2010 CADE * CAODC Drilling Conference Guide

2010 ca d e ● caod c

Drilling conference guide CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF DRILLING ENGINEERS • CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF OILWELL DRILLING contractors

Innovative Solutions for Unconventional Challenges A Stimulating Conversation Water Issues A Challenge For Unconventional programs

Back to Basics

Directive 10 Sets Casing Requirements Studies in Innovation Pg.26 Weatherford Rotary-Steerable System (RSS) EDSI 4G Oil-Based Mud System Top-co Casing Cementing Equipment

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Telus Convention Centre, Calgary, Alberta

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2 0 1 0 CA D E ● CAO D C D r i l l i n g C o n f e r e n c e

Bill Whitelaw President & CEO bwhitelaw@junewarren-nickles.com Agnes Zalewski Publisher azalewski@junewarren-nickles.com Stephen Marsters Editorial Director smarsters@junewarren-nickles.com Dale Lunan Editor dlunan@junewarren-nickles.com Marisa Kurlovich Editorial Assistance proofing@junewarren-nickles.com Michael Gaffney Print, Prepress & Production Manager mgaffney@junewarren-nickles.com Audrey Sprinkle Publications Manager asprinkle@junewarren-nickles.com Rianne Stewart Publications Supervisor rstewart@junewarren-nickles.com Aimée Barnabé, Lynda Harrison, James Mahony, Darrell Stonehouse, Gord Wagner, Paul Wells Contributors Tamara Polloway-Webb Creative Services Supervisor tpwebb@junewarren-nickles.com Cristian Ureta Graphic Designer cureta@junewarren-nickles.com Creative Services Alanna Staver production@junewarren.com Rob Pentney Director of Sales rpentney@junewarren-nickles.com

2010 cade●caodc drilling conference

contents conference information

5

Welcome Letter & Executive Committee

7

CADE and CAODC Welcome Letters

9

Technical Committee

10 Conference Schedule 12 Keynote Speaker 14 Conference Sponsors 33 Rig Guide

features

15 Drilling Rig Activity 16 A Stimulating Conversation

A synopsis of vital drilling statistics for western Canada

Water usage and contamination concerns are an emerging challenge for unconventional gas and oil fracture stimulation programs

20 Back to Basics

New ERCB Directive 10 requirements for casing design applies to all Alberta wells

23 Let’s Not Make ‘Dead Time’ Deadly

Maurya Sokolon Sales Manager—Magazines msokolon@junewarren-nickles.com

Nick Drinkwater Account Manager ndrinkwater@junewarren-nickles.com

studies in innovation

Elizabeth McLean Ad Traffic Coordinator—Magazines atc@junewarren-nickles.com Ryan Mischiek Marketing/Trade Show Coordinator rmischiek@junewarren-nickles.com Cristian Ureta Marketing Designer cureta@junewarren-nickles.com Calgary: 2nd Floor, 816-55 Avenue N.E., Calgary, Alberta T2E 6Y4 Tel: 403.209.3500 Fax: 403.245.8666 Toll-free: 1.800.387.2446

Using Journey Management tools to ensure safety on the road

service firm claims its rotary steerable cuts a 26 Oilfield cleaner wellbore combines 4G oil-based mud system with dryer 29 EDSI technology to reduce fluid costs and drilling times company finds niche in cementing 31 Edmonton equipment

Edmonton: 6111-91 Street N.W., Edmonton, Alberta T6E 6V6 Tel: 780.944.9333 Fax: 780.944.9500 Toll-free: 1.800.563.2946

Neither CADE, CAODC, or CADE●CAODC Drilling Conference take any responsibility for the statements, references, or facts printed within this document that may have been written in error and are released from any liability in this regard.

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Photo: Christina Ryan

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CA De ● CAOD C EX ECUTIVE COM M ITTEE

Front row, left to right: Gord Wagner, Kim Barton, Alice Skoda, Doug Hollies Back row, left to right: John James, Mark Scholz, Scott Erickson, George McHardy, Patrick Murphy, Ron McCosh, Jason Tiefenbach Missing: Larry Smith

O

n behalf of the 2010 CADE●CAODC Conference Executive Committee, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 14th CADE●CAODC Drilling Conference at the Calgary Telus Convention Centre.

You may have heard that due to the increasing popularity of this conference, we required this larger venue to accommodate twice as many impressive case studies as we had in the 2009 conference. There will be two concurrent sessions running throughout the day, covering completions innovations, directional and managed pressure drilling, and operational integrity.

The submissions this year are inspiring illustrations of collaboration between operator and service organizations and a sincere thank you to those contributors who have extended the opportunity to us to learn from their examples. It is this generosity in our community that makes us all strong in this highly competitive global landscape. Please consider you own participation in our conference next year!

Also be sure to visit www.drillingconference.ca, which is designed to provide better access to information and enable our delegates to have a voice in how this conference continues to develop. Take a look after the conference for access to presentations, current media, and an opinion poll in which you can provide us with feedback—we are interested to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Sincerely, Doug Hollies 2010 CADE●CAODC Conference Coordinator

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HigH PerFormance

HigH Value PRECISION DRILLING PRECISION WELL SERVICING PRECISION DIRECTIONAL SERVICES C O L U M B I A O I L F I E L D S U P P LY LIVE WELL SERVICE LRG CATERING ROSTEL INDUSTRIES PRECISION RENTALS T E R R A WAT E R S Y S T E M S

Precision markets a fleet of over 350 technically advanced land drilling rigs and 200 service rigs, along with strategic support services including directional drilling services, snubbing, oilfield equipment rentals, worksite accommodation and wastewater treatment. For more than 50 years, Precision has been building strong relationships with customers by focusing on doing the job safely, on time and on budget. W W W . P R E C I S I O N D R I L L I N G . C O M 1 . 4 0 3 . 7 1 6 . 4 5 0 0

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CA DE W ELCOM E

W

elcome delegates, speakers, students, and volunteers to the 2010 CADE●CAODC Drilling Conference. I have the privilege to co-chair this year’s event with my colleague and co-chair George McHardy. It is with great excitement and pride that CADE and CAODC have come together again to bring our industry an exceptional technical conference.

This year’s theme, Innovative Solutions for Unconventional Challenges, will deliver a quality program for people to enjoy and learn from.

The success and delivery of the annual conference, this year, last year, and next year, will always be the result of the hard work of our executive committee. It isn’t easy to volunteer this amount of time when we are continually asked to do more with less at work. Your efforts are applauded, and on behalf of CADE and our peers, I thank you.

I would also like to thank the speakers and presenters. I believe the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin has the quickest, most flexible, and continually evolving group of well construction people in the world because of your case studies, willingness to share, and innovation.

