Slim hole Drilling Technology

Presented b y
Ary Kakashin Saber Anas Mahmood Mohir

Contents

Introduction .
Why Slimhole Drilling?
Development& integration
Slimhole Drilling Services
Why did slimhole usage rapidly
decline and almost disappear?
Limitations & Improvements
Cases history
Conclusions


Introduction

The term slimhole (SHD) is widely used to
mean a range of smaller diameter drilling
and casing sizes compared to those
considered conventional in the oil and gas
industry.
SHD was known in the 1950 , came back in
the late 80s , received great attention in
the 90s.
In todays economic requirement must
reduce costs , especially costs related to
drilling exploration, One way to achieve
substantial cost reductions is to use slim
hole technology.

Slimhole & Conventional
Completion
Why Slimhole Drilling?


There are there major factor for using
slimhole :
1- Economical Benefits .
2- Technical .
3- Environmental Benefits .


1- Economical Benefits

Targeted drilling cost reduction in the
above outlined scenario of 30 TO- 40%
depending on well logistics and geometry.
Smaller rigs requires.
Fast move rig ( easy mob - demob ).
Rig flexible and competitive for drilling
and workover operations.


1- Economical Benefits
Reducer of loads .
Reduction of hole size, and related
equipment.
Less transportation cost .
Less site preparations .
Smaller wellbore have less expensive
- Drilling tools
- Casing
- Cementing
- drilling mud


.

Less Site Preparations
Site reduced by 75%

Slimhole Cost Saving
Typical slimhole Well Design
Slim & Conventional Cost
2-Technical
** In Field Exploration That we can determine
1. Lithology .
2.Reservoir Pressure, and Temperature .
3. Reservoir Permeability (K) .
** In Field Development
1.Gas Wells .
2.Tight Oil Reservoirs .
3.Infill, and Reentry wells (Developmen
Wells Injection wells ) .

3-Environmental Benefits
1- Mud consumption and cutting reduced by
75%
2- Reduced Area Cleared For Drilling up to
75% .
3- Reduced Noise Impact .
4- Reduced Fuel Use & Emissions .
5-Enhanced Protection of Sensitive
Environments.
6- More Friendly .
Development& Integration
Rig concept and design .
Drilling efficiency .
Bit selection .
Mud system and waste treatment .
Cementation .
Kick detection levels



Rig Concept and Design
The main elements of a slim hole package are
perceived as:
A - Main drilling unit and associated
equipment .
- Support equipment (casing tools,
cementing equipment), basic logging .
- Drilling instrumentation and
information system .
- Mud system .
- Multi-skilled crew
Rig Concept and Design
B - Drill strings .
C - Specialist down hole tools .
D - Geo scientific data acquisition .
E - Communications system (especially for
remote locations) .
F - Camp facility (remote location( .
G - Supporting Safety, Environmental and
Quality .

Drilling Efficiency

The slim hole drilling bottom hole assembly
(BHA) has been designed around two
philosophies:
1-Minimized longitudinal and torsional
vibrations need to reduce drill string
failure.
2- The smaller diameter hole use of a
downhole motor will lead to improved
rates of penetration over rotary
techniques .
Bit Selection
Criteria for bit selection were to:
1- Optimize penetration rates .
2- Produce reasonable sized cuttings
for evaluation purposes with no
secondary metamorphic effects.
Mud System and Waste
Treatment
Slim Holes drilling requires very refined
mud characteristics especially the solid
content which must be as low as possible.
Reduced the volumes of mud and cuttings
protect the environment.
To achieve this objective, the rig was
equipped with an efficient shale shaker
and two high speed centrifuges. In order
to reduce the volume of waste the
centrifugation .

Cementation
Slim Hole drilling program requires
far less volume of slurry than a
conventional one.
Therefore we elect to prepare the
slurry in two batch tanks and to
pump it with the rig pumps.
Kick Detection Levels
Because of the hole geometry, kick
detection is of extreme importance. To
provide for the safety of the personnel and
protect the environment we must detect a
kick sooner than in a traditional hole size.
This means that equipment had to be
engineered and tested to be able to detect
an influx at a similar stage as is now
common in conventional .
Detecting and controlling a kick in time
generally results in no damage to the well .


Slimhole Drilling Services
There are three types of contractors
providing slim hole drilling services:
1-The mining drilling contractors who
basically focus on continuous coring
application .
2-The oil and gas conventional drilling
contractors who provide conventional and
purpose build drilling rigs .
3-Service contractors who provide coiled
tubing unit .

Why did slim hole usage rapidly
decline and almost disappear?
Past problem associated with slimhole drilling :
1-The lack of reported blow outs while drilling .
2-Reduced bore hole diameter limited the
stimulation possibilities (fracture, injection rate),
production rate, and inability to do multi
connection.
3-Inability to log test, cement, fishing

Slimhole Drilling Characterizes
1-Technical and safety risks are no more severe than
with conventional drilling :
- There are existing well control system to detect
small fluid influxes. Well control slimhole is no more
risky than with conventional.
- Drilling fluid for slimhole system are as critical as
with conventional drilling system .
Testing and fishing in small diameter borehole is
possibly less risky than with conventional system

Slimhole Drilling Characterizes
2-Cementing a narrow annulus slimhole well
using existing good cementing practice
provides an adequate seal .
3-Almost every wire line log can be run in
slimhole down to a diameter of 4 1/8,
smaller than this diameter there are still
enough logs to evaluate a well .
4-Directional work in slim hole is a standard
practice where smaller diameter mud
motors are reliable (less expensive than
the big motor) .


Limitations & Improvements

** Limitations
1- Logging & Testing .
2- Bit Availability .
3- Small Clearance (STUCKS) .
4- Cementing .
** Improvements
1- Slim hole Logging Tools .
2- Arrangements with manufacturers .
3- Special BHA .
4- Improved Slurries .
Cases Histories

**Location Paris Basin Wells :
1-/ 1A
-Drilling :3 phases ( 8 1/2 - 6 - 3 3/8 (
-The actual duration was 32 days
-Phase 8 1/2" casing 7 Depth : (11 to 176 )m
Total duration 4 days. During this phase no
major problem. Which is common in this region.

Cases Histories
- Phase 6" casing 4 1/2" - drilling from (176 to
922( m , Total duration 9 days no major
problem with drilling except an extra trip as a
PDC bit got burn while drilling through chirt -
Maximum deviation 4"
- Phase 3 3/8" total duration 16 days - drilling
from 922 m to 1983 m
- Economical results : savings were 27% .

Cases Histories
2- TETRAS 1
-The actual duration was 37 days.
-Drilling casing program, 9 5/8" casing 7 5/8" at
155 m, 6 3/4 Casing 5 1/2, at 1598 m, 4 3/4"
to 2026 m.
-Economical results : savings were 47% .



Conclusions
1-SlimhoLe technology recently has been
established as a proven alternative to
conventional drilling operations.
2-Now that the drilling community has shown that
slimhole can reach the objective and is both
technically and economically feasible, completion
and production aspects of small wellbore receive
the focus of increased attention.


3- The following factors should improve the use of
slimhole in the future
- Continued drive to reduce all cost
- More recompletions out of old wellbore .
-Environmental pressure continue to increase ,
-More use of continuous of coring and
stratigraphic wells
- Contractors need to replace old equipment .
- New technical capabilities using slimhole
completion and production equipment .

References
SPE papers