Geothermal drilling and well research – experience

and perspectives from Norwegian oil&gas

Erlend Randeberg, IRIS, Norway

13 June 2016
Outline of presentation
› About IRIS – background
› Geothermal as a new area
› The NEXT-Drill project
› IRIS contribution in GeoWell
› Project development within geothermal drilling and well

13 June 2016
More than 40 years of Research and Development
› IRIS is a client-oriented research institute and presents an all-round
and productive research environment within ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT
(Marine/Biology) and SOCIAL SCIENCE
› Our objective is to carry out research and development, and
distribution of knowledge for trade, industry and public sector
activities, nationally and internationally
› Ca. 200 employees, from 23 different countries, 92 PhDs
› Main office in Stavanger, Norway

Photo: Elisabeth Tønnessen / IRIS

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IRIS Energy – main areas
Drilling & well technology Reservoir technology

Research facilities Green technologies

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Reservoir technology – overview
Systems for mobility control for
water injection

Rock-fluid interactions

Simulator development

History matching & production

optimization

Field studies

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Drilling and well technology – overview

Automated drilling

Well modelling

New drilling concepts & equipment

Quantitative risk assessment

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Drilling & well technology – success stories Sigmund Stokka

Badger Explorer ASA

IRIS

DrillTronics BlowFlow
automated drilling system

Se http://www.osloaxess.no/

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Research facilities – drilling and well technology

Full-size offshore type drilling rig HPHT lab Virtual Rig

Sand screen lab

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Ullrigg Drilling and Well Centre

› Built in 1984, continuously modified

› Supporting research programs, technology
development and testing requirements
› Full-scale offshore type drilling rig
› Seven wells accessible

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Ullrigg Drilling and Well Centre

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Facilities: Virtual Rig
› Real Time Well Modelling
› Simulation for training and certification
› Research and development of new equipment and drilling
concepts
› Experiments with automation of the drilling process
› Development and verification of procedures for new work
processes and software
› Research and design of man-machine interface

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Experience: Risk-based approach for drilling and well

› Statistical approach, experience-based

› Decision-support in drilling planning and operational
phase
› Cost estimation tool for well construction planning
phase
› Software tools for risk of kicks, blowout modelling, etc.
› Reliability analysis of downhole safety valves etc.

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Experience: Modelling of the drilling process
› Physical representation of the drilling process
› Flow, drillstring dynamics, cuttings transport, wellbore
stability…
› Optimal choice of operational parameters: WOB, RPM,
flow…
› Available measurements and need for improved
instrumentation
› Major topic at IRIS – some key projects:
• Drilltronics: Automated drilling program
• Drillscene: Drilling monitoring and visualisation program
• Virtual Rig: Drilling simulator
• Autofluid: Drillig fluid and cuttings transport modelling

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Experience: Drilling and Well Instrumentation
› Topside and downhole instrumentation
› Flow loop instrumentation and testing
› Full-scale tests at Ullrigg
› Development of drilling models based on wired pipe
solutions
› Distributed Sensing (DTS/DAS) for downhole
production optimization

Source: SPE 149602

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Experience: Extended reach, new drilling concepts
“Hole in One Producer”
› Casing/liner drilling concept requiring step change in
bit durability
› Energy at the bit – understanding what is needed to
break rock
› Novel circulation and traction system

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Geothermal energy as a new niche
› Norwegian R&D and industry: Experience within drilling,
well and reservoir
› (Deep) geothermal is geographically limited – new
technology is needed for large-scale heat extraction
› Oil & gas vs. geothermal – similarities and differences
› Great opportunity for technology transfer

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Geothermal vs. oil & gas
› Geothermal projects are similar to oil & gas:
1. Drilling
2. Completion
3. Maintenance/ intervention (production)
4. Plugging and abandonment

› Technology transfer (oil & gas vs.

geothermal)?
• Different incentives for cost reduction
• Shared markets yield high costs (compete for rigs,
crew etc.)
• Geothermal as first mover?

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IRIS’ approach to geothermal so far
› Geothermal identified as a “new energy” area
› Involved in research networks and initiatives
• European Energy Research Arena – Joint Program on Geothermal
Energy (EERA-JPGE)
• Norwegian Centre for Geothermal Energy (CGER)
› NEXT-Drill project – Deep Hard Rock Drilling
› H2020 project GeoWell – Risk assessment

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NEXT-Drill project background
› NEXT-Drill: Numerical-EXperimental Technology platforms for cost
effective deep hard rock Drilling
› Objectives:
1. Identify technology gaps and knowledge needs for reducing drilling costs
in hard rock
2. Improved understanding of hard rock fracturing and interaction between
drillbits and rock
3. Develop a numerical and experimental framework that will enable
industrial design of the next-generation drill tools
› Main motivation: Drilling cost
• Well construction 30-75 % of total geothermal cost

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NEXT-Drill partners
R&D Team

Public funding (75% Research Council of Norway)

Industry partners

International collaboration
Mines ParisTech; France
TUT; Finland
TU Clausthal; Germany
University of Minnesota, University of Purdue; USA

