mar06-rss.

qxp

2/21/2006

9:25 AM

Page 12

ROTARY STEERABLES

RSS ready to open new worlds of drilling

THE GROWTH OF rotary steerable
applications, how fast and how wide, has
been unlike few technologies in the
industry. It hasnt been a decade since its
first commercial introduction, but dramatic advances in its speed and reliability have helped the technology win the
hearts and approval of many a drilling
engineer and operator management.
From re-entry wells in the North Sea to
high-tech ultra-deep wells in the Gulf of
Mexico, there seem to be no limit on
rotary steerables potential applications
and the savings in both rig time and
cost it can offer. DRILLING CONTRACTOR
spoke with a few rotary steerable
experts on its recent advances.

SCHLUMBERGER
Schlumberger began with a design
premise that a rotary steerable should be
just that it should be rotary. While
many people talk about push vs. point
the bit, the experts at Schlumberger say
it does not really matter.
We are much more inclined to talk about
everything rotating versus parts of the
system non-rotating, said Mike
Williams, Sales Manager for Drilling &
Measurements at Schlumberger. Our
design criteria is that everything exposed
to the wellbore must rotate. We believe
that you drill much faster if you have an
all-rotating system. The best analogy I
can use is its like sailing a yacht. If
everything rotates, youre sailing away. If
there are parts that dont rotate, its like
sailing with the anchor out.
Based on that concept, the company has
developed its popular PowerDrive X5*,
the mainstay of its rotary steerable fleet.
Since Schlumberger commercially introduced RSS in the late 1990s, it has seen
the technology grow tremendously in the
market.
Originally very niche, high-end tools that
were used only in the most difficult wells,
rotary steerables have rapidly become
the norm. In fact, according to Mr
Williams, more than a quarter of Schlumbergers total footage drilled is now
drilled with rotary steerables. That
amounted to more than 7 million ft worldwide last year.
The markets that adopted it first were
the high-technology ones like the North

12

The PowerDrive vorteXs high ROP helped an operator save 12 days of rig time in Alberta, Canada.
Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Today, we are
operating in all corners of the world,
from the west of China to US lands to
Brazil. There really are no holds barred.
Where we have operations, we have
rotary steerables, he said.
The reason for the explosive growth?
Besides being able to drill 30 percent to
50 percent faster, especially in directional wells, Mr Williams said, the leap forward in reliability has made rotary steerable almost comparable to conventional
motor levels, and when this is coupled
with the drilling efficiency gains, rotary
steerable technology is applicable in
almost all applications.
In land operations, for example, Mr
Williams has noticed dramatic increases
that are starting to rival offshore use.
The demand today in land work is outstripping the increase in offshore
demands, he said. Offshore is still a
higher percentage, but its slowly
evening out.
Rotary steerables used to be seen as
the domain of high-tiered operations
where you can justify the increase in
costs by savings, and drilling a couple
of days faster in land wasnt such a
big deal. Now, however, the risks of
rotary steerable technology has gone
down substantially. Additionally, the
drive isnt rig cost anymore its to
produce early oil. When people start
drilling, any tool that can be used to

D R I L L I N G

start producing oil and gas earlier is

desirable.
Since 2003, the company has also offered
PowerDrive Xceed, which can serve different niche markets such as multilateral
wells or deepwater because it does not
rely on interaction with the wellbore. It
simply directs the bit where it wants to go.
Its much more like using a traditional
steerable motor, he said, but you dont
have to slide, which is obviously the
advantage of rotary steerables. The
beauty is you can have very soft formations and by soft, I mean beach sand
and still be able to generate dogleg.
The reduced dependence of the steering
principle on wellbore contact also makes
the tool suitable for openhole sidetracking and steering in overgauge hole. Running with bi-center bits is another emerging opportunity for this type of RSS technology, particularly in deepwater where
we want to maximize the number of casing strings we can run, Mr Williams
said. It means that, for example, instead
of drilling an 8-in. hole from a 95/8-in.
casing, we can drill a 97/8-in. hole from 95/8in. casing, which means a much larger
casing can be run to provide for more
casing strings to get to the end of the
well.
Another advance at Schlumberger has
been its integration of rotary steerable
and traditional positive displacement
motor technology. Its power section con-

