Oil Country Tubular Goods

Recent key advances in drillstring technology

Field use onshore and offshore has proven performance of relatively new 5-7/8-in. drill pipe in challenging wells. Design factors are overviewed for the drill pipe and important new deepwater casing landing strings

 Mike L. Payne, BP E&P Technology; Brett Chandler and Michael J. Jellison, Grant Prideco; and Jeff Shepard, GlobalSantaFe

 New developments in drilling tubulars are enabling continued advancements in drilling deeper, longer-reach wells more cost effectively. Field performance of the relatively new 5-7/8-in. drill pipe is presented. Since late 1999, more than 58 strings of 5-7/8 in. have been manufactured and successfully used to drill ERD, deepwater and ultra-deep HPHT wells in the South China Sea, Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Caspian Sea, offshore Trinidad, Wyoming and onshore Columbia. 

 This optimized drill pipe size has improved penetration rates and significantly shortened drilling curves. The article also presents key technologies including metallurgical and manufacturing advancements that have yielded high-strength, high-toughness drill pipe. Finally, deepwater casing landing strings are also now challenged with critical application requirements that are leading to project-specific landing-string designs.