Offshore Drilling Lecture 2016 Unit 3

Offshore Drilling and Production
Unit III
Prof. (Dr) Sreepat Jain
Prof. (Dr) Sreepat Jain: Offshore Drilling 1
Course Content
Unit – III
Deep water technology: Introduction definition & prospects. Deep
water regions, Deep water drilling rig – selection and deployment,
Deep water production system, Emerging deep water
technologies – special equipment and systems Remote operation
vessels (ROV) Divers and Safety: Principles of diving use of
decompression chambers, life boats, Offshore Environmental
Pollution and Remedial Measures.
Current scenario
Joe Leimkuhler, offshore well delivery manager for Shell

Onshore
Upstream Americas, explained that the average U.S.

well produces about 10 barrels of oil a day.
Offshore
The average offshore deepwater well, in contrast,

produces 1000 barrels per day.
Current scenario
Oil will remain the dominant fuel in the global energy mix through
2035, even if current efforts at fuel efficiency and alternatives are
included in the calculations, by the International Energy Agency's
(IEA) projection.
Worldwide oil demand is on track to climb 18% in the next 25 years, to

99 million barrels per day.
So the oil industry continues to seek new frontiers, and some of the
most promising happen to be under the sea. More than half of all
the oil that has been discovered since 2000 is in deepwater, says
IEA.
The energy consulting firm IHS CERA projects global deepwater capacity
will more than double by 2030, to 11 million barrels per day.
Current scenario
BP's Macondo well
April 20, 2010
The high pressure

characteristic of these
reservoirs ‐ the reason BP's
Macondo well was so hard
to control, has come under
intense research.
Deep water regions
Arctic
GOM
W Africa
Brazil
Deep water regions: The Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico, with more than 3,400 offshore production facilities, has
much more in deeper water and in older geological formations.
Estimates suggest that the Gulf has nearly 13 billion barrels of recoverable
deepwater oil.
"In the Gulf the hottest spot is something called the Lower Tertiary,". BP's
Macondo well, was in Miocene, 25 million years old or less.
The Lower Tertiary (~60 Ma) lies about 200 miles

off the Gulf Coast and extends from Alabama
to Mexico. The deepest oil‐producing
structure in the world is here ‐ Shell's
Perdido production platform.
The Perdido complex retrieves both oil and gas

from reservoirs more than 8,000 feet (2,438
meters) below the water's surface.
Deep water regions: Brazil
2007 discovery of Tupi field, 200 miles south of Rio de Janeiro, was a game
changer.
Brazil has nearly 48 billion barrels of oil in water depths of 2,000 feet (610 m).
"It's relatively light (easy to refine) and it's huge,". "But it's challenging. It's in
some 6,000 feet (1,830 meters) of water and, more importantly, it's below
a layer of salt.“
Salt layers often accompany oil reserves, but they create challenging
conditions, because the salt tends to rise up thousands of feet through
overlying rock.
"What happens is that the rock that's adjacent to this salt, which was
originally laid down flat, gets sort of pulled up like a rubber band that's
attached to something,".
As a result, the rock formation gets broken into pieces, and "when you go in
there, one can often lose circulation".
That means drilling fluid, the heavy mud which helps control pressure, can be
lost to the surrounding ground rather than recirculating through the well
system".
Deep water regions: West Africa
The two biggest players are Angola and Nigeria, which between them
have more than 20 billion barrels of proven deepwater reserves.
"It's young rock and it produces like crazy". “….once predicted that they
would reach 100,000 barrels a day from a single well.”
Nigeria, which produces especially desirable "light, sweet" crude, was

Africa's top oil producer, but slipped due to political unrest.
Angola vies with Nigeria as Africa's top producer of crude oil, but it has
its own political problems, particularly in the oil‐rich Cabinda
province.
Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are set to join the ranks of Africa's
offshore producers.
Jubilee well off the coast of Ghana and
Sierra‐Leone‐Liberian basin
Deep water regions: Arctic
Frigid temperatures, high seas, shrieking winds, darkness, and

minimal visibility mark the offshore areas of the Arctic.
But there is a lot of oil beneath it all. The USGS estimates the Arctic
holds 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil ‐ 90 billion
barrels recoverable with current technologies and practices.
USGS also estimates the Arctic holds 30 percent of the world's
undiscovered natural gas.
The Arctic's offshore oil is not in deepwater (in less than 1,640 feet
(500 m).
But accessibility is a huge problem; the nearest U.S. Coast Guard Air
Station to the Beaufort and Chukchi seas is 950 miles (1,530 km)
away, and the nearest major port lies 1,300 nautical miles (2,400
km) distant.
In all, eight separate nations share claim to the Arctic's 11.6 million
square miles (30 million square km).
Offshore Oil/Gas Production Systems
Offshore Oil/Gas Production Systems
Brief History of Offshore Production Systems
Various Types of Offshore Platforms
Bottom‐supported Platforms
Floating Platforms
Subsea Production Systems
Subsea Christmas Trees
Subsea Manifolds
Subsea Boosting and Processing
Subsea Control System
Brief history of offshore production systems
Oil wells were initially drilled from piers constructed along the coast.
Such bottom‐supported platforms have been in use ever since, though

