Premium Well Placement Technology in the Permian Basin

Judd Tudor
Schlumberger

Since February 2008, thirteen horizontal wells have been drilled in the Permian Basin using two of Schlumberger’s premier LWD technologies: PeriScope and PowerDrive. Released commercially in 2005, PeriScope provides the only real-time measurement in the industry that is both directional and deepreading (up to 21’). This capability allows the tool to image reservoir boundaries in real time. Well placement engineers then use this data to make proactive decisions to navigate targets, even when they are thin, curving, undulating, dipping, or uncertain. PowerDrive Rotary Steerable System (RSS) is the fully programmable conveyance system that can be modified from the surface. A unique sequence of flow changes sends a command to the tool to steer in the required direction, eliminating the need to slide for angle. The Periscope - PowerDrive combination has been successfully used for navigation beneath caprock, water detection and avoidance, chasing heterogeneous and discontinuous reservoirs, and precise well placement into reservoir sweetspots, as well as increasing in-zone footage and trimming weeks off typical lateral drilling times.

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