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Abstract
This report presents a detailed description of a cooperative work with Halliburton. Halliburton is among the worlds largest oilfield service companies with operations in several countries and over 100,000 employees. The company basic roles are directional drilling and measurements while drilling. The cooperative work consists of a fieldwork, workshop, and application of theories learned at the University. My role was a service field engineer, and I worked in various place in the Kingdom, which included Hardh, Shdgm, alhwayh, Othmanieh to Qatif for a period of three months and half. In the first chapter, I will shortly cover Halliburton, its various departments, and the work plan. The second chapter explores critical aspects of drilling and measurements while drilling technology. The third chapter covers aspects of directional drilling, which includes the description of data collection strategies while drilling. In chapter four, I focus on case studies that I experienced while working with the company. The first case study presents calculations from my courses and how they are applied based on engineering concepts used in drilling processes. The next case study explores common failures and challenges that take place during drilling operations and their solutions.
Company Identification
Halliburton
Halliburton was established in 1919. Today, it is one of the world largest service and product providers in the global oil and gas industry. The company employs over 75,000 workers spread across 80 countries, which represent 140 nationalities (Halliburton, 2013). Halliburton has grown significantly due to the focus on innovation and rapid expansion. The company has divided the Middle East into four geomarkets based on their various features regarding operational, technological, and reservoirs. Halliburton has classified Saudi Arabia has an independent geomarket or a strategic area.
The company has built its organisational structure in a way that promotes the use of the local expertise in order to focus on unique local reservoir challenges, logistical, and supply requirements (Halliburton, 2013). This strategy has led to the companys success in Saudi Arabia. Employees expertise, best technologies, and collaboration among teams in geology, reservoirs, geophysics, completions, and drilling have facilitated efficiency in the company (Halliburton, 2013).
The company has several divisions that specialise in the oil and gas industry. It is a leader in the oil and gas field with all services and products required. Its major divisions consist of Drilling, Coring, Cementing, Fluids, Drilling bits manufacturing and wire line. My Cooperative assignment involved working at the drilling division at Halliburton. The main units in this division include directional drilling, measurements while drilling, and logging while drilling. Section B of the coop report presents these units.
Departments
Halliburton has two critical areas of operations. The first section is the non-conventional drilling or directional drilling (DD). The DD involves controlling and changing the course of the drilling process through various geological layers in order to ensure a complete drilling of the reservoirs depth. The mud motors design and their working mechanisms relate closely to the DD process. DD has dominated the oil field industry because vertical wells require efficiency in drilling. One major advantage of the DD is its application and importance in the oil migration through formations and the need to achieve optimal production during well drilling.
Another main area is the measurements while drilling (MWD). Measurements while drilling has several sub-categories. MWD process involves real-time transmission of information while drilling in order to capture real-time data for decision-making purposes. It also focuses on drilling tools in order to ensure safe and efficient navigation processes through formations without any failures. MWD provides detailed information regarding natural features of the formation. The MWD sensors can indicate whether there is oil or not in a formation. It can also avoid hard formations, which normally cause corrosion and erosion on drilling equipment.
Coop Work plan
Basic Concepts about Drilling
Mud System
Mud is a terminology that refers to the fluid used in drilling procedures. The fluid has several roles and benefits. As a result, mud has become the leading fluid in all drilling processes across the world. Initially, mud is presented in the form of water, which is applied in cuttings from effects of drilling bits. However, changes in technologies have resulted in production of superior fluids to replace water. Mud has several applications in the drilling processes, which include:
- Cooling and lubricating bits
- Carrying cuttings and shreds
- Maintaining hydrostatic pressure in order to avoid formation from collapse while transmitting data
- Driving motors with power to the bit
- Identifying types of formation
- Preventing wear and extreme temperatures at the lower ends of the hole
Categorisation of mud depends on its weight, components, and viscosity. Hence, there are oil-based mud, water-based mud, and KLC polymer-based mud among others. Pumping of mud involves the use of three high-pressure triplex pumps ME311 . This process raises the mud to the gooseneck, which is an attached hose at the upper part of the rig floor. The suspended gooseneck ensures that the mud reaches the top of the drive and then it flows to the down hole. The mud jets through the bit nozzles at a high pressure of up to 8000 psi. High pressure ensures that the bit can cut and crush the formations and then go back via annuals with cuttings and shreds. Mud has high costs. As a result, there is a need to reuse the fluid again. There are two stages of cleaning the mud through shale shakers. The first stage involves big cutting elimination while the second stage involves elimination of small cuttings. This is a continuous process of pumping the mud. The company has developed a BHA table to guide all operations for optimum performances.
Bottom Hole Assembly
Prior to the identification of the process, it is important to explain technical terms for drilling tools, which involve the BHA bottom hole assembly. BHA is the tool composition for the drilling string. The BHA tool components consist of the drilling bit for drilling the earth formations. There are two categories of bits. The roller cone bit is made from steel, and it is mainly for slow efficient drilling. Conversely, fixed cutter bits come from polycrystalline diamond compact bits, PDC. They are effective for fast drilling in hard formations.
