Expandable liner system saves time, money on GoM drill job

March 17, 2020
Deployment involves industry’s first-ever cased-hole sidetrack completed using a whipstock system.

Offshore staff

HOUSTON Weatherford International plc has announced a success in an ultradeep water Gulf of Mexico operation that saved a major international oil company (IOC) 14 rig days valued at approximately $14 million.

By sidetracking from a collapsed expandable liner, the re-entry operation eliminated the time and cost associated with re-drilling and re-casing a 3,000-ft hole, resulting in the industry’s first-ever cased-hole sidetrack completed using a whipstock system in a 13 3/8-inch expandable liner.

The IOC requested off-the-shelf options that would enable sidetracking from the collapsed liner while limiting flow rates and pressures. Weatherford quickly responded and was selected to deploy its Shallow-Angle QuickCut casing-exit system with MultiCatch anchor as an available solution. The system enabled installing a window in the 13 3/8-inch expandable liner and allowing a 13 1/2-inch drilling bottomhole assembly (BHA) and 12 1/4-inch casing to pass the whipstock without issue. Two additional milling BHAs were used to open the window to the full outside diameter (OD). A total of 16 mills were shipped, nine of which had custom ODs and were used during the operation.

Throughout the operation, the Shallow-Angle QuickCut system maintained a low dogleg and smoothly transitioned from the main bore to the sidetrack, all while minimizing risks associated with thin-wall liners and channeled cement.

03/17/2020