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MPD’s Technology Push“We’re at the leading edge of MPD technology,”says Brian Grayson, Weatherford’s Global ProductService Line Manager for Controlled PressureDrilling. “These MPD advances provide powerfulnew solutions for drilling and succeeding in difficultreservoirs where other methods are failing.”Two recent Weatherford innovations are addingsignificantly to that capability. Next-generationmarine RCDs—the heart of MPD—are adapting thetechnology to riser and floater applications. Andadvanced algorithms in the Secure Drilling processare turning real-time data into actionable knowledgethat improves safety and drilling performance.The new marine RCD technology is the industry’sonly purpose-built device for riser and floaterapplications. It extends MPD capabilities to drillingvessels on the frontier of deepwater operations.“This marine RCD is a very novel technology,”says Grayson. “Placing the RCD as an integratedcomponent of the riser system is an industryfirst that significantly enhances performance andsafety in this unique environment.”“We ran the model 7875 RCD for the first time inNovember 2008 from a floater offshore in Libyaas a CBHP application. Weatherford deployedthe second well in March 2009,” says Grayson.“Performance is everything we expected.”The other MPD innovation is a step-change incapabilities that comes with Weatherford’s recentacquisition of its remaining interest in SecureDrilling technology.“Secure Drilling technology rounds us off asthe ultimate MPD supplier,” says Grayson. “Itsaddition takes the equation beyond traditionalMPD with precise, timely downhole pressure andflow monitoring and control.”The advanced system identifies minute downholeinfluxes and losses on a real-time basis. Usingpatented microflux technology and proprietaryalgorithms to measure and analyze flow andpressure data, the Secure Drilling process enablesdrilling decisions to be made based on actual dataversus predicted downhole environments.“This capability is a major benefit in deepwaterdrilling applications,” says Grayson. “It takesthe closed-loop MPD system and turns it into asensitive monitoring tool for quickly understandingand reacting to the downhole environment. Thenew marine RCD technology provides a significantoperational and safety advantage for dealing withdifficult pore-pressure/fracture-gradient conditionsthat are such a challenge in deepwater wells.“One of the great advantages with the Secure Drillingsystem is the capability to provide early kick detectionin HP/HT wells so that the well can be automaticallycontrolled. This benefit enables HP/HT wells to be drilledusing a closed wellbore and a fully automatic kickprotectionsystem,” says Nas.With the opening of the deepwater blocks in China, thePhilippines and Indonesia, exploration wells drilled fromdynamically positioned deepwater vessels are now beingplanned. Using MPD technology in these wells providesa significant cost and risk reduction.“Controlled Pressure Drilling ® techniques provide apotential for significant cost savings on these expensivedrilling vessels,” says Nas. “An early, automatic kickdetectionsystem enables drilling with lower mudweights, and the closed wellbore allows the pipe to bemoved while circulating—significantly reducing the risk ofstuck pipe.”Case-by-Case AdvanceNas points to several Asian case histories to illustratehow MPD is solving difficult well challenges to becomea best practice for many applications in the region.In Sumatra, Indonesia, PMCD was used to drill andcomplete a well that had been plugged and abandonedbecause of total-circulation losses and gas kicks.The objective was to drill the well to total depth andcomplete it. But that was no easy task. The well hadalready been plugged and abandoned for two yearsfollowing a 60-day effort to control total-circulationlosses and numerous gas kicks.12 magazine