Roller cone bits crush formations as they drill, whereas fixed cutters drill by shearing formations (illustrated in fig. 1). Nozzles supply the mud that softens the drilled formation while shock subs absorb the shock that originates from the bit due to hitting formations. There is also a mud motor, which the report shall cover thoroughly in later sections. The third component is a non-magnetic collar, which stops steel parts from interfering with the magnetic field due to the sensitivity of sensors. The fourth component is the MWD, which is linked to the BHA. Stabilisers are also parts of the components, and they foil the axial and lateral vibrations. Stabilisers have fins, which are positioned in a manner that ensures that BHA remains in a central location. The system also has a heavy weight drill pipe (HWDB), which engineers can fix and assemble in the rig just like the drilling bit. The HWDB stops the pendulum effect that happens in drilling processes in the vertical hole. BHA assembling involves the use of crossover subs. Crossover subs have different thread designs to match with the different types and sizes of pipes. Drilling collars are pipes that freely allow the mud to flow through them. Drilling collars also maintain the whole tension of the BHA and provide a weight on bit. The weight on bit refers to the aggregated load added to the drill string in order to provide momentum for the crush formations. The rate of penetration reflects the instant velocity of bit and drill string.
Powering Drilling Process
All drilling processes have two types of power found in the drilling string, which include the BHA arrangement and drilling collars. The power rotates the entire drilling string by the use of the attached rotary table on the rig flower. The rotary table consists of an electrical motor with a high-speed of rotation, which drives the drilling process. Mud flow also supplies power to the drilling process, but this power only drives the drilling bit and the mud motor.
Measurements While Drilling (MWD)
MDW is an electromechanical gadget, which is applicable in the guiding process and collecting data during the drilling procedures. The main role of the MWD is to collect and transfer the required data during the drilling process. MWD consists of traks, which have various sensors for different functions. Traks in the system have different features and designs, but they all share a common elementary sensor known as the survey sensor.
Survey Sensor Directional Navigation
The original MWD specifically served the role of collecting and transferring data. However, sophisticated sensors have emerged to include other roles. The main role of the survey sensor is to provide the location of the BHA, which involves inclination and Azimuth coordination. Inclination shows the degree or the extent to which the BHA has deviated from the vertical angle while Azimuth shows the BHA angle in relation to the magnetic north axis and tools axis. Survey provides effective way of guiding the drilling process of the wellbore. Survey enhances how drillers develop high side or drop low side angles. Survey devices consist of an accelerator and a magnetometer, such as Gx, Gy, Gz, Bx, By, and B . The accelerator has an inclination reading in m/s2 while the magnetometer Azimuth reading is in the form of micro tesla. However, the Azimuth requires a correctional algorithm in order to eliminate errors that originate from the true north magnetic pole, which interferes with the survey readings.
Gamma Sensor
All processes of the earths formations bear elements of radioactivity radiations in different quantities. The sensor can determine the type of the formation, such as dolomite, sand, and coal. Generally, oil deposits are in the sedimentary rocks. However, the litho logy of the formation is likely because of the availability of various isotopes in minerals like potassium and uranium linked with them (as shown in figure 2 by the American Petroleum Institute). The system depends on a crystal emitting light, which flashes and interact with the gamma rays. A high voltage multiplier captures the flashes for amplification to the electrical current.
Resistivity sensor
A resistivity sensor is an electrical resistance of the current flow impedance. Generally, most of the earths formations have perfect insulators. However, the earths formations with salt water in ionic bonding that contains clay minerals lack qualities of perfect insulators. The resistivity sensor searches for the true sensitivity, Rt. This process involves electrical emission via an electrode (collar), which returns later after an emission. It applies Ohm law.
R= KV/I ohm
- k is the geometrical factor of the emitting electrode
- V voltage measured between electrode and formation, and the current, which result in the same resistivity
Resistivity sensor helps in identifying shallow gas and percentages of hydrocarbons.
Vibration Sensor
The drilling process entails many vibration activities. This leads to the need for another sensor. MWD reading is prone to interference from the vibration, and there is a need to avoid vibration as much as possible. This is a valid stick slip sensor. Normally, there are three common types of vibration. First, there is the axial vibration x and y. This type of vibration results from the increase in WOB beyond the recommended level, and it can cause BHA failure. The second type of vibration is the lateral vibration, which is potentially risky than the axial vibration. This type of vibration requires a stabiliser in order to avoid failure. Finally, the stick slip (SS) is the most dangerous type of vibration. It is common in the drilling process. Stick slip happens when the tool rotates and stops for a given period while the bit rotates in the opposition direction. SS causes mechanical stress (torsion) on the drilling pipes and make them to stick in the formation, i.e., the BHA cannot move either up or down in the drilling process. It can also cause the formation to collapse. Stick slip could also result from stick formation, which takes place when it exceeds the bit lifetime, in low torque and high mud weight. In case SS happens, engineers can adopt two methods to handle it. First, they can apply the safest method of picking up the BHA and stopping the drilling process. The second option involves enhancing the WOB in order to pass the formation with high ROP.
Other services In MWD and Traks TM names
Trak is a name that accompanies different services offered in drilling processes. In order to avoid complexity, it is imperative to abbreviate them. The coop work involved working with the Navi-gamma trak, on trak, Litho trak, and Azi trak. Hence, this report provides in depth accounts of these traks. The following table provides other traks and their features. These traks can also be combined in the BHA sensors in order to enhance their efficiency and effective results.
Table 1: Halliburton trak services