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Rate of penetration for percussive drilling
EXPERIMENTS SIMULATIONS

Rock material Rock Meso-models

Characterization of behaviour: effect (FEM, SPH)
of pressure, temperature, rate,
fracture…

Tool/rock interaction Tool/Rock Meso-

models
Characterization of bit/rock interaction laws:
effect of repetition, indexation, cleaning,
Validation and extension out
impact energy, rate, pressure…
of laboratory ranges

Dynamic systems
Macro-models
Middle- and full-scale: assess the performance of
percussive system in terms of ROP and BRI Analytical/numerical
predictions:
parametrical study
ROP = f(frequency, WOB,
RPM, pressure,…)

13 June 2016
Drillbit life – Methodology and approach

EXPERIMENTS SIMULATIONS

Microstructure Atomistic modelling

characterization DFT: Energy of interface
separation
SEM and EBSD observations, nano-
indentation, micro in-situ tests
Modelling of microstructure
Mesh generation Local field information
2D 3D (degradation
(from picture) (idealized) mechanisms)

Mechanical and
wear properties Virtual tests
of macroscopic response

Continuum material & Structural

Full-scale (in field) Modelling
Drill-bit life assessment Damage models
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NEXT-Drill: Hard Rock Drilling Workshops
Hard Rock Drilling workshop, Dec. 2012
Focus: Drilling Technologies/Concepts
Hard Rock Drilling workshop, Nov. 2013
Focus: Bit Materials/Tools Hard Rock Drilling workshop, Dec. 2014
Focus: Geothermal Drilling Practice Hard Rock Drilling workshop, Dec. 2015
Focus: Perspectives and Outlook

13 June 2016
Technology roadmap – Focus
› Mature technologies
• Deep drilling in soft formations
• Shallow drilling in hard rock
› Drilling case
• Hard rock (~200 MPa)
• Deep drilling (> 1000 m)
• Harsh environments: High pressure and temperature
› Rock breaking is the single most important factor
• Low penetration rates
• Equipment wear and failure
› Fundamental concerns of rock breaking process:
• How energy is transferred to the rock (breaking the rock)
• Controlling secondary effects (bit wear, drillstring dynamics)
• Cuttings removal

13 June 2016
Routes to improvement, short term
1. Percussive drilling for deeper wells
2. Rotary drilling for increasingly harder rocks

› PDC bits: a step change in drilling performance and cost per distance
drilled, compared to roller cone bits
› Improving performance can be expected to give gradual cost
reductions
› Changing technology, e.g. to percussive drilling, may potentially be
step changing

13 June 2016
Routes to improvement, long term
› Development of “unproven” methods
• E.g. thermal based methods (laser, microwaves, chemical reactions,
electric sparks etc.)
• Technology readiness level is low
• Depth is a challenge, e.g. power supply, high pressure

› Development of electrical power from surface to downhole

• Efficiency and robustness
• Powering and direct control of drilling tool
• Traction
• High bandwidth communication (wired pipe)

› EGC 2016 paper for more on this

• “Technology Roadmap for Geothermal Hard Rock Drilling”

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 GeoWell: IRIS contribution
Innovative materials and designs for long-life high-temperature geothermal wells

The GeoWell project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon
2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 654497
GeoWell: WP6 Risk assessment for geothermal wells
Drilling Completion Production Maintenance P&A

• Development of risk and reliability analysis tools for geothermal wells

• Raise the standard of risk analysis tools for geothermal wells (based on
that of oil and gas wells)
• Propose a risk management framework
• Protocols, standards (ref. NORSOK)
• Evaluate and manage the risk introduced by new materials and tools
developed in WP3 and WP4
• Failure modes, “qualification”
Approach
Geothermal wells

Oil & gas wells

Risk assessment
methods for well
integrity
Risk assessment
methods for well
integrity

New methods for

very high
temperatures?
Objectives for risk assessment WP
• Status of risk assessment for geothermal wells
• Transfer risk assessment methods from the oil &
gas domain
• Risk assessment methods for high temperature
phenomena in geothermal wells
• Propose improvements for European regulations
& standards
• Risk and reliability analysis of the new materials
and methods developed in the project
IRIS is aiming for additional H2020 projects
Relevant background IRIS strategy related to geothermal
› Practical drilling and well challenges, e.g. cementation, › Natural extension of present drilling and well
circulation system, new drilling concepts experience
› Drilling modelling – circulation, pressure, temperature, › Technology transfer from oil & gas to geothermal
drillstring… Based on physical models and data › Investigation and testing of new drilling concepts
gathering
› Hard rock drilling
› New drilling concepts in a real environment
› Challenges associated with “extreme” oil & gas wells –
HPHT, extended reach, multilaterals…
› Risk analysis relevant for drilling and well

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Summary and conclusions
› Accessing the geothermal energy is a major challenge (cost issue)
› The Norwegian oil & gas drilling expertise gives us a benefit
› Close collaboration with drilling industry

› From petroleum to geothermal well construction – similarities

and differences

› IRIS wants to contribute in the geothermal community

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Thank you for your attention!

erlend.randeberg@iris.no
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