Deepwater projects successfully launched with Halliburton's technology

Overview

Two operating companies launched large-scale deepwater development projects in southeast Asia. Both projects required exploration wells at the beginning of the program with new rig deliveries and quick startup windows, which necessitated top service delivery and unique technology solutions. Both companies turned to Halliburton for their exploration needs. Halliburton completed successful campaigns for both clients with excellent operating efficiency. Over 190 hours of logging were performed with zero HSE incidents. Halliburton saved one client USD 458,000 by eliminating two cased-hole runs on separate wells because the Array Sonic Tool (AST) was able to retrieve a cement bond log answer product on the downlog, combined with an openhole run. A Halliburton super-string combination saved USD 400,000 by combining two openhole logging runs into one

Challenge

Both deepwater rigs were new imports for startups of large development campaigns. Both operating companies made the decision to start with exploration wells that would require the highest technology, support, and answer products. Both wells had narrow drilling timeframes— shorter than traditionally encountered in previous deepwater projects in southeast Asia—for Halliburton to prepare for service. Additionally, both rigs had overlapping logging and drilling programs with Halliburton as the only wireline service provider on both rigs.

To ensure data quality and real-time decision making, both operators required full-time, dedicated petrophysicists, geophysicists, and reservoir engineers. Time is critical in deepwater operations, especially in the exploration environment where decisions are made in real time due to many unknown factors.

One operator required special core analysis and sampling single-phase gas with a small mercury content, which was important for facilities planning.

Solution

Halliburton offered hostile rotary sidewall coring, optical fluid analysis using ICS, deepwater conveyance for high tension with jars, advanced acoustic logging using AST and mini-DST using the RDT service’s oval pad.

One operator had a significant discovery in their portfolio characterized by Halliburton’s mini-DST with RDT technology. The other operator was able to make major facility decisions for its future projects with Halliburton’s recovered nitrogen balanced H2S-coated sample bottles and Hostile Rotary Sidewall Coring Tool (HRSCT-B™) service’s 1.5-in. diameter rotary cores. This HRSCT-B tool was run for the first time in the world in a 17.5-in. hole and for the first time in southeast Asia for any hole size. Another new technology introduced during these southeast Asian projects included the Halliburton’s Xaminer™ Multicomponent Induction (MCI) tool. Further, wireline jars and high-tension conveyance systems were deployed, which allowed Halliburton to pull to tensions exceeding 15,000 lb at surface if stuck in the well, to activate hydraulically actuated wireline jars.

Result

On one project, Halliburton created a direct cost savings of USD 458,000 by eliminating two cased-hole runs on separate wells because the AST was able retrieve a cement bond log answer product on the downlog, combined with an openhole run. The main purpose of the AST run was to obtain compressional and refracted shear measurements in the openhole section. However, the customer had some concerns regarding the cement job of the cased upper section (13-5/8-in. casing) for each well and was planning to evaluate the cement. Halliburton was able to capture that information with the AST while running in the hole. This saved the customer an extra run and operating time for each well in a very expensive deepwater rig.

On the other project, a Halliburton super-string combination using a CSDD switching sub saved USD 400,000, further reducing two openhole logging runs to one. This technology allowed Halliburton to combine two downhole tools that would normally be incompatible to run together, saving one extra trip in the hole.