material to build them changed from wood to steel and concrete.
These platforms, whilst good in that they can provide working environment
probably closest to that onshore, have problems of sharply increasing cost
with increasing water depth and long lead time for construction.
To counter these problems, the petroleum industry came up with floating

platforms in the 1970s.
These include semisubmersibles, a natural functional extension of their sisters

in the MODU fleet, ship‐shaped floating production storage and offloading
systems (FPSOs) and tension leg platforms (TLPs).
Brief history of offshore production systems
To date there are >1000 wells worldwide drilled and completed subsea.
The advancement of subsea technology meanwhile has led to development

of other kinds of equipment tailored for subsea application:
1. manifolds to collect/divert produced & service fluids to desired flow

paths,
2. multi‐phase pumps that can boost pressure of the mixture of gas &
liquid
3. gas/liquid separators, all with associated controls equipment.
However, research and development still continue to tap oil and gas in still
deeper water and still harsher environment.
Various Types of Offshore Platforms
Bottom‐supported Platforms
These are the most widely used platforms
(Template platforms).
They consists of jacket, piles and deck.
The jacket is fixed to sea bottom by
means of piles and they together
support the deck load.
The deck is the topside structure of the
platform and houses most of the
equipment.
The deck is usually divided into several
modules, which are individually
fabricated at a yard or shipyard,
transported on a barge to the site
where the jacket is already installed,
lifted and fixed onto the jacket.
Template platform
Compliant towers and Gravity platforms
As the water depth increases,
maintaining stiffness to rigidly becomes
increasingly difficult and prohibitively
expensive.
The alternative is a structure that must

have much longer sway period than that
of high‐energy storm waves, avoiding
resonance of structures with these waves.
This type of platforms is called compliant

towers and has been applied in water
depths in excess of 500 m.
Another type of bottom‐supported

structure is the gravity platforms. They
derive required stability from their own
weight. Gravity platform
Floating Platforms
Though the bottom‐founded platforms provide stable working

environment, they typically have the drawbacks of:
long lead time and
cost tendency quite sensitive to water depth.
A solution to these problems has been the floating platforms moored

to the seafloor.
An additional advantage is seen in ease of relocating and reusing

them after a field is depleted.
Floating Platforms
Mooring is usually by eight to twelve
point catenaries.
Motion of the platform does not
allow wells to be completed on
the deck.
So they are usually completed subsea
and produced fluid is brought to
the processing equipment aboard
the platform by means of pipeline
and riser.
Riser is one of the technical focal
points and flexible pipes are
widely used for this application.
Disadvantages of this type can be
summarized as limited payload Semisubmersible Platform
capacity and lack of storage
capability.
Floating production storage and offloading system (FPSO)
Another type of floating platform is the
floating production storage and
offloading system (FPSO).
They are ship‐shaped platform either with or
without propulsion capability.
FPSOs have a large payload and storage
capacity making them suitable for
application in isolated locations where
pipeline transportation cannot be an
option.
Single point mooring is the most widely used
station‐keeping means, where the
platform is allowed to weathervane
around the mooring mechanism.
Multi‐point moorings have been applied in Floating production storage
& offloading system (FPSO)
relatively benign environment such as
West Africa and the Gulf of Suez.
Floating production storage and offloading system (FPSO)
Advantages of FPSOs are:
 Earlier cash flow because they are faster to develop than
fixed platforms
 Reduced upfront investment
 Retained value because they can be relocated to other fields
 Abandonment costs are less than for fixed platforms
Over the years, advanced mooring systems as well as
advancements in subsea equipment have made FPSO/FSOs
useful in deeper and rougher waters.
Currently, approximately 160 FPSOs and 100 FSOs are in
operation worldwide
Floating storage and offloading system (FSO)
The difference between the systems is
that the FPSO is also directly connected
with the oil drilling while the FSO is only
concerned with storage.
Tension Leg Platform (TLP)
A floating platforms specifically developed for
deep‐water application.
Platforms of this type are in water depths in
excess of 500 m and the deepest application is
in more than 1200 m of water.
TLP is essentially a semisubmersible attached to
the seabed by vertical members called Tendons,
which are usually made of steel tubulars &
tensioned by excess buoyancy of the platform
hull.
Tendons are pinned to the seabed directly or
indirectly by piles.
Motion characteristics of the TLP allows wells
to be completed on its deck, a big advantage
because wells are one of the most important
and expensive components of a petroleum
production system and ease of access to them is
a matter of prime concern in field development.
Tension Leg Platform
Spar platform, or deep‐draft caisson vessel (DDCV)
The most recent species of floating platform is the spar platform, or

