SPE-198670-MS

How Engineering Design Enabled Drilling the Longest Intermediate Section

Amir Galaby, Miguel Cardenas, Husnu Ozgur Cengiz, Birgitte Ruud Kosberg, Martin Sanderson, and Ara Krikor,
Schlumberger

Copyright 2019, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Gas & Oil Technology Showcase and Conference held in Dubai, UAE, 21 - 23 October 2019.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE 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 and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect
any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, 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 is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may
not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.

Abstract
As the demand for natural gas continuously increases to meet electricity production needs, more alternative
natural gas sources are usually required to cope with the increased demand in the summer months. In
South Iraq, this situation is the main driver for exploiting economically feasible and efficient solutions
in finding additional natural gas resources. As a result, the Iraqi government embraces the challenge by
drilling deeper formations which are gas bearing, with limited experience in such fields. In the most recent
appraisal campaign for these gas fields, performed in 2015 and 2016, one of the main challenges were
bits and bottom hole assembly (BHA) failures while drilling through different interbedded and abrasive
formations. Changing the bits type, BHA centralization, drive system and drilling parameters did not result
in significant benefits.
For the 17 ½" section, up to six (6) independent runs were required to successfully drill the entire
section. The success was limited due to severe shocks and vibrations, high axial forces and high torque that
caused failures on downhole mud motors and bits, leading to fishing operation and severe non-productive
time. Other problems like unstable drilling parameters, extremely low rate of penetration (ROP) and poor
wellbore quality were observed, leading to excessive reaming and backreaming as well as stuck pipe
events and difficulties to maintain well verticality. To avoid and minimize the impact of these challenges, a
comprehensive engineering team performed various finite element analysis on the interaction between BHA,
drilling bit and formations drilled. The conditions on which the wellbore was maintained in the offset wells
with its drilling fluids strategy and drilling parameters were reanalyzed. The bits selections were revised,
identifying areas of opportunity to introduce fit for purpose technologies on cutters and bits profile. The
ultimate challenge was to drill the full 1800 m of the section in one run avoiding any BHA related failure.
The results exceeded expectations in the fourth well, where no BHA related failures were observed, and
the drilling bit was able to drill the full 1800 m. Connection practices were also optimized. This enabled an
improvement in the wellbore quality based on caliper logs. Improved wellbore conditions allowed a smooth
casing run and consecutive cement job. This paper will discuss the engineering methodology followed to
achieve this important milestone in one of the few gas fields in Iraq. It will go through the details of the
technologies implemented on BHA analysis, bit selection, drilling parameters optimization and drilling
fluids strategy implemented.
2 SPE-198670-MS

The objective of this paper is to share with the oil and gas industry a methodical approach for efficient
drilling, and how to address drilling challenges with technology introduction and engineering design.

Introduction
In the development-field south of Iraq, four vertical wells were drilled in one campaign with an aim to
produce gas from deep high-pressurized formations. There were only two available offset wells drilled
nearby showed an opportunity for savings in both rate of penetration (ROP) and flat time.
The 17 ½" intermediate section is the longest section of the well which were planned to have a length
around 1800 meters. The section was characterized by different interbedded formations with a varying
degrees of hardness. Various potential hazards observed in the offset wells, with related to formation and
bit incompatibility, created challenges to reach target depth (TD) successfully within the desired planned
days. On the new campaign, the first two wells drilled the section with two bits to overcome the abrasive
nature of the upper formations and the duration of the long drilling section. This resulted in a large potential
for performance optimization in the two upcoming wells to be drilled.
A team of engineers came together and discussed how to strategically use simulation softwares to
analyze the bit and bottom hole assembly components expected behaviour to drill through the abrasive and
interbedded formation in one run. The results the engineering approach made it possible to drill the longest
17 ½" section in one bit run.
This paper will further explain how these methods resulted in the saving of cost and time, as well as
reducing the risk of encountering hole problems or undesired non productive time (NPT). On the other
hand, eliminating one bit run also, reduced cost, reduced the overall flat time, and increased the footage
drilled per day.

