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Going Farther, Faster with New HDD System Adapted from a Press Release by Weatherford International Weatherford International recently unveiled its Revolution ® RSS (rotary-steerable system). This system gives operators the ability to minimize risks, reduce time while drilling, and allows them to arrive at the production stage quickly, avoiding future inter- vention. Its point-the-bit technology delivers clean, accurately placed, and completion- ready wellbores. With advanced sensors and telemetry, the system gives operators a reliable method for drilling from vertical to horizontal in a single run. "As the ratio of directionally drilled wells to vertically placed wells increases, access to harder to reach reserves calls for an enhanced rate of penetration and improved bore- hole quality. Revolution RSS allows single-run drilling of curve and lateral sections, as well as high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) and high-dogleg applications. This en- ables operators to make better petrophysical measurements while maximizing borehole exposure to the reservoir delivering superior produc- tivity indexes. In the last year and a half, Revolution RSS has drilled 284 verti- cal-curve-lateral wells in a single run, totaling 2.4 mil- lion feet," said Etienne Roux, vice president of drilling services at Weatherford. Weatherford was one of the first service providers to offer a rotary-steerable system for HPHT environ- ments. The system allows operators to drill in HPHT zones with temperatures exceeding 300ºF (149ºC), allowing operators to produce wells in the increasingly challenging en- vironments with precise drilling control in long laterals, high-angle curves, and parallel vertical sections in a single run. The point-the-bit design and real-time geological control of the system enables operators to drill in a variety of environments, including unconventional fields, HPHT environments, deep water fields, damaged and underbalanced formations, and brown fields. The Revolution RSS has completed several successful drilling projects in the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas. Recently, in an on- shore horizontal well, this system was used to drill a well through a challenging, dense limestone and sandstone formation to a total depth of 16,559 feet and temperatures up to 328ºF (164ºC). The average rate of penetration was 75% faster than conven- tional steerable motor assemblies. On a separate project with six wells in the Eagle Ford, this system achieved an average of 180 feet per hour (ft/hr) on six wells and a record of 227 ft/hr on one well, reducing the drilling cycle by two weeks and saving the operator more than $1 mil- lion in operational costs. How does it work? The antirotation levers hold the bias unit in place as the drill string rotates to improve steering control and hole cleaning. A stabilizer acts as the hinge point to control deflection and mini- mize vibration. By keeping the bit aligned with the borehole, the Revolution system creates smooth wellbores and extends bit life. Advanced sensors measure inclina- tion, azimuthal gamma ray, whirl, stick-slip, vibration, and other drilling parameters for early detection of changes in the formation, borehole, and bottomhole assembly (BHA). $3- :163 &$.(0'$34 )13 5+( 45 006$. "+$..18 92.13$5,10 3,..(34 .,0,& 23,. $3' !1&- 15(. $4,01 $5114$ 13 311/ 3(4(37$5,104 64( &1'( # ! %: &$..,0* 13 7,4,5 $3'!1&- $4,01#6.4$ &1/ !11/ 3(4(37$5,10 '($'.,0( ,4 23,. #+( 45 " 8,.. )($563( $ $5,10$. 3,..,0* 441&,$5,10 231*3$/ ,0'113 (9+,%,5134 165'113 ',42.$:4 $0' $ )6.. $*(0'$ 1) 5(&+0,&$. 23(4(05$5,104 13 /13( ,0)13/$5,10 &105$&5 3 7,4,5 +552 4('& 60. ('6 +3,4 .$3-( &&.$3-( 1'15 13* "&155 14%: 4&14%: 1'15 13* 54 JANUARY 2016 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®