SPE/IADC 163463

Extended Reach Drilling - new solution with a unique potential

O. Vestavik, Reelwell, M. Egorenkov, Merlin ERD, B. Schmalhorst, RWE Dea AG, J. Falcao, Petrobras.

Copyright 2013, SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 5–7 March 2013.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE/IADC program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have
not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers or the International Association of Drilling Contractors and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not
necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers or the International Association of Drilling Contractors, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or
storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers or the International Association of Drilling Contractors is prohibited. Permission to reproduce
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Abstract
The Reelwell Drilling Method (RDM) is a new drilling method, developed and qualified for commercial use during recent
years. RDM is a multi-purpose drilling method with a unique flow arrangement. RDM is based on using a conventional drill
string combined with an inner string to form a dual conduit drill string. This arrangement allows the return fluid, containing
drill cuttings from the bottom of the well, to be transported back through the inside of the drill string.

RDM has the potential to increase the envelope for Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) for several reasons:
- Torque and Drag reduction, due to use of a flotation technique of the drill string.
- Elimination of the dynamic Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD) gradient, since the ECD is screened from the formation.
- Optional Hydraulic Weight On Bit (WOB), due to a piston type arrangement at the drill string.

The following presents a case study for an ultra ERD RDM application. In this case, the RDM arrangement involves the use of
a special dual conduit aluminium drill string and the use of two different density fluids in the well during drilling. A
calculation example of a fully buoyant drill string is also presented. This situation indicates that the well can be drilled with
very high operational margins on the equipment and at the same time, the wear will be very low. The simulations indicate that
the extreme ERD well of 15.8 km depth can be drilled with good margins, mainly due to flotation of the drill string. It is
shown that the well can be cased and lined, using conventional flotation techniques in combination with RDM.

Introduction
The development of RDM started in 2004 and has been developed through several full scale tests and validations. RDM was
qualified for commercial use following an onshore pilot well in Norway after which it was successfully applied on Nabors Rig
97 at Shell Canada’s Groundbirch field for a shale gas well, see ref /1-2/. The operations have verified superior hole cleaning,
improved formation evaluation, and a competitive rate of penetration compared with conventional drilling.

Figure 1 presents a schematic of the basic arrangement for RDM. RDM is based on the use of a dual conduit drill string, in
addition, the following special tools and arrangements are used:
- Dual Drill String (DDS): The DDS consists of a special solution for a dual wall drill string where one channel is used for
pumping fluid down to the drill bit and the other channel is used to transport the drill cuttings back to the surface.
- Top Drive Adapter (TDA): The TDA is a special swivel to adapt and allow rotation of the DDS with the top drive. The
TDA is connected to the Reelwell Control Unit through an additional mounted stand pipe and mud hose.
- Flow Control Unit (FCU): The FCU is a control valve arrangement equipped with pressure and flow sensors for pressure
and flow control of the system. The control unit connects to all the flow paths of the system.
- Dual Float Valve (DFV): The DFV terminates the DDS into a conventional BHA. The DFV includes a flow x-over from
the well annulus into the return channel of the DDS and includes valves to isolate the drill string during connections.
- The active circulating fluid, in blue colour, is used to power downhole tools and to clean the well. The passive well fluid,
in red colour, trapped by the well design, uses high density to stabilize the hole and to create the buoyancy of the string.
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In addition, a Rotary Control Device (RCD) is placed on top of the BOP to ensure proper seal during drill pipe rotation. An
optional downhole piston can be attached to the drill string to provide hydraulic WOB for increased horizontal reach. RDM
can use a conventional BHA for directional drilling. Downhole MWD tools and motors may need adaptation for reduced flow.

Figure 1: Schematic of the arrangement for the Reelwell Drilling Method (RDM) used here.

In 2011, Reelwell started a large Joint Industry Project called “ERD beyond 20 km”, supported by Shell, Total, Petrobras and
RWE Dea and the Research Council of Norway. The project goal is to verify the unique, extreme ERD capability, due to the
following unique features:

- It enables flotation of the drill string, which can reduce torque and drag to a minimum.
- It enables screening out the dynamic ECD gradient.
- It provides means of hydraulic WOB.
- It enables formation evaluation from cuttings – superior to conventional technology.

For a feasibility study we received data and potential application. This field is located offshore in an environmentally very
sensitive area. The development will be decided after successful exploration with a vertical well offshore. In order to avoid
intrusion and minimize the risk of disturbing the sensitive environment, it may be required to develop this field by ERD from
onshore to the offshore field. However, such a development would require ERD wells with horizontal displacement of more
than 13 km, and about 2.4 km True Vertical Depth. Such wells will be world record breaking in terms of horizontal reach and
calls for new technology for improving the ERD capability, ref /3/.

