Preventive approach to wellbore strengthening: New systems are proactive rather than reactive

摘要

The industry's push into new frontiers and increasingly difficult formations is driving different ways of thinking about wellbore instability, one of the leading causes of nonproductive time (NPT) and expensive intervention operations due to lost circulation and stuck pipe. Drilling depleted or weak zones with narrow operational windows has long vexed producers, but maturing fields, extended-reach wells, complex well designs and the move into deeper fields have compounded the problem, raising the bar for solutions that go beyond conventional methods.