Abstract
In multiple wells in the Williston Basin of North Dakota, introduction of a new reaming tool utilized for dedicated reaming and reaming-while-drilling operations has been introduced successfully in over 140 wells.
This new tool has increased the percentage of packers going to total depth (TD) in a single trip in Williston Basin wells, where it is critical that wellbore condition enables multiple packers to be run and set at TD in a timely fashion in a single trip.
Additionally enhanced packer design, in combination with a better understanding of well bore conditions as well as improved torque and drag reductions, has led to additional field successes. Historically this has not been the case in a number of wells, and information will be provided on certain of those instances.
The reaming tools are currently bring used in reaming-while-drilling scenarios to eliminate the need for a dedicated reamer run in each well; this saves two to three rig days.
These tools can be built as steel or non-magnetic (non-mag) tools; hence, they can be run anywhere in the BHA plus be used to drill out. They reduce spiraling in the well bore, thereby reducing the risk of sticking the liner assembly before reaching TD.
Operators are 100% successful with packers going to TD when using this technology. In addition, current BHA modeling techniques and field use documents that use of the tools presents no significant steerability issues and no loss in penetration rate while still enabling subsequent installation of multiple packers. This proved critical in these North Dakota wells, where the application can require running as many as 35 swell packers to bottom.
Also provided is input on certain packer designs that can be used in combination with these new reaming technologies to improve the chances for going to TD in a single run.
Finally, the paper addresses the economic impact of this reamer application in what can be a half-million dollar operation per well, and notes the on-going progress of reaming-while-drilling efforts to date.
