Alaska Well Sets Onshore Record
A supermajor has set an onshore North American drilling record for longest extended-reach well, Houston-based technology start-up Corva reported on the 31st August.
The undisclosed international oil and gas producer drilled a 32,468-foot (9,896-metre) well in July in the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska’s North Slope, according to Corva, whose real-time drilling and completion analytics technology was used during the operation.
Extreme torque and pressure conditions create complex challenges to drilling long lateral wellbores. Corva noted the North Slope operator used real-time analytics to monitor and respond to hazardous conditions while drilling and tripping pipe – the critical process of removing and replacing the entire drill string.
Although longer extended-reach horizontal wells maximise wellbore distance through a producing pay zone and enhance production and economic return, long horizontal well sections create extreme torque and drag conditions, Corva explained.
Such conditions strain a drilling rig’s operational limits and can lead to a drill string break or other catastrophic events, the firm stated.
According to Corva, the Alaska operator used a mobile torque and drag (T&D) application to avoid the time-consuming process of manually plotting T&D conditions by automating data collection and analysis while drilling.
Monitoring hole conditions in real-time enabled the drilling team to rapidly adjust weight on bit and torque transfer as needed to prevent stuck pipe and twist-offs, the tech firm continued.
Also, the app reportedly provided higher torque and drag data frequency while tripping-in casing, allowing the crew to quickly identify trends and spot deteriorating hole conditions.
“From unconventional factory drilling in the Permian to extended reach conventional wells in the North Slope, Corva is driving drilling optimization across North America,” Ryan Dawson, Corva’s founder and CEO stated.
“We’re thrilled to have been a part of the team that broke the record for longest onshore well.”
Source: Rigzone