The ERD well is proposed to be drilled from an onshore location to an offshore target. The area has several salt domes with an
overlying chalk formation. The well has a target measured depth of almost 16 km. The local geological uncertainty is high as
limited seismic data and stress models are available. Based on the available information, planning a well trajectory that is
parallel to the top of the salt dome may not be the lowest risk option. Here is proposed a well trajectory through the salt dome,
and a very long section with an inclination angle slightly above 90 degrees to the target.

The estimated pore pressure gradient is 1.12 sg (9.33 ppg), whereas the fracture pressure is ca. 1.85 sg (15.4 ppg).

The commercial, mechanical and hydraulic software models Tadpro and Hydpro, as well as Reelwell’s software Reelsim were
used to produce the results. Reelsim is developed to simulate the unique flow path and arrangements available when using
RDM. For more general descriptions for RDM rig-up, see ref /1-2/.
SPE/IADC 163463 3

Engineering Model Assumption

The unique ERD features of RDM are due to “Heavy Over Light“ (HOL) operation. HOL is the denotation of the situation
when the annular well fluid is of higher density than the active fluid inside the drill string. The passive annular well fluid is
used to control the pressure in the well. The active fluid inside the drill string is used for bit and hole cleaning; the downhole
pressure for this active fluid can be controlled by the flow rate and by choking on the surface.

Figure 2 presents a well trajectory schematic, as the design basis for this study. The trajectory is selected to create an early
fluid trap for HOL operation to enable drill string flotation. In addition, this trajectory is expected to give low risk for the
operation. Once the KOP at 1700 m TVD is reached, drilling continuous with a constant BUR of 2°/30 m until 91° inclination,
which is held constant to the target depth of 15,800 m MD.

Figure 2. Well trajectory with early fluid trap for HOL operation.

Table 1 presents the casing points used for the calculations.

Table 2 presents the properties of the Aluminium Dual Drill String assumed to be used.
Table 3 presents the assumed fluid properties for the various fluids assumed for this study.
Table 4 presents assumed friction factors and assumed operational parameter values.

Hole Size [in] Casing Size [in] Casing shoe depth [m]

24 20 1000
16 13 3/8 5000
13 1/2 10 3/4 14000
9 7/8 7 15800
Table 1. Casing points used for the calculations.

Dual Drill String parameters Al DDS

Outer string - Pipe outer diameter [mm] 198 (Al) (7.8”)

and tool joint - Tool joint outer diameter [mm] 209 (steel)
- Pipe joint length [m] 14
- Pipe weight [kg/m] in air 28.5
- Max tension load [ton] 300
- Max torque [k ft lbs] 67
- Yield pressure [bar] 525
- Collapse pressure [bar] 430

Inner string - Pipe inner diameter [mm] 90 (Al)

- Pipe weight [kg/m] in air 5.8
- Yield pressure [bar] 540
- Collapse pressure [bar] 450

Table 2. DDS properties, preliminary values.

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Mud Number  Tyoe  Density  YP  PV  

[Base]  [sg]  [Pa]  [cp] 
   
1  Oil  1.15  10  20 
2  Oil  1.20  10  20 
3  Oil/Water  1.56  20  30 
4  Oil/Water  1.75 20 30 
Table 3. Properties of the various mud types assumed.

Parameter  Assumed value  Comment 

Friction factor inside casing during drilling  0.2 Conservative high friction factor
Friction factor in open hole during drilling  0.3   
Friction factor inside casing – running casing  0.2   
Friction factor in open hole – running casing 0.15 – 0.60
Torque on bit  5 kNm   
Weight On Bit (WOB)  10 ton   
Table 4. Assumptions for the calculations.

The modeling was performed using TadPro Ver.6.2.1 for conventional drilling & running casing. For the RDM System
Reelsim, Version 14Jun12, was used. Average friction factors are used for drilling. Drag graphs are TENSIONS (i.e.
travelling assembly weight = 0 MT).

Results

Top hole sections

The top section of the well is a conventional design with a 20” surface casing set to 1000 m depth. Establishing The top
section of the well is to be established by conventional means, and will not be further elaborated here.