deep‐draft caisson vessel (DDCV).
As its name indicates, it has a deeply submerged, spar‐shaped hull

and a deck structure.
The platform is moored to the seabed by means of catenary or taut

mooring.
Like TLP it is possible to put Christmas trees of wells on the platform

deck, and like FPSO, oil storage capability can be incorporated in
the hull, making this type attractive at isolated deep water
locations
Spar platform, or deep‐draft caisson vessel (DDCV)
Spar relies on its deep draft (most of the section is submerged) and large effective
mass to keep vertical motions within an acceptable range.
Advantages of the Spar

Less sensitive than TLPs to water depth and payload
Allows surface wellheads (dry trees)
Vertical access to wells
Support of remote wells
Drilling and workover capability
Active lateral mooring system can provide drilling access to a large well pattern
Limitations of the Spar

More extensive offshore campaign for integration and installation
Sensitive to long period waves
Support of TTRs (Top Tensioned Risers) in very deep water
Limited centerwell space for large numbers of TTRs
Reservoirs discovered close to existing infrastructures or parts of

producing reservoirs too far away to reach from existing
platforms are typically developed utilizing subsea wells tied
back to the host platforms, providing economical means of field
development.
Also exploratory wells, typically plugged and abandoned after a

short period of test not so long ago, are completed subsea and
put into production for some months using drilling vessels
equipped with temporary production facilities or purpose‐built
well test vessels, providing valuable reservoir data for
subsequent field development planning.
Subsea Christmas Trees
Subsea trees are, like land trees,

primary means of flow control for
subsea wells and consist of series
of valves and sometimes a flow
control device (choke) along the
flow path of produced fluid with
associated controls equipment.
They are installed by drilling rigs using

guidelines established between a
pre‐installed guide base structure
and a rig for positioning and
orientating.
For deep waters where use of

guidelines is not practical,
guidelineless system is available.
Subsea Christmas Tree
Well Template
Where it is desirable to drill a number of

wells from one location, a well template
is used.
A template is a steel structure that

provides structural support and
appropriate spacing to wells.
As the drilling rig can move from one well

position to another only by adjusting
anchor lines, use of template can bring
savings in drilling cost.
Prof. (Dr) Sreepat Jain: Offshore Drilling
Well Template 30
Subsea Manifolds
A manifold consists of appropriately arranged

valves and pipings with associated controls
equipment and a structure to support these
components.
It allows produced fluid to be commingled or
diverted and injection fluids to be distributed
to desired flow paths.
With a subsea manifold, number of flowlines and
injection lines between wells and host
platform can be reduced substantially, saving
large amount of investment.
Disadvantage is added complexity in not‐easily‐
accessible subsea environment with
implications on maintenance cost.
Flowlines are pipe lines that connect a single

wellhead to a manifold or process equipment.
In a larger well field, multiple flowlines may
connect individual wells to a Prof. (Dr) Sreepat Jain: Offshore Drilling
manifold. Subsea Manifold 31
Most subsea wells will flow naturally to the production facility for a
period of time; however, as the reservoir pressure declines to a point
where the well can no longer produce to the host platform, the well
will completely shut down ‐ even though the reservoir may still have
sufficient pressure to produce to the seafloor.
This situation leaves significant oil in place that can be captured with
seabed booster systems.
Wells, templates and manifolds have been successfully applied subsea.

The next candidates for subsea application are multi‐phase pressure boosters
and fluid separators.
The idea behind the multi‐phase pressure booster, or multi‐phase pump, is
that if pressure boosting can be done at the subsea wells, a platform long
distance away can be their host, widening the possible range of step‐out
development.
Installation of a subsea multiphase booster pump increases the pressure in the
well fluid, i.e. adding kinetic energy directly to the flow. The effect is as if
the flowing wellhead pressure is increased. The flow from the wells
increases until a new balance between fluid pressure and system resistance
is achieved. The effect is a net increase in oil production.
More ambitiously, produced fluid could be sent directly onshore, eliminating
the need for host platform altogether.
The overall cost of installing a subsea pump station relative to an FPSO, or
platform is low, and offers benefits in terms of producing challenging
fields, with low investment payback time.
While several wells

can be produced
through one vertical
booster station, this
set up eliminates the
ability to optimize
flow from each well,
as the same pressure
boost is applied to
each well and,
therefore, the system
is limited by the
lowest producing well.
In order to ensure safe and efficient operation of the subsea production

