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.

Numerical simulation and dimension reduction analysis of electromagnetic logging while drilling of horizontal wells in complex structures

Electromagnetic logging while drilling(LWD)is one of the key technologies of the geosteering and formation evaluation for high-angle and horizontal wells.In this paper,we solve the dipole source-generated magnetic/electric fields in 2D formations efficiently by the 2.5D finite diff erence method.Particularly,by leveraging the field’s rapid attenuation in spectral domain,we propose truncated Gauss–Hermite quadrature,which is several tens of times faster than traditional inverse fast Fourier transform.By applying the algorithm to the LWD modeling under complex formations,e.g.,folds,fault and sandstone pinch-outs,we analyze the feasibility of the dimension reduction from 2D to 1D.For the formations with smooth lateral changes,like folds,the simplified 1D model’s results agree well with the true responses,which indicate that the 1D simplification with sliding window is feasible.However,for the formation structures with drastic rock properties changes and sharp boundaries,for instance,faults and sandstone pinch-outs,the simplified 1D model will lead to large errors and,therefore,2.5D algorithms should be applied to ensure the accuracy.

Research into magnetic guidance technology for directional drilling in SAGD horizontal wells

SAGD horizontal wells are used to enhance oil recovery from heavy oil reservoirs.This technology requires precise separation between the production well and the injection well to ensure the efficient drainage of the reservoir.By studying the attitude of the downhole probe tube and the production well trajectory,an algorithm is proposed for eliminating ferromagnetic interference while drilling injection wells.A high accuracy filter circuit has been designed to correct the detected magnetic signals,which are ultra-weak,frequency-instable,and narrow-band.The directional drilling magnetic guidance system（DD-MGS） has been developed by integrating these advanced techniques.It contains a sub-system for the ranging calculation software,a magnetic source,a downhole probe tube and a sub-system for collecting ＆ processing the detected signals.The DD-MGS has succeeded in oilfield applications.It can guide the directional drilling trajectory not only in the horizontal section but also in the build section of horizontal injection wells.This new technology has broad potential applications.

Research on Horizontal Vibration of Heavy-Weight Drill Pipes in Directional Drilling

The mode of load and deformation of directional drilling string and the expression of trigonometric series of deflection equation are established by means of elastic deformation energy and of the vertical and horizontal bending. A calculation formula for natural frequency of horizontal resonance and rotational speed is derived based on the calculation method by Ritz, with which analysis is made for the cause and affecting factors of the excessive abrasion of heavy-weight drill pipe in high-angle holes so as to provide reference and basis for rational selection of drilling parameters and drilling tools in the future high-angle directional drilling.

Application and development of numerical simulation for under- ground horizontal directional drilling

In coalmines of China, horizontal directional drilling （HDD） is an increasingly popular method for underground in-seam gas drainage. Numerical simulation, especially finite element analysis, is often used as an effective method to improve HDD operation. These improvements focus on rock-breaking efficiency, directional precision, stability of the borehole wall, and reliability of the drill equipment. On the basis of underground drilling characteristics, typical numerical simulation exam- ples in drilling techniques and equipment are summarized and analyzed. In the end, the future development trends of numerical simulation in underground in-seam drilling are proposed.

Combined stochastic and discrete simulation to optimise the economics of mixed single-horizontal and multilateral well offshore oil developments

Multilateral wells promise cost savings to oil and fields as they have the potential to reduce overall drilling distances and minimize the number of slots required for the surface facility managing the well.However,drilling a multilateral well does not always increase the flow rate when compared to two single-horizontal wells due to competition in production inside the mother-bore.Here,a holistic approach is proposed to find the optimum balance between single and multilateral wells in an offshore oil development.In so doing,the integrated approach finds the highest Net Present Value(NPV)configuration of the field considering drilling,subsurface,production and financial analysis.The model employs stochastic perturbation and Markov Chain Monte-Carlo methods to solve the global maximising-NPV problem.In addition,a combination of Mixed-Integer Linear Programming(MILP),an improved Dijkstra algorithm and a Levenberg-Marquardt optimiser is proposed to solve the rate allocation problem.With the outcome from this analysis,the model suggests the optimum development including number of multilateral and single horizontal wells that would result in the highest NPV.The results demonstrate the potential for modelling to find the optimal use of petroleum facilities and to assist with planning and decision making.