The drilling of the 16” section to 5000 m is performed to build from vertical to horizontal direction and to establish the fluid
trap well design, to enable a simple implementation of HOL operations and the buoyant drill string for the subsequent
horizontal sections to be drilled. This section can be drilled by conventional procedures, but the use of RDM for drilling this
section has advantages for the hole cleaning in the lower part of the section. Both alternative methods are discussed in the
following.

Drilling the 13 ½” section to 14000 m

The drilling of this section is not feasible using conventional drilling mainly due to excessive torque and drag. The drilling of
this section is performed by RDM using the HOL operation procedures, to ensure low torque and drag throughout the section.
The following presents the simulation results.

Case 1 - partly buoyant drill string

Figure 3 presents the corresponding pressures in the well and inside the drill string when drilling at the end of this section, i.e.
at 14000 m MD. For these calculations the following densities are assumed:

- Active mud density: 1.20 sg (mud #2)

- Passive mud density: 1.56 sg (mud #3)
SPE/IADC 163463 5

Figure 3. Pressure profile in the well and in the drill string when drilling the 13.5” hole section.

The green curve represents the well pressure. The yellow and black curves represent respectively the pressures in the inner
pipe and the inner annulus of the dual drill string. The red and blue curves represent respectively the pore- and fracture
pressure of the formation. The figure indicates a stand pipe pressure of ca. 240 bar, pressure loss across the bit and BHA of
about 80 bar and an RCD pressure of about 35 bar.

Figure 4 present the torque and drag profile in the well when drilling at the end of this section. The figure indicates a rotary
surface torque of about 25 kNm, a maximum hookload when POOH about 40 tons and a maximum compression load of the
drill string when RIH around 20 tons force.

Figure 4. Tension (left) and torque (right) profile in the well when drilling the 13.5” hole section.

Inside the inner string the fluid velocity will be 2.0 m/s for the minimum flow rate 750 lpm. In the well annulus around the
BHA, before entering the inner string. the average fluid speed will be slightly less than 1 m/s, though the section is short. Since
the OD of the BHA components are relatively large, the cuttings are expected to be suspended so the lower fluid velocity is not
expected to be a problem. The hole cleaning is expected to be efficient.

Case 2 - fully buoyant drill string

Figure 5 presents the corresponding pressures in the well and inside the drill string when drilling at the end of this section, i.e.
at 14000 m MD. For these calculations the following densities are assumed:

- Active mud density: 1.15 sg (mud #1)

- Passive mud density: 1.75 sg (mud #4)
6 SPE/IADC 163463

The figure below indicates a stand pipe pressure of ca 295 bar, pressure loss across the bit and BHA of about 100 bar and a
RCD pressure of about 5 bar.

Figure 5. Pressure profile in the well and in the drill string when drilling the 13.5” hole section.

Figure 6 presents the torque and drag profile in the well when drilling at the end of this section. The figure indicates a rotary
surface torque of about 9 kNm, a maximum hookload when POOH about 3 tons and a maximum compression load of the drill
string when drilling with around 10 tons force.

Figure 6. Tension (left) and torque (right) profile in the well when drilling the 13.5” hole section.

Compared to the case with less buoyant drill string, the minimum flow rate is higher, due to the lighter active drilling fluid.
This implies even faster cuttings transport rates and expectations for faster ROP. An advantage of this solution is also that the
wear of the casing and the equipment is held at a minimum level. These advantages should be balanced against the challenges
of possible formation fracture and possible loss of fluid due to the higher pressure in the well for this arrangement.

Installing the 10 ¾” casing

Figure 7 presents the tension plot and response to floatation (10,000m) with positive results, however further optimization
might be required to run this string, with attention to collapse ratings. Tapered weights or push down systems, amongst others,
should be investigated.
SPE/IADC 163463 7

Figure 7. Tension curves – installation of the casing by floatation.

Drilling the 9 ½” section to 15800 m

As for the previous section, the drilling of this section is not feasible using conventional drilling, mainly due to excessive
torque and drag. The drilling of this section is likewise the previous section performed by RDM using the HOL operation
procedures, to ensure low torque and drag throughout the section.

Figures 8 and 9 present the calculated torque and drag profiles in the well for three different cases:
1. No buoyancy, Passive fluid density = 1.00, active fluid density = 1.00.
2. Partly buoyancy, Passive fluid density = 1.56, active fluid density = 1.20.
3. Full buoyancy, Passive fluid density = 1.75, active fluid density = 1.15.
8 SPE/IADC 163463

No buoyancy Partly buoyancy Full buoyancy

Figure 8. Torque profiles for the various cases of buoyancy of the drill string.

No buoyancy Partly buoyancy Full buoyancy

Figure 9. Tension profiles for the various cases of buoyancy of the drill string.