systems, their various components such as valves, chokes and
connectors must be properly controlled.
Control systems currently employed utilize hydraulics and often
electronics to differing degrees.
Of these most commonly used is the electro‐hydraulic multiplexed
system.
The system requires hydraulic power supplied from the host platform to
actuate control devices.
Electric power is usually supplied through a separate cable, but
superposition of data signals on the power cable has been
successfully tried.
Remote operation vessels (ROV)
Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) have facilitated the development of oil and
gas resources in deeper water and have extended capabilities for handling
more complex situations and operations in deeper water.
In the 1980s, divers used saturated and pressurized systems to do almost all well
and subsea equipment intervention, inspection, and repair. If the divers could
not complete the repair task and/or inspection, the blowout preventer (BOP)
stack or other items had to be pulled out of the water for repair.
Even with the most sophisticated equipment, divers had limited capabilities,
because of variables such as:
Water depth
Visibility
Currents
Temperatures,
Bottom downtime
Sometimes, questionable safety standards
Subsea television systems were, and still are, used to inspect and monitor hulls
and subsea equipment by use of running down guidelines, but they can only
view (not do) repairs or other physical tasks.
Remote operation vessels (ROV) capabilities
Modern ROVs have the ability to “fly” by means of an umbilical that is
attached to the transport cage (or “garage”). Once the ROV leaves its
cage, it may traverse for approximately 100 ft. The operator, or pilot,
controls the flight pattern and position of the ROV, so it will not
become entangled in its own umbilical or other items.
Most ROVs have visual and recording capabilities, in addition to
manipulator arms with various degrees of strength, feedback, and
lifting capability. ROV technology has far exceeded water depth ratings
of MODUs; the capabilities and reliability of these units have improved
considerably.
Common tasks include:

Changing of wellhead sealing ring gaskets
Control of some functions on the BOP stack in an emergency
Retrieval/installation of items on the wellhead or production
hardware
Inspection, as well as inspections with the subsea television system
Emerging deep water technologies: the three Quadrants
Bohr quadrant
Edison quadrant
Pasteur quadrant
For new advances, scientists talk about three ‘quadrants’ of research:
firstly, the ‘Bohr quadrant’ – named for atomic physicist Niels Bohr – is
pure, basic ‘blue sky’ research.
The ‘Edison quadrant’ – named for Thomas Edison, inventor of the light
bulb – covers applied research, focused on specific uses.
Then, there is the ‘Pasteur quadrant’ – named for the French

microbiologist Louis Pasteur – a hybrid area where scientists have one
eye on advancing fundamental understanding and the other on how
such advances can be applied.
Emerging deep water technologies: the three Quadrants
Two‐thirds of our upstream technology development spending goes

into the Edison area, as one might expect, but nearly a third is
invested in the Pasteur quadrant.
This is because Pasteur is where cutting‐edge, game‐changing

technologies come from.
Until recently, our industry has been about horsepower: heavier

equipment, thicker steel, more water injected and so on.
But the future is going to be more about being smarter.
And that means greater understanding of fundamental science.
Emerging deep water technologies
"The next generation of advances may depend not only on

how innovative we can be, but how collaborative."
New materials
Advancing materials science, for example, offers many

possibilities, using crystallography, nanotechnology, atomic
structure, thermodynamics, kinetics and other specialisms to
create new alloys as well as self‐healing coatings and other
forms of tougher, more corrosion‐resistant infrastructure.
Such teams are effectively building a next generation of

equipment for an industry that is already operating complex
sub‐sea systems that resemble underwater cities.
New materials
Mastering Deep‐water Challenges
Anti‐freeze
Deep‐water projects operate in sub‐zero temperatures, powerful sea swells
and frequent storms. Low sea temperatures combined with high pressure
in the pipes cause blockages. Hence, a glycol‐based liquid is injected into
the pipes which dilutes the water in pipes & prevents it from turning into
ice‐like hydrates & blocking the flow. When the well stream reaches shore,
the anti‐freeze is separated and recycled back into the system.
Pressure boosters
Reservoir pressure is not strong enough to push oil to the platform above.
Remote‐controlled submarines helped to install electric pumps on the
seabed.
Storm safe
Tropical storms are common. To anchor the platform securely, engineers
used a remote‐controlled robot to attach it to four giant mooring lines,
each weighing 150 tonnes. The lines secure the platform against waves of
up to 8 m (25 feet) and winds that can gust at hundreds of kilometres an
hour.
Exploration
Challenges and solutions
1. Subsalt depth imaging
2. Evaluate reservoir for internal characterization
3. Improve exploration success by maximizing seismic information
4. Seismic imaging in narrow mini‐basins
5. Limited geologic/analogue well information
Drilling
1. Access reservoirs previously inaccessible due to extremely low ECD margins
2. Salt creep
3. Increase drilling tool reliability in ultra‐deep wells in hard formation environments
4. Reduce non‐productive time (NPT)
5. Manage complex well trajectories in development projects
6. Salt exit strategy
7. Alleviate environmental risks using synthetic‐based, high‐performance fluids
Completions and production
1. Manage reservoir with intelligent completions and multilaterals
2. High completion cost
3. Increase recovery factor
4. Ensure well integrity in reservoirs with high content of H
5. Manage complex well trajectories in development projects
6. Salt exit strategy
7. Alleviate environmental risks using synthetic‐based, high‐performance fluids
Exploration
Subsalt Depth Imaging
Challenge
How can I improve imaging of the subsalt structures so I can plan wells more
accurately, and reduce drilling uncertainty?
Salt sections are particularly unpredictable, making them very challenging to drill and
cement. Salt zones are notorious for causing problems such as stuck pipe, wash out, or
casing collapse, making it difficult for operators to stay within the authorization for
expenditure and avoid non‐productive time.
Solution
Salt structures are complex and seismic velocities vary abruptly because of faulting or
salt intrusion, depth imaging is absolutely required to define the true position and
correct geometry below the salt.
We need better visualization tools that allows rapid viewing of seismic data.
Seismic data processing, must be used for multiple applications:

