Case study: Sichuan Province, China

Well Construction Solutions drills
exploration wells in fewer days,
maximizes pay zone exposure
The operator planned several
exploration wells to assess theproduction potential of a new block in
an existing deep shale gas field. But withlimited reference data from offset wells
to characterize the complex reservoir,
drillers could not effectively navigate
wells through the formation to maximize
pay zone exposure.

Delivering a proven,integrated drilling solution

The operator asked Baker Hughes
for help developing a low-risk,
high-efficiency drilling program for theexploration wells. The proven expertiseof the Well Construction Solutions
team offered an answer. Incorporating
technology innovations from theBaker Hughes Drilling Services (DS), Drill
Bits (DB), and Drilling and Completion
Fluids (DCF) product lines, Well

Construction Solutions has successfully
drilled more than 500 shale gas wells infields across southwest China.
This impressive track record includes
22 wells drilled in the Shale Gas Blockin Southwest of China over two years,
using only DS and DB technologies. The
strong working relationship with theDS and DB product lines, coupled withthe success of these earlier wells, wasenough to convince the operator tointegrate DCF into the Well Construction
Solutions team. Meanwhile, the local
Well Construction Solutions teamadopted a risk-sharing model into its
existing long-term strategic agreement.

Collaborating on theoptimal operation

The product lines collaborated following
the principles of the Solutions Mindset,
a Baker Hughes project management

Challenges• Drill exploration wells withmaximum pay zone exposure incomplex formation• Develop drilling plan in new blockwith limited offset well data
• Experiment with new
Well Construction Solutions

Results• Successfully drilled two wells
below operator’s allocateddrilling days for exploration wells• Minimized torque and drag andavoided sag events to deliver astable borehole• Achieved 100% and 97.5% pay
zone exposure• Saved $250,000 USD and17.4 days of rig time in first wellbakerhughes.com

culture that creates customer-specificsolutions to drilling challenges. TheSolutions Mindset requires synergy
between multiple well construction
product lines to engineer seamlesssolutions for optimal outcomes.
The local Well Construction Solutions
team played an integral role in eachstage of the well construction process—from pre-well planning to drilling topost-drilling reviews.
Drawing on the application knowledgeof the global Well Construction Solutionsgroup, the local team developed anddeployed a full technology and service
package to improve drilling efficiency
and wellbore placement in theexploration wells:• AutoTrak™ Curve Pro / 6¾-in. Lucida
RSS + Navi-Drill™ Ultra Motor• Outstanding reservoir navigation fromthe Reservoir Navigation Services(RNS) team• Dynamus™ DD505VS andDD505VSX drill bits

• CARBO-DRILL™ oil-based drilling fluid• NANOSHIELD wellbore sealing polymer™

• LC-LUBE™ sized, synthetic graphite
At each stage, the integrated
team received real-time support
from Reservoir Technical Services,
Beacon Remote Support Center, andteam members from the Assembly
Maintenance Overhaul, RemoteOperations Services, Application
Engineers, and Sales andCommercial groups.

Efficiently drilling stablewellbores in target zone

The integrated Well Construction
Solutions team successfully drilled
two 8½-in. exploration wells under theaverage 45 drilling days for offset wells
as calculated by the operator. The firstwell was drilled to a target depth of
5,670 m (18,504 ft) in 28.57 days
(41% faster than the 45-day average)—saving $109,000 USD in rig time.
The second well was drilled toCopyright 2024 Baker Hughes Company. All rights reserved. 85274

5,540 m (18,176 ft) in 34.32 days
(29% faster than the average),saving $174,000 USD in rig time.
DCF’s high-density, oil-based fluid(with specific gravity of 2.10-2.30[17.52-19.19ppg]) successfully delivered
stable wellbores with no sag events andminimal torque and drag during drilling,tripping, running casing, and other
downhole operations.
The two wells achieved 100% and97.5% pay zone exposure, respectively.
Pleased with these results, the operator
awarded Baker Hughes a milestonebonus based on performance. Bothcompanies are exploring other drilling
opportunities for the Well Construction
Solutions team in future wells.

bakerhughes.com