The above figure 8 indicates a rotary surface torque that is reduced from about 65 kNm at no buoyancy to about 9 kNm at full
buoyancy. The above figure 9 indicates the maximum hookload when POOH is reduced from 120 tons to about 3 tons and the
maximum string compression load from about 70 tons at no buoyancy to about 10 tons at full buoyancy of the drill string. The
result indicates that the friction coefficient has diminishing effect, due to the overall low friction at high buoyancy effects.

As can be observed from the above graphs the torque and drag is eliminated and is very similar to the numbers obtained from
the previous hole section. The solution largely eliminates the friction between the drill string and the hole and the associated
problems.

Installing the 7” liner

Figure 10 presents the tension plot assuming flotation of the string and liner to TD. In the above instance the 7” liner is
completely floated (1850m) with a swivel on the top of liner as to allow string rotation. The above string could be run in hole
for given assumptions, i.e. floated and rotated.
SPE/IADC 163463 9

Figure 10. Tension curves – installation of the liner by flotation.

Contingency drilling of 6” hole section

If deemed necessary or for contingency and sidetracks, RDM can be used to drill a 6” hole section or a similar hole size at the
lower end of the well. This can be performed by using a tapered drill string, i.e. using a small size conventional drill string and
BHA for drilling this section. The small size conventional drill string, say 4 1/2” drillpipe is to be connected to the lower end
of the dual drill string. Thus, the lower smaller section of the well is to be drilled with conventional circulation in the well
annulus for the smaller hole section. As the cuttings enter the entrance ports at the DFV, however, the return flow will
continue inside the inner string back to the surface. Cuttings transport in the smaller annular section of the well is not expected
to be a large problem due to the relatively high flow rate. This solution is a simple and good approach to meet the demand for
drilling smaller hole sections with RDM.
10 SPE/IADC 163463

Discussion
The equipment arrangements and procedures are to be performed according to RDM Standard Operating Procedures.
BHA, motors, drill bits etc. are adapted for low flow rates, and are to be selected from suitable vendors.

Jars may be omitted due to large mechanical operation margins. As step-out increases, the chances of the jars being effective
greatly reduces. Tripping out of hole, it can be difficult or impossible to get sufficient weight down to fire jars down.

LWD tool requirements may be scaled down to reduce cost and risk. Cuttings will arrive at surface shortly after being drilled
and contain most of the required information, since the cuttings have not been destroyed and mixed, as they would have been,
with conventional drilling.

The active drilling fluid flowing inside the drill string should have as low dynamic viscosity as possible, for highest possible
ROP and proper flow rates. The passive annular well fluid should be replaced with reconditioned fluid on a regular basis with
the procedures given in the RDM Standard Operating Procedures. Mud system with low settling properties is preferred if the
well will be left open for a prolonged time without drilling activity.

RDM will ensure good hole cleaning since the cuttings are removed from the bottom of the well, i.e. through the ports in the
dual drill string at the top of the BHA. Improper hole cleaning may still occur, for ecample due to erosion or partial collapse of
the wall of the wellbore, operational mistakes, accidental equipment failures etc.

Effect of cuttings in the return fluid:

The cuttings concentration in the return fluid will modify the active fluid density and thereby alter the system performance.
The effect of this alteration is expected to be small but measurable, as indicated in the consideration as follows:
Assume drilling start at 15 km depth, with an ROP of 30 m/h, 8 ¾” hole size, flow rate 800 lpm.

- The volume of the inner string is ca. 95 m³, cuttings concentration is ca. 2.5% by volume.
- The weight increase of the drill string due to the added cuttings in the return is around 3 tons.
- If the surface weight of the buoyant drill string is 100 tons, then this effect is an approx. 3% weight increase and
corresponding increase in the torque and drag, i.e. it is a small effect.
- If the buoyant weight of the drill string is 10 tons, then this effect is ca. 30% weight increase and corresponding
increase in the torque and drag, i.e. it is a large effect, but is not considered to be a problem for the operation.

As the above example indicates, the effect of cuttings in the return fluid is expected to be a measurable effect on the hookload
as well as the torque and drag; however, it is not expected to represent an operational problem.

Drilling data and downhole measurements

RDM enables such data to be obtained in two different ways:
1. Using the conventional solution with mud-pulse technique.
2. Using the optional Reelwell Telemetry System (RTS), enabling the transmission of the measurement signals from the
downhole tools to the surface through the inner string of the DDS.