from field processing and quality control,
to interpretive project‐oriented reprocessing and
production processing. Prof. (Dr) Sreepat Jain: Offshore Drilling 47
Subsalt Depth Imaging
Provide the most value to the well construction process include drillstring integrity,
hydraulics management and wellbore integrity.
Drillstring integrity focuses on:
• prevention of mechanical overload
• protection from fatigue
• minimizing excessive shock and vibration.
Specialized software is used to model every bottom hole assembly (BHA) & drillstring.
Hydraulics management focuses on:
• maintaining annular pressures within wellbore pressure boundaries
• optimizing hole cleaning and clean‐up cycles
• optimizing circulating system pressures
• maximizing ROP (Rates of Penetration) without exceeding mud weight windows
• optimizing tripping time
Wellbore integrity focuses on:
• defining wellbore pressure limits
• identifying the optimum mud weight window.
Evaluate Reservoir for Internal Characterization
Challenge
How can I more accurately characterize reservoir rock & fluid properties to better
estimate reservoir potential, design more effective wells & avoid drilling hazards?
Solution
Accurate reservoir characterization and modelling must leverage:
1. core samples,
2. downhole formation evaluation measurements,
3. seismic visualization technology, and
4. seismic imaging techniques
to help better understand the spatial distribution of reservoir properties including:
1. lithology,
2. porosity,
3. permeability,
4. fluid saturation and
5. pore pressure.
Understanding favourable or hazardous reservoir properties enables operators to
design more effective drilling & production programs while avoiding drilling hazards &
unnecessary risks.
Improve Exploration Success by Maximizing Seismic Information
Challenge
How can I gain a better understanding of my prospect, find new
reserves and identify drilling targets more quickly?
Solution
Superior integration of:
high‐resolution visualization data, and
seismic volume interpretation from basin to reservoir scale
can provide valuable insights into the hydrocarbon source, migration
patterns, maturation and trapping.
It can also enable a detailed characterization of the potential reservoir,

enabling the successful exploration of reserves and identification of the
best drilling targets.
Seismic Imaging in Narrow Mini‐Basins
Challenge
How can I use detailed prospect and reservoir analysis to speed up:
critical workflows,
generate higher‐resolution seismic images, and
increase interpretation accuracy with an improved understanding of
structures overlaying the sub‐salt?
Solution
West Africa’s deepwater mini‐basins are filled with a variety of sedimentary gravity‐
flow deposits, all of which have distinct seismic facies.
Both the salt cover and the steep dips in these mini‐basins hinder sub‐salt seismic
imaging and seismic‐attribute analysis that are critical to understanding these
depositional systems.
Traditional salt‐imaging methods make it difficult to discern their structure.
From acquisition to:
1. earth modeling,
2. accurate velocity estimation and
3. depth imaging provides the key to understanding formation evaluation
below the surface ‐ before costly drilling decisions are made.
Limited Geologic/Analogue Well Information
Challenge
How can I improve pre‐well planning accuracy in areas of high uncertainty where
little or no analogue well control is available?
Solution
Reservoir prediction in the Lower Tertiary trend requires locating the dip‐oriented
slope and submarine fan systems.
Depth imaging helps unravel the complicated wave propagation that can so often
degrade image quality and resolution, and helps identify sedimentary
structures below complex overburden.
Combined with geostatistical methods provides best case scenarios.
Drilling
Access Reservoirs Previously Inaccessible Due to Extremely Low ECD Margins
Challenge
How can I stay within the window to maintain well control while avoiding fluid
losses and formation damage?
Solution
Activities such as:
circulating fluids,
running and landing casing and liners, and
cementing
contribute to a pressure in the wellbore that can be expressed in terms of equivalent
circulating density (ECD), which is additional pressure to the formation that can
induce fractures and lost circulation.
The objective of ECD management is to stay within the pore pressure and fracture
gradient window to mitigate these issues.
Specific drilling challenges include:
having fluid systems capable of maintaining the hydrostatic pressure of the
fluid column, while avoiding barite sag or lost circulation.
Salt Creep
Challenge
How can I manage salt creep and prevent well failure, ensuring long‐term
producibility and wellbore access?
Solution
Salt formations in the Gulf of Mexico can flow plastically, causing the
borehole to close in around the drill string.
These creeping salt masses can exert catastrophic stresses on well casing.
The salt moves faster in areas of elevated temperature, or where large

