Case History

Steerable Coiled Tubing Drilling System

Cut 6 Days of Rig Time

Benefits

Increased production from

a depleted reservoir

Drilled two laterals much faster

than planned

Reduced wellbore tortuosity,

improving weight transfer to bit

Minimized hole-coil drag

Maintained full 3D steerability

Well background and challenges

North Slope, Alaska

Re-entry in depleted field

Extend lateral reach

Reduce tortuosity and drag

Reduce rig time

Baker Hughes solution and results

3 in. Rib Steered Motor

3 in. CoilTrak BHA

3 in. HCM304Z PDC bit with

EZ Steer technology

Delivered two sidetracks 6 days

ahead of schedule

Smooth extended wellbore with

low dogleg severity

True Vertical Depth (ft)

Baker Hughes CoilTrak BHA and Rib Steered Motor provided

reliable 3D directional control and smooth extended lateral

TD 14,750ft MD
P1-24L 1

800

850

TD 14,017ft MD

900

P1-24L 1-01

4 1/2 inch

950

0
650

250

600

300

00
No 70
rth
(ft)

0
750

00

500

100

150
0

200

0 t)
(f
ast

800

The planned re-entry of a well in the

Prudhoe Bay field involved kicking off at
12,600 ft and drilling the 2,400 ft lateral
section to TD at 15,000ft. The CoilTrak
orienter-based coil tubing drilling assembly
was used throughout the initial build
section to drill a 20/100 ft curve and land
the well. For the following lateral hole
section, it was critical to reduce wellbore
tortuosity and minimize hole-coil drag in
order to maximize the lateral extension.
The Baker Hughes CoilTrak Rib Steered
Motor drilling assembly reduced the
average dogleg severity (DLS) from
12/100 ft to 2/100 ft, resulting in a less
tortuous lateral section and substantially
reduced drag. The RSM BHA replaced the
orienter-bent-motor BHAs in the lateral
section and greatly reduced average DLS,
while maintaining full 3D steerability for a
smooth extended hole section.

The first lateral on this well was kicked

off with a Baker Hughes Generation II
Through Tubing Whipstock out of the
7 in. x 4 in. casing. For the additional
second lateral a novel technique positioned
an aluminium billet in the bore of the first
lateral, and an orienter-bent-motor BHA
was used to kickoff in the open hole. After
the successful sidetrack, the RSM BHA also
drilled and steered the second lateral as
planned. The RSM BHAs performed without
problem and completed both lateral
sections each in one run.
The length of the first lateral leg was
2,049 ft, and the second was 1,417 ft. The
RSM BHA drilled both laterals in a total of
98 circulating hours (36 drilling hours) and
delivered DLS as low as +/-1/100ft. This
outstanding performance cut 6 days of rig
time from the original plan.
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