Overview

An operator in the ME was looking for an alternative way of drilling vertical well sections in their most
challenging field. They were looking for a solution which would increase ROP, help increase tripping speed and
reduce non-productive time (NPT), associated with tight spots, which in some cases had led to wells being side
tracked, or plugged and abandoned.

Challenge

Previous drilling was characterised by the vertical surface sections requiring constant back reaming, wiper trips
and relentless control of the ROP & drilling parameters to maintain verticality.

Solution

Two 12 ¼” Reamer® subs were placed in the BHA, to replace the Roller Reamers and to serve as low torque stabilisers in a stiff vertical drilling assembly. The well
was drilled normally, with ROP only controlled periodically to avoid cuttings loading to prevent induced losses.

Result

The section was drilled with a programmed wiper trip at the mid section, and at the end of the run. Neither of these
wiper trips experienced any tight spots, and the BHA was POOH and 9 5/8” casing run without any problems whatsoever.

The client acknowledged that, neither wiper trip was probably necessary but, regardless, the well with the Reamer® subs had the lowest recorded trip hours of any of the previous 140+ wells drilled in the field.