Summit Carbon Solutions Uses High-Performance Fluid & Sealant Package

The operator was able to complete their project on time and budget and achieved a huge success on their main objective.  Summit Management commented that:

“Summits site stratigraphic well drilling program was a huge success. We safely collected a comprehensive data set that will be immensely valuable in developing our CO₂ storage project. Safely drilling and completing the stratigraphic wells while maintaining the integrity of the geologic formations were our highest priorities. Executing on these priorities, protecting people, environment on North Dakota’s storage resource is critical to success of Summit and its social license to operate.”

Overview

Summit Carbon Solutions contacted Halliburton Baroid to assist in drilling three monitoring wells for their carbon sequestration storage project in North Dakota. The project hinged on obtaining intact core material from the formation to help with the selection of carbon dioxide (CO2) injection zones. A high-performance fluid system, including a wellbore sealant, provided wellbore stability and prevented lost circulation; thus, overcoming the drilling risks previously encountered in the region. This strategy also led to the recovery of undamaged core samples spanning three intervals which totaled about 1500 ft.  These held all of the information required to assess the formations for future injection. 

Challenge

The drilling risks of concern to the operator included wellbore instability and severe loss of circulation downhole. These outcomes had plagued many offset wells in the area, with fluid losses totaling over 4,000 barrels. A team of Baroid technical professionals utilized proprietary planning software, along with coordination among other service partners, to ensure mitigation of such risks in this case. The ultimate objective was to drill into the formations of interest and obtain high-quality cores from three different intervals. These cores would provide critical information for the selection of CO2 injection zones. If the extracted core material or candidate injection zones were not well-preserved, this could ruin the chances of utilizing the acreage for carbon sequestration and wipe out future returns on all the evaluation and development costs.  

Solution

The Baroid team collected geophysical properties provided by the customer. This information, along with drilling parameters and downhole tool schematics, was used to formulate a plan to prevent major downhole losses of fluid and address the problem if needed. The first key activity was to calculate potential wellbore fracture widths, utilizing DFG™ modeling software and assuming an over-pressure event may occur. The WellSET module of DFG was specifically helpful in determining the best combination of sealing particulates for correcting fluid losses, and at the same time avoiding the risk of plugging downhole tool assemblies.

For optimum drilling efficiency, Baroid recommended a high-performance, oil-based mud (OBM) system based on unique polymer technology, together with a special sealant product to preserve the cores and minimize invasion. 

• The BaraXcel™ drill-in fluid system was chosen to support high drilling and pump rates with excellent hole cleaning and minimal contribution to downhole pressures. By avoiding additions of treated clays and lignite-based materials, this fluid maintains better-tuned rheological profiles and reduced solids compared to conventional OBMs. It also reduces the material requirements for base fluid to be trucked to location. 
• The BaraSeal™-957 wellbore sealant, a new deformable micro-polymer designed to swell in fluids, was included in the customized fluid system to enhance its sealing capacity and help ensure the core material was recovered in as close to a native state as possible.