Underbalanced Coiled Tubing Drilling: Delivering Well Production Safely in High H2S and Tight Gas Reservoirs, UAE
Authors: Khan Rao Shafin Ali , Molero Nestor , Alam Shah Sameer , Mishael Mohammad Basim , Basha Maged , Zia Arslan , Zhylkaidarova Sholpan , Abd El-Meguid Mohamed Osama , Al Ali Abdulrahman Hasan , Saleh Abdalla , Almazrouei Saeed Mohamed , El Shahat Ayman , Bin Sumaida Ali Sulaiman , Al Mutawa Ahmed Abdulla , Yousfi Fawad Zain , Almteiri Nama Ali , Baslaib Mohamed Ahmed , Mantilla Alfonso , Ladmia Abdelhak 
Published: September 2023

United Arab Emirates (UAE) is seeking to become self-sufficient in gas supply by 2030. This has led the country to initiate several exploratory and appraisal projects to achieve this goal. This study covers one such pilot project targeting production from tight gas reservoirs in three wells through a coiled-tubing (CT) underbalanced drilling (UBD) project in ADNOC Onshore.

CT pressure control equipment (PCE) was rigged up on top of production trees with wells already completed and cemented. A CT tower was used to accommodate the drilling bottomhole assembly (BHA) and eliminate risks related to its deployment. CT strings were designed to reach target intervals with sufficient weight on bit (WOB), suitable for sour environments, and able to withstand high pumping rates with mild circulating pressures. To address the hazards of H2S handling at the surface, a custom-fit closed-loop system was deployed. The recovered water was treated on the surface and reused for drilling to decrease the water consumption throughout the operations.

The plan was to drill 3 3/4-in. horizontal laterals in all candidate wells. Each well was completed with a combination of a 4 1/2-in. and a 5 1/2-in. tubing and a 7-in. liner. Five laterals were drilled across the three candidate wells targeting carbonate reservoirs with each lateral having an average length of ~4,000 ft. The achieved rates of penetration varied significantly from 15 ft/min to 30 ft/min while drilling through the various formations. Over the course of the pilot project, several challenges had to be addressed, such as material accretion on the CT string during wiper trips, treatment of return fluids having high H2S content and rock cuttings, and ensuring the integrity of the CT pipe while operating in severe downhole environments. Solutions and lessons learned from each well were implemented subsequently in the campaign, such as the use of increased concentrations of H2S inhibitor to coat the CT string, the use of nitrified fluids based on changing well parameters to maintain underbalance, thorough pipe management through real-time CT inspection, and adding a fixed quantity of fresh water to the drilling system every day to avoid chemical reactions between the drilling fluid additives and hydrocarbons. The wells completed with this method exceeded production expectations by 35–50% across the project while reconfirming the value of the technology.

The use of CT for UBD is still considered a challenging intervention worldwide. Such cases in high H2S environments are rare. This study outlines best practices for a CT UBD and a setup that can be replicated in other locations to implement this methodology with high H2S and when rig sourcing is a concern.