Integrated design and control technology of liner completion and drilling for horizontal wells

Aiming at the problems of large load of rotation drive system,low efficiency of torque transmission and high cost for operation and maintenance of liner steering drilling system for the horizontal well,a new method of liner differential rotary drilling with double tubular strings in the horizontal well is proposed.The technical principle of this method is revealed,supporting tools such as the differential rotation transducer,composite rotary steering system and the hanger are designed,and technological process is optimized.A tool face control technique of steering drilling assembly is proposed and the calculation model of extension limit of liner differential rotary drilling with double tubular strings in horizontal well is established.These results show that the liner differential rotary drilling with double tubular strings is equipped with measurement while drilling(MWD)and positive displacement motor(PDM),and directional drilling of horizontal well is realized by adjusting rotary speed of drill pipe to control the tool face of PDM.Based on the engineering case of deep coalbed methane horizontal well in the eastern margin of Ordos Basin,the extension limit of horizontal drilling with double tubular strings is calculated.Compared with the conventional liner drilling method,the liner differential rotary drilling with double tubular strings increases the extension limit value of horizontal well significantly.The research findings provide useful reference for the integrated design and control of liner completion and drilling of horizontal wells.

Drilling-based measuring method for the c-φ parameter of rock and its field application

The technology of drilling tests makes it possible to obtain the strength parameter of rock accurately in situ. In this paper, a new rock cutting analysis model that considers the influence of the rock crushing zone(RCZ) is built. The formula for an ultimate cutting force is established based on the limit equilibrium principle. The relationship between digital drilling parameters(DDP) and the c-φ parameter(DDP-cφ formula, where c refers to the cohesion and φ refers to the internal friction angle) is derived, and the response of drilling parameters and cutting ratio to the strength parameters is analyzed. The drillingbased measuring method for the c-φ parameter of rock is constructed. The laboratory verification test is then completed, and the difference in results between the drilling test and the compression test is less than 6%. On this basis, in-situ rock drilling tests in a traffic tunnel and a coal mine roadway are carried out, and the strength parameters of the surrounding rock are effectively tested. The average difference ratio of the results is less than 11%, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method for obtaining the strength parameters based on digital drilling. This study provides methodological support for field testing of rock strength parameters.

Testing method of rock structural plane using digital drilling

The rock mass consists of rock blocks and structural planes,which can reduce its integrity and strength.Therefore,accurately obtaining the characteristics of the rock mass structural plane is a prerequisite for evaluating stability and designing supports in underground engineering.Currently,there are no effective testing methods for the characteristic parameters of the rock mass structural plane in underground engineering.The paper presents the digital drilling technology as a new testing method of rock mass structural planes.Flawed rock specimens with cracks of varying widths and angles were used to simulate the rock mass structural planes,and the multifunctional rock mass digital drilling test system was employed to carry out the digital drilling tests.The analysis focuses on the variation laws of drilling parameters,such as drilling pressure and drilling torque,affected by the characteristics of prefabricated cracks,and clarifies the degradation mechanism of rock equivalent compressive strength.Additionally,an identification model for the characteristic parameters of rock mass structural planes during drilling is established.The test results indicate that the average difference of the characteristics of prefabricated cracks identified by the equivalent compressive strength is 2.45°and 0.82 mm,respectively.The identification model while drilling is verified to be correct due to the high identification accuracy.Based on this,a method for testing the characteristic parameters of the surrounding rock structural plane while drilling is proposed.The research offers a theoretical and methodological foundation for precise in situ identification of structural planes of the surrounding rock in underground engineering.

Dynamic Analysis of A Deepwater Drilling Riser with A New Hang-off System

The safety of risers in hang-off states is a vital challenge in offshore oil and gas engineering.A new hang-off system installed on top of risers is proposed for improving the security of risers.This approach leads to a challenging problem:coupling the dynamics of risers with a new hang-off system combined with multiple structures and complex constraints.To accurately analyze the dynamic responses of the coupled system,a coupled dynamic model is established based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam-column theory and penalty function method.A comprehensive analysis method is proposed for coupled dynamic analysis by combining the finite element method and the Newmarkβmethod.An analysis program is also developed in MATLAB for dynamic simulation.The simulation results show that the dynamic performances of the risers at the top part are significantly improved by the new hang-off system,especially the novel design,which includes the centralizer and articulation joint.The bending moment and lateral deformation of the risers at the top part decrease,while the hang-off joint experiences a great bending moment at the bottom of the lateral restraint area which requires particular attention in design and application.The platform navigation speed range under the safety limits of risers expands with the new hang-off system in use.

