ABSTRACT

Over the past few years, Saudi Aramco has achieved major
efficiency improvements while drilling and completing smaller
diameter hole sections. Such improvements provided sig -
nificant reductions in rig time, and consequently reduced the
overall operational cost. Less attention was paid to the upper
hole sections due to less exposure to third party rental tools
used in them. Offshore oil wells in Saudi Arabia recently
experienced major savings in the 28/22 hole section after
the successful utilization of the new gyro measurement while
drilling (Gyro-MWD) technology coupled with powerful
performance drilling mud motors.
The normal process was to drill the 22 hole section, of
+/- 1,050 ft, by running gyro single-shot surveys every 50 ft -
100 ft drilled until the well was in a safe path away from
other wells within its vicinity. After adopting the Gyro-MWD
system, along with a modified 22 bit and 11 performance
mud motor, the rate of penetration (ROP) increased by 82%,
thereby reducing the cost per foot.
The increase in the ROP resulted in an average savings of
0.9 days per well (6 to 12 wells per platform) at this stage of
drilling. In addition, the reliability of the gyro tool face from
vertical, even when inside the casing, provided confidence in
drilling operations, which facilitated an increase of the weight
on bit (WOB) leading to faster drilling, thereby improving the
overall ROP. Furthermore, eliminating the use of a wireline to
run surveys increased the safety of the operation.
The success of these 22 hole sections was substantial across
the board, since it was one of the challenging areas where major
improvements had not taken place before in several years.
This article will evaluate the new drilling practice in more
detail. It will also cover the conventional drilling and
operational practices, and the thorough planning stages that
resulted in these fruitful savings.
INTRODUCTION
Gyro measurement while drilling (Gyro-MWD) technology
was first introduced and utilized in early 2001 to replace the
gyro single-shot survey system for certain applications. Due to
the high equipment cost at the time, the Gyro-MWD
technology was not economical to run and the gyro single-
shot survey still dominated the market.
Nevertheless, with the recent surge in oil prices and drilling
operations, coupled with the limited supply of rigs worldwide,
it has caused rig rates to increase exponentially. All operating
companies are now looking to improve operation time and
reduce nonproductive time to optimize drilling.
BACKGROUND
Saudi Aramcos increased offshore drilling activities have given
rise to collision concerns. Offshore fields in the Kingdom are
congested, and new wells on the platform are planned within
close proximity of existing wells. Therefore, it has become
essential to practice good wellbore placement and management.
Historically, multi-well platform directional drilling has
presented unique challenges, especially in the initial drilling
phase. New wells must be carefully navigated around existing
wells and eventually steered clear of all magnetic interference
to the desired target. Figure 1 shows the well spacing between
each well on an offshore platform.
Because of the proximity of other wells, it is impossible to
use any magnetic based survey system in the top hole part of
the well. Therefore, gyro survey tools are normally used to
give the directional driller the azimuth and tool face data
required to orient the motor and steer it through this interval.
12 WINTER 2010 SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY
Use of Gyro-MWD Technology Offshore, a
Step Change in Drilling Performance in Saudi
Aramco
Authors: Bashaar A. Al-Idi, Hasan F. Al-Sarrani, Jeff Stewart, Abhijeet Sarka and Geoff Smith
Fig. 1. Well spacing and layout of offshore platform.
GYRO SINGLE-SHOT SURVEY
Gyro single-shot orientation tools, Fig. 2, are typically run on
the wireline into the well; the tool is seated above the motor or
a standard MWD system in an orienting sub to provide
orientation data. Normally, the gyro single-shot orientation
tool is run every 50 ft to 100 ft. This continues until the
wellbore clears the magnetic interference, which can take up to
10 or more runs during a complex kick off. Run time usually
averages 30 to 60 minutes per run, depending on depth. This is
in addition to the 30 minute average circulating time that it
takes to clean the hole prior to holding the string still and
running in with a wireline and the gyro single-shot tools.
GYRO-MWD TECHNOLOGY
The Gyro-MWD, Fig. 3, was developed so that the directional
driller could benefit from having the gyro sensor as close to the
bit as possible and have the ability to get fast gyro orientation
survey data real-time in minutes rather than the average 30 to
SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY WINTER 2010 13
Fig. 2. Gyro single-shot survey tool. Fig. 3. Gyro-MWD tool.
14 WINTER 2010 SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY
The rigging up and rigging down for wireline operations can
sometimes be dangerous as many incidents on the rig are
associated with wireline operations.
Another area of safety where Gyro-MWD has a major
advantage over the conventional gyro single-shot survey is the
avoidance of collisions. This new technology drastically
reduces the chance of a collision with existing wells in the
platform, and enables drillers to achieve an accurate and
smooth wellbore adhering closely to the well plan due to the
continuous survey information being obtained while drilling.
The directional driller does not have to drill 50 ft or so to get
a survey. The Gyro-MWD system is placed directly above the
motor in the bottom-hole assembly (BHA), which is
approximately 40 ft away from the bit. In contrast, the
conventional wireline gyro single-shot system is placed on a
universal borehole orientation (UBHO) sub above an MWD
tool, taking it 70 ft more or less away from the bit, leading to
less accuracy of reading and bit projection compared to the
Gyro-MWD technology.
WELLBORE GEOMETRY
Gyro-MWD technology also provides a better wellbore
geometer as the directional driller is not drilling 50 ft to 100 ft
blind as in the case of the gyro single-shot survey. The real-
time inclination and azimuthal readings result in drilling a
smoother wellbore profile with no unexpected left/right turns
or severe doglegs, Fig. 4.