This year also achieves another milestone for CADE. Our industry continually strives to provide our well construction practitioners with opportunities to further educate and learn new technologies and practices or even the basic ABCs of drilling and completions for new industry professionals.

CADE is excited to offer two valuable technical courses during the two days following the conference. Extended Reach Drilling and Practical Rock Mechanics for Engineers will be delivered by top industry professionals and will be of great value for our participants.

As always, the conference committee provides a keynote address for the luncheon for all of us to enjoy. This year is no exception, as the feature keynote speaker is Peter Tertzakian, chief energy economist of ARC Financial Corporation and bestselling author of A Thousand Barrels a Second: The Coming Oil Break Point and the Challenges Facing an Energy Dependent World.

In closing, I would like to say, enjoy. This day will prove to be valuable on many levels. You will learn, you will network, and you will gain a sense of pride in our industry. I look forward to meeting, networking and the beginning of another successful year for the 2011 executive committee.

CAOD C W ELCOM E

A

s the 2010 CADE●CAODC Drilling Conference gets underway, I would like to welcome the participants, guests, and guide readers to this important event. CAODC takes great pride and pleasure in partnering with CADE to undertake the drilling conference. It is a highlight in our calendar and a notable event for the proponent community in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

As we move through 2010, the industry is more optimistic that we will see improvements in investment and drilling activity. A very important part of that outlook is founded upon past and current improvements to our drilling/ completions technology. The future of a vibrant industry in western Canada is contingent on that focus continuing.

We are very hopeful that you will find the conference to be interesting and rewarding. Thank you for attending.

Sincerely, Don Herring President, Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors

Respectfully, Patrick Murphy, P.Eng. President, Canadian Association of Drilling Engineers

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Photo: Christina Ryan

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TEC H NICAL comm i t t e e

Clockwise, from front left: Ronald McCosh (Co-Chair), Jeff Arvidson, Murray Krausert, Marty Muir Middle: Mark Scholz (Co-Chair) Missing: Peter Diaconescu, Ron Isinger, Jim Rau, Karen Roett, Ryan Schoenhals

c on f e r e nc e co mm i t t e e s This event would not be possible without the help of the dedicated individuals who volunteered their time and effort to ensuring the success of this year’s conference.

Executive Committee

Technical Committee

George McHardy, Conference Co-Chairman (CAODC), Nabors Drilling

Mark Scholz, Chair, CAODC

Patrick Murphy, Conference Co-Chairman (CADE), Newpark Drilling Fluids

Ron McCosh, Co-Chair, Volant Products Inc.

Doug Hollies, Conference Coordinator, Codeco Energy Group

Jeff Arvidson, Devon Canada

Kim Barton, Assisting Conference Coordinator, Weatherford Canada Partnership

Peter Diaconescu, Canadian Forest Oil

Scott Erickson, Registration Chair, Apex Oilfield Services (2000) Inc.

Ron Isinger, Precision Drilling

John A. James, Education Chair, Ziff Energy Group

Murray Krausert, Beaver Drilling Ltd.

Ron McCosh, Technical Co-Chair, Volant Products Inc.

Marty Muir, Husky Energy

Mark Scholz, Technical Chair, Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors

Jim Rau, ConocoPhillips

Alice Skoda, Finance Chair, Summit Tubulars Corporation

Karen Roett, Suncor Energy

Gord Wagner, Advertising and Sponsorship Chair, Summit Tubulars Corporation

Ryan Schoenhals, Tenaris Canada

Larry Smith, Advertising and Sponsorship Co-Chair, Crest Consultants Ltd. Jason Tiefenbach, Conference Keynote Speakers Chair, Evraz Inc. NA

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2010 CA DE ● CAOD C con f e r e nc e s c h e du l e Wednesday, May 26, 2010 7:00 a.m. Registration Opens and Continental Breakfast 7:45 a.m. Theatre Doors Open 8:00 a.m. Opening Remarks - Conference Chairmen George McHardy, Nabors Drilling; Patrick Murphy, Newpark Drilling Fluids

Keynote Presentation Dan McFadyen, Chairman and CEO, Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board

Conference Overview - 2010 Conference Coordinator Doug Hollies, Codeco Energy Group

Alternate Presentations

Laboratory Testing of Primary Cementing Equipment: Contributions of State-of-the-Art Technology to Mature Testing Practices Greg Andrigo, Top-Co LP; Alfredo Sanchez, Top-Co LP

Sour Hydrocarbons & Rubber Degradation Overcoming the Elastomer Challenge Melanie Clark, Katch Kan Ltd.; Quinn Holtby, Katch Kan Ltd.

CALGARY: Perry Englot (403) 693-8584 EDMONTON: Andrew McPherson (780) 409-7223

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Session I Risk Management, Planning & Safety Sponsored by: Savanna Drilling

Session II Managed Pressure Drilling Sponsored by: Strata Energy Services Inc.

Session Chairmen: Ron Isinger, Precision Drilling Corporation; Ron

Session Chairmen: Jeff Arvidson, Devon Canada Corporation; Karen Roett,

McCosh, Volant Products Inc.

Suncor Energy Inc.

8:45 a.m.

The Dingman #2 Well Abandonment: The Final Chapter of a Historic Well’s 100 Year Life Kary Cuthill, Lionhead

Successful Launch of Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) in South Wapiti/Red Rock - Alberta Bernard Jones, ConocoPhillips Canada;

Engineering (A CCS Company)

Raymond Litwin, ConocoPhillips Canada; Hassan Malik, ConocoPhillips Canada

9:15 a.m.

Drilling Performance Benchmarking and Offset Analysis A Systematic Approach

Application of Managed Pressure Drilling Techniques for Optimization of Canadian Forest Oil Ltd.’s Foothills Drilling Program Peter Diaconescu, Canadian Forest Oil Ltd.; Brian McGregor, Canadian

Syed Hammad Zafar, Schlumberger

Forest Oil Ltd.; Kevin Schmigel, Weatherford Canada Partnership

9:45 a.m.

Reduction in Risk and Increase in Efficiency Relating to Regulatory Drilling Rig, Service Rig, and Snubbing Unit Inspections

New Technical Limit Achieved in the Ojay Field Sadig Aliyev, BP Canada Energy Company; Raymond Nanan, Schlumberger; Syed Hammad Zafar, Schlumberger

Tim Deschner, Husky Exploration and Production Services; Ron Findlay, Husky Exploration and Production Services; Ben Snyman, eCompliance Management Solutions Inc.

10:15 a.m.

10:45 a.m.

Networking Break Sponsored By: Beaver Drilling Ltd. Operator & Contactor Collaboration = Success in Safety Mike Doyle, Silverstar Well Servicing Ltd.; Martin Mudryk, Suncor In Situ

11:15 a.m.

