WorldOil

Best practices for salt drilling in the Gulf of Mexico using rotary steerables

Anyone who has drilled through salt sections knows that it can be boring—no pun intended. Logs obtained while drilling salt draw straight lines, so geosteering is out of the question. About the only incentive is to get through the salt as quickly as possible and without incident to tap promising strata lying beneath. Operators focused on the bottom line may say, “Pick up the cheapest BottomHole Assembly (BHA) you can and get through the salt as economically as possible. If the well plan calls for directional drilling, use a steerable mud motor. Just get it done.”