60 minutes in the gyro single-shot survey case, saving
considerable rig time. The Gyro-MWD tool face in real-time,
while full survey data can be pumped to the surface after
3 minutes still time. Both gyro and magnetic readings can be
obtained, which can clearly indicate the clearance from any
magnetic interference existing in the wellbore.
GYRO-MWD SYSTEM VS. GYRO SINGLE-SHOT
SURVEY
As the Gyro-MWD technology emerged, it was essential to
understand what this technology can bring that makes it more
competitive and what the main applications are where it would
have advantages over the gyro single-shot survey. The best way
to introduce this technology is by taking an in-depth look at
the nature of both systems. A recent evaluation of each survey
tool was conducted in five main categories: safety, wellbore
geometry, rate of penetration (ROP), time savings and other
applications.
SAFETY
Safety of the platform, wells, rigs and the people operating on
the platform is without doubt the one concern that no one can
ignore. Gyro-MWD facilitates a much safer operation over the
conventional wireline gyro single-shot survey system. The gyro
single-shot survey necessitates wireline operations, which in
turn requires additional personnel and equipment on the rig,
including a wireline unit and the tools that operate with it.
Fig. 4. Spider plot of a surface section planned vs. the section actually drilled using Gyro-MWD technology on a 10 well platform.
The smoother well profile obtained by utilizing the Gyro-
MWD technology reduces problems in running casing freely
to the bottom, with more joints per hour being run. The
smoother profile with Gyro-MWD is evident when compared
to wells drilled with a conventional gyro single-shot system,
Fig. 5.
RATE OF PENETRATION
The gyro single-shot survey requires stopping and circulating
at regular intervals prior to running the gyro in hole to obtain
survey information. In these conventional operations, it is
essential to control the weight on bit (WOB) to avoid
excessive torque from the motor so that the wellbore does not
deviate un knowingly from the planned direction, thereby
limiting the optimum ROP that can be achieved.
With the Gyro-MWD systems ability to pump up
continuous survey data, these limitations are eradicated.
TIME SAVINGS
The Gyro-MWD technology has significantly contributed to
increased rig time savings. These savings are attributed to:
High ROP performance.
Negligible time spent obtaining surveys.
Elimination of standby time between connections.
Less time needed for reaming the hole and circulating.
Faster times for running casing and tripping in/out of
hole.
OTHER APPLICATIONS
Other applications for running the Gyro-MWD technology,
where the economics are better, include orienting and setting
whipstocks for sidetracking wells where regular MWD tools
are affected due to magnetic interference.
CONCLUSION
The initiative to utilize the Gyro-MWD technology produced
expected results. Gyro-MWD proved not only to be efficient,
but also to be beneficial in increasing the ROP performance
and improving the wellbore geometry. Also, the Gyro-MWD
system proved to be a much safer piece of equipment to
operate for both the wells on the platform and the
simultaneous operations on the rig. It eliminated the need for
any wireline equipment, extra personnel and riging up/down
wireline operations. As a result of less standby time for
surveys, the Gyro-MWD technology clearly achieved a smooth
penetrated hole. In conclusion, Gyro-MWD met Saudi
Aramcos goal and objectives to reduce rig time and optimize
operations in Saudi Arabia offshore fields.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank the management of Saudi
Aramco for permission to publish this article. Also, the
authors wish to thank the Saudi Aramco Offshore Drilling
Department, Halliburton Sperry Drilling and Scientific
Drilling for actively supporting this work and granting
permission to publish this article.
SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY WINTER 2010 15
Fig. 5. Spider plot of a surface section planned vs. the section actually drilled using a wireline gyro single-shot survey.
16 WINTER 2010 SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY
Abhijeet Sarkar works for Scientific
Drilling Controls Co. Ltd. in the
Business Development Department
where he is responsible for enhancing
revenues within the region by
evaluating new business opportunities
and targeting new clientele.
Abhijeet has 4 years of experience in the oil field
industry. In the early part of his career, he was assigned as
a Field Engineer to run conventional gyro services in the
Saudi Arabia district.
Abhijeet received his B.S. degree in Administrative
Studies from York University, Toronto, Canada, and his
M.S. degree in International Business from the University
of Wollongong, Dubai, U.A.E.
Geoff Smith is Head of Operations for
Scientific Drilling Controls Co. Ltd. in
Saudi Arabia. He has over 30 years of
experience in the oil field industry,
working in the Middle East, North Sea
and Far East. Geoff has vast
knowledge of the directional surveying
industry and is currently managing operations for the Saudi
Arabia and Bahrain districts.
Geoff studied Mechanical Engineering in the U.K. and
first joined Sperry Sun Middle East in 1976.
BIOGRAPHIES
Bashaar A. Al-Idi has been with Saudi
Aramco since 1998. He worked in
various operational field assignments
before being appointed a Drilling
Foreman in 2005. In 2009, Bashaar
moved to the Offshore Engineering
division to work as an Offshore
Drilling Engineer.
He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering
from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
Bashaar is a current member of the Society of Petroleum
Engineers (SPE).
Hasan F. Al-Sarrani joined Saudi
Aramco in 1997, working as a Drilling
Engineer for both onshore and
offshore operations. In 2008, he
became acting Supervisor for the
Offshore Exploration Drilling
Department, and then in 2010, Hasan
became an Offshore Drilling Supervisor.
Jeff Stewart has been working for
Sperry Drilling since 1998. He began
working in 1978 in the offshore
drilling industry in various positions,
ultimately as a Night Tool Pusher. Jeff
has worked in the field, principally in
Saudi Arabia and previously in Oman.
He is currently a Directional Drilling Coordinator with the
primary responsibility for offshore operations with Saudi
Aramco.