New opportunities are found in real-time drilling technologies.

Faced with tapping reserves located in increasingly tough environments, the petroleum industry has looked to advanced directional drilling techniques, and the well placement and formation evaluation tools that accompany them, to reduce the risk and cost while improving the financial return of such endeavors. Whether operating in deepwater, environmentally sensitive areas, remote locations, or mature regions, the precision, reliability and real-time capability of directional drilling today are making reserves more technically and financially viable. Particularly driving today's directional drilling advancements is the proliferation of accurate downhole data being acquired and disseminated to all involved parties.
There are very few drilling activities that cannot be monitored back in the office today. Yet, few take full advantage of this opportunity. Typically, only "high-profile, high-cost" projects are designed to include real-time monitoring and decision-making in the workflow process. A breakthrough opportunity lies in the ability to cost-effectively deliver "continuous monitoring and active collaboration" for the majority of drilling projects.

As demonstrated in the following paragraphs, the drilling industry can look forward to a number of significant new developments in the near future, including the global introduction of drilling operations support centers for continuous monitoring, rotary steerable systems engineered for harsh and rugged environments, and the next generation of well placement and formation evaluation while drilling services.

Real-time all the time

The use of real-time streaming of data from various acquisition and monitoring devices has steadily made its way into the oilfield over the last decade. However, widespread use of this capability has yet to occur. In the drilling arena in particular, the use of real-time while drilling data to guide the drilling process has largely been allocated to high-risk, high-cost projects, such as those offshore or in remote locations. Even then, the ability to extract value from the real-time data has been limited by remnants of traditional workflow processes, leaving room for performance growth from the use of real-time drilling and measurements data.

The opportunity to proliferate the value of real-time data, and operational performance as a consequence, lies not just in the design and implementation of new downhole technologies and analysis tools, but in the industry's ability to bring its "high-end" visualization and collaboration technologies into the workstream of any type of project. To address this need Schlumberger is further strengthening its internal systems to support the everyday use of real-time drilling and measurements data in its worldwide operations. Specifically, it is developing cost-effective, IT-assisted operations support centers (OSCs) at strategic Schlumberger bases that will enable real-time collaboration with multiple drill sites. The same systems can be installed in operator offices and customized to fit the local workflow.

OCSs are an offshoot of the comprehensive and immersive visualization centers that have taken hold in recent years. As grassroots versions of the larger systems, OSCs require a smaller initial investment because the focus is on monitoring one or more wells and supporting asset team collaboration, versus immersive 3-D visualization.

OSCs are comparable to an air traffic control center. Wellsite data streaming into the OSC is quickly checked for quality and then processed into information immediately recognizable and useful to all asset team experts. Including both human supervisors and automated alarms, the OSC process is designed to call in the experts whenever wellsite events drift outside of anticipated norms. When a drilling project is proceeding according to plan, the experts, wherever their physical location, are not tied to a single well for the duration of its construction. Just-in-time expertise is the more efficient approach.

As needed, professionals at the wellsite and back in the office can view the same information and form collaborative decisions to enhance well construction results. No time is wasted, and the opportunity for communication errors is reduced. Timely, accurate information at the disposal of all decision makers is the key. And with the ability to communicate with today's instrumented drilling assemblies, necessary downhole adjustments can be made from the office, as well as at the drill site. In selected pilot locations within the service company, use of operations support centers over the past year has enabled improved well site service delivery and facilitated more efficient and informed decisions.

Full rotation 3-D steering

While rotary steerable drilling systems (RSS) have unquestionably left a positive mark on well construction over the last decade, challenges with externally steered mechanisms have restricted their use in certain environments. Recent breakthroughs with the technology have resulted in a system that features an internal steering capability while still maintaining the full rotation of the drill string, with subsequent improvements in the drilling process.

While in development, the PowerDrive Xceed rotary steerable drilling system drilled more than 150,000 ft (45,750 m) of hole in various downhole conditions worldwide improving average drilling efficiency by 50% over previous wells. Using leading-edge telemetry, the system can be steered from the office or an OSC. Drilling challenges overcome by the internal steering capability include high-shock, high-temperature, abrasive, soft and laminated drilling environments. Complex well designs with high dogleg severity, openhole sidetracks in over gauge or washed out holes, as well as steerable bicentered drilling are also possible with this fully rotating RSS system.

Field use has shown that the system reduces the chance of spiraling and sticking of the bottomhole assembly. Fully rotating parts allow backwards or forward rotation and operating rates of 350 rpm can be achieved while maintaining a steady tool face setting. System reliability has doubled compared to other rotary steerable systems in the same harsh and rugged environments. Significant operator savings have been noted in multiple operations worldwide with this technology. In some cases up to 50% reduction in total costs on wells have been achieved, resulting primarily from increases in drilling efficiency per bit run and reductions in trip times. In other cases, drilling laterally variable and heavily faulted sandstones, the combination of improved steering capability and real-time geosteering techniques avoided costly openhole sidetracks.

Evaluation while drilling

A new service currently being field tested is a significant step toward safer, smarter drilling, reducing radioactive risk by a factor of 10. This service uses an advanced logging-while-drilling tool with on-demand positive neutron generation instead of radioactive neutron chemical source. In addition, the new service will reduce flat time by 25% because it combines eight measurements in one collar. This integration of measurements also allows unparalleled real-time visualization of the formation, in fact giving the ability to "picture" the formation in fine detail.

Ultradeep resistivity and seismic while drilling are two other new measurement platforms that will aid well placement in real-time. The ultradeep resistivity enables the detection of lithologic features and fluid contacts tens of meters away from vertical or horizontal boreholes. This allows improved prediction of geological events in real-time for optimum well placement. Furthermore, water contacts, faults, other well bores or drilling hazards can also be avoided.

Meanwhile, a seismic while drilling (seismicVISION) system delivers traditional borehole seismic measurements, including checkshot and interval velocity data, in real-time, during the drilling process. Full three-component waveforms are available in memory, which can be accessed while tripping without interrupting the drilling process. The seismicVISION system has the capability to look ahead of the drillbit even further than the ultradeep resistivity tool. It is useful for placing the bit on the seismic map while drilling, predicting pore pressure via interval velocities, predicting target or hazard depths, optimizing mud weight, and selecting coring and casing points. Seismic while drilling may be the only way to acquire borehole seismic in wells with poor hole conditions or requiring highly overbalanced drilling.

Tying it all together

Investment in new technology development and improved processes is essential for ensuring long-term advancements of the drilling process. The drilling industry's challenge today is to migrate leading-edge technologies into everyday use, where their maximum value and cost effectiveness can be realized. In particular, real-time drilling technologies hold significant unrealized potential. Using operations support centers globally for continuous monitoring and active collaboration between drill sites and offices is a step in the right direction to realize this potential.

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