UNDERBALANCED-UNDERVALUED? Direct Qualitative Comparison proves the Technique! (2002)

Underbalanced-Undervalued? Direct Qualitative Comparison Proves The Technique! Giancarlo Pia; Giancarlo Pia Weatherford UK Ltd. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Tom Fuller; Tom Fuller Weatherford UK Ltd. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Thomas Haselton; Thomas Haselton UAB Minijos Nafta Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Ringys Kirvelis Ringys Kirvelis UAB Minijos Nafta Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, Dallas, Texas, February 2002. Paper Number: SPE-74446-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/74446-MS Published: February 26 2002 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Pia, Giancarlo, Fuller, Tom, Haselton, Thomas, and Ringys Kirvelis. "Underbalanced-Undervalued? Direct Qualitative Comparison Proves The Technique!." Paper presented at the IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, Dallas, Texas, February 2002. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/74446-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition Search Advanced Search AbstractUnderbalanced Drilling (UBD) techniques have been evolving since 1989 and have been justified and documented, mostly from a drilling engineering point of view, on the basis of improvements in drilling performance. Enhancements such as increased rate of penetration, reductions in lost circulation and virtual elimination of differential sticking have all been shown to have a significant impact on the associated costs. However, to date, there has been a comparative lack of documentation of the improvements attainable from a production optimisation and reservoir engineering aspect. Very little material has been published on well data enhancement, such as productive capacity, reservoir life and net present value, which proponents of UBD maintain should be major drivers towards its consideration in the early phases of the analysis of reservoir economics and modeling of well construction.This operator has committed to a campaign of drilling onshore wells, using UBD techniques for both drilling and completion, in a well-cemented, abrasive Cambrian sandstone reservoir. This formation is characterized by relatively poor porosity and horizontal permeability and a comparative lack of fracturing that would normally preclude it from consideration as a good candidate for UBD, though it does have a depleted reservoir pressure.The results obtained, in a safe and economic manner, have far exceeded operator expectations. By comparing two wells, one drilled using standard overbalanced drilling methods, the other, a very close offset well, drilled with UBD techniques, this paper will document an increase in well productivity in the order of twenty-five fold. It will go on to discuss the production increases obtained over multiple wells, 6 in total at the time of this publication, which have been limited only by the surface handling capabilities, highlighting the changes in field development planning that have resulted from the successful application of UBD techniques.IntroductionIn 1995 a Lithuanian - Danish joint venture UAB Minijos Nafta was established. According to the Gargzdai License Agreement, concluded between the Government of Lithuania and UAB Minijos Nafta, the company was granted an exclusive right to carry out exploration for, and production of, hydrocarbons within the Gargzdai License area in Western Lithuania. (See Fig. 1. for a general map of the license area).Within this area there are a total of 6 fields, most of which were discovered and partially developed in the period up to 1990 when Lithuania became independent, but were not exploited further due to the vast and more economically viable reserves hitherto available in the Soviet Union. The fields involved arePietu SiupariaiDegliaiPociaiSiupariaiVilkyciaiSakuciai Keywords: fracture, drilling, direct qualitative comparison, drilling fluid, completion, crude, lithuania, formation damage, reservoir section, drillstem/well testing Subjects: Drilling Operations, Pressure Management, Well & Reservoir Surveillance and Monitoring, Formation Evaluation & Management, Drillstem/well testing This content is only available via PDF. 2002. IADC/SPE Drilling Conference You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.