Modern Shale Gas Horizontal Drilling： Review of Best Practices for Exploration Phase Planning and Execution

The challenging characteristics of shale formations often require horizontal drilling to economically develop their potential. While every shale gas play is unique, there are several best practices for the proper planning and execution of a horizontal well. In planning a horizontal well, the optimal method and technology for building inclination and extending the lateral section must be determined. Properly specified logging-while-drilling tools are essential to keep the wellbore within the target formation. Planning must also focus on casing design. Doing so will help ensure stability and enable reliable and productive completions. Shales pose a challenge for these elements of well planning due to their thin strata and potentially low mechanical competence when foreign fluids are introduced. Once a plan is developed, executing it is even more important to prove a viable exploration program. Fast, efficient drilling with wellbore control and minimal torque and drag should be the priority. This may be achieved by focusing on fluid hydraulics and rheology and bottom hole assembly. Managed pressure drilling (MPD) will help fast drilling, well control and stability. If MPD can be combined with new generation rotary steerable systems that allow the drill string to maintain rotation, impressive efficiencies are possible. Modern drilling parameter analysis represents the newest opportunity for executing shale gas horizontal wells. A method for ROP analysis to improve operational parameters and equipment selection is also proposed.

Assessment of the Behaviour of Surface to Borehole EM Telemetry in Horizontal Well

Hydrocarbon exploration has evolved over the years from shallow subsurface to deep subsurface prospecting in both onshore and marine environment.In accordance,technical development has encouraged exploration of unconventional reservoirs and development of deeply buried ones.The deeply buried carbonate reservoir in the Tarim Basin have attracted considerable attention(Lee,1985;Neil,1997;Jin et al.,2009,2015).Such deeply buried reservoirs requires careful and accurate well landing and borehole navigation through multiple regions of HC accumulation and precise well closing process involving accurate selection of positions for screens and so on.

Stress Analysis of Buried Pipeline Installed by Horizontal Directional Drilling Using ANSYS Finite Element Software

In designing a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) pipeline project, designers face the challenge of determining the regions of maximum and minimum stresses on pipelines, ensuring the stability of the bore-hole from collapse and minimizing the stresses induced on the pipeline due to the bore-profile. This study analyses the stress induced on an HDD pipeline system using the ANSYS Version 18, mechanical APDL finite element (FE) software. The pipeline used as the case study was a gas transmission pipeline installed in south-west Nigeria. A macro-file for ANSYS Version 18, mechanical APDL used to model the pipeline was developed. The results showed that the maximum and minimum stresses induced on the HDD pipeline were at the top and bottom of the pipe, respectively;while the stresses on the sides were uniform (≈888 kg/cm2) all through the pipeline, irrespective of element number. The maximum stress occurred at the curvature point with the highest entry angle (10°), resulting in a maximum deflection at this point. The model stress validation performed by comparing results with theoretical solutions, both with respect to radius of curvature and internal pressure, showed percentage difference (errors) less than 10%. The cross sectional area validation showed a percentage difference of 0.059%.