Figure 1—Complete well Schematic

SPE-198670-MS 3

The 17 ½" Section Challenges

In the 17-1/2" section, multiple challenges were faced in six (6) distinct wells, whereas four (4) wells were
drilled in this campaign. From offset wells from a previous campaign, an excessive amount of bit runs
observed coupled with harsh drilling environment increasing risk of tool failures.
The offset wells indicated a risk of bit wear due to the interbedded formation in Formation D, Formation E
and Formation F. Historically, tungsten Carbide Insert (TCI) bits have shown higher impact force resistance
compared to other conventional bit types, therefore while drilling the upper part of the section TCI bit was
preffered. Thereafter, a second bit run was also required to drill the upcoming formations.
The first offset well (Offset-1) analysis showed that several bit runs were required because of high torque
that limited the ROP. Drilling parameters had to be controlled; parameters such as weight on bit (WOB) and
rotation per minute (rpm) were controlled to a point where the ROP was too low to be economicly feasible.
The second offset well (Offset-2) that drilled in the first campaign, multiple bit runs were required as a
result of high torque and repeated Top-Drive stalling. Meanwhile, seepage to partial losses were encountered
in Formation H.
High torque mainly occurred in the formations Formation D and Formation E, whereas Formation D
consist of Dolomite with hard Anhydrite and laminated Shale. Formation E in general consist of hard
Dolomite in upper part and Dolomite interbedded with Anhydrite in the lower parts.

Figure 2—Offset Well Bit Runs

Despite the high torque being first identified in these formations, the high torque continued until the
section's target depth. Challenges related to BHA were experienced during tripping, with over-torqued
connections and excessive drag due to full-gauge stabilizers while backreaming through tight spots. In offset
well 2, BHA failures led to motor parting. The motor parting was seen in a transition interval with high
torque and high vibration.
As an outcome of these challenges very low ROP and excessive non-productive time observed in the
offset wells, than what was originally expected. Therefore, a huge potential for improvement and saving
possibilities were identified prior to starting the new campaign.
4 SPE-198670-MS

Figure 3—Offset Wells Bit Performance

The Engineering Approach

While choosing the appropriate drill string to achieve shoe to shoe drilling various limitations has been
evaluated including torque, drag, hydraulics and slip crushing. The Main goal was to design the optimum
drill string configuration for expected drilling constraints and conditions.
The first issue to tackle was torque and drag (T&D). The primary reasons of T&D are side forces and
friction. Side forces mainly occur between the drill string components and the wellbore, while rotational
friction factor due to the drill string movement which directly affects torque output. To be able to apply
more torque without changing the drill pipes, high performance dope was considered. The makeup torque
calculations for rotary-shouldered connections have a friction factor of 1.0. However, by applying the high
performance dope on drill pipes, make-up torque can be enhanced by 15-25% without having over torqued
connections.
There are multiple factors affecting side forces but in this specific application, considering trajectory
being vertical, the tension due to dogleg or buckling was negligible if drilling parameters are maintained as
per design. Other causes for T&D identified and addressed separately including hole cleaning, thick filter
cake, mud lubricity and wellbore stability..
In the offset wells, three main BHA types were used to drill this section; a pendulum BHA, a directional
BHA with down hole motor (DHM) and another pendulum BHA configuration with no near-bit stabilizer
and only stabilizer 60 ft away from the bit as shown below in Figure (4). These configuration had tendency
to build inclination which limited the drilling parameters that could be applied in order to maintain well
verticality.

Figure 4—Offset Wells BHA Configurations in 17 ½" Section

SPE-198670-MS 5

Along with placement, stabilizer gauge is an important factor for bit walk or hole cleaning. As a result,
the unfitting BHA design resulted in continuous bits failures, DHM parting, poor wellbore condition leading
to stuck pipe events and ROP on the offset wells.
Proper bit selection was one of the most crucial part to achieve the section objective. To do so
different bit types and their characteristics were thoroughly investigated. The major limitations to ROP and
durability, including poor cuttings evacuation, high thermal generation and vibrations. The upper part of
the intermediate section formations consists of dolomite and anhydrite whilst bottom parts are softer. In
consideration of the bit life and ROP performance, drilling the upper section with TCI and bottom section
with PDC was a common practice.
On the other hand, lateral, torsional and axial vibration limits the bit and BHA life. Prior to every
drill string run, a thorough analysis were carried out by modelling formation compressive strength, BHA
components and planned drilling parameters to compare and contrast the dynamic drilling characteristics
of the BHA. As an outcome drill string behavior simulations generates vibrations level and directions, stick
and slip, bending moment, torque and stress. The modelling is called Finite System Analysis (FEA)

