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Abstract
The operator's drill rate management process is designed to
maximize rate of penetration (ROP) in every foot of hole
drilled. Due to its quantitative nature and the degree to which
it is incorporated into all phases of the drill well process, the
operator believes it to be the industry's first comprehensive
ROP design process. The workflow is being implemented
uniformly across an organization drilling approximately 4.5
million feet of hole per year in a wide range of rock types,
directional profiles, and international locations. The results to
date have been similar in most applications with significant
gains in ROP, bit life, and reduction in tool failures related to
vibrations.
The workflow evolved from surveillance techniques the
operator developed to utilize Mechanical Specific Energy
(MSE) surveillance to evaluate drilling performance in realtime(1),(2). MSE surveillance proved to be an effective aid in
identifying bit and system inefficiency. However, having this
knowledge does not ensure the team knows why the
inefficiency is occurring, or how to correct it. There are
organizational processes that must also be considered when
mitigation of the problem involves increased mechanical risk,
significant changes in established practices, or a high level of
technical training. MSE is a technology, while the ROP
management process is a broad workflow designed to ensure
MSE and numerous other sources of data are used effectively
to maximize ROP.
Consistent implementation of the
workflow has been shown to achieve consistent increases in
ROP. The key elements of the workflow required to achieve
this performance are discussed.
Over 40 categories of ROP-limiters have been identified,
of which only 4 are directly related to the bit. The ROP in a
large portion of footage drilled is constrained by factors other
than bit performance, which are referred to as non-bit limiters.
The workflow addresses both bit and non-bit limiters equally,
and includes a simple model to aid drill teams in prioritizing
the large number of potential ROP-limiters so resources
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Prioritization of Limiters
The operator has identified over 40 ROP limiters. Many are
complex and difficult to address. Consequently, a process is
needed to prioritize the redesign effort so resources are not
committed to solving a higher level limiter when other factors
actually constrain the drill rate to lower levels. Fig. 2 shows
examples of a variety of these limiters superimposed on the
linear response model. Limiters have been divided into two
categories, bit limiters relating to bit dysfunction or founder,
and non-bit limiters.
Founder is characterized as being due to one of three
factors; bit balling, bottomhole balling, or vibrations. Though
the industry refers to these conditions as bit dysfunctions, it is
more useful to think of these events generally as any failure to
achieve expected depth of cut (DOC) for the given WOB. In
some cases, the dysfunction is strongly related to in situ
conditions and has little to do with the bit. Fig. 3 shows a
more detailed, yet still notional, view of the effect of various
forms of bit dysfunctions on drill rate. The traditional drill off
curve developed in the 1950's was created from lab work in
which the dysfunction was bit balling in water base mud.
Consequently, the founder point tends to be associated with
higher WOB. Today, in the operator's well mix, the use of
non-aqueous fluid (NAF) is widespread. As expected, bit
balling has not been observed in NAF. The most common
form of dysfunction is now vibrational in nature and may be
associated with either higher (stick slip) or lower (whirl)
WOB. However, the ranges in which severe whirl and stick
slip occur commonly overlap. The aspect that all forms of
dysfunction have in common is they cause the ROP to be less
than expected for the given WOB, which is to say they reduce
the average depth of cut below that which should occur with
the given bit and in situ drilling conditions.
The second category of ROP limiters are those that occur
in Region II of Fig. 1. When operating in Region II, the bit is
at peak efficiency and ROP response to increased WOB will
be approximately linear. Consequently, ROP gains are certain
and predictable as WOB is increased. Operations in this
region are referred to as "non-bit limited" and the result is
commonly called control drilling. Example reasons for
control drilling might include directional target control, hole
cleaning, logging while drilling (LWD) data acquisition rates,
or solids handling equipment limitations. While a few of these
items are shown in Fig, 2, the operator has identified over 40
categories of non-bit limiters to date.
Because the number of bit and non-bit ROP limiters is
large, they may consume a great deal of engineering resources.
To effectively manage resource allocation, an ROP
management process must include a method for prioritizing all
forms of limiters in field operations. The linear response
model is also used conceptually for this purpose and the
operational practice is simple.
1. Raise the WOB. If the ROP response is linear (as
determined through MSE surveillance), the bit is efficient.
2. Continue raising WOB until non-linear response is
observed, or the ROP becomes non-bit limited
3. In the first case, make operational adjustments to the extent
possible to minimize MSE then operate at just below
founder. For both bit and non-bit limiters, identify and
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MSE
MSEadj
References
1. Dupriest, F. and Keoderitz, W. " Maximizing Drill Rates
with Real-Time Surveillance of Mechanical Specific
Energy," SPE paper No.92194 presented at annual
Drilling Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 23-25
February, 2005
2. Dupriest F. "Maximizing ROP with Real-Time Analysis
of Digital Data and MSE," IPTC paper No.10706-PP
presented at International Petroleum Technology
Conference, Doha, Qatar, 21-23 November, 2005
3. Teale, R.: "The Concept of Specific Energy in Rock
Drilling," Intl. J. Rock Mech. Mining Sci. (1965) 2, 57-73
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Figure 4: ROP management workflow. The use of MSE and other digital
data is a central element in all phases of the ROP management process.
Figure 1: ROP responds linearly to WOB, unless the process is dysfunctional
(founders). Additional improvement is achieved by adjusting parameters in
real-time or redesigning the system. SPE 92194.
Figure 2: ROP limiters can be grouped into 1) bit limiters associated with
dysfunction and founder, and 2) non-bit limiters that prevent additional WOB
from being applied to an efficient bit.
Figure 5: Compressed log showing MSEadj and ROP limiters requiring
redesign. Identification of limiters may require detailed analysis of MSE data,
vibrations logs, and various other well information.
Figure 6: Rig team recognized balling pattern with high MSE in shales and
efficient drilling in sands. Trip was made to reduce nozzle size and increase
hydraulics. ROP increased to over 350 ft/hr. The new limiter was related to
the design of the drilling fluid. SPE 92194
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Figure 9: Gains in Qatar are being achieved in all hole sizes and formation
types.
Figure 8: Data from five teams with mature processes, and one first-cycle
well in Western Canada. Footage per day includes connection and trip time.
Data shows average values since implementation, including early lower
performing wells. Most recent performance is generally higher than the
averages shown.