differential pressures exist between the drilling mud weight and formation
pressure.
A well designed and executed cementing plan is a key factor in mitigating salt
creep and ensuring long‐term well viability.
Increase Drilling Tool Reliability in Ultra‐deep Wells in Hard Formation Environments
Challenge
How can I increase drilling tool reliability in harsh drilling environments?
Solution
In deepwater hard formation drilling environments, extreme stresses are
placed on downhole tools‐‐which mean higher risks for failure.
Downhole shock and vibration can reduce drilling penetration rates,
reduce borehole quality, and damage downhole tools, all leading to
expensive non‐productive time (NPT).
Measuring, modeling and optimizing drillstring integrity, vibration and

hydraulics during the drilling process can mitigate the harmful effects
of deepwater stresses on drilling equipment.
Another way to optimize drilling practices is to closely examine drill bit

performance.
Reduce Non‐Productive Time (NPT)
Challenge
What steps can I take to optimize my drilling program, reduce unplanned
events and minimize drilling risk – even in long‐reach, high‐angle wells?
Solution
Typically, NPT accounts for up to 32 percent of drilling operation costs for
deepwater wells causing billions of dollars in incremental costs each year
worldwide. Unplanned events can cripple any drilling program.
With the high cost of exploration wells currently being drilled in deepwater,
minimizing these events and more effectively predicting what lies ahead
can pay huge dividends by helping operators stay on budget, reach total
depth on time and execute a successful drilling operation.
Hence, well and field planning cycle times and cost‐effective designs can
reduce NPT.
Manage Complex Well Trajectories in Development Projects
Challenge
How can I best plan and drill complex trajectories to hit the most productive reservoir
targets?
Solution
Finding and reaching relatively small targets often requires complex well trajectories.
Many development wells are drilled from fixed installations. The resulting well
paths require precise wellbore positioning to navigate around existing wells, reach
smaller targets and obtain proper trajectories through and around salt bodies.
Collaborative well planning software, with 3‐D multidiscipline data visualization,
automated planning features and scenario sensitivity analysis can help planners
more effectively optimize platforms while creating trajectories to reach multiple
targets with a minimum number of wellbores.
Geosteering software uses geological information and dowhnole technologies to
enable complex wells to be guided to the reservoir. Rotary‐steerable tools provide
smooth wellbore trajectories while azimuthal, deep‐reading LWD sensors help
make real‐time adjustments to stay in thin reservoir sections.
These technologies can be used to optimize wellbore placement while maintaining
well trajectory to remain near the top and maximize recovery.
Salt Exit Strategy
Challenge
How can I best understand the unknowns with predicting and exiting the base of salt so I can
best plan my exit strategy and conduct proper risk assessment?
Solution
Exiting salt and drilling the formations immediately beneath can pose significant hazards to
drilling operations. The solutions to drilling through and beneath salt can be categorized
in two ways. First, services should be used that improve understanding of the drilling
environment both in the open hole and ahead of the bit. Second, services should be used
that mitigate or reduce the severity or issues that cannot be avoided, such as low
penetration rate, unexpected tar formations, inclusions and wellbore cavings. The first
type of services can help engineer risks out of the project, and the latter help manage
challenges that are unforeseen or unavoidable due to the constraints of the program.
An early challenge in most sub‐salt projects is to develop an accurate pre‐project assessment
of the in‐situ stress and pore fluid pressure. From this a well plan can be created and
subsequently optimized. The addition of wellbore stability, salt creep and casing collapse
analyses are also available to ensure the drilling fluids and casing programs are designed
to minimize risk, and reduce the probability of overdesign and inefficiency.
Real‐time measurements and analysis can help pick the right casing seat, avoid troubles like
wellbore instability or kicks, and manage unexpected events such as lost circulation or
changes to the drilling program which require revised drilling tools.
Alleviate Environmental Risks Using Synthetic‐based, High‐performance Fluids
Challenge
How can I ensure the best environmental performance in my drilling fluid
choices?
Solution
Synthetic‐based fluids have helped reduce the risk of severe downhole
losses and reduced overall well costs on many deepwater projects
while providing an environmentally friendly alternative to oil‐based
fluids. Low toxicity mineral oils are unlikely to meet many recognized
industry standards to evaluate biodegradation properties of base oils.
One of the most basic functions of drilling fluid – the suspension of solids –
has been radically improved, leading to exceptional drilling
performance and an unprecedented reduction in mud losses.
Clay‐free invert emulsion systems, stable to 350°F, have helped reduce the
risk of severe downhole losses and reduced overall well costs on many
deepwater projects while providing best available environmental
performance.
Completions and Production
Manage reservoir production with Intelligent completions
Challenge
How can I best manage my reservoir production over an extended period of time
and keep it profitable?
Solution
Promising technologies such as intelligent completions and multilateral systems in
high‐risk terrains enable efficient drainage of complex reservoirs and have long‐
lasting benefits for the reservoir's profitability.
Intelligent completions allow the operator to produce, monitor and control the
production of hydrocarbons through remotely operated completion systems.
Today, the proven reliability of these systems helps cost‐effectively enable some of
the world’s most sophisticated completions.
An intelligent well enables the operator to reduce intervention, remotely monitor

