F
rictional drag. Stuck pipe. Sluggish hole cleaning. Worn drill bits.
Extra trips. The list goes on and on. Historically, horizontal wells
have created numerous obstacles for drillers, particularly in the
unconventional shale plays throughout North America and across the
globe. While several regions are exploring oil and gas production from shale
formations and tight oil, according to the US Energy Information Association
(EIA), only four are producing commercial volumes: the United States, Canada,
Argentina and China.
The challenges encountered with horizontal drilling become even
more complex with extended reach drilling (ERD) in which the length of the
horizontal section of the drill string often far exceeds the total vertical depth.
As the horizontal distance continues to extend further and further away from
the surface well site, it becomes increasingly difficult tomaintain efficient
forwardmotion of the drill pipe through the lateral. Excessive weight and
torque placed on the drill string tomake necessary directional corrections
PAT THORPEN & MARTIN SANDERS, LOGAN RENTALS, USA,
EXPLAIN HOW NEW DOWNHOLE VIBRATION TOOLS
CAN HELP OPERATORS OVERCOME THE OBSTACLES OF
HORIZONTAL WELLS.
COVER STORY
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