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Transforming Vaca Muerta drilling New integrated drilling platform mitigates HFTO, saves 4.1 days, and drills 86% faster

By: Language: Inglés Publication details: 2025Description: 21 pOnline resources: In: Summary: The Oil and Gas industry increasingly rely on unconventional extraction methods to meet world’s demands, yet it presents technical challenges to drill vertical-curvehorizontal in a single run, especially in Vaca Muerta. In this scenario, operators continuously aim to drill longer sections at a faster pace for increased productivity, which pushes to create new holistic solutions that solves these challenges. A particular challenge that arises in the drilling of production section, especially in the vertical and curve portion for unconventional shale plays at Argentina-Vaca Muerta is the presence of severe high frequency torsional oscillations (HFTO), which decreases the reliability in electronics, and also presents constraints in building capabilities. In the horizontal portion, performance is sacrificed to maintain proper wellbore placement. This project’s goal is to develop an integrated drilling platform that allows to complete the production section in a single run, by managing the HFTO, leading to increased tool reliability, and overall reducing operating times, which in turn provides reduction of fatigue-related failures, increases precise wellbore positioning, and enhances safety, ultimately delivering cost and time savings. This study focused on: a) The deployment of an integral rotary steerable system, enabling a reduced side load for steerability efficiency and reliable data logging in a new ecosystem. b) Implementation of an innovating Damping Tool technology in the bottom hole assembly (BHA) that reduces HFTO c). The use of a three-dimensional polygonal mesh simulation software that allowed to develop a polycrystalline diamond cutter (PDC) drill bit design compatible with the new platform, which provides torsional stability, in addition to an engineered gage and reduced bit-to-bent distance, hence compatible with the application requirements. The outcome of this implementation is the completion of a production section in one single run that saved 4.1 days, translated to 86% faster than allotted time. The afore mentioned study has pushed the boundaries of building capabilities of the BHA, leading to optimize curve trajectory, improve penetration rate by 36%, reduce 90% of HFTO vibrations, ultimately stablishing a baseline for unconventional drilling in Vaca Muerta with the use of predictive modeling, that saves costs, drive down health, safety and environmental impact, and contributes to boosting the Oil & Gas Industry in Latin America.
Item type: Congresos (trabajos presentados)
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IAPG-Colección Not for loan 200070215

The Oil and Gas industry increasingly rely on unconventional extraction methods to meet world’s demands, yet it presents technical challenges to drill vertical-curvehorizontal in a single run, especially in Vaca Muerta. In this scenario, operators continuously aim to drill longer sections at a faster pace for increased productivity, which pushes to create new holistic solutions that solves these challenges. A particular challenge that arises in the drilling of production section, especially in the vertical and curve portion for unconventional shale plays at Argentina-Vaca Muerta is the presence of severe high frequency torsional oscillations (HFTO), which decreases the reliability in electronics, and also presents constraints in building capabilities. In the horizontal portion, performance is sacrificed to maintain proper wellbore placement. This project’s goal is to develop an integrated drilling platform that allows to complete the production section in a single run, by managing the HFTO, leading to increased tool reliability, and overall reducing operating times, which in turn provides reduction of fatigue-related failures, increases precise wellbore positioning, and enhances safety, ultimately delivering cost and time savings. This study focused on: a) The deployment of an integral rotary steerable system, enabling a reduced side load for steerability efficiency and reliable data logging in a new ecosystem. b) Implementation of an innovating Damping Tool technology in the bottom hole assembly (BHA) that reduces HFTO c). The use of a three-dimensional polygonal mesh simulation software that allowed to develop a polycrystalline diamond cutter (PDC) drill bit design compatible with the new platform, which provides torsional stability, in addition to an engineered gage and reduced bit-to-bent distance, hence compatible with the application requirements. The outcome of this implementation is the completion of a production section in one single run that saved 4.1 days, translated to 86% faster than allotted time. The afore mentioned study has pushed the boundaries of building capabilities of the BHA, leading to optimize curve trajectory, improve penetration rate by 36%, reduce 90% of HFTO vibrations, ultimately stablishing a baseline for unconventional drilling in Vaca Muerta with the use of predictive modeling, that saves costs, drive down health, safety and environmental impact, and contributes to boosting the Oil & Gas Industry in Latin America.



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