Figure 5—Lateral Vibrations, Stick Slip & Axial Vibrations

Figure 6—Different Vibration Types

6 SPE-198670-MS

Figure 7—The FEA output Axial Acceleration

Figure 8—The FEA output Lateral Acceleration

The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a system based on extensive laboratory testing to accurately model
how drill string components are likely to perform in real-life applications from drill bit to the surface. In this
specific application based on the FEA modeling optimum drill string configuration and drilling parameters
are decided.
After modeling different stabilizer positions to achieve the highest performance while maintaining the
verticality, drop tendency pendulum BHA was identified as the best option. Instead of stabilizers two 1/8"
under gauged roller reamers were placed 20 ft and 30 ft above the bit with adjustment on the quantity of
9.5" and 8" drill collars used.. The inclusion of the roller reamers reduces BHA generated torque compared
to conventional stabilizer at contact points, more WOB could be applied and wellbore stability could be
enhanced.
SPE-198670-MS 7

Figure 9—BHA Configuration in New Campaign Wells 17 ½" Section

While drilling the offset wells, many issues occurred which led to an excessive amount of non-productive
time. The Offset-1 drilled in 6 runs with different bit and BHA configurations. During all 6 trips bit were
changed with a new one due to low ROP or high torque. While drilling Offset-2 different options were tried
such as Hybrid bit, DHM or combination of both. However the outcome has not changed and the section
is completed in 5 separate runs.
Due to the fact that the first two wells were drilled at the same time, the Learning Curve was limited
to two sets of two wells, instead of four. To be able to assess the changes already implemented, the first 2
wells of the new campaign, held a conservative approach to avoid failures in the offset wells. Section has
been split to two sections and the upper part (+/– 900 m) drilled with the 17 ½" TCI bit and the lower part
drilled(+/– 850 m) with a 616 (six blades, 16mm conical diamond cutting element) PDC on both wells to
increase the performance. As a result, much better performance achieved compared to offset wells.

Figure 10—New Campaign vs Offset Wells 17.5" section formation by formation ROP comparison

After gaining the experience from the first two wells, decision taken to analyze the possibilty to drill the
full section (+/– 1800 m) in one run. To be able to achieve that, the first step was to choose the correct bit
for the application and to ensure that bit would be able to drill the upper part of the section, which is hard
and abrasive and bit durability would be a concern. Before looking at the vibration or torque limitations,
total energy of the bearing were limiting the drilling capacity of the TCI bit.
8 SPE-198670-MS

Therefore TCI bit required a bit trip in the middle of the section with conservative drilling parameters
as per below calculations and reliability curve.

Figure 11—TCI Bit Total Energy Calculation and Bearing Reliability Chart

Moving forward the PDC bit, conventional flat fixed cutters shear the formation but can be prone to
excessive vibrations due to torque oscillations that are expected to occur in the upper interbedded formations.
After evaluating the options, best option was identified as PDC bit with conical diamond cutting elements.
The field tests showed that identified bit averaged 56% increase in footage compared with offset. The FEA
modeling showed conical diamond cutting element experiences a more balanced cutting response which
induces less shock and vibrations, extending the life of the bit and rest of the BHA components when
compared to conventional PDC. The conical diamond cutting element bit can produce 53% less lateral and
37% less axial vibrations.

Figure 12—FEA Modelling comparison between convention PDC cutter and conical diamond cutting element

The FEA software simulation scenario for conical diamond cutting element PDC bit was created, the
model incorporates the complete drill string behavior in each formation, torque and drag and vibrational
analysis. The model with correct input enabled the team to analyze the dynamic behavior and identify the
SPE-198670-MS 9

optimum parameters for each formation for the first half of the section that previously drilled with TCI bit
– this was crucial to ensure extended bit durability.