C O N T R A C T O R

March/April 2006

mar06-rss.qxp

2/21/2006

9:25 AM

Page 13

ROTARY STEERABLES
verts the hydraulic power of circulating
fluid to rotational torque, producing
higher rates of penetration.
In the past companies have experimented with just running a rotary steerable
with a normal motor on top. While it
worked, it didnt prove very reliable. So
now weve integrated the system as one,
Mr Williams said.
This system, which Schlumberger calls
PowerDrive vorteX*, has helped push
penetration rates up by an average of 50
percent. But we have seen increases of
as much as 300 percent, he added.
In Alberta, Canada, an operator drilled
long horizontal wells to produce gas. The
plan for one such well involved drilling
out of the surface-casing shoe with an
assembly capable of building inclination
to 15 degrees at a rate of 1 degree/30 m
(1 degree/100 ft) and then drilling a
2,260-m tangent section through steeply
dipping formations. The high ROP of the
powered RSS saved 12 days of rig time. It
also produced a smoother borehole than
a downhole motor and allowed casing to
be run quickly and easily. Compared with
experience in offset wells, this borehole
required 56 fewer hours of reaming.
About 15 percent of Schlumbergers total
RSS operations are now done with vorteX, which can be run with both PowerDrive X5 and Xceed configurations so
we have the best of both worlds. Mr
Williams predicts the power section of a
motor will become an integral part of
nearly all rotary steerables in the future.
However, ROP improvements dont help
much when penetration rates need to be
artificially limited because of data collection rates. To remove this bottleneck,
Schlumberger has developed its
PeriScope technology to allow for quicker gathering of data and real-time transmission to surface.
Removing this bottleneck is great for
petrophysicists and geologists, Mr
Williams said but theyre not the key.
The key is drillers can use it to maximize the potential of rotary steerables.

The markets that adopted it

first were the high-technology ones like the North Sea
and the Gulf of Mexico.
Today, we are operating in
all corners of the world,
from the west of China, to
US lands, to Brazil. There
really are no holds barred.
Where we have operations,
we have rotary steerables.
Mike Williams, Sales Manager for
Drilling & Measurements at Schlumberger

Being able to collect and transmit data at

four times the industry standard makes
a huge impact on our drilling speed. Its
given rotary steerables a whole new
lease on life.

INTEQ
At INTEQ, Product Line Manager Jon
Ruszka sees a world of untapped opportunities for rotary steerable technology,
and he thinks the companys AutoTrak
X-treme service is poised to tap them.
Slated for commercial release in the first
half of 2006, AutoTrak X-treme builds on
the AutoTrak G3.0 Rotary Closed Loop
System (RCLS), INTEQs already-proven
rotary steerable. It integrates the AutoTrak system with its proprietary X-treme
motor technology to provide power from
the performance drilling motor fully integrated with the steering capabilities of
its rotary steerable system.
Over the last two years, weve been
proving it in the North Sea, gaining experience and making sure it does what we
say it does before we formally launch it,
Mr Ruszka said. The company has been
working with a number of operators,
including Talisman, Maersk and Hydro
in proving the system across the North
Sea and some intense activity offshore
India with BG.

Schlumbergers PowerDrive Xceed does not rely on interaction with the wellbore. It simply directs the
bit where it wants to go.
March/April 2006

D R I L L I N G

The most visible benefit of the AutoTrak

X-treme is the improved ROP performance. Because the power is put down to
the drill bit, not all the power has to be
supplied from the top drive at surface.
The system is rated up to a total speed of
400 rpm, compared with 200 to 250 rpm
for most industry standard rotary steerables.
Having a total of 400 rpm available
means that we can put a high-power
motor down there and still spin the pipe
at a speed thats sufficient to clean the
cuttings out of the hole. But were not
having to spin the pipe at excessive
speeds just for ROP, Mr Ruszka said.
We can still spin the pipe at 150 or 180
rpm if theres another reason to do that
but we dont have to just to get ROP.
Compare this with a conventional rotary
steerable system with a standard rating
of about 220 rpm. By the time the motors
driving the system, theres not much
room left for rotating the pipe from surface. Thus, the pipe rotation that can be
supplied from the surface for the drill
string is very limited.
Since we essentially doubled the rpm
capabilities, were not bound by those
limitations of pipe rotation that most
existing rotary steerables are and
since power is derived from speed, we
can deliver a lot of power to the drill bit,
he said. Its the only high-speed rotary
steerable system available. Theres no
other system thats rated to 400 rpm.
Another benefit is the reduction in wear
on casing and drillpipe. A consequence of
using rotary steering drilling techniques
is that all the drilling is done in rotary
mode. Depending on the well trajectory
and especially in very complex or threedimensional wells, this can cause a lot of
casing wear, which can affect the performance of the well. This can cause
issues with completions in getting sealing elements to operate correctly. Continuous rotation for long periods at high
rpm also wears out the drillpipe a
major expense.
If the operator is using rotary steerables a lot, then that cost of wear to the
outside of the drillpipe itself can become
quite significant, Mr Ruszka said.
Drillpipe is expensive, and theres not
always a guaranteed supply of drillpipe,
especially when drilling activity is high.
Although the AutoTrak X-treme technology can find uses in many different
drilling operations, Mr Ruszka cited spe-

