Category Archives: Software Solutions
Here We Go Again, Folks!
Since the last issue of ERD Magazine, our friends at OPEC have started making some very subtle noises that they may be just about done trying to bankrupt themselves (and everyone else in the process…), and IF that is the case, it may be time for our clients to dust off all of those projects that have been on a shelf since the end of 2014, and take another look at them. I can’t speak for everyone in the Horizontal/ERD, wellbore stability/geomechanics or deepwater drilling fraternities, but I can say that many of us aren’t expecting too much for the remainder of the year; maybe Q4(?). If we do get back to drilling, who’s going to actually do it? We’ve laid off half of Houston, it seems, and I’m hearing Aberdeen isn’t much better off… I know I’ve had to lay off, folks – nothing for it, to be honest. Luckily, they were top-notch ERD hands, and were able to, unbelievably, find something IN THE INDUSTRY, when many others were cleaning out their desks and lockers. Can I get them back? I sure hope so; those are going to be some tough phone calls… Maybe we’re about to get back at it.
Horizontal Stress Modeling
Wellbore Stability and Horizontal Stresses
“I paid to send the entire crew to a 5-day ERD practices class, had an engineering study done, and put ERD hands on my rig — and I still got stuck!”
Maybe you have another problem, one that conventional ERD companies don’t address…
HXR Drilling Services’ Geomechanics Division provides solutions for wellbore stability uncertainties. Instability issues can be avoided by developing a geomechanical model based on data collected from regional offset wells using JewelSuite™, a 1D and 3D subsurface modeling platform. JewelSuite™ modular software platform is made up of PressCheck™ and WellCheck™, and is commonly used with another stress modeling program, call SFIB™. One essential function of the geomechanical model is to define stresses to avoid instability issues. This allows drilling personnel to develop a sound drill plan with the best mud weights, drill trajectory, and casing design.
Calibrating Accurate Models
Crucial in drilling trouble-free wells
Q: What does the model say the answer is?
A: What do you want it to be?
Remember that one time you put together a wellbore model, ran it, and found that SPP, ECD, Hookload and Torque matched the actual values your rig team reported to you later on that day exactly?
Yeah, I don’t remember that ever happening either.
When designing a well, particularly when modeling Torque, Drag, Hydraulics, and Swab/Surge, we use the best inputs available. Proposed BHA’s straight from the DD coordinator, pilot-tested mud properties for the additives desired, pipe spec sheets right from the vendor themselves. We put it all together, and it doesn’t match the actual values.
It’s not supposed to – models are made to be calibrated.
HXR’s Geomechanics Division
Providing Solutions to Pore Pressure and Wellbore Stability Issues Encountered While Drilling
HXR Drilling Services Geomechanics Division can provide solutions to pore pressure and wellbore stability analysis uncertainties for stable wellbore trajectories and determination of optimal mud weights.
A calibrated regional area, using analogue wells, can provide sufficient data to study subsurface pore pressures and to analyze characteristics contributing to wellbore instability. After collecting data, a pore pressure 1-D model and a wellbore stability (WBS) model can be generated based on client goals and data availability.
When it comes to Drilling Software, you can’t always get what you want…
Or can you?
This week, I’d like to talk about drilling software. There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes to designing, or even choosing, drilling engineering software. The first is to try to cobble as many different capabilities as possible into one big package; a “jack of all trades, master of none” mentality. The other is to focus on modularity – a specific team of programmers and software designers focus upon one specific element of drilling engineering that they are expert in, say Temperature Modeling, and build a module for that. Many of these modules share setup files, so that a well set up in one module can be transferred and used as a base file for another module – saves a lot of BHA reentering… I bet everyone reading this has an opinion, one way or the other, on which way to go is best; I also bet it is a strong opinion!
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Introducing ERDPro® Extended Reach Drilling Engineering Software
ERDPro® is the oil and gas industry’s most advanced modular software suite for horizontal, deepwater and extended reach drilling operations. Created in partnership with Pegasus Vertex, Inc., it includes well design planning and advanced drilling engineering modules integrated with calibrated field data inputs to yield the most accurate modeling predictions available. Perfect for planning wells, ERDPro® is equally well suited for use, on the rig, during the drilling phase of the operation, to help predict changes in downhole conditions. With the recent release of ERDPro® 2.1.2, our software offers more capability than ever before, allowing our on-site Drilling Specialists to quickly calculate and monitor baseline trends in real time. Any deviations from established trends can be identified, evaluated and addressed before major issues arise.