Use of Wired Drill Pipe, Along-String Measurements, and Advanced LWD Imaging Enhances Wellbore Condition Understanding and Improves Well Delivery Time, While Telemetry-Optimized Ultradeep Resistivity Measurements Enable Precise Geological Well Placement
Authors: Pink Stephen , Horstmann Mathias 
Published: April 2024

Objectives/Scope

Wired Drill Pipe (WDP), distributed measurements, and associated technologies have been deployed on the Norwegian Continental Shelf for many years. Recently, operators have sought to leverage enhanced logging-while-drilling (LWD) technology and high-speed telemetry to deliver optimized trajectories geometrically and geologically while not compromising on wellbore stability awareness. Lately, the combined use of advanced LWD and WDP has enabled several operators on the Norwegian Shelf to deliver near perfect well delivery times and reservoir results.

Methods, Procedures, Process

Operators in Norway face numerous challenges in well delivery, from losses to structural uncertainty to wellbore instability due to shale mobility and uncertainty regarding fluid boundaries. To address these, operators combine best-in-class LWD measurements, along-String measurements, and wired high-speed telemetry. By leveraging advanced ultradeep resistivity measurements and improved telemetry, a broader spectrum of measurements was feasible in real time. This enabled optimized inversion development with minimal interpolation, and improved decision accuracy and wellbore placement. Distributed pressure measurements, high-resolution resistivity, and acoustic wellbore imaging gave operators a clearer understanding of the wellbore stress distribution, drilling-induced phenomena, and overall wellbore conditions allowing safe delivery of the wells.

Results, Observations, Conclusions

High-frequency time-based data and pumps on/off continuity are prime during drilling. Formation evaluation data benefits from the completeness of a memory-like data set streamed by WDP. This enables interpretation and inversion-based workflows usually only possible with recorded tool data and in an accelerated timeframe. Such a real-time data torrent, including raw and waveform channels, eases trending and artificial intelligence (AI)-supported approaches. In recent projects, novel and emerging LWD tools were globally interconnected for the first time to WDP, whilst maintaining bottom hole assembly (BHA) design flexibility. WDP assured the needed high volume real-time data flow was delivered, including the latest high-resolution multi-physics borehole images, the state-of-the-art azimuthal deep electromagnetic reservoir mapping technologies, and LWD fluid sampling and mapping, alongside advanced conventional petrophysical logs (Triple Combo, NMR - Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and Multipole Sonic) The introduction of WDP has allowed LWD subsurface formation evaluation data to revolutionize real time well placement leveraging advanced data analytics. This assures success in the first attempt and minimizes timescales and the operational footprint. WDP additionally enables instantaneous control of compatible tools, be that for rotary steerable system control or modifications to the data flow and opens future opportunities for real-time customization of tool functionality.

Novel/Additive Information

Today high-fidelity data enables significant improvements in the statistical reliability of complex inversion models. At first glance, the visual difference between mud pulse telemetry (MPT)- and WDP-driven LWD results is negligible. Still, a clear understanding of the complex methodologies allows for an appreciation of the improved accuracy and refinement. This improved accuracy and data volume will further allow development of autonomous well placement protocols.