World-Class Extended-Reach Drilling Performance in Abu Dhabi–A Case Study in How to Beat the Learning Curve

Abstract

Abstract The Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) has a program of exploration and appraisal drilling from artificial islands in an environmentally sensitive shallow marine location. In early 2000, ADCO management set up a team to look at the feasibility of drilling extended-reach wells to reduce both the impact on the environment and the cost of drilling these wells. This paper summarizes the work that has been done and the progress that has been made in delivering ADCO's first extended-reach well. It describes how the key risks to delivering the well were addressed and how a systematic approach to well planning contributed to the exceptional results. The modeling and simulation work performed in planning the well and preparing a comprehensive well program, and the use of real-time data to validate the models are detailed. The process adopted to ensure that every member of the team understood the program and was committed to the successful delivery of the well is also described. The company is in the process of drilling the extended-reach well with a measured depth of 18,748 ft and a horizontal displacement of 13,780 ft. At the time of writing the horizontal section is being drilled. Well construction up to the completion of the pilot hole is covered in this paper. When ADCO started to prepare for this well the company and the newly formed drilling team had limited experience of extended-reach drilling (ERD). However, progress on the well has been extraordinary. When the pilot hole reached target depth the well was 39 days ahead of the program. This drillingperformance is in the upper quartile of global land-based ERDwells (defined by industry analysts as better than 24.6 days per 10,000 feet drilled).