An Aggressive Approach to Reducing Failure-Driven Non-Productive Time in Onshore Drilling Operations: Expanding the Quality Program

摘要

In determining the necessity of drill string quality assurance initiatives, an operator must answer two primary questions: 1. What is the probability of failure; and 2. What would be the impact, financial or otherwise, of a failure event? Typically, balancing the answers to these questions with the expense of additional quality management measures has presented a challenge to onshore operators. However the switch to drilling 100% horizontal wells in recent years has served to make it economical to implement a robust quality assurance program. Some of the drivers are: 1. The increase in stress placed on drill string components while drilling horizontal wells 2. The increased cost of directional BHAs over vertical BHAs 3. The increase in day rates for all services 4. Availability of suitable drill string components. Referencing the questions posed earlier, both the probability and impact of failure events have significantly increased. An operator drilling in the Barnett Shale region implemented an aggressive quality management plan to reduce risks and expenses resulting from drill string failures. The operator first established a baseline for non-productive time due to drill pipe and HWDP failures, and then tracked the changes in NPT over a two-year period as the quality program was developed and implemented. The full details of this implementation can be referenced in SPE 119383. Due to the success of the primary work scope, the quality management plan was expanded to include the operator’s mud motors (MMs) and measure-while- drilling (MWD) tools. The quality consulting company ensured that industry standards and vendor procedures were followed with respect to inspection, assembly, and function testing of the covered equipment. Initial quality audits of the operator’s primary directional service providers allowed formal documentation of quality gaps and development of individual quality plans for the respective vendors. The program evolved to include an in-house project manager and multiple field technicians for third-party witnessing of the inspection, assembly and testing processes. During the 13-month study (from May 2008 – June 2009), non-productive time (NPT) due to MM and MWD failures decreased by 79.5% and 61.6% respectively. Furthermore, the drill pipe and heavy weight drill pipe quality program discussed in the initial study continued to yield positive results. Analysis indicated a significant net savings to the operator in operating cost resulting in a 30.8% increase in average footage drilled per rig, per month.