C O N T R A C T O R

13

mar06-rss.qxp

2/21/2006

9:26 AM

Page 14

ROTARY STEERABLES
cific types of operations where it would
give the most benefits.
First is extended-reach wells, where a lot
of energy can be lost by trying to supply
all the horsepower from the surface with
the top drive. In both India and Denmark,
he said, the technology has been used to
drill multilateral wells further than
theyve been drilled before.
Second is slimhole applications.
Although the system is available in all
hole sizes, from 17 down to 6-in. holes,
Mr Ruszka said INTEQ has seen additional benefits specifically in the 4-in.
version.
The risk of rotary steerable drilling in 6in. hole sizes, for example, is that you are
using smaller-diameter pipe, he
explained. Also, in 6-in. holes, you dont
really need very high rotary speeds to
agitate the cuttings for hole-cleaning. So
youre spinning a smaller-diameter pipe,
which is mechanically weaker, at high
speeds just to get ROP. And you really
dont have any other reason to be spinning the pipe that fast.
This increases the risk of overloading
the drill string, especially in complex
wells where it might already be getting
fatigue, and could cause a catastrophic
twist-off. The X-treme technology helps
by reducing the stress on small-diameter
drillpipe.
The technology also is advantageous for
re-entry wells on mature fields, such as
those in the North Sea, where additional
casing wear is very important because it
may already be worn or damaged. In
that aspect, Mr Ruszka said, they dont
have to be spinning the pipe so fast in
order to get ROP, because youre getting
ROP from the motor thats driving the
rotary steerable tool downhole.
There are also benefits in specific areas
such as those in the Central North Sea.
The Cretaceous Chalk formation in this
area has always been difficult to drill, yet
most of the reserves in that region are
underneath it in the Jurassic Sands. Normal rotary steerable tools arent effective
in this scenario.
In the past, when these fields have been
developed, wells were planned with simple well trajectories through the chalk,
so directional work gets done either
above or below the chalk. To do significant steering work in the chalk itself had
proven to be very difficult and costly.
Unfortunately, thats exactly what operators are now having to do in order to

14

INTEQ forecasts that technology such as the AutoTrak X-treme will enable operators to take on new
wells that couldnt be drilled even with standard rotary steerable tools.
reach remaining trapped reserves in
these very mature fields, some of which
started producing as early as the 1970s.
AutoTrak X-treme then becomes an
effective solution because it gives you
the ROP of motor drilling but you get the
steerability of the rotary steerable
method, Mr Ruszka said. You can drill
complex trajectories for new targets that
you wouldnt have been able to economically reach anymore. This maintains the
financial viability of keeping these
mature and declining assets alive in the
North Sea.
This is why weve focused our efforts
with AutoTrak X-treme in the North Sea,
and its working out really well, he
added.
The North Seas Cretaceous Chalk also
presents another type of opportunity
allowing operators to explore fields they
previously found challenging. Traditional reserves in the area are in the Jurassic Sands underneath the chalk, but
according to Mr Ruszka, there are
believed to be significant oil reserves in
the chalk itself. Especially in the UK sector, these opportunities for exploration
have been largely left untapped because
of the level of drilling difficulty and chal-

D R I L L I N G

lenges associated with chalk reservoir

development.
This technology is going to assist the
operators in reducing the risks of
exploiting reserves in the chalk, he said.
This is a technology that can at least
reduce the risk that people have of
drilling chalk reservoirs. The uncertainty in the drilling part can be removed,
and operators can focus on developing
the chalk reservoirs and draining the oil
in there.
Opportunities like this illustrate the vast
potential of the technology behind AutoTrak X-treme, he said.
In the decade since the original rotary
steerable tools were tested and produced, the technology has become a very
common way of drilling. Its all over the
world, and the demand is still on a very
steep growth pattern. Theres no sign of
that letting up, Mr Ruszka said.
Whats happening now is that instead
of being a replacement technology for
more conventional drilling techniques,
people are planning their wells around
rotary steerables. In the early days
when it was just being introduced, a lot
of the work it took up was pure replace-

C O N T R A C T O R

March/April 2006

mar06-rss.qxp

2/21/2006

9:26 AM

Page 16

ROTARY STEERABLES
ment work for steerable motors. But
now its grown a business of its own of
wells that cant be drilled without rotary
steerables.
And INTEQ predicts a similar thing will
happen with AutoTrak X-treme. Once
people get comfortable with the technology, there will be whole new wells that
could not be drilled even with standard
rotary steerable systems. They would
only be able to be drilled with the likes
of AutoTrak X-treme. Within 5 years,
we will see field development strategies
being designed around the AutoTrak Xtreme type technology, he said.
Of course, that doesnt mean it will ever
completely replace standard RSS tools
or conventional drilling techniques.
Its just a matter of tools in the toolbox.
You use the most appropriate tool for
your well, Mr Ruszka said. With this
new technology, even more challenging
wells will be drilled, allowing operators
easier access to otherwise stranded
reserves.

