Offline cementing drives savings and efficiencies

Fig. 1. While multi-well pad drilling has become popular across North American basins, because it reduces the time and expense of traditional extraction methods, these operations still have problems that need attention, particularly NPT.

Drilling rigs traditionally are time- and cost-intensive. This is why they are being replaced increasingly by multi-well pad drilling operations across North American basins. Indeed, multi-well pad drilling has become popular, because it reduces the time and expense of traditional extraction methods, Fig. 1.

MULTI-WELL PAD ADVANTAGES

Instead of taking several days and several hundred-thousand dollars to build multiple four-acre locations to drill, complete and produce horizontal wells; assembling and disassembling a rig; and moving it from one well site to the next, multi-well pad drilling allows operators to tap into different layers of shale at various levels of the subsurface at one time, from one location. The ability to drill several wellbores from just one drilling pad allows multiple reservoirs and formations to be reached far more efficiently and cost-effectively.

Multi-well pad drilling enables operations to be completed in batches, which significantly reduces expenses. For example, simultaneously perforating one well and running wireline on another dramatically reduces well evaluation and completion cycle times. Companies now spend approximately $3,000/hr on these operations, which is a $7,000/hr cost-savings over previous conventional methods.

MULTI-WELL PAD DISADVANTAGES

While multi-well pad drilling offers many advantages, operators are often constrained by traditional ways of doing things that prevent them from reaping the full benefits of multi-well pad drilling. Thus, E&P companies do seek to improve the overall economics of these operations.

The greatest downside of multi-well pad drilling is the very common experience of increased expenses, particularly in the form of non-productive time (NPT), created by field crews waiting on-site, on the clock, to perform their activity. Such delays in production, coupled with increased planning, can increase the complexity—and labor costs—of multi-well pad drilling.

This is why it’s essential to examine which operations can be taken off the critical path, in an attempt to reduce costs without negatively impacting the overall economics or cycle time of the operation. Removing activities from the critical path can not only increase efficiencies, but also generate significant cost savings by enabling simultaneous operations.

A NEW SOLUTION

New approaches that drive down NPT can help operators access new cost-savings and efficiencies. Taking cementing offline presents a viable option for operators to reduce NPT, maximize drilling efficiency, and lower costs.

Fig. 2. The Offline Cementing Solution is a tool-free, 8-min. setup that eliminates BOP configuration adjustments, and which has shown an ability to substantially reduce NPT and operating costs.

Accordingly, Weir Oil & Gas has introduced a new, Offline Cementing Solution that gives operators back valuable drilling time, as it removes cementing from the critical path. It has demonstrated that it can generate substantial reductions of NPT and operating costs, Fig. 2.

The Offline Cementing Solution incorporates Weir’s Quick Connect (WQC) for a tool-free setup in 8 min. BOP configuration adjustments are unnecessary, and testing isolation in the backside of the well is possible for greater security and well integrity.  Field crews can be managed with pinpoint accuracy to reduce costs. Operators using this solution in the field have saved as much as 11 hours of NPT and $38,000 per well.

Weir’s Offline Cementing Solution can be performed with both surface and production casing. During this process, the open-hole section is drilled, and casing is run to the total measured depth, to hang in the wellhead. The operator then skids the rig to the next well and rigs up to drill the next open-hole section. While the rig is setting up on the next well, cementing can be performed on the previously drilled well section. This greatly reduces costs.

South Texas case study. The experience of a South Texas E&P operator demonstrates how effective and cost-efficient offline cementing can be. The operator suffered a significant amount of NPT while its crews waited on cement to set. In response, Weir designed and installed its Offline Cementing Solution for the well’s production casing. The compact, reliable, and safe system met cellar height requirements and attached to the company’s S-29 Lock Ring wellhead.

The tool-free, 8-min. setup eliminated the need for BOP configuration adjustments. With the system, the operator had the ability to enable testing isolation in the backside of the well for greater security and well integrity. Once installed, the company’s cementing crew successfully connected its cement head to the system and completed the cementing operation.

The Offline Cementing Solution saved the South Texas operator between 8 and 10 hr of cycle time and approximately $32,000 per well. The system also enabled the operator to eliminate the typical NPT that results from waiting on each crew to complete each operation. 

As companies examine ways to improve economics, technologies that automate costly, inefficient activities are especially valuable. This case study shows that eliminating the NPT that results from crews waiting on-site to perform their jobs can be a source of dramatic savings.

CONCLUSIONS

Automations like offline cementing are helping companies withstand competitive pressures by creating a healthier bottom line. It’s an example of how thinking in systems, rather than silos, can identify improvements that can transform an entire operation. Offline Cementing is one of those transformative improvements, with the potential to set new standards in efficiency for pad operations.