoirs
encountered in
one vertical well
Focus to exploit
Liquid rich
reserves

APPLICATION CHALLENGES

Formation Challenges

Formation is complex & considered 3D

challenge

Many drilling challenges beyond 12000 ft

depth specifically when building a curve to
horizontal at 14/100ft

3 to 16 different pay zones which tend to

vary both vertically and horizontally

DRILLING CHALLENGES

Major challenges encountered in

the drilling operation were:
1.Poor tool performance
2.Unreliable side tracking techniques
3.More number of trips in curve initiation
operation

POOR TOOL PERFORMANCE

Erratic nature of formation makes it

difficult for driller to use offset to
optimize bit selection to efficiently drill
in highly abrasive formation

Driller choses a proven tri-cone bit

dressed with abrasion resistant cutters

In spite of that ,bits

cutting structure wears
prematurely forcing
operator to make
multiple down hole
hole trips with a new PDC
bit to finish the curve
,hence leading to poor
tool performance

UNRELIABLE SIDETRACKING
TECHNIQUES

Most prevalent side tracking

technique is cement plug method
which takes 3 to 5 days to get
plug set

Other method used is conventional

whipstock /anchor system which
requires a separate trip

INNOVATIVE SOLUTION FOR THE

CHALLENGES

Innovative technical solution was

required to remove the
uncertainties in cement plug &
conventional tools used for curve
building operation

Solution proposed to establish a

reliable kick off structure &
curve free of dog legs in a single

INNOVATIVE DRILLING SYSTEM

DESCRIPTION OF INNOVATIVE TOOLS USED

EXPANDABLE ANCHOR

The anchor slips

when hydraulically
activated and set

Provides 3 point
firm grip in the
pilot hole wall to
counteract any
rotational tendency

STEEL RAMP

The 2 sloped face

of the ramp provides
a firm beginning of
the curve

Provides support for

directional drilling
BHA in curve
building & lateral
drilling operation

DIAMOND IMPREGNATED BIT

Light set - medium

profile special bit :
selected to achieve
higher BUR.

Mechanically attached
to top of the ramp
with a shear bolt to
facilitate
separation from the
drilling BHA once
ramp is oriented and
anchor is set

TURBODRILL

With multistage power

section directional bearing
package
Delivers improved wellbore
quality & reduces down
hole vibrations
2 double bend housing to
reduce the effective bit to
bend distance allowing
BHA to achieve higher BUR
Temporarily locked to
facilitate setting of an
expandable anchor

WHIPSTOCK ORIENTING TOOL

Gyro used for

orientation for ramp
face to the desired
azimuth.
Alternatively , MWD
tool could provide
orientation with
other directional
data during drilling.

APPLICATION OF THE INNOVATIVE

SOLUTION

A field run for application of the

innovative technology conducted by
Chesapake Operating Inc. in May
2012

Objective was to drill a lateral well

from a vertical pilot hole to tap liquid
& condensate liquid rich formation

DRILLING PROGRAMME

DRILLING PROCESS

Drilling plan called

for a single trip down
hole to initiate the
curve building & drill
as close to landing
point as possible
Good tool
performance &
smooth hole
without ledges were
desired

Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA)

 The above drilling system was run in

the hole & the deflector was
hydraulically set with a KOP at
12,520 ft
Drilling assembly disengaged from
deflector (ramp) & oriented properly
for subsequent curve building
operation
Planned landing point was reached
& lateral drilling operation continued

After drilling for 605

ft & inclination at
73.20 , a survey by
MWD tool was taken
& recorded

Survey points were

plotted using
Runner T&D analysis
software showing
curve profile with
DLS legends

SUMMARY OF DRILLING OPERATION

System successfully run , hydraulically
set and anchored for subsequent drilling
operation , all in a single operation as
planned
Drilling Assembly with turbine and the
impregnated bit drilled a smooth curve
without undesirable ledges

No other major issues during operation

were encountered

THE OPERATOR REALIZED A SUBSTANTIAL COST SAVING FROM

FIELD RUN WITH INNOVATIVE DRILLING SYSTEM
SAVINGS RESULTED FROM :

Special trip for setting cement plug was

avoided
Uncertainities of using cement plug for
curve building was eliminated
Running of deflector and drilling system
in a single trip & hence saving trip time
Reaming of hole was not required due to
excellent hole quality
Flawless overall system performance was
achieved

CONSLUSIONS
FIELD RUN RESULTS VALIDATED FOLLOWING KEY OBJECTIVES AND SYSTEM FEATURES

Innovative drilling system eliminates the need

for an extra trip required for setting whipstock /
anchor assembly
Having an integral deflector secured in the pilot
hole provide a reliable KOP
Using a turbodrill & an impregnated bit in the
drilling assembly substantially improves hole
quality in the hard and abrasive formation
eliminating need for reaming operation
Innovative drilling system results in substantial
overall project cost saving mainly by completing
directional objectives in few steps

REFRENCES

SPE / IADC 163534 Innovative

Drilling system with a built in
kick off ramp allowing
dependable curve building
SPE/IADC Drilling conference &
Exhibition Amsterdam, The
Netherlands

THANK YOU!