Three Mud System Allows Successful Completion of >22,000'Slimhole with0.5 ppg Window through MPD Optimization of Trip Procedure

摘要

The Spirit River Group in Western Canada has always been difficult to drill and complete due to the presenceof natural faulting in shaley formations interbedded with coal.MPD techniques allow the successful drillingof these wells;however,completing these wells has been extremely challenging.On this well,getting linerto bottom without total losses should not have been possible.To address this,a design that used a three mud system in combination with MPD was utilized.With adiversion sub placed at the heel,the wellbore fluid column consisted of a highly underbalanced drilling fluidin the lateral,a descending column of slightly underbalanced stripping fluid placed in the vertical section,and an overbalanced column of kill fluid backfilled into the annulus from surface.During the liner run,this three-fluid system design smoothly reduces the hydrostatic pressure atproportional rates to the increase in liner surge.This balances the wellbore at the time the RCD is installedbehind the liner.The combination of factors saw full returns to surface during the liner run and,once onbottom,allows the rig to break circulation for the final displacement to completions fluids.With the successful implementation of this 3-fluid system,the operator was able to drill further,past22,000',as it is now possible to run and deploy the liner without expecting the loss of the wellbore's volumeof fluid on these tight window wells.