Multiphase Performance Drilling Reduces Suncor’s Foothills Drilling Costs Alek Ozegovic, Weatherford Canada Partnership;

Drilling and Completions

Bob Staysko, Suncor Energy Inc.

Drilling into the Unknown: Putting Everything on the Line When Failure is Not an Option Daniel Jalbert, Pradera Resources

Successful Application of RSS in a Highly Nitrified Mud System Clint Chase, Schlumberger Oilfield Services; Syed Hammad Zafar Schlumberger

Inc.; Sean Johnson, Schlumberger

11:45 a.m.

12:00 p.m.

1:15 p.m.

Technical Sessions Close No Host Reception Keynote Luncheon - Peter Tertzakian, Pulse of the Western Canadian Oil & Gas Industry Sponsored By: Ensign Energy Services Inc. Tickets for this event must be purchased in advance.

Session III Completions

Session IV Directional Drillling

Sponsored By: Evraz Inc. NA

Sponsored By: AKITA Drilling Ltd.

Session Chairmen: Marty Muir, Husky Energy Inc.; Jim Rau,

Session Chairmen: Kim Barton, Weatherford Canada Partnership; Murray

ConocoPhillips Canada

Krausert, Beaver Drilling Ltd.

A Novel Approach to Multi Zone Completion Technology in Horizontal Wellbores Using Burst Port Collars in a Liner String Natasha Kostenuk, Trican Well Service Ltd.; Steve Scherschel,

Drilling a Better Pair: New Technologies in SAGD Directional Drilling John Person, Halliburton Group Canada; Chad Zimmer, Statoil Canada Ltd.

Trican Well Service Ltd.; Scott Sherman, Trican Well Service Ltd.

1:45 p.m.

Increasing Production in North Eastern B.C. Montney Wells Kyle. Klam, SAIT Petroleum Engineering Student

Canadian Operator Uses Low Cost Vertical Drilling System to Reduce Well Construction Costs and Improve Wellbore Quality Larry Comeau, Departure Energy Services; Reg Pekham, NAL Resources; Daniel Robson, Departure Energy Services

2:15 p.m.

2:45 p.m.

Networking Break Sponsored By: Cummins Western Canada - Calgary Innovative Steam Injection Well Completion Designs Samaria Oil Field, Mexico Norman Cooper, North Point Drilling

Lessons Learned From Implementation and Application of Real Time Remote Drilling Ryan Quigg, Weatherford Canada Partnership

LLC; Mark Lee, Oil Tech Service Inc.; Roy Lee Jr., Oil Tech Service Inc.; Michael Lombard, Industrial Technology Management, Inc.

3:15 p.m.

Wellsite Geochemistry - New Analytical Tools Used to Evaluate Unconventional Reservoirs in the Wattenberg Field, Colorado Brandon Binford, Encana Oil & Gas (USA); David

New Technology Approach for Coil Tubing Drilling in Shallow Gas Wells Darren Drake, Baker Hughes INTEQ; Harsimran Parmar, ConocoPhillips Canada

Hill, Encana Oil & Gas (USA); Diego Ortiz, Weatherford International Ltd.; William Paul, Encana Oil & Gas (USA); Tim Ruble, Weatherford International Ltd.; Mark Tobey, Encana Oil & Gas (USA)

3:45 p.m.

Technical Session Closes

Closing Remarks - 2011 Conference Coordinator Kim Barton, Weatherford Canada Partnership

4:00 p.m.

Closing Reception Sponsored By: Nabors Canada

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keynote speaker

Peter Tertzakian is chief energy economist of ARC Financial Corporation and bestselling author of A Thousand Barrels a Second: The Coming Oil Break Point and the Challenges Facing an Energy Dependent World.

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Passionate about the history and direction of energy in society, Tertzakian blends three decades of experience in geophysics, economics, technology, and finance to constantly analyze energy trends. Over the years his prescient advice to corporate leaders, policy-makers, and students has earned him many accolades for his work, including an asteroid in his name.

He began his career in 1982 as a geophysicist before moving to the financial sector in 1990.

He joined ARC Financial in 2002; is a member of the company’s executive, investment, and strategy committees; and represents ARC Financial on the board of Nexterra Systems.

He has an M.Sc. in Management of Technology from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pursued post-graduate studies in econometrics at the University of Southampton, and has a B.Sc. in Geophysics from the University of Alberta.

Always questioning the consensus view, Tertzakian writes a weekly journal called ARC Energy Charts, and he is often quoted or seen in the media (including an appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), and is a sought-after speaker at events around the world. His new book, The End of Energy Obesity: Breaking Today’s Energy Addiction for a Prosperous and Secure Tomorrow, is now available in bookstores worldwide.

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conference sponsors

Thanks to all our sponsors who made this conference possible through their generous support and contributions.

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Drilling rig activity A synopsis of vital drilling statistics for western C anadA

AVAILABLE DRILLING RIGS Total number in western Canada

2007 2008 2009 2010

925 900 875 850 825 800 775 750 725 700 675 JAN

FEB

MAR APR

MAY JUN

JUL

AUG SEP

OCT

NOV DEC

2007 2008 2009 2010

RIG UTILIZATION Per cent active in western Canada 100 80 60

PER CENT

40 20 0 JAN

FEB

MAR APR

MAY JUN

JUL

AUG SEP

OCT

NOV DEC

2007 2008 2009 2010

RIG UTILIZATION

Total number drilling in western Canada 800 700 600 500 400 300

100 0 JAN

FEB

MAR APR

MAY JUN

JUL

AUG SEP

OCT

NOV DEC

15

SOURCE: G.WAGNER

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A Stimulating Conversation Water usage and contamination concerns are an emerging challenge for unconventional gas and oil fracture stimulation programs

by Darrell Stonehouse

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“As we use this technology in more parts of the country on a much larger scale, we must ensure that we are not creating new environmental and public health problems.”

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chairman, House Committee on Energy and Commerce

T

he combination of drilling long horizontal wells and using multi-stage fracturing to open up tight oil and gas reservoirs previously uneconomic to develop is revitalizing the North American oil and gas industry.

The technique has radically altered natural gas exploration and development, adding decades of new supplies to what was a declining inventory. It has also added billions of barrels of new tight oil supply and is now being used to capture leftbehind resources in mature fields.

But the multi-stage fracturing revolution comes with a downside—increased water usage and worries about contamination from additives to fracturing fluids. In the United States, the issue has already become a political football. And the rumblings are now starting in Canada as shale gas development moves into more populated areas and multi-stage fracturing is applied to existing oilfields.

Canadian oil and gas companies are looking for innovative technologies to mitigate water concerns before they become a significant problem.

In the United States, multi-stage fracturing is undergoing major scrutiny. The state of New York has placed a virtual moratorium on drilling into the promising Marcellus shale play in western areas of the state until it completes an environmental review.

