Premium Well Placement Technology in the Permian Basin - Case Study

James Hawkins
Schlumberger

Over 41k feet of horizontal wellbores have been drilled in the 3rd Bone Springs sands in the Permian Basin utilizing the LWD tools PeriScope and PowerDrive. These technologies have helped six different clients navigate various sand reservoirs, attaining 91% in-zone footage, only 1 sidetrack, and averaging less than 8.5 days each to drill. Atlantic Operating, Inc., an independent oil producer in Midland, has drilled two laterals in the 3rd Bone Springs, applying this well placement solution. Based on considerable well control, this Delaware Basin play was initially believed to be near-horizontal, laterally extensive and homoclinally dipping. The sands mapped in the Atlantic wells reveal a surprisingly undulatory reservoir with considerable counterregional dip. The application of the PeriScope bed boundary imager coupled with the PowerDrive rotary steerable system allowed the Schlumberger well placement team to proactively geosteer through these geologic heterogeneities. Detailed formation boundary images were input into 3-D geologic models to create more accurate well plans for future horizontal wells. Schlumberger eliminated roughly 30 days (2 wells) from the projected drilling time, minimized dogleg severity for the Packers Plus completion system, and ultimately increased production.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90089©2009 AAPG Southwest Section Meeting, Midland, Texas, April 26-29, 2009