While drilling over 600 wells, Creole Petroleum Corporation's lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, drilling crews have continuously reduced exploitation drilling times and well costs since 1960, despite increasing labor, service, and material prices. Current drilling times and costs are 35% and 58% respectively, of those experienced in 1960. These improvements occurred during a period of increased utilization of local supervisors and engineers, and while maintaining an outstanding safety record. Highlighted are such things as increased penetration rates, faster trip times, unique rig moving techniques, decreased waiting-on-cement times, and rig instrumentation.
Durant le forage de plus de 600 puits, les équipes de forage de la Créole Petroleum Corporation du lac Maracaibo, Vénezuela, ont constamment réduit les temps de forage d'exploitation et le coût des puits depuis 1960, malgré une augmentation des prix de la main d'¿uvre du service et du matériel. Les temps et les coûts actuels du forage sont respectivement 35% et 58% de ceux de 1960. Ces améliorations ont eu lieu pendant un période d'utilisation accrue de superviseurs et d'ingénieurs locaux, et tout en maintenant des normes excellentes de sécurité. Nous avons souligné les points importants tels que: taux de pénétration accrus, temps de man¿uvre plus rapides, méthodes de dé- placement de la tour uniques dans leur genre, attente de prise du tour.
Lake Maracaibo, which is located in Western Venezuela, is a brackish body of water approximately 100 miles long by 70 miles wide, and varies in depth from a few feet near shore to over 100 feet in the central portion. A majority of the exploitation drilling in the area has been accomplished in the Bolivar Coastal Field (BCF), one of the largest oilfields in the world, which straddles the northeast shore of the lake.
All of Creole Petroleum Corporation's BCF concessions are located beneath the lake. Drilling operations by Creole are conducted by company owned and operated rigs. In 1960 the BCF drilling groups were consolidated into one organization. Since that time, major improvements have been accomplished by Creole in drilling efficiency and cost reductions. These improvements have resulted while utilizing essentially the same crews and drilling equipment, and despite increasing labor, services and material costs. Personnel safety and good completion practices were also stressed throughout the period. by NELSON E. FUENMAYOR, Creole Petroleum Corporation, Tia Juana, Venezuela Both the ciment décrues, et instrumentation de la fixed-platform tender and floating rig methods of drilling are employed. A 600 h.p. drawworks and derrick package is utilized to drill exploitation wells to 8,500 feet. This package is either placed on an 8-pile foundation at each well site or is mounted permanently cantilevered off the bow of a drilling barg