and control downhole fluid flow, and optimize well production and reservoir
management processes in order to maximize asset value.
Manage reservoir production with Multilaterals
Challenge
How can I best manage reservoir production over an extended period of time and
keep it profitable?
Solution
Multilateral well construction technology has also meaningfully enhanced
production.
Multilateral technology reduces overall well costs by using advanced drainage
architecture to increase the amount of reservoir exposure, thereby improving
production and ultimate recovery.
By adapting advanced directional and horizontal drilling capabilities, reservoir
exposure to the wellbore can be substantially increased, which improves your
bottom line by cutting overall development costs.
Multilateral wells incorporating intelligent completions & expandable tubulars are

just a few of examples of the synergy that will take place in the wells of the future.
High Completion Cost
Challenge
Given the high costs of completions in the Lower Tertiary trend, how can I mitigate
risk and ensure safety and reliability?
Solution
Numerous discoveries in the Lower Tertiary have proven that there are plenty of
hydrocarbons to be had in these deep rocks, but high completion costs can sideline a
project.
Frac packing multiple zones in fewer trips can reduce rig time resulting in lower costs,
and improve reservoir producibility. When frac packing long, unconsolidated
producing intervals, a higher performance tools is needed to reduce completion costs
and completion risk.
Specialized tools combine the fracture treating and gravel packing processes into a
single tool system that requires only one trip into the well, which is essential in the
well construction process of these ultra‐deepwater wells.
Investing in subsurface modeling can create comprehensive, fit‐for‐purpose pumping

and perforation strategies, which can prevent costly problems later in the project.
Increase Recovery Factor
Challenge
What techniques can I use to increase production from tight carbonate formations in
multi‐zone and multistage completions?
Solution
Often, wells drilled and completed in low‐permeability formations sustain formation
damage, thereby limiting productivity. For increased productivity and improved
economics, these wells must be stimulated with acidizing or hydraulic fracturing
treatments. Hydraulic fracturing is also needed in wells that have been drilled
through layered formations in which vertical permeability is small.
The goal of hydraulic fracturing treatments is to improve production for the long term
by achieving a high level of conductivity.
Multiple zone stimulation also poses unique challenges for completion engineers in
vertical, deviated and horizontal wells. Effectively stimulating each pay interval
individually can be costly and time‐consuming. Techniques such as limited‐entry and
high‐rate fracturing with particulate diversion have, in general, reduced the overall
stimulation effectiveness.
Ensure Well Integrity in Reservoirs with High H2S and CO2 Content
Challenge
How can I ensure the integrity of my well with high H2S and CO2 content in carbonate
reservoirs?
Solution
The pre‐salt carbonate reservoirs found in Brazil's deepwater fields bring significant
challenges including a high content of H2S and CO2 due to their complex
structures.
Since CO2 can adversely affect cementing, any loss of cement‐sheath integrity has to
be addressed up front, which requires more than merely designing a typical
cement job. Halliburton delivers engineered zonal isolation solutions with a
comprehensive approach to achieving reliability in the annular seal for the life of
the well and the project from planning to abandonment to post closure.
Fit‐for‐purpose solutions allow each cement system to be designed specifically for any
given set of wellbore conditions, including blends that are designed to minimize
the carbonation effect in CO2 wells.
Environmental sustainability requires a re‐evaluation of the cement sheath's role and
how it provides a tremendous contribution toward helping increase the life of the
well which, in turn, minimizes the impact on the environment.
Ensure Well Integrity in Reservoirs with High H2S and CO2 Content
Challenge
How can I ensure the integrity of my well with high H2S and CO2 content in
carbonate reservoirs?
Solution
The key risks associated with H2S in the production flow stream of a well are
the potential hazards to personnel and metal components of the wellbore.
To minimize risks associated with H2S, it is important to address the long‐