As shale gas development has spread across the country, the U.S. Congress Energy and Commerce Committee has launched an investigation into the impact of massive fracture programs.

“As we use this technology in more parts of the country on a much larger scale, we must ensure that we are not creating new environmental and public health problems,” committee chairman Henry Waxman said in announcing the investigation in February. “This investigation will help us better understand the potential risks this technology poses to drinking-water supplies and the environment, and whether Congress needs to act to minimize those risks.”

In March, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it was launching a $1.9-million study looking at fracture stimulations. The study is expected to take two years to complete.

“Our research will be designed to answer questions about the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on human health and the environment,” says Dr. Paul T. Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development.

For its part, industry doesn’t seem overly worried about the scrutiny. In response to the EPA study, Regina Hopper, president and chief executive officer of America’s Natural Gas Alliance,says industry is confident the EPA’s effort will prove hydraulic fracturing is safe. ➔

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“Hydraulic fracturing has been refined and improved over the past 60 years and has been used safely on more than one million U.S. wells,” says Hopper, whose organization represents upstream gas producers. “We are confident that a scientific and data-driven examination will provide policymakers and the public with even greater reassurance of the safety of this practice.”

In Canada, there has been less government focus on fracturing, but environmentalists are beginning to agitate against the technology.

The British Columbia Environmental Network (BCEN) is campaigning for a ban on horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing, claiming the technology represents a step-change from more conventional operations.

“While drilling an old style conventional gas well would use a few thousand gallons of water, and little to no chemicals, by contrast an unconventional deep horizontal shale gas well uses between two and nine million gallons of fresh water,” the BCEN argues. “Only one per cent of the ‘slick water’ fluid volumes being chemicals may seem insignificant, but one per cent of the two [million] to nine million gallons of water used per well becomes between 20,000 and 90,000 gallons of chemicals used for each wellsite.”

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers is well aware of the public’s concerns about water use. In late January, Devon Canada environmental advisor Brent Moore outlined oil and gas producers’ understanding of the issues.

Moore said the public is worried about water shortages in many areas of western Canada. They are also concerned water injected underground is lost forever, adding to the fear of shortages. And they are worried drilling and completion practices contaminate groundwater.

He adds the public believes that “water is more important than oil and gas,” and says because of this, “there is pressure for industry to reduce or eliminate water use.”

While much of the focus in Canada has been on water use in the oilsands, attention is beginning to turn to the use of water for hydraulic fracturing in shale gas operations, he noted.

“Fracture intensive equals water intensive,” he explained, adding the industry is seeking alternatives to fresh water use to answer the challenge.

Moore pointed to a recent shale well at Dunvegan drilled

by Devon as one method to reduce fresh water usage. The well used produced water from a nearby plant for the fracture treatment, making it the first produced water frac job in Alberta.

Encana has also been testing recycling systems for produced water in the Horn River. The company believes if it can recycle water in the remote shale field it could save up to $500,000 per well in trucking and disposal costs.

In the United States, where shale gas development is more mature, Devon has taken more intensive steps to reduce fresh-water use in the Barnett shale in Texas.

The average multi-stage fracture stimulation in the Barnett uses around four million gallons of water. Devon Energy has

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20 09 C ADE ■C AODC Drilling Conference

been using an innovative mobile water treatment system developed by Calgary-based Aqua-Pure Ventures to recycle fracture water since 2005. Called the Nomad 2000, the system uses a mechanical vapour recompression process to distill fracture flow-back water while removing the contaminants. The system basically boils off the water and as the steam evaporates, it is distilled. The contaminants are left behind in a concentrate that can be disposed.

Devon has used nine units to date, and reports the AquaPure system has saved over 400 million gallons of water in the Barnett, supplying between 10 and 15 per cent of water for its shale gas operations.

In March this year, Aqua-Pure announced its Texas subsidiary Fountain Quail Water Management had signed a contract to buy treated effluent from the City of Weatherford to further supply water for Barnett operators.

The plan is to pipe the water to producers rather than trucking it in.

Encana has also been investigating water recycling technologies in the Barnett. The company has been testing water distillation, osmosis membrane technology, and chemical-based systems and is also looking at direct flowback water re-use.

Answering the contamination question is more difficult.

Moore says provincial drilling regulations protecting groundwater are strict, and extend to cover the new fracturing technologies. Surface discharge of produced water is illegal, and

water must be injected into disposal wells. Industry is working on alternatives to using water, he says, but it will take time for emerging technologies to be commercialized.

In shallow areas like the Colorado shale play in eastcentral Alberta and Saskatchewan, water is not being used for fracture stimulation. Stealth Ventures has used 100 per cent nitrogen gas to fracture and place proppant in the 80 wells it has drilled into the Colorado. The company is also testing a new propane fracturing system provided by Gasfrac Energy Services. The system uses gelled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in place of the water and chemicals in slick water fracs.

The LPG used in the process is highly soluble in formation hydrocarbons. Unlike conventional treatments where as much as half of the carrier remains in the reservoir and hinders well performance, virtually 100 per cent of the LPG can be recovered.

The Gasfrac technology has been used by Delphi Energy in a number of multi-stage fractured wells in the Hythe area of northwestern Alberta with success. It has also been used to fracture a shallow shale well in the Utica play in Quebec and in a well for Corridor Resources in New Brunswick. The Corridor well, in which two intervals were fractured at a depth of around 2,000 metres, flowed at a restricted rate of 4.1 million cubic feet per day.

“These results represent the first significant flow of natural gas from the Frederick Brook formation, and are encouraging for future horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing of this large unconventional resource play,” Corridor Resources president Norman Miller said.

All The Right Reasons

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Back to New ERCB Directive 10 requirements for casing design apply to all Alberta wells

by Gord Wagner, P.Eng, Summit Tubulars Corporation

E

nergy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) Directive 10 (D10): Minimum Casing Design Requirements applies to all wells to be drilled in the Province of Alberta. This article outlines some of the basic steps presented in D10 that need to be considered in casing design. Areas covered are well category table for sweet, sour, and critical sour wells; material selection; simplified method; alternative design method load calculations; and summary. Readers should download ERCB Directive 10 from the ERCB’s website at www.ercb.ca, as many references will be made to the actual D10 document.

Critical sour well service classification is outlined in ERCB Interim Directive 97–06. There is a discrepancy within the industry as to what hydrogen sulphide (H2S) content threshold should be used to determine when sweet well service should be considered sour well service. In ERCB D10, sweet well service is for wells with partial pressure H2S < 0.3 kilopascals (kPa). Sour well service is for wells with partial pressure H2S ≥ 0.3 kPa. Please see D10 Appendix D for partial pressure definitions. Each casing string section must be checked for sweet, sour, or critical well service and designed accordingly.