Novel Water-Based Drilling and Completion Fluid Technology to Improve Wellbore Quality During Drilling and Protect Unconventional Reservoirs

The efficient exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas are critical for increasing the self-sufficiency of oil and gas supplies in China.However,such operations continue to face serious problems(e.g.,borehole collapse,loss,and high friction),and associated formation damage can severely impact well completion rates,increase costs,and reduce efficiencies.Water-based drilling fluids possess certain advantages over oil-based drilling fluids(OBDFs)and may offer lasting solutions to resolve the aforementioned issues.However,a significant breakthrough with this material has not yet been made,and major technical problems continue to hinder the economic and large-scale development of unconventional oil and gas.Here,the international frontier external method,which only improves drilling fluid inhibition and lubricity,is expanded into an internal-external technique that improves the overall wellbore quality during drilling.Bionic technologies are introduced into the chemical material synthesis process to imitate the activity of life.A novel drilling and completion fluid technique was developed to improve wellbore quality during drilling and safeguard formation integrity.Macroscopic and microscopic analyses indicated that in terms of wellbore stability,lubricity,and formation protection,this approach could outperform methods that use typical OBDFs.The proposed method also achieves a classification upgrade from environmentally protective drilling fluid to an ecologically friendly drilling fluid.The developed technology was verified in more than 1000 unconventional oil and gas wells in China,and the results indicate significant alleviation of the formation damage attributed to borehole collapse,loss,and high friction.It has been recognized as an effective core technology for exploiting unconventional oil and gas resources.This study introduces a novel research direction for formation protection technology and demonstrates that observations and learning from the natural world can provide an inexhaustible source of ideas and inspire the creation of original materials,technologies,and theories for petroleum engineering.

Intelligent Drilling and Completion:A Review

The application of artificial intelligence(AI)has become inevitable in the petroleum industry.In drilling and completion engineering,AI is regarded as a transformative technology that can lower costs and significantly improve drilling efficiency(DE),In recent years,numerous studies have focused on intelligent algorithms and their application.Advanced technologies,such as digital twins and physics-guided neural networks,are expected to play roles in drilling and completion engineering.However,many challenges remain to be addressed,such as the automatic processing of multi-source and multi-scale data.Additionally,in intelligent drilling and completion,methods for the fusion of data-driven and physicsbased models,few-sample learning,uncertainty modeling,and the interpretability and transferability of intelligent algorithms are research frontiers.Based on intelligent application scenarios,this study comprehensively reviews the research status of intelligent drilling and completion and discusses key research areas in the future.This study aims to enhance the berthing of AI techniques in drilling and completion engineering.

Drilling and completion technologies of coalbed methane exploitation: an overview

Coalbed methane(CBM)drilling and completion technologies(DCTs)are signifcant basis for achieving efcient CBM exploration and exploitation.Characteristics of CBM reservoirs vary in diferent regions around the world,thereby,it is crucial to develop,select and apply the optimum DCTs for each diferent CBM reservoir.This paper frstly reviews the development history of CBM DCTs throughout worldwide and clarifes its overall development tendency.Secondly,diferent well types and its characteristics of CBM exploitation are summarized,and main application scopes of these well types are also discussed.Then,the key technologies of CBM drilling(directional drilling tools,measurement while drilling,geo-steering drilling,magnetic guidance drilling,underbalanced drilling and drilling fuids),and the key technologies of CBM completion(open-hole,cavity and under-ream completion,cased-hole completion,screen pipe completion and horizontal well completion)are summarized and analyzed,it is found that safe,economic and efcient development of CBM is inseparable from the support of advanced technologies.Finally,based on the current status of CBM development,the achievements,existing challenges and future prospects are summarized and discussed from the perspective of CBM DCTs.

The study of formulation and performance of formate drilling and completion fluid system

Formate drilling and completion fluid system is a new type of clean organic salt brine system which has been developed from inorganic salt brine drilling fluid system. It is beneficial to protecte and find hydrocarbon reservoir. Due to the solid free system, the damage of solid phase particles on reservoir, especially low permeability oil and gas layer, can be greatly eliminated, at the same time, drilling fluid and completion fluid have greater compatibility. It will avoid that precipitation which is not compatible with drilling and completion fluid and generates damages on reservoir. And because mud cake of the solid free system is thin and resilient, it is conductive to improve cementing quality greatly. Experiments show that the formate drilling and completion system has good rheological property, strong inhibition ability, good lubricating performance, good compatibility with reservoir rocks and formation water at high temperature.

Research and application of non-clay low damage temporary bridging drilling/completion fluids system

Following the basic theory of protecting gas-reservoirs from damage with the temporary bridging technology,inert calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles,whose diameter is consistent with the size of pores or apertures in the reservoir,were selected as the bridging agent,and modified resolvable starch was selected as filtration loss reducing particles to form the non-clay low damage temporary bridging drilling/completion fluids system (NLTDFS). Under the simulated condition of the well bottom during real drilling,NLTDFS was used to conduct dynamic and static damage experiments of cores for 48 hours,respectively,and then the experimented cores were permeated with pure nitrogen from the undamaged end to the damaged one to measure their recovery of permeability. The results showed that the permeability recovery rate of the core reached 90% or so,and the damaged depth was less than 1 cm,which demonstrates that NLTDFS has higher temporary bridging effectiveness and lower damage to the gas-reservoir than other drilling fluids system. NLTDFS has been used to drill many horizontal wells,and four of them have obtained high yield of natural gas. The yield of natural gas of LP1 well reached 85×104 m3/day after completion with the rump pipe. The formation of the stable well wall and smooth drilling led to an API loss less than 4 mL and an HTHP loss less than 15 mL.

Study on the evaluation index system and evaluation method for self-elevating drilling unit design

In the process of designing self-elevating drilling unit, it is important, yet complicated, to use comparison and filtering to select the optimum scheme from the feasible ones. In this research, an index system and methodology for the evaluation of self-elevating drilling unit was proposed. Based on this, a multi-objective combinatorial optimization model was developed, using the improved grey relation Analysis （GRA）, in which the analytic hierarchy process （AHP） was used to determine the weights of the evaluating indices. It considered the connections within the indices, reflecting the objective nature of things, and also considered the subjective interests of ship owners and the needs of designers. The evaluation index system and evaluation method can be used in the selection of an optimal scheme and advanced assessment. A case study shows the index system and evaluation method are scientific, reasonable, and easy to put into practice. At the same time, such an evaluation index system and evaluation method will be helpful for making decisions for other mobile platforms.

A New Simulation Model for Recoil Analysis of Deep-Water Drilling Risers After Emergency Disconnection

The recoil response of a deep-water drilling riser following an ED(Emergency Disconnection)scenario is a transient and sensitive process.The recoiling displacement of the riser is the resultant of recoil motion and axial stretch.How-ever,it is typically represented by one variable in recoil simulations.As axial deformation is quite small compared with axial motion in the recoil process,it inevitably introduces numerical errors(i.e.,a large number annihilating a small number).Thus,it is hard to perform a quantitative analysis of axial deformation,although a consensus initial deformation is essential for recoil dynamics.Moreover,the triggered axial natural modes have never been examined before.In this study,the recoil response is decomposed into two parts:recoil motion and axial deformation,and a novel model is developed by Galerkin method.It has demonstrated that the initial stretch has a significant effect at the initial stage in recoil.The existing models underestimate the effects of axial deformation.The new model can capture information of triggered natural modes and figure out the modes undergoing dynamic compression.This study can be beneficial to overpull setting,determination of ED time and anti-recoil control optimization.

Crack stop holes in steel bridge decks:Drilling method and effects

Force analysis using a compact tension model, as recommended by ASTM, was carried out on a crack stop hole. The stress before, and after, drilling the hole was compared in terms of stress concentration and stress gradient. The optimum drilling location and diameter were studied through analysis of different locations and diameters. By analyzing the effects of flank holes and an additional hole, drilling advice was proposed and fatigue testing of the cracks in a steel bridge deck with a crack stop hole was conducted. The results show that the stress at the crack tip with a crack stop hole decreased, and the major principal stress around the hole was distributed accordingly. The optimum position of the crack stop hole centre was where the centre of the crack stop hole was situated behind the crack and the hole edge coincided with the crack tip. Therefore, hole diameters larger than 8 mm, or those weakening the section by 10%, were suggested as the best diameters. In terms of multi-hole crack stopping, a flank hole was not recommended. The optimum horizontal position of flank holes was at a distance of 1/4 of a single hole diameter from, and in front of, the single hole. Besides, the experiment showed that crack stop hole could only prevent cracks from growing and had no influence on crack growth rate.

Double-face intelligent hole position planning method for precision blasting in roadways using a computer-controlled drill jumbo

To solve the uneven burden of same-type holes reducing the blasting efficiency due to the limitation of drilling equipment,we need a double-face program-controlled planning method for hole position parameters used on a computer-controlled drilling jumbo.The cross-section splits into even and uneven areas.It also considers the uneven burden at the hole’s entrance and bottom.In the uneven area,various qualifying factors are made to optimize the hole spacing and maximize the burden uniformity,combined with the features of the area edges and gridbased segmentation methods.The hole position coordinates and angles in the even area are derived using recursion and iteration algorithms.As a case,this method presents all holes in a 4.8 m wide and 3.6 m high cross-section.Compared with the design produced by the drawing method,our planning in the uneven area improved the standard deviation of the hole burden by 40%.The improved hole layout facilitates the evolution of precise,efficient,and intelligent blasting in underground mines.

Relationship between rock uniaxial compressive strength and digital core drilling parameters and its forecast method

The rock uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)is the basic parameter for support designs in underground engineering.In particular,the rock UCS should be obtained rapidly for underground engineering with complex geological conditions,such as soft rock,fracture areas,and high stress,to adjust the excavation and support plan and ensure construction safety.To solve the problem of obtaining real-time rock UCS at engineering sites,a rock UCS forecast idea is proposed using digital core drilling.The digital core drilling tests and uniaxial compression tests are performed based on the developed rock mass digital drilling system.The results indicate that the drilling parameters are highly responsive to the rock UCS.Based on the cutting and fracture characteristics of the rock digital core drilling,the mechanical analysis of rock cutting provides the digital core drilling strength,and a quantitative relationship model(CDP-UCS model)for the digital core drilling parameters and rock UCS is established.Thus,the digital core drilling-based rock UCS forecast method is proposed to provide a theoretical basis for continuous and quick testing of the surrounding rock UCS.

A numerical method for determining the stuck point in extended reach drilling

A stuck drill string results in a major non-productive cost in extended reach drilling engineering. The first step is to determine the depth at which the sticking has occurred. Methods of measurement have been proved useful for determining the stuck points, but these operations take considerable time. As a result of the limitation with the current operational practices, calculation methods are still preferred to estimate the stuck point depth. Current analytical methods do not consider friction and are only valid for vertical rather than extended reach wells. The numerical method is established to take full account of down hole friction, tool joint, upset end of drill pipe, combination drill strings and tubular materials so that it is valid to determine the stuck point in extended reach wells. The pull test, torsion test and combined test of rotation and pulling can be used to determine the stuck point. The results show that down hole friction, tool joint, upset end of drill pipe, tubular sizes and materials have significant effects on the pull length and/or the twist angle of the stuck drill string.

Study on Optimal Water ControlMethods for Horizontal Wells in Bottom Water Clastic Rock Reservoirs

The segmented water control technology for bottom water reservoirs can effectively delay the entry of bottom water and adjust the production profile.To clarify the impact of different methods on horizontal well production with different reservoir conditions and to provide theoretical support for the scientific selection of methods for bottom water reservoirs,a numerical simulation method is presented in this study,which is able to deal with wellbore reservoir coupling under screen tube,perforation,and ICD(Inflow Control Device)completion.Assuming the geological characteristics of the bottom-water conglomerate reservoir in the Triassic Formation of the Tahe Block 9 as a test case,the three aforementioned completion methods are tested to predict the transient production characteristics.The impact of completion parameters,reservoir permeability,bottom-water energy,and individual well control on the time to encounter water in horizontal wells(during a water-free production period)is discussed.A boundary chart for the selection of completion methods is introduced accordingly.The results show that the optimized ICD completion development effect for heterogeneous reservoirs is the best,followed by optimized perforation completion.Permeability is the main factor affecting the performances of completion methods,while bottom water energy and single well controlled reserves have a scarce impact.The average permeability of the reservoir is less than 500 mD,and ICD has the best water control effect.If the permeability is greater than 500 mD,the water control effect of perforation completion becomes a better option.

Spatial structural characteristics of the Deda ancient landslide in the eastern Tibetan Plateau:Insights from Audio-frequency Magnetotellurics and the Microtremor Survey Method

It is of crucial importance to investigate the spatial structures of ancient landslides in the eastern Tibetan Plateau’s alpine canyons as they could provide valuable insights into the evolutionary history of the landslides and indicate the potential for future reactivation.This study examines the Deda ancient landslide,situated in the Chalong-ranbu fault zone,where creep deformation suggests a complex underground structure.By integrating remote sensing,field surveys,Audio-frequency Magnetotellurics(AMT),and Microtremor Survey Method(MSM)techniques,along with engineering geological drilling for validation,to uncover the landslide’s spatial feature s.The research indicates that a fault is developed in the upper part of the Deda ancient landslide,and the gully divides it into Deda landslide accumulation zoneⅠand Deda landslide accumulation zoneⅡin space.The distinctive geological characteristics detectable by MSM in the shallow subsurface and by AMT in deeper layers.The findings include the identification of two sliding zones in the Deda I landslide,the shallow sliding zone(DD-I-S1)depth is approximately 20 m,and the deep sliding zone(DD-I-S2)depth is 36.2-49.9 m.The sliding zone(DD-Ⅱ-S1)depth of the DedaⅡlandslide is 37.6-43.1 m.A novel MSM-based method for sliding zone identification is proposed,achieving less than 5%discrepancy in depth determination when compared with drilling data.These results provide a valuable reference for the spatial structural analysis of large-deepseated landslides in geologically complex regions like the eastern Tibetan Plateau.

Research on the Optimization of a Drilling Rock Breaking Method Based on Fuzzy Cluster Analysis

Improving drilling efficiency is the best way to reduce drilling costs and the choice of the drilling mode is instrumental in doing so.At present,however,a standard approach for the optimization of these processes does not exists yet.Through a comparative statistical analysis of the rock-breaking mechanisms and the characteristics of different drilling methods,this research proposes a set of cues to achieve this objective.Available statistical data are classified by means of a fuzzy cluster analysis according to the anti-drilling characteristic parameters of formation.The results show that different drilling methods rely on their own rock breaking mechanisms and have distinct characteristics.The rotary table drilling method is the most commonly used drilling mode,however,it displays some limitations with regard to deep wells,ultra-deep wells and difficult formations.The combined drilling method has the advantages of both the rotary table drilling and the down-hole power drilling modes.Polycrystalline diamond compact(PDC)drill bits can lead to good results for medium hardness and weakly abrasive formations.Underbalanced drilling for formations with high hardness and strong abrasiveness displays some limitations.

Self-adaptive inversion method of electromagnetic-propagation resistivity logging while drilling data

Because of the constraint mode of the inversion objective function in the traditional resistivity-inversion method of electromagnetic-propagation resistivity logging while drilling(EPR-LWD),obvious differences appear in the radial and vertical investigation characteristics between the amplitude-ratio and phase difference,which affect the practical application of EPR-LWD data.In this paper,according to the EPR-LWD data,a self-adaptive constraint resistivity-inversion method,which adopts a self-adaptive constraint weighted expression in the objective function to balance the contributions of the phase difference and amplitude attenuation,is proposed.A particle swarm optimization algorithm is also introduced to eliminate the dependence of the accuracy and convergence on the initial value of the inversion.According to the inversion results of multiple classical formation models for EPR-LWD,the differences between the adaptive constraint inversion-resistivity logs with the traditional amplitude-ratio and the phase difference of the resistivity logs are discussed in detail.The results demonstrate that the adaptive resistivity logs take into account the advantages of the amplitude-ratio logs in the radial investigation and phase difference logs in the vertical resolution.Further,it is superior in thin-layer identification and invasion-effect appraisal compared with the single-amplitude-ratio and phase difference logs.The inversion results can provide a theoretical reference for research on the resistivity-inversion method of electromagnetic wave LWD.

Similarity evaluation of stratum anti-drilling ability and a new method of drill bit selection

Considering the stratum anti-drilling ability,drill bit working conditions,drill bit application effect and drill bit economic benefits,the similarity of stratum anti-drilling ability was evaluated by grey relational analysis theory to screen out candidate drill bits with reference values.A new comprehensive performance evaluation model of drill bit was established by constructing the absolute ideal solution,changing the relative distance measurement method,and introducing entropy weight to work out the closeness between the candidate drill bits and ideal drill bits and select the reasonable drill bit.Through the construction of absolute ideal solution,improvement of relative distance measurement method and introduction of entropy weight,the inherent defects of TOPSIS decision analysis method,such as non-absolute order,reverse order and unreasonable weight setting,can be overcome.Simple in calculation and easy to understand,the new bit selection method has good adaptability to drill bit selection using dynamic change drill bit database.Field application has proved that the drill bits selected by the new drill bit selection method had significant increase in average rate of penetration,low wear rate,and good compatibility with the drilled formations in actual drilling.This new method of drill bit selection can be used as a technical means to select drill bits with high efficiency,long life and good economics in oilfields.