Petrobras targets major cost reductions with post-salt well concept

July 15, 2020
Petrobras has achieved strong results with the first application of the True One Trip Ultra Slender concept on a post-salt well offshore Brazil.

Offshore staff

RIO DE JANEIROPetrobras has achieved strong results with the first application of the True One Trip Ultra Slender (TOTUS) concept on a post-salt well offshore Brazil.

Earlier this month the company completed construction of the 7 GLF 49H ESS well in the Golfinho field in the Espírito Santo basin, 100 km (62 mi) from Vitória in 44 days, compared to the historical average for the field of 96 days.

This resulted in a cost reduction of around $30 million, or 50%, Petrobras said.

TOTUS, which the company developed and patented, is designed to simplify and reduce the time spent in drilling and completions, based on optimizations and innovations during the design and planning phases.

It involves drilling the well in three phases (Ultra Slender) with the completion installed in a single maneuver (True One Trip), as opposed to traditional configurations that require four or five drilling phases and two or more maneuvers to install the completion.

TOTUS is said to be especially applicable to mature post-salt fields with certain geological and reservoir characteristics.

Petrobras hopes to apply the concept in new wells in various mature post-salt fields during 2021 to 2025, targeting potential cost reductions of $20-35 million per well.

The company has also revealed that the four platforms operating at the Búzios field in the presalt Santos basin have achieved a new collective production record of 674,000 b/d of oil and 844,000 boe/d.

Búzios, discovered in 2010, is the world’s largest deepwater oil field, the company said, with substantial reserves and a relatively low lifting cost.

07/15/2020