CircSub re-opens shutdown offshore Middle East wells

April 26, 2018
Churchill Drilling Tools has helped restore drilling operations in two separate campaigns in the Persian Gulf, using the company’s DAV MX CircSub.

Offshore staff

ABERDEEN, UKChurchill Drilling Tools has helped restore drilling operations in two separate campaigns in the Persian Gulf, using the company’s DAV MX CircSub.

This is a dart-activated tool designed to help operators drill faster and more efficiently.

In the first project, a plugged string had led to a pressure spike which halted operations. By activating the DAV MX’s emergency opening ball, the operator managed to regain circulation within an hour, subsequently using the device to hole clean, then displace to a tripping mud prior to pulling out of hole.

The operator has since deployed the device on other campaigns.

For the second project, drilling had to be suspended to combat losses after stability of the well was threatened. The operator activated the CircSub four times to pump lost circulation material pills at depths of up to 10,000 ft (3,048 m).

According to Churchill, it took less than 10 minutes for the smart darts to activate the DAV MX, allowing the drilling engineer to tackle losses quickly and re-start drilling.

This program made use of the device’s lock open feature, and the operator’s bottomhole assembly was not contaminated.

04/26/2018