ConocoPhillips is developing the Magnolia field with aTension Leg Platform (TLP) in 4674 ft of water at GardenBanks (GB) block 783 in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), seeFigure 1. The field was discovered in 1999 and appraisalwells were drilled in 2000 and 2001. The well constructionstrategy included drilling six additional development wellsfrom a mobile offshore drilling unit (pre-drilling) prior to theinstallation of the TLP. Drilling the new wells consisted oftwo phases; batch setting all six wells through 20 in. Casingfollowed by deepening the wells to total depth (TD). Thewells targeted multiple zones resulting in complex, designerdirectional wells with 50°-60° maximum hole angles. Thispaper examines the application of drilling best practices thatwere used to deepen the wells to TD after batch-settingoperations were complete1.To minimize drilling costs while deepening the wells toTD, project goals were to eliminate trouble time; minimizecombined drilling, circulating and tripping time per interval;maximize simultaneous activities; and reduce the number oftrips necessary to drill the well. The goal of achieving Best-In-Class performance required detailed planning, documentingand implementing results and lessons learned, effectivecommunications, equipment quality control, andimplementation of a team environment with all the companiesinvolved in the drilling program. The complex high anglewells required employing extended reach best practices tobalance on-bottom drilling performance with the ability toeffectively clean the hole to allow trouble free tripping of thebottom hole assembly (BHA), running of casing, andobtaining primary cement jobs.The best practices discussed in this paper include changesmade to improve rotary steerable reliability; simultaneous drilling and under reaming BHA design2; hole cleaning; andtorque and drag monitoring. The paper will also discussactivities that reduced the number of required trips andactivities that were conducted out of critical path such asmoving the subsea BOP from wellhead to wellhead with aninnovative bottom hole assembly (BHA), BHA run andretrieve wear bushings, subsea guidebase installation via awinch and ROV, off critical path make-up of BHAcomponents, and drill string management.
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