Geosteering

The Art of Well Placement

Well placement is the combination of the right technology and expert log analysts to complement the drilling process to position wells that intersect the best pay zones efficiently, safely, and on time. This combination helps maximize hydrocarbon recovery, postpone water production, and extend well life. Accurate well placement improves the long-term and short-term performance of wells.

As advertised in Hart's E&P, the PeriScope bed boundary mapper has optimized well placement in the Permian Basin when used with PowerDrive RSS. For more of the story, read the industry article and case study.

Well planning

Experts use a detailed 3D mechanical earth model (MEM) constructed of all available data—including 3D seismic, geophysical logs acquired by wireline and LWD, and drilling event analysis. The developed MEM supports drilling decisions that include well trajectory, casing points, mud window, and potential drilling risks. This model can be continuously updated with real-time data from services such as PeriScope bed boundary mapper.

Geosteering operations

Real-time monitoring and adjustment of well trajectory ensure that your well objectives are met. Acquisitions services such as PeriScope, geoVISION, and PZIG LWD help identify reservoir boundaries even in thin, dipping and fractured reservoirs. Changes in the geological structure compared to the original models are identified and then incorporated into the 3D reference model used to update the well path while drilling. These updates also use all drilling data being acquired to continually control the geomechanical environment, in the MEM, through drilling parameters to provide a highly accurate, smooth, and in-gauge borehole to optimize measurement quality. PowerDrive rotary steerable systems deliver all this and more.

The process involves a complete team of experts from various disciplines located in an Operation Support Center (OSC) or client offices by using InterACT data transmission.

Evaluation

The final phase brings together all the data gathered during the drilling operations to update the geological and drilling models. By capturing the lessons learned in this way, subsequent wells can be more effectively placed in order to optimize production.