Sweet service casing material must meet the requirements of API 5CT/ISO 11960 or proprietary grades can be used that meet D10 Section 1.5 requirements. Sour service casing material must meet the requirements of D10 Appendix B, which outlines additional constraints to 5CT/ISO 11960 requirements. IRP critical sour spec casing can be used for all wells in Alberta and can be substituted Appendix B sour service material.

Licensees must ensure the suitability of the casing and pressure-rated accessories for each specific application for the life of the well. Surface casing must be designed for sour service if the licensee drills into a sour zone prior to setting the next sour service casing.

What about all of the existing API 5CT/ISO 11960 compliant materials purchased or manufactured prior to the issuance of D10? Section 1.3.1, Materials Not Meeting Requirements of Appendix B, states existing API 5CT/ISO 11960 materials that do not meet the requirements of Appendix B may be used for noncritical sour service if: • purchased or manufactured prior to Sept. 22, 2008, • the H2S concentration < 1.00%, then the burst design safety factor (SF) is ≥ 1.30, • the H2S concentration ≥ 1.00% but less than 5.00%, then the burst SF is ≥ 1.35, • the H2S concentration ≥ 5.00%, then the burst SF is ≥ 1.40, • materials can be tested as described in D10 Section 1.3.2.

Material Selection (D10, Section 1.3)

Simplified Method (D10 Section 2)

Critical sour service casing material must meet the material requirements of Industry Recommended Practices (IRP) Volume 1 Critical Sour Drilling, Section 4, Casing Design and Metallurgy.

The Simplified Method is a slight modification to design criteria previously specified in Directive 10 (formerly Guide 10), dated September 1990.

Well Category Table for Sweet, Sour, and Critical Sour Wells (D10, Section 1.4)

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Basics PHOTO: joey podlubny

For surface casing, the minimum burst design factors are 1.0 for sweet well service and 1.25 for sour well service. The minimum burst design load (kPa) is five times the setting depth (mTVD) of the next casing string. For surface casing, the collapse and tension design factors and assumptions are the same as for production casing.

For production casing, the minimum burst design factors are 1.0 for sweet well service and 1.15 for sour well service. No allowance is made for external pressure. The minimum burst pressure design load is the maximum potential formation pressure that the casing will be exposed to. The minimum collapse design factor is 1.0. The collapse design load should be calculated using the actual drilling fluid gradient. The minimum collapse design gradient is 11 kPa/m.

The minimum tension design factor is 1.6. No allowance is made for buoyancy. The lesser of the pipe body yield strength or the joint strength (connection parting strength) must be considered as the casing minimum tensile strength.

Alternative Design Method (D10, Section 3) The Alternative Design Method allows the licensee to use a detailed engineering approach to determine the design loads and the casing capabilities. A series of Alternative Design Method tables are shown for surface casing (Table 3.2.1), protective intermediate casing/protective liner (Table 3.2.2), and productive intermediate casing/productive liner (Table 3.2.3).

There are several differences between the Simplified and Alternative Design Methods. For collapse design, there is no longer a minimum collapse design gradient. For burst design, the minimum required design factors range from 1.1 to 1.25, depending on the partial pressure of the H2S and CO2 . The minimum

tension design factor is 1.75 for API connections and 1.6 for pipe body yield strength or premium connections with metal-to-metal seals. Buoyancy using the pressure multiplied by pipe body area method is allowed.

Either the Simplified Method or the Alternative Design Method can be used for any casing string. It is this author’s opinion that the Simplified Method will be the more widely used casing design approach. The Alternative Design Method will be used when a more detailed engineering approach is required to meet all the minimum design factors.

Summary • All wells to be drilled in the Province of Alberta must meet ERCB Directive 10 (D10): Minimum Casing Design Requirements.

• The well category table in Section 1.4 must be used to determine if the casing string service is sweet, sour, or critical sour service, and the appropriate loading conditions, minimum design factors, and material specifications are used.

• Casing material must meet Section 1.3 material selection requirements. For non-critical sour service, casing material must meet the D10 Appendix B requirements or IRP 1.4 casing can be substituted in. Existing API 5CT/ISO11960 casing that does not meet D10 Appendix B requirements can be used if it the casing meets the requirements of the Section 1.3.1.

• Either the Simplified Method or the Alternative Design Method can be used for the any of the casing strings.

Gord Wagner is Technical Manager at Summit Tubulars Corporation in Calgary. He can be contacted at (403) 232–6066 or gordw@summit-tubulars.com.

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Let’s not make

‘dead time’ deadly

Using Journey Management tools to ensure safety on the road

by Aimée Barnabé

When my friend Colin got up yesterday morning his day looked a little like this: 6 a.m.: Woke up after five hours of restless sleep.

Skipped breakfast because there was nothing appealing in the fridge anyway.

Called his girlfriend to tell her he loved her and couldn’t wait to see her the following week.

6:30 a.m.: Departed his acreage near Calgary to pick up colleague in Red Deer.

8:00 a.m.: Drove 130 kilometres an hour and arrived in Red Deer in under 90 minutes.

Picked up colleague, filled up his truck, bought an energy drink to give himself a pick-me-up.

Drove to Edmonton.

During the drive: He talked to his colleague, fielded three calls from his girlfriend and two work calls, programmed his GPS with the coordinates for the work site he was travelling to, and found

the new track to play for his colleague on his MP3 player.

9:30 a.m.: Arrived at site in under 90 minutes, despite the lowlying fog that hung in the air for most of the trip.

Worked on the assigned project for eight hours.

5:30 p.m.: Picked up fast food in the drive-thru to eat on the way home.

Drove the 326 kilometres, aimed into the sun for the first half of the trip with 60 kilometre an hour crosswinds for the second half.

During the drive: He changed radio stations half a dozen times and called his girlfriend to pass the ‘dead time’ during the routine journey.

9:15 p.m.: Arrived home. Completed paperwork for 45 minutes.

Did laundry and watched TV to unwind.

1 a.m.: Went to bed and got some rest for the next day that would look a lot like the last one. ➔

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Okay…so the scenario is a little staged, but how far off from the average person working in the oil and gas sector is it really?

How many pieces of Colin’s little routine are we guilty of, and what are the consequences? By the way, Colin is a real person—Colin is really his name—and he has done all of the things I described above. He is still with us, amazingly enough, but he is re-evaluating some of his choices now.

The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) Land Transportation Safety Implementation Task Force has some advice for our friend Colin.

Its website states that “driving-related accidents are the single largest cause of fatalities in exploration and production related operations. Since 1998, OGP member companies have reported

systems like little TV sets built right into the dash. Satellite radio so that you can have any music or talk radio station you desire right at your fingertips.

