First Look-Ahead VSP Guided Salt Dome Island Exploration Well Drilling in the UAE
Authors: Waqas Muhammad , Alkobaisi Abdulla Saad , Yahia Ashraf , Borland William H , Nawaz Muhammad Atif 
Published: December 2021

An exploration well offshore UAE, which was the first of it's kind, was planned to be drilled from an island and within salt dome. Well planning was based on a structural model that was estimated using coarse 2D surface seismic (with no line crossing planned well location) and gravity measurements. This model, therefore, had a large uncertainty as to the salt location and geometry. Concerns of potential drilling hazards associated with salt required utilizing the ability of borehole seismic to look-ahead of bit to image salt and direct the well such that it would be sufficiently far away from salt face.

Pre-job survey planning was first made assuming salt face to the northwest (based on gravity data) of wellhead and that the well would remain outside the salt. To ensure the well remains close, but not too close, Vertical Seismic Profile (VSP) was planned to include Salt Proximity Survey. Just prior to spudding, a surface core indicated salt was, in fact, southeast of wellhead, thus changing the objectives of VSP from locating how far away the well was from salt, to how soon will it exit salt. After survey modeling for four possible scenarios, Look-ahead Zero-Offset and Offset VSPs were acquired using vibroseis at the island, at each of four casing points and rapidly processed to guide drilling next sections.

In the 26" section, the well started drilling in salt and there was concern that there would be problems with casing design if the well did not exit salt before 4000 ft. A Zero-Offset and Offset VSP were shot for reflection imaging off the salt face. The survey indicated the salt face was approaching the well but at low rate (due to dip) to ensure an exit before 4000 ft. The well was deviated southeast and it exited the salt at 3620 ft. In the 17.5" section, a second run of Zero-Offset and Offset VSP were acquired indicating the salt face was still moving away from the well toward the northwest. In the 12.25" section, a third set of Zero-Offset and Offset VSP was shot. This survey confirmed the salt face was moving continually northwest and it was suggested the well deviate northwest to remain closer to salt. A large reverse fault was also clearly imaged and confirmed by drilling. In the 8.5" section, the well was drilled northwest at high angle as could be tolerated until it was TDed below target formation "A". The final set of Zero-Offset and Offset VSP results showed the salt was, at the level of formation "A", farther northwest than could be imaged by these VSP.

There has been little to no experience of drilling salt dome islands in Abu Dhabi. This paper demonstrated how look-ahead VSP guided exploration well drilling in the salt dome island. Out-of-the-box survey design and rapid turnaround processing successfully aided in imaging location of the salt face and allowed casing points to be made without having to plug back and sidetrack. Once out of the salt, VSP allowed the well to be drilled closer to salt without re-entering it.