term sealing integrity of the cemented annulus.
This prevents H2S from flowing though pathways created due to a failed
cement sheath, and exposing personnel and metal components to its attack.
Manage Complex Well Trajectories in Development Projects
Challenge
How can I best plan and drill complex trajectories to hit the most productive
reservoir targets?
Solution
In deepwater waters reaching relatively small targets often requires complex well
trajectories. Many development wells are drilled from fixed installations. The
resulting well paths require precise wellbore positioning to navigate around
existing wells, reach smaller targets and obtain proper trajectories through
and around salt bodies.
Collaborative well planning software, with 3‐D multidiscipline data visualization,
automated planning features and scenario sensitivity analysis can help
planners more effectively optimize platforms while creating trajectories to
reach multiple targets with a minimum number of wellbores.
Rotary‐steerable tools provide smooth wellbore trajectories while azimuthal,
deep‐reading LWD sensors help make real‐time adjustments to stay in thin
reservoir sections.
Alleviate Environmental Risks Using Synthetic‐based, High‐performance Fluids
Challenge
How can I ensure the best environmental performance in my drilling fluid choices?
Solution
Synthetic‐based fluids have helped reduce the risk of severe downhole losses and
reduced overall well costs on many deepwater projects while providing an
environmentally friendly alternative to oil‐based fluids.
One of the most basic functions of drilling fluid – the suspension of solids – has been
radically improved, leading to exceptional drilling performance and an
unprecedented reduction in mud losses.
Clay‐free invert emulsion systems, stable to 350°F, have helped reduce the risk of
severe downhole losses and reduced overall well costs on many deepwater
projects while providing best available environmental performance.
Our high performance fluids have been used by major operators in Brazil’s Campos,
Santos and Espirito Santo basins. For these operations, we customized the
engineered fluid solutions to maximize wellbore value for our customers, and
provided extremely stable viscosities through a wide range of temperatures, high
resistance to contaminants, and extremely low equivalent circulating densities
(ECD).

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Offshore Drilling and Production

Joe Leimkuhler, offshore well delivery manager for Shell

Upstream Americas, explained that the average U.S.

The average offshore deepwater well, in contrast,

Worldwide oil demand is on track to climb 18% in the next 25 years, to

The high pressure

The Lower Tertiary (~60 Ma) lies about 200 miles

The Perdido complex retrieves both oil and gas

Nigeria, which produces especially desirable "light, sweet" crude, was

Frigid temperatures, high seas, shrieking winds, darkness, and

Such bottom‐supported platforms have been in use ever since, though

To counter these problems, the petroleum industry came up with floating

These include semisubmersibles, a natural functional extension of their sisters

The advancement of subsea technology meanwhile has led to development

1. manifolds to collect/divert produced & service fluids to desired flow

The alternative is a structure that must

This type of platforms is called compliant

Another type of bottom‐supported

Though the bottom‐founded platforms provide stable working

A solution to these problems has been the floating platforms moored

An additional advantage is seen in ease of relocating and reusing

The most recent species of floating platform is the spar platform, or

As its name indicates, it has a deeply submerged, spar‐shaped hull

The platform is moored to the seabed by means of catenary or taut

Like TLP it is possible to put Christmas trees of wells on the platform

Advantages of the Spar

Limitations of the Spar

Reservoirs discovered close to existing infrastructures or parts of

Also exploratory wells, typically plugged and abandoned after a

Subsea trees are, like land trees,

They are installed by drilling rigs using

For deep waters where use of

Where it is desirable to drill a number of

A template is a steel structure that

As the drilling rig can move from one well

A manifold consists of appropriately arranged

Flowlines are pipe lines that connect a single

Wells, templates and manifolds have been successfully applied subsea.

While several wells

In order to ensure safe and efficient operation of the subsea production

Common tasks include:

Then, there is the ‘Pasteur quadrant’ – named for the French

Two‐thirds of our upstream technology development spending goes

This is because Pasteur is where cutting‐edge, game‐changing

Until recently, our industry has been about horsepower: heavier

But the future is going to be more about being smarter.

And that means greater understanding of fundamental science.

"The next generation of advances may depend not only on

Advancing materials science, for example, offers many

Such teams are effectively building a next generation of

Seismic data processing, must be used for multiple applications:

It can also enable a detailed characterization of the potential reservoir,

The salt moves faster in areas of elevated temperature, or where large

Measuring, modeling and optimizing drillstring integrity, vibration and

Another way to optimize drilling practices is to closely examine drill bit

An intelligent well enables the operator to reduce intervention, remotely monitor

Multilateral wells incorporating intelligent completions & expandable tubulars are

Investing in subsurface modeling can create comprehensive, fit‐for‐purpose pumping

To minimize risks associated with H2S, it is important to address the long‐

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