They are all great tools, but are we using them appropriately? Most people would say no. According to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation’s 2002 Road Safety Monitor, 40 per cent of Canadians believe distracted driving is a serious problem.

In a 2004 survey by Safer Calgary, 89 per cent of Calgarians expressed concern with drivers using cellphones.

There are several types of driver distractions: visual (looking at GPS monitor), auditory (carrying on a conversation with a passenger or on the phone), physical (eating, drinking, changing radio stations), and cognitive (lost in thought).

PHOTOs: joey podlubny

Journey Management seeks to lessen distractions on the road that can have deadly consequences.

that 158 upstream workers have died in such accidents. Studies conducted by the World Health Organization predict that road deaths will increase and that by 2010 they will be the secondlargest contributor to mortality globally.”

If that isn’t a wake-up call to get on the bandwagon for Journey Management, I’m not sure what is! According to OGP report No. 365, “A successful journey is measured by the lack of any accidental loss or delay due to a vehicular event.”

So, was Colin’s journey successful? By the strictest of measures—Colin survived his little daytrip, after all—it was a success, but that was due more to good luck than to good management.

Things like electronic devices, distractions, fatigue, and escalating factors all have to be considered in Journey Management, and from the perspective of practicing good Journey Management, most experts in the field would say that Colin’s journey was far from successful.

We are bombarded daily by advances in technology.

Cellphones that are cameras, music players, photo albums, and police scanners. (Yes, there’s an app for that). GPS navigation

24

Distractions can also occur simultaneously. Colin’s various distractions were visual (programming his GPS), auditory (talking to his colleague), and cognitive (thinking about his upcoming trip to see his girlfriend).

Dr. Don Melnychuk of Nadon Consulting, an expert in the areas of fatigue and stress management, asserts that “fatigue is the consequences of inadequate restorative sleep.”

In his presentations to industry, he quotes the Alberta Motor Association statistic that ‘fatigue is a factor in over 50 per cent of single vehicle collisions.’ Further, Workers’ Compensation Board reports from 1996–2005 found that “motor vehicle incidents accounted for 31.7 per cent of fatalities.”

Those are some sobering numbers, particularly for Colin. If we were to examine Colin’s lifestyle through Dr. Melnychuk’s microscope, we would be shocked to find that he is basically operating impaired most of the time. According to the good doctor, a week of four or five hours of sleep per night impairs your mental and physical performance to the same extent as if you had blood alcohol level of about .10 per cent—well over the legal limit.

2 0 1 0 CA D E ● CAO D C D r i l l i n g C o n f e r e n c e

Adherence to the Journey Management process significantly reduces such risk factors, and the OGP has established an industry-recommended practice based on the concept.

The OGP has developed a flexible and comprehensive Journey Assessment tool, which evaluates each trip and assigns a risk level to the trip: Level 1, low risk (less than 14 points); Level 2, medium risk (15–24 points); Level 3, high risk (more than 25 points). Evaluation points include security, number of vehicles, distance from base, road conditions, day or night driving, weather, communication, driver hours on duty, trip duration, and driving contractors usage, and all are given a score. By the way, Colin scored 52. His trip would be considered routine with escalating factors. OGP has a whole list of escalating factors that crank up the risk dynamic, including weather, road conditions, driver experience, and wildlife.

In 2007, Weatherford began an ambitious Journey Management pilot project. The concept of Journey Management has been a non-negotiable global policy in the organization for some time, but the drilling services group in Canada has taken it to a whole new level.

“There are numerous methods of staying safe while driving—manual forms and location managers/dispatchers tracking journeys—but we took it one step further and created a communications centre that connects our people with a live person 24/7,” explains Andy Barnes, Weatherford’s fleet safety manager for Canada. “We have people driving long distances, in remote areas and in all kinds of road conditions. The communications

operator is the check-in point and if required can dispatch emergency-response teams.”

The system has been so successful it rolled out across Canada in 2009 and is being implemented in the United States this year.

Employees like the resource so much that they use it for off-duty trips as well. Too bad Colin doesn’t work for Weatherford.

It is all well and good to sound the alarm bell, but it does no good if we don’t make changes.

Colin has decided that he needs to make some changes to his routine. He is going to take Journey Management seriously and get adequate rest (at least seven hours in a quiet, cool place), adopt a ‘grazing strategy’ for eating instead of skipping meals and gorging, hydrate throughout the day, pull over and take rest breaks, and make time for physical and social activities in his schedule.

In addition, he has committed to programming his GPS before he departs, leaving the satellite radio alone and driving to the road conditions, even if that means he arrives—alive—at his destination five minutes later. Most importantly, he is looking at his cellphone in a whole new way. It is still in his vehicle in case of emergency, but it stays turned off.

Most of us view time in our vehicles as ‘dead time.’ We tend to try to fill it with activities that we didn’t get done before we got behind the wheel or with things to just pass the time. Journey Management is designed to elevate driving from a passive state to an active state. Colin told me something that made perfect sense.

He changed his behaviour because he did not want the idea of ‘dead time’ to become deadly.

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1s tudies in in nov a t ion Oilfield service firm claims its rotary steerable cuts a cleaner wellbore

by James Mahony, New Technology Magazine

M

any drilling engineers agree that rotary steerable tools using “push-the-bit” technology have a greater tendency to cut scored, spiral wellbores than “point-the-bit” tools.

According to Weatherford, which markets its Revolution rotarysteerable system (RSS) in Canada, the gun-barrel borehole that most drilling engineers consider ideal is due to point-the-bit technology, an innovative solution for an unusual challenge.

Comparing point- and push-steerable tools, Weatherford says point-the-bit tools often use lateral force to cut, using a polycrystalline diamond (PDC) bit’s side-cutters, while push-the-bit systems like RSS use a bit-stabilizer as a fulcrum, aiming the bit while using the bit face, rather than side-cutters, to drill.

The result, says Chris Hartley, Weatherford’s technical director, is that “production costs of maintaining the well go down, because you don’t throw dog-legs or put a kink in it.” The borehole “stays fairly smooth…and you end up with an overall lower cost,” he adds.

Lower costs partly reflect the ease of getting casing into a clean borehole, as opposed to a scored, twisting one. Rolled out in March 2009, Revolution RSS was designed for long-reach, directional wells in U.S. shale gas plays.

According to Hartley, Revolution RSS has drilled nearly two million feet worldwide and over one million onshore North America. While available in Canada, the U.S. well count for RSS is higher, although exact figures were not available.

RSS may be making its mark. Canadian users would not go on record, but a U.S. user that used RSS in 10 long-reach, horizontal gas wells in Texas and Louisiana was more forthcoming.

