Archive | Featured Microsite Articles
Gulf of Thailand drilling/completion both high tech and high volume, with HSE as core value
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Drilling It Safely, July/August, The Offshore Frontier
By Mike Killalea, Editor & Publisher Drilling in the Gulf of Thailand (GOT) is not only high-volume work, but presents considerable technical drilling-and-completion challenges. Chevron, the major operator in the GOT, drills some 40% of its global footage there – that’s right, 40%. In 2007, that constituted 3.7 million ft and 310 wells, and the […]
Permanent magnet motors lead way to better power efficiency, safety on cranes, winches
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Drilling It Safely, July/August, The Efficient Rig
By Hege Kverneland, National Oilwell Varco Recognized around the world as a leader in technology-driven drilling solutions, National Oilwell Varco (NOV) has kept its focus on commercializing permanent magnet motor technology and developing innovative applications for its use. The Lifting and Handling Group’s latest technological development is the new all-electric King Post Crane using permanent […]
Lifting Safety: Inexperienced employees, deepwater/subsea projects push lifting challenges to new
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Drilling It Safely, July/August, The Offshore Frontier
“The challenges have shifted,” said Mike Brasic, who retired from BP in May 2008 as lifting adviser and as HSE manager for BP Sakhalin. First, there’s the people problem. “The level of experience among employees has gone down as the level of activity has gone up. That’s presenting challenges with competency that the industry must […]
Ultra-stable PDC drill bit technology improves performance in Southern Mexico applications
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Innovating While Drilling, July/August
By Dalmo Amorim, ReedHycalog/University of São Paulo; Andrew D Murdock, Carlos Huerta, ReedHycalog; Diogo S Oliveira, Fabiola Diaz, Gustavo A Padron G, Willie Columbine, Schlumberger IPM; Wilson S Iramina, University of São Paulo As worldwide demand for hydrocarbons continues to grow and with shallow reservoirs rapidly depleting, most new discoveries are being made at greater […]
Tough directional TCIs deliver longer runs with higher ROP in Canadian build sections
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Innovating While Drilling, July/August
By Chad Mason, Caleb Rickabaugh, Eric Olson, Hughes Christensen Certain formations create unique challenges for operators drilling directional applications with roller cone bits. In western Canada, for example, interbedded formations of hard sandstone, siltstone, shale and chert have frustrated operators using conventional tungsten carbide insert (TCI) bits to drill a directional wellbore. In addition to […]
Improved design processes allow bits to fit specific applications, set new drilling records
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Innovating While Drilling, July/August
By Jerry Greenberg, contributing editor Designing a drill bit with the correct configuration and hydraulic performance for a specific application has everything to do with a well’s success. A wrong bit for the application can result in low rate of penetration (ROP), inefficient hole cleaning and expensive wells that sometimes won’t reach the operator’s geological […]
Casing Drilling improves mature field production, eliminates fluid losses, directionally drills well
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Innovating While Drilling, July/August
By Eric Moellendick, TESCO Corp CASING DRILLING has been used in numerous difficult wells and to drill through troublesome well sections that would not have been possible with conventional drilling techniques. The process eliminates tripping of the drill string and requires only a Range II rig with a single mast. In addition, by reducing or […]
Seismic-while-drilling: Where is it heading?
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Innovating While Drilling, July/August
The concept of seismic-while-drilling (SWD) promises so much, yet still the industry has realized so little of that promise. Drilling Contractor spoke with Robert Radtke, president of Technology International, about where SWD is at, and where it might be headed. Technology International has been working on a joint project with the US Department of Energy […]
Telemetry strings, hardware reliability and trasmission capabilities: update and outlook
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, Innovating While Drilling, July/August
By Maximo Hernandez, IntelliServ During recent industry conferences and workshops, reliability figures for the use of telemetry drill strings have been disclosed for the latest wells drilled around the world. These statements of technical performance have had the objective of confirming that the installations of the telemetry network hardware within double shouldered drill strings do […]
Automated drilling and real-time drilling process monitoring optimize RSS underreamer technology
Posted on 30 October 2009 in 2008, July/August, The Efficient Rig
By Junichi Sugiura, Steve Jones, PathFinder Energy Services The advancement in deeper drilling programs and directional wells with multiple casing strings have urged the use of an expandable reamer in which casing pass-through ceases to be a restriction. Significant cost savings on enlarging the hole can be obtained by drilling with a rotary steerable system […]
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