HALLIBURTON
At Halliburton, the company recognizes
the rapid growth of the rotary steerable
market and believes it has positioned
itself well for that growth. It has found
success by establishing its Geo-Pilot system as a RSS tool that can handle the
broadest range of formation types and
deliver consistent build rates through the
widest range of formation types, from
very soft to very hard, said Blaine
Comeaux, Global Marketing Manager
for Sperry Drilling Services, a product
service line of Halliburton.
We utilize extended-gauge bit technology from Security DBS Drill Bits as part of
the steerable system. The bit actually
becomes part of our geometry that yields
the curvature in the well. That has a
number of benefits for us, Mr Comeaux
said. This bit style has a strong tendency to remain on course when drilling
through hard streaks, interbedded formations and soft formations. It also does
a wonderful job of reducing vibration levels because the bit is so well stabilized,
and it consistently produces outstanding
hole quality. The result is a significant
reduction in trouble time throughout the
entire well construction process, not just
while drilling.
The primary benefit of the Geo-Pilot
system is the complete absence of downtime related to tool communication and
control. We can downlink to the tool

16

Any new tool, when its first introduced, will have a certain
number of things that need improvement. Theres been
constant refinement, but it is amazing how well the rotary
steerable tool has performed from Day 1.
Blaine Comeaux, Global Marketing Manager for Sperry Drilling Services

while on bottom, drilling ahead without

interrupting the drilling process. We call
it stealth drilling its virtually invisible to the drilling operation.
Mr Comeaux described the point-the-bit
tool concept as elegant. The system
points the bit by flexing an internal rotating drive shaft between bearings.
Because the mechanism is inside the
tool rather than outside, the tool is less
susceptible to the problems presented by
very soft formations or formations with
strong natural directional tendencies,
he said. Both point-the-bit and push-thebit systems work fine under most circumstances, but there are applications
where the point-the-bit system has a distinct advantage.
The company has also taken its tool to a
higher pressure rating. First we took it
to 22,000 psi and its going even higher in
order to address the ultra-deepwater
market that is developing.
The overall growth in the deepwater
market, especially in re-entry redevelopment drilling, is where Mr Comeaux sees
potential for rotary steerables further
expansion. The deepwater redevelopment market and huge horizontal drilling
market have driven Halliburton to develop an entire suite of RSS sizes, including
a new slimhole rotary steerable system
for 6-in. to 6 -in. holes.
The rotary steerable technology, on the
whole, is so much more efficient than
conventional steering with mud motors.
In offshore drilling, where the drilling
costs are so high, every form of optimization that you can employ is easy to justify, because time is worth so much in
deepwater operations. Wells with fairly
simple directional plans and even
straight sections of the wells are now
routinely drilled with rotary steerables,
he said.
The company is also incorporating a
motor into its Geo-Pilot system.
Were using our even-walled GeoForce
high-performance motors to deliver

D R I L L I N G

incredible amounts of torque to the bit

without having to rotate the drill string
at very high speeds, he explained. We
can still keep the bit spinning at very
high speeds to produce the fastest rate of
penetration while minimizing drillstring
rotation and the associated wear on casing and reducing the amount of wear and
tear on the surface equipment as well.
Another significant advance is the addition of a torsional efficiency monitor to
the Geo-Pilot.
We are monitoring the torsional efficiency of the drilling process at the drill
bit, Mr Comeaux said. The drive shaft
is screwed directly to the bit, so we can
monitor for any fluctuations of the bit
speed. That gives us a very effective tool
for detecting the onset of stick-slip and
allowing us to take evasive action.
Weve had a number of projects prior to
the introduction of the torsional efficiency monitor where stick-slip was severe,
and after the run, when the tools were
torn down, we saw signs of rotational
chatter. Without a downhole sensor to
monitor for this type of dynamic motion,
the tool can be damaged. But with this
new monitor, we can detect the problem
in real time. This will allow us to stay in
the green zone of operating parameters
and to avoid operating in destructive
conditions. That allows us to keep the
tool on the bottom drilling, which is what
our customers want.
There will continue to be RSS improvements at Halliburton, Mr Comeaux said.
Any new tool, when its first introduced,
will have a certain number of things that
need improvement. Theres been constant refinement, but it is amazing how
well the rotary steerable tool has performed from Day 1.
But the biggest challenge, according to
Mr Comeaux, has been just keeping up
with the market demand. We definitely
keep our fleet busy. Its been a challenge
keeping up with the demand because the
technology has caught on so quickly. I

C O N T R A C T O R

March/April 2006