“I’d say it gives you speed…and a smoother wellbore,” says Matt Madson, Swift Energy Company’s drilling engineer. “As far as getting casing into a lateral that’s 5,000 feet out, it gives you a lot smoother wellbore to push that casing through.”

Before RSS, drillers often drilled directionally with a mud motor and bent sub-housing, and that’s the standard against

26

Weatherford’s rotary steerable system uses point-the-bit technology to drill more accurate horizontal wells.

which RSS is measured.

According to Madson, the downside is that, when drilling directionally, RSS can’t match the angle-build rate conventional mud motors have achieved.

“But it’s a lot faster—it just can’t get the same build rate, which isn’t a problem,” says Madson. “You just have to drill the well a little deeper at the end.”

Madson’s colleague agrees. “If you’re trying to build a curve, I think about the best we ever did with a conventional mud motor was 10 to 15 feet per hour,” says Swift’s senior drilling engineer, Harry Dearing. “With [RSS], typically, we would do about 20 to 30 feet an hour building the curve.”

Dearing says rotary steerables—not just Weatherford’s Revolution—tend to make the longer casing strings that are common in long-reach horizontals easier to run. “We found we had a lot more issues around running casing through the curves when we used conventional bent sub-housing [mud] motors,” he says.

Under ideal conditions, the men agreed Revolution could shave as many as four to six days off a 40-day well. RSS is available in four bottomhole assembly sizes, from 4 3/4 inches to 8 3/4 inches.

Copyright JuneWarren-Nickle’s Energy Group

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2s tudies in in nov a t ion

EDSI dryer technology combines 4G oil-based mud system with to reduce fluid costs and drilling times

by Paul Wells, New Technology Magazine

T

he company behind an innovative, patented invertdrilling mud system is confident it has developed the first significant change in oil-based mud design in more than 50 years.

Formed in 2005 with the specific goal of changing the game in the drilling fluids industry, Engineered Drilling Solutions Inc. (EDSI) delivers lower-cost mud systems that improve drilling performance to dramatically reduce operating costs.

In fact, EDSI says that its 4G system decreases drilling fluid maintenance costs by as much as 30 per cent, while reducing drilling times. The chemistry used in 4G—which is based on the use of environmentally sustainable emulsifiers, some of which are purchased from Alberta and Saskatchewan farmers—avoids the self-cannibalizing chemistry of competitor systems.

Most rival systems are based on crude tall oil (a by-product of wood pulp manufacture commonly used in industrial processes) as well as diethyl triamine (DETA) emulsifiers and oil wetting agents that inhibit the performance of organophilic clay—the most expensive component of an oil-based drilling fluid. The emulsifiers are adsorbed by the organophilic clay, thereby reducing viscosity, which requires more clay additions. Consequently more emulsifier additions are required, which effectively results in a negative feedback loop that increases the maintenance costs for operators as shown in the attached graphic.

With its unique chemistry, 4G has much lower daily maintenance costs and obtains significantly better performance from organophilic clay by binding the clay platelets together into more stable structures. This allows EDSI to use more costeffective clays that do not yield well in conventional systems.

“We have been able to substitute from Bentone 150 to Bentone 920 without compromising performance at a significant cost savings to our customers,” says Pomerleau.

The 4G system also exhibits exceptional shear-thinning polymer or power-law type rheologies exemplified by low plastic viscosities (PVs) and high yield points (YPs).

“In some cases we have even seen inverted ratios where the PV is lower than the YP,” Pomerleau explains. These unique rheological properties give the user excellent lifting capabilities in the annulus or wellbore, ensuring optimal hole cleaning, while at the same time providing low viscosity—approaching the viscosity of the base oil used—at the drill bit to increase drilling rates.

Additionally, Pomerleau says 4G reduces pressure losses in the drill string, allowing for higher pump rates and therefore higher impact force at the bit face.

As well, EDSI is able to easily viscosify its fluid at much higher oil-water ratios, which is well suited to MPD applications and multi-phase drilling environments where nitrogen is injected into the wellbore concurrent with the drilling fluid. Maintaining a higher oil-water ratio allows customers to drill with densities as close to base oil as possible. Moreover, Pomerleau says the viscosity is minimized, which reduces the surface tension of the fluid on the cuttings, resulting in lower surface losses.

“This same shear-thinning characteristic reduces the losses of expensive oil-based mud at surface by separating from the cuttings as they are processed by shakers and centrifuges,” he notes. “With surface losses accounting for as much as 50 per cent of a typical oil-based drilling fluid bill, this is an area where 4G provides the user with a realizable gain.”

In 2008, Pomerleau identified the last major challenge as “solving the shaker dilemma, and this remains a top priority.” Pomerleau now believes he has solved this quandary after successfully testing a cuttings dryer that utilizes suction to recapture oil-based mud.

“We have been able to recover useable drilling fluid with this new patent-pending drier and have achieved levels of oil wetting as low as 5.6 per cent by weight. With the gamma prototype in place now for two months, we are commercializing the technology.”

Copyright JuneWarren-Nickle’s Energy Group

29

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3s tudies in in nov a t ion Edmonton company finds niche in cementing equipment

by Lynda Harrison, New Technology Magazine

Photo: Top-Co LP

T

op-Co LP has been exclusively designing, manufacturing, and distributing casing cementing equipment since 1963. “We’re specialists. There’s only a handful of companies in the world that supply these products, and we have no intentions of moving outside our niche,” says Gerald McLaughlan, president and chief executive officer.

The company specializes in two product lines: float equipment and centralization equipment, both of which are used in the primary cementing of casing in oil and gas wells. Centralizer products, just as the name suggests, are used to centre casing in the wellbore so they can surround it with cement.

Top-Co also has a $3-million, computerized flow-test loop facility that enables the company to test new products before they go to the field and to conduct failure analysis on problematic equipment.

The machine circulates drilling mud through float valves.

It digitally monitors and records flow volumes, temperature, and the valve’s ability to handle the back pressure it would encounter in an actual well. It also ensures tools perform to American Petroleum Institute standards.

“There is nothing like it in the industry, and it’s sitting here in little old Edmonton,” says McLaughlan.

The flow-test loop facility tested a special cementing plug designed for a project offshore Newfoundland where rigs can cost $500,000 a day to rent, so it’s imperative that there are no problems or delays.

“We were able to design it, build it, test it, and through a web broadcast, engineers in Newfoundland and Calgary were able to witness the test so they could be fully satisfied it would perform to their specifications before taking the risk of putting a unique product in the well and encountering a problem,” says McLaughlan.

The item was built in five days, says Faisal Rashid, an engineer who does Hibernia’s desk design evaluation and services for clients. He witnessed the test in St. John’s and was

Top-Co’s $3-million flow-test loop facility allows for full testing of new mud products.

very happy with Top-Co’s service. “The response was very quick, professional, and we got very good support, very good communication,” he says.