Figure 13—17 ½" Section Drilling Parameter to Be Used in the Upper part As Per FEA

Prior to attempting to drill complete section, a thorough risk analysis was done with all involved parties
and backup bit and BHA components were readily available at the drilling location. On top of that, in
order to ensure the correct parameters were applied and shocks and vibration monitored ROP optimization
software (ROPO) was implemented with the support of real time monitoring center. ROPO calculates the
optimum parameters to minimize the chance of a drill string failure and this recommended parameters could
be followed by the screen in the drillers cabin throughout the whole section.

Re-engineering results
The first two wells were drilled at the same time, and when the 17 ½" section was drilled, it was almost
drilled simultaneously by both drilling rigs. As mentioned above, this limited the results that would be
obtained if the four wells would have been drilled one after the other. Despite this, the first two wells showed
10 SPE-198670-MS

a performance improvement compared to the previous campaign, and the last well, drilled the 17 ½" section
without the need to POOH for bit or BHA change.
The first obvious result was the reduction of trips. During the duration of the drilling, constant parameters
were observed allowing to continue with the plan. Only one problem was present in the third well of
the campaign, where one Roller Reamer failed, and the rotating block fell into the wellbore. Subsequent
investigation revealed that the RR was not subject to abnormal stresses and that the failure was a product of
the block not being properly torqued into its housing. Despite this event, the plan was resumed in the fourth
well, which achieved the longest and fastest section drilled in the field.

Figure 14—BHA/Bit Trips Over Time

The BHA selected was able to maintain verticality with an inclination in the first wells at TD of 0.54° and
0.85° respectively, without the need of directional control tools. This allowed also to reduce the frequency
of the surveys and improve performance. The last two wells observed an inclination at TD of 1.02° and
0.99° respectively.
However, performance was not to compromise in favor of keeping verticality. Results showed a constant
chronological performance improvement that reached its peak in the last well of the campaign. The field
team followed the drilling parameters set by the FEA output roadmap to ensure that BHA behaved inside
the expected dynamic loads. Implementing the engineering changes, the section time was reduced to 50%
for the first two wells from the new campaign compared to the offset wells. This consistent continuous
improvement achieved an additional reduction of 24% for the last well of the campaign. NPT average
between the campaigns was reduced by 40%.
All this time reduction allowed a 273% improvement in the feet per day indicator from the first well
compared to the last well.
SPE-198670-MS 11

Figure 15—Well Performance Over Time

Conclusion
In an environment of more energetics demand, supply delivery time is crucial. Identify areas of opportunities
is a central task to increase the feet per day indicator, vital for O&G companies.
With a methodological approach, the engineering team identified potential problematics to face and
application of diverse solutions to tackle these challenges. The use of solutions so disperse such as FEA
software, drilling practices, enhanced thread compound and new PDC cutters technologies, highlights the
fact that it is not mandatory bigger pipes or more powerful machines are required to achieve better results.
A problem-solving mindset combined with defined procedures allowed the drilling team the first single
bit-run in the longest intermediate section in the field South in Iraq.
The combination of all this technologies and practices resulted in 56 % reduction of total flat time for
the last well, compared to the average of the three previous wells. The footage per day to drill the 17 ½"
section was increased from an average of 400 ft/day to 646 ft/day. In addition, the NPT in the section was
decreased by 30 % compared to average in the two previous wells. All of this in a safe and environmentally
friendly way, a must in the industry.

References
A. Galaby, M. Cardenas, O. Cengiz, 2019. Breakthrough in Drilling Performance Using Advanced Dynamic Modelling.
Paper SPE-196533-MS - SPE/IATMI Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition, 29-31 October, Bali,
Indonesia.
A. Galaby, A. Alfakih, 2017. Optimization of the Curve and Horizontal Sections of ERD Multi-Lateral Wells. Paper
SPE-183950-MS - SPE Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference, 6-9 March, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.