Growing up with a volcano nearby, Julmar ShaunS. Toralde had an early introduction to geothermalpower. Near his home in the province of NegrosOriental in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines,two geothermal plants operated by one of the mostactive volcanoes in the country. When the region’scollege first offered a degree in geothermal engineering,Toralde enrolled.In 2005, when he joined Weatherford, it was as aControlled Pressure Drilling (CPD) Engineer in thePhilippines and Indonesia—where he was involvedwith MPD and geothermal projects. Today Toralde isWeatherford’s Engineering Coordinator for Indonesia.“Shaun is an absolute key figure here in Asia,” saysSteve Nas.” Besides being one of the hardest workingengineers we have, he is also a very polite and niceperson liked by clients and Weatherford staff alike—areal gentleman.”Toralde graduated magna cum laude from NegrosOriental State University (NORSU) with a BS ingeothermal engineering.Having been a top scholar and active student, Toraldehas always kept in mind mentorship. Shaun becamean instructor and a research coordinator in the Collegeof Engineering and Architecture of NORSU. He wasalso the Chairperson of the Department of GeothermalEngineering. Later he worked for SPI Technologieswhere he supervised copyediting and processing ofinternational technical and engineering research journals.That active pace and high achievement has continuedsince Toralde arrived in Jakarta as Weatherford’sEngineering Coordinator.“Shaun has probably made more client visits and hasbeen instrumental in promoting and winning more MPDprojects in Indonesia than anyone else,” says Nas.“He is not only a great supporter and promoter of theMPD technology but also has an incredible passion forgeothermal drilling operations.”Weatherford’s PMCD program for the well includedan RCD and drillstring float valves. When the well wasreentered and the plugs drilled out, total losses wereexperienced immediately, and gas began to migrate upthe annulus.With the RCD preinstalled, PMCD procedures were begunimmediately, and 500 feet (153 meters) of the reservoirsection was drilled. The objective was reached in 19hours without any NPT, and the completion string wassuccessfully run and cemented in PMCD mode.Kick-Loss Mitigation“Vietnam’s longest well in the Cuu Long basin’sgranite basement reservoir was drilled using constantbottomhole-pressure(CBHP) methods to avoid longstandingkick-loss problems,” says Nas.Fluid losses were common when drilling developmentwells in the fractured reservoir and resulted in frequentdrilling delays. Using CBHP methods controlledpressure at the surface so the well could be drilledwith lower-density fluid while minimizing losses.Lighter mud use increased the penetration rateenabling the well to be completed five days fasterthan planned. A significant reduction in fluid lossesminimized operational costs, NPT and postdrillingcleanup. With MPD, the loss rate was only55 barrels per hour compared to 175 barrels per hourexperienced in prior wells.Vietnam Contingency“Sometimes, the value of having MPD technologyavailable is the confidence to proceed at all,” says Nas.That was the case with the Nam Con Son limestoneformation offshore Vietnam where severe mud lossand gas migration presented an ongoing challenge.Previous wells in the region had experienced as muchas 20 days NPT because of total losses.Experience with MPD provided the confidence to tryone more time. Working from a jack-up rig, a big-boremodel 7800 RCD was installed, and PMCD techniquesreadied to provide additional control in case majormud-loss and gas-migration issues occurred.“Ultimately, losses did not require MPD operations,”says Nas. “But the operator had no way to know thatwhen they started out. Installing MPD as a low-costalternative provided the confidence to proceed.”New Drilling AheadFast-paced adoption of MPD for various applicationshas come with outstanding success in Asia and aroundthe world in mitigating some of the industry’s mostchallenging drilling hazards. With this momentum anda growing inventory of technologies, MPD is poised tomake even greater contributions to drilling capabilitiesand economics.Those in the industry who have advocated MPD haveoften said that one day we will ask ourselves why weever drilled with the annulus open to the atmosphere.Perhaps that day is now closer than we think.october 2009 13
Page 2 and 3: Buildmore accurate control.The Secu
Page 4 and 5: Technology, Partnerships Gain Tract
Page 6: Growing InfrastructureWeatherford
Page 9 and 10: Weatherford is providing: field har
Page 11 and 12: Guy Feasey is an expat’s expatria
Page 13: MPD Opens New Doors in AsiaRapidly
Page 17 and 18: Core Analysis in CBM CountryWhile C
Page 19 and 20: Deepwater Completion Installation,a
Page 21 and 22: Bringing Advanced Packer Technology
Page 26: Breakthrough in Openhole LateralsA
Page 30: We hope you have enjoyedreading thi

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