The simultaneous use both of the above methods would be possible. The selection of method should be based on the cost
efficiency and requirements for the well to be drilled.

It is to note that RDM gives a possibility to monitor the downhole pressure directly by monitoring the well annulus pressure
during the drilling operations. This is possible because the fluid in the well annulus is not normally flowing. Such measurements are
not possible for conventional drilling. For example, the monitoring of the well annulus pressure during a connection gives an
indication of the downhole swab & surge pressures. This information may be critical in low mud weight window or low rock
strength environments. RDM allows such information to be gathered simply and reliably at surface, reducing the need for downhole
tools for this.

Considerations on the HOL operation

The HOL operation is a unique feature of RDM. The example calculations with a fully buoyant drill string show that this
allows the torque and drag to be almost eliminated. This is due to the vanishing friction between the drill string and the hole
which allows for very high mechanical margins on the equipment during the operation, and thereby safe operations.

The calculation examples for the 13 ½” and 9 ½” sections present two scenarios for the HOL operation, i.e. the partly and the
fully buoyant drill string. The results clearly show the advantages by the strong reduction of torque and drag, which implies
the following operational advantages:
SPE/IADC 163463 11

- Increased horizontal reach capability

- Increased operational margin for the drill string
- Strongly reduced wear of the casing and the drill string during operation

Although the fully buoyant drill sting seems to have more advantages compared to the partly buoyant drill string,
there may be reasons for choosing a partly buoyant string, such as:

- Use of the high density drilling fluid gives formation fracture or fluid loss.
- Partly buoyant drill strings can in some cases simplify WOB control, i.e. no push from surface is required.
- Partly buoyant drill strings may be more cost efficient, depending on the application.

The proposed well design using HOL operations has several improvements for well control, compared to conventional well
design and operations. The following points are important:

- The well is always filled with an uncontaminated kill mud, and the possibility of a gas kick through the annulus of the
well is therefore significantly lower than for conventional drilling on this point.
- In the case of accidental swabbing in any light hydrocarbon gases or fluids during the drilling operation, this is not
expected to create any dangerous unstable well situations, as would be the case for conventional operations. This is
because the influx will not migrate to the surface, as for conventional well design, but towards the bottom of the well.
This is due to the novel well profile, and it is an important safety improvement compared to conventional well design.

Thus the HOL operation implies significant safety benefits for ERD wells that allow this technique to be used.

Buckling is strongly reduced compared to conventional drilling, partly because the compression in the string is reduced due to
the HOL and partly because of the use of the very buckling resistant drill pipe.

It is to note that HOL reduces the capability to generate WOB by the string weight. However, low WOB capability is not a
problem for the case discussed here. In case it would be wanted to increase the WOB beyond the current capabilities, it is
possible to employ the option of using the piston in the drill string, see ref /1-2/ for further details. The option of using a piston
would significantly increase the WOB capability and can eliminate the buckling in the drill string above the piston.

It is to note that the models used here have limitations in accuracy, due to the simplified mechanical soft string model,the
assumption of well trajectory without imperfections etc. The relative effects of these factors may increase for HOL operations,
due to the large reduction in the overall well friction. Further studies may therefore be required to improve the precision in the
calculations to estimate the size of these effects.

Conclusion
Based on the given assumptions for this study, it is judged to be feasible to drill the proposed ERD well using RDM. The
simulation results indicate that the wells can be drilled to about 16000 m MD, 2400 m TVD with torque values of less than 30
kNm and drag values of less than 50 tons, which implies operational margins of more than 100% of the pipe capacity. The
main enabler is the use of the Dual Aluminum Drill String in combination with the use of the HOL technique. The technology
results in strongly reduced torque, drag and buckling of the drill string.

It is judged possible to perform the operations with improved safety and good operational margins. The subsequent casing and
liner installations are judged feasible by using conventional flotation techniques.

Further in-depth studies and detailed planning are required before implementation.

References
1. Vestavik et.al. “New Approach to Improve the Horizontal Drilling Reach”, SPE 137821, Calgary, Oct 2010.
2. Belarde M and Vestavik, “Deployment of RDM in a Shale Gas Field in Canada”, SPE 145599, Aberdeen, Sept. 2011.
3. Walker M. “ Pushing the Extended Reach Envelope at Sakhalin”, IADC/SPE 151046, San Diego, Mar. 2012.

Acknowledgement
Thanks to Shell, Total, RWE Dea AG, Petrobras, the Research Council of Norway and Reelwell for the support and for
allowing presentation of the study. Also thanks to the many members of the above organizations for their valuable
contributions.