The company has also diversified—geographically. Three years ago, 50 per cent of Top-Co’s revenue was derived from Canada, whereas it is now split 25 per cent domestic and 75 per cent export. The company is actively selling in 62 countries, and most of its recent growth has been focused in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and North Africa.

Top-Co has more than doubled its revenue in three years thanks to international expansion, earning a nomination from the Alberta division of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters for the inaugural Alberta Export Awards.

Copyright JuneWarren-Nickle’s Energy Group

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What does this rig do best?

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Summer: 38 Winter: 39

Six-station (680 L) accumulator 13 5/8” x 5 m Class V BOP

Canrig Range III automated hydraulic catwalk PM-3000

Depth

M ud

Top

rating

4,500 m vertical depth with 4” drill pipe

Mast

size

(142’) Cantilever triple (SHL) 289,000 daN 650,000 lb with 10 lines

S ubstructure One-piece centre steel with integral blowout preventer (BOP) handling hydraulic swing up. 27’–6” wide x 25’ high Setback capacity: 222,500 daN (500,000 lb) Clear working height: 6.55 m

tanks

drive

Two tank, total capacity 150 m3 covered by metal roof

Varco TDS—11—500 ton AC Drive (445,000 daN)

P umps

Canrig TM 120 fully automated hydraulic wrench

Iron

roughneck

Two Gardner Denver PZ-10s Each powered by 2-GE 752; 749 kW (1,000 hp

Generators

and

AC

drives

2 x Cat 3512 c/w 1225 kW Kato generator 1 x Cat 3508 c/w 1050 kW Kato generator and electrical control room

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The Pace Setters Compass Directional Services Ltd. is an independently owned Canadian Directional Drilling contractor.

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UnConventional.

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Savanna Drilling 652E Telescopic double What is unique about this rig design?

The “command centre” within the rig’s doghouse enables the driller to monitor and control rig operations with complete precision. The rig’s automation also dramatically reduces job hazards, as in many instances it is impossible for an operator to make a mistake. Additionally, upgrades to the rig’s operating systems can be done via the Internet without personnel physically at the rig.

Where could this rig be found working?

Savanna Drilling 652E and its sister rig 653E have been under contract since delivery. Capable of working anywhere in the world, these rigs are currently being utilized in northern Alberta and northern British Columbia working for various operators.

What is the effective depth range of this rig?

652E and 653E are rated to 4,200 m, but depending on well design, they’re capable of drilling deeper.

What was the most challenging project worked on, and why?

All wells present their own challenges, however rig 653E started in the Horn River Basin in January, which was very cold and remote. In spite of challenging conditions, 653E managed to set pacesetter wells for the operator.

Why would a drilling engineer hire this rig?

The advantages to hiring Savanna Drilling’s AC electric rigs are myriad. As telescopic doubles, they have the advantage of being highly mobile while reaching depths normally reserved for triples. The rigs can be moved out of one location and be en route to the next in as little as three to four hours. The short answer: faster, safer wells that cost less to drill.

In what applications does this rig work ?

What have you got? These rigs are designed to work well wherever they drill.

What does this rig do best 652E and 653E essentially outclass most rigs in every capacity. They were designed based on direct input from rig managers with many years of drilling experience to incorporate a driller’s “wish-list” of features and benefits.

What is the deepest well ever drilled with this rig?

Recently, a Savanna Drilling telescopic double (rig 639) reached a depth of 4,868 m.

RIG SPECIFICATIONS Drawworks

M ud

ARS-1202 AC 1200 hp

BPMMP-HHF-1000 (1,000 hp/746 kW)

BOPs: 11”/279.4 mm x 5,000 psi/35,000 kPa NACE

Mast

M ud

Annular-blind-HCR-pipe-rotating spool

Hodgson ultra-heavy telescoping double Clear height: 106 ft/32 m

Total volume: 2,600 ft³/74 m³/465 bbl (Tank 1) 2,200 ft³/62 m³/390 bbl (Tank 2) Useable volume: 4,200 ft³/120 m³/755 bbl

Hoisting

L ight

Winterization

S ubstructure Hodgson one-piece Setback capacity: 350,000 lb/156,000 daN Casing capacity: 400,000 lb/178,000 daN

M ud

pump

#1 (Triplex)

BPMMP-HHF-1000 (1000 hp/746 kW)

pump

#2 (Triplex)

tanks

(2)

plants

Electrical power distribution: Dual AC Diesel generator with 110–208–600 volts

Well

control

and rotating equipment

High-quality block and hook capacity: 300 ton/267,000 daN Two-pass Saskatoon boiler (125 hp) with steam lines

L oads Summer: 27 (with six pipe tubs and all DP) Winter: 28

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Nabors 97ACTD Complete with moving system

In what application does this rig work best?

It is best suited for multi-well pad drilling. The more wells that are on the pad, the more cost-effective the operation will be. With the moving system and small substructure footprint, this application can also be used for re-entry or new drills on old pads with existing wellheads. Currently, this rig is drilling horizontal Montney wells on multi-well pads.

What advantages does this type of rig offer?

The umbilical system, paired with the moving system, allows the rig to manoeuvre on tight pad configurations. Trucks are no longer required to move equipment between wells, cutting down on time and trucking costs. This rig also offers the latest AC technology, allowing the operator to maximize the capability of the rig without compromising efficiently.

How many of these rigs does Nabors have?

By the end of the year, Nabors will have nine umbilical, self-moving rigs and a total of 15 rigs with self-moving systems in their fleet.

RIG SPECIFICATIONS Depth rating 4,600 m, with 5” sour service drill pipe Rig power Three each—3512C Caterpillar 1100 kW per set Top drive Canrig 6027AC capable of 275 tons (244,700 daN) U mbilical system Capable of extending 200 ft (61 m) M ud pumps Two each—Gardner Denver PZK-10 (1,350 hp) Hydraulic catwalk Canrig Technologies

and iron roughneck

Derrick and substructure Cantilever triple with swing-up substructure capable of 240,000 daN S hale shakers Two each on central system Two each on scalping tank M ud tanks 260 m3 total active volume BOP 13 5/8” 5,0001b NACE trim N umber of loads 45, with no crane required

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20 09 C ADE ■C AODC Drilling Conference

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Ensign Rig 533 ADR 300

What is unique about this rig design?

The ADR 300 does not have a conventional drawworks—it uses hydraulic cylinders to hoist the drill string. The entire tubular handling system (which includes the pipe tubs, pipe arm, slip handler, iron roughneck, and top drive) is automated and remotely controlled from the control cabin. The design allows the entire centre section (mast, sub, top drive, iron-roughneck, catwalk, and pipe arm) to be rigged out in less