Implementation of Wired Drill Pipe Saved Multiple Days Per Well, by Addressing Performance Limiters, Increasing Drilling Efficiency

摘要

This paper will discuss the implementation of the Wired Drill Pipe telemetry on two wells of the Babbage development project in the Central North Sea and will present the quantified efficiency gains achieved across various drilling operations. Wired Drill Pipe (WDP) telemetry enables bi-directional, high speed data transmission to and from downhole tools at speeds up to 57,600 bps (Olberg et al. 2008). This enables real-time "recorded" quality MWD and LWD data to be transmitted instantaneously to surface, as well as near-instantaneous commands ("downlinks") to be sent to MWD, LWD and RSS tools while drilling. The contribution of WDP telemetry to well placement and Geosteering on the Babbage development project has been published previously (Hatch, et al. 2011). This paper however, will present the efficiency gains and corresponding time savings that WDP telemetry enabled through the instantaneous transmission of data up and down the drillstring. A detailed analysis of the two WDP wells drilled with WDP telemetry will show the quantified time savings when compared to three wells drilled with conventional mud pulse telemetry. The analysis will compare the time spent on several activities including the transmission of downhole data to surface and vice-versa, the frequency of unplanned bit or BHA trips and on-bottom drilling time. The analysis will account for the differences in BHA designs, well paths and controlled drilling practices. Compared to the Babbage wells, drilled with mud pulse telemetry, a reduction of multiple days per well can be inferred through the increased efficiency of these operations and activities.