John Waggoner - Technology Editor, Drilling & Production
Rotary steerable system (RSS) technology for the offshore market continues to advance amid a pull-back in oil prices. In this year’s survey of manufacturers and equipment directory there are new offerings from a number of respondents.
Halliburton-Sperry Drilling’sSOLAR Geo-Pilot XHP, new this year, offers a faster rate of penetration, improved hole quality, and accurate placement for high pressure/high temperature (HP/HT) wells. The tool can withstand temperatures up to 347º F (175º C) and pressures to 30,000 psi (207 MPa), with survival temperatures up to 392º F (200º C).
“On a recent high-temperature field appraisal campaign for a major operator in the UK sector of the North Sea, SOLAR Geo-Pilot XHP system combined with the SOLAR quad-combo set of logging-while-drilling (LWD) tools, successfully achieved all well objectives while increasing rate of penetration by 24% compared to offsets,” the manufacturer tellsOffshore magazine.
Sperry’sGeo-Pilot XL point-the-bit rotary steerable system includes the Torsional Efficiency Monitor (TEM), which alerts drillers to the onset of stick/slip. Offshore Malaysia, the tool successfully drilled a sand/shale formation known for lost circulation, the company says.
Baker Hughes INTEQ continues to develop theAutoTrak Rotary Close Loop Steering (RCLS) system launched in 1997. The product is now in its third generation and available to drill hole sizes ranging from 5 ¾ in. to 28 in. diameter.
Gyrodata continues to emphasize itsWell-Guide technology with downhole intelligent navigation for the offshore market.
“Toward the future, Gyrodata will continue its investment in near-bit and closed-loop automation, enhanced navigation techniques, and downhole intelligent systems and sensors to broaden Well-Guide functionality in more applications and environments,” says Stephen Klopp, Gyrodata’s chairman and CEO.
Schlumberger has just rolled out its newPowerDrive vorteX RT powered RSS with wireless communicator, a modular system with a flexible bottomhole assembly (BHA).
“The ability to now communicate over a drilling motor power section enhances geosteering BHA capabilities and lets you place third-party hardware anywhere on the string,” says Ian Falconer, marketing manager for Drilling & Measurements at Schlumberger.
The system uses induction propagation antenna coils to generate and detect an electromagnetic field. The bi-directional, half-duplex communication runs in all formation types, jumping up to 20 m (66 ft) of BHA, and includes real-time gamma ray, resistivity, and neutron density information.
An operator in the Middle East used the tool to drill a 4,567-ft (1,392-m) section in one run with no non-productive time and reduced stick/slip from 100 to 25 rpm. This increased rate of penetration 33% higher than the field average, with the well setting the field record for the longest 8 ½-in. hole drilled in a single run.
Click here to view 2009 Annual Rotary Steerable System Directory
