By Kiana Wilburg
CEO, Guyana Energy Conference & Supply Chain Expo
SLB, an American oilfield services company, revealed this week that it worked closely with ExxonMobil Guyana to redefine its drilling methods to unlock the world-class oil resources in Guyana’s Stabroek Block. Its novel approach resulted in a higher Rate of Penetration (ROP). This, in turn, contributed to Guyana marking industry leading development timelines for its resources.
Currently, an ExxonMobil-led consortium operates the Stabroek Block where three FPSOs are producing light, sweet crude. These ships—the Liza Destiny, Liza Unity & Prosperity—produce approximately 640,000 barrels of oil per day. There are several intricate moving parts that contribute to this commendable level of production in under six years.
As SLB explained in a recent statement, it had to employ a novel approach to penetrate Guyana’s intricate reservoirs.
SLB was keen to note that trajectories in Guyana are classified based on their complexity. In other words, it is defined by the amount and type of work that needs to be performed. Historically, SLB said the drilling parameter objectives which entail monitoring drilling depth, rotation speed, rotation pressure, penetration rate, percussive pressure, feed pressure, damping/stabilizer pressure, and water/flush pressure had to be controlled.
The extent to which these components are controlled when facing the deep pressures below the sea level, determines how fast drilling can be done.
In confronting the complexities of Guyana, ExxonMobil and SLB devised a novel solution–combining the AccuStrike bit with the PowerDrive Orbit G2 RSS.
“As a result, ROP was increased by 65% in the highest-complexity trajectory in ExxonMobil’s development campaign while saving 34 hours of drilling time,” SLB said.
The AccuStrike bit incorporated a proven AxeBlade™ ridged diamond element bit with a thermal-resistant diamond element bit to reduce L1 (bit to the RSS pads) distance, resulting in increased force at the steering unit. By reducing the L1 distance, higher DLS was achieved without needing to control drilling parameters.
Importantly, SLB said the combination of the AccuStrike bit with the PowerDrive Orbit G2 RSS “set a new record for ROP in ExxonMobil’s development campaign, achieving 237% increase in hard drilling interval (HDI) ROP versus conventional technology.”
Wells Engineering Supervisor for ExxonMobil’s Guyana Wells Team—Landing Team, Nathaniel Carter said SLB was chosen for this job based on its proven history with shank less bits in US land and the Middle East and North Africa.
“The AccuStrike bit with the PowerDrive Orbit G2 system has defined the new way of drilling complex trajectories in Guyana. It has demonstrated that the technology can be used in larger hole sections, increasing drilling performance through increased steerability and rate of penetration ROP,” said Carter.
The ExxonMobil official said his company views the solution as the preferred combination for environments with similar directional complexity going forward in the region.