Laboratory Evaluation Procedures of Formation Damage Induced by Completion Fluids in Horizontal Wells

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Research and application of water jet technology in well completion and stimulation in China

In recent years, rapid progress in the use of high pressure water jets （HPWJ） has been made in oil and gas well drilling, completion, and stimulation; and good results have been achieved in field applications. Advances in technologies and developments of well completion and stimulation with hydrajet are reviewed in this paper. Experiments were conducted to study the characteristics of abrasive water jetting and to optimize jet parameters, which can provide methods for the well completion and hydrajet fracturing. Deep-penetrating hydrajet perforating can create a 2-3 m clean hole with a diameter of 20-35 mm. Multilayer hydrajet fracturing is a process whereby multiple layers are stimulated in a single run without using mechanical packers, thereby reducing operation procedure and risk. Multilateral radial wells can be drilled using hydraulic jetting up to 100 m in length. The technique to remove sand particles and plugs with rotating self-resonating cavitating water jets in horizontal wellbores has been developed and oilfield-tested, which shows promising, cost effective prospects.

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.

Study of real-time LWD data visual interpretation and geo-steering technology

LWD（logging while drilling） data has been used to explore complex subtle reservoirs by realtime visual interpretation and geo-steering.The method comprises of computer communication,well log data processing,formation recognition,reservoir modeling and model updating in real time.We studied the key technologies related to real-time LWD data visual interpretation and geo-steering and developed computer software with Chinese intellectual property rights covering the following important aspects： 1） real-time computer communication of well site LWD data;2） visualization of geological model and borehole information;3） real-time interpretation of LWD data;4） real-time geological model updating and geo-steering technology.We use field application examples to demonstrate the feasibility and validity of the proposed technologies.

A Horizontality Adjusting Study of the Earth Drill′s Platform

A horizontality adjusting system of the earth drill's platform is designed todeal with the operation difficulty of the platform which appeared while the earth drill is used.The proportional-impulse control to eliminate the over-adjustment andelectricity-hydraulic-proportional control to drive the adjusting mechanism are adopted in thesystem. The control scheme and control algorithm are introduced in detail. The software flow chartis given.

管道在水平定向钻施工及服役期的力学响应分析

水平定向钻穿越管道在施工及服役期的力学响应受到多种因素的影响,现有理论和计算方法均在很大程度上受限于经验修正参数的选择。基于现场实测数据,通过有限元数值模拟对钢管在水平定向钻施工回拖过程中的受力变形及在外部压力作用下的结构稳定性进行研究。模拟结果表明:在回拖过程中,钢管在出土端的Mises应力和纵向弯矩明显大于入土端;在钻孔的弯曲段,钢管的Mises应力和纵向弯矩均随着弯曲段曲率半径的减小而增大;当钢管在外部压力作用下发生结构屈曲失稳时,塑性应变主要集中在管道的顶部、底部及两侧位置处,其所能承受的外部压力随着管道壁厚的增大而增大,随着直径的增大而减小。

The behaviors of gas-liquid two-phase flow under gas kick during horizontal drilling with oil-based muds

Natural gas is easily soluble in oil-based muds(OBM),leading to complex flow behavior in wellbores,especially in horizontal wells.In this study,a new transient flow model considering wellbore-formation coupling and gas solubility on flow behavior is developed to simulate gas kicks during horizontal drilling with OBM.Furthermore,the effect of gas solubility on parameters such as bottom-hole pressure(BHP),gas void fraction and mixture velocity in the flow behavior is analyzed.Finally,several critical factors affecting flow behavior are investigated and compared to gas kicks in water-based muds(WBM)where the effect of solubility is neglected.The results show that the invading gas exists as dissolved gas in the OBM and as free gas in the WBM.Before the gas escapes from the OBM,the pit gain is zero and there is barely any change in the BHP,annulus return flow rate and mixture velocity,which means that detecting gas kicks through these warning signs can be challenging until they get very close to the surface and develop rapidly.However,in WBM drilling,these parameters change quickly with the increasing gas kick time.Additionally,for both cases,the longer the horizontal length and the greater reservoir permeability,the greater the decrease in BHP,and the shorter the time for gas to migrate from the bottom-hole to the wellhead.A larger flow rate contributes to a greater initial BHP and a lesser BHP reduction.This research is of value in characterizing gas kick behavior and identifying novel ways for early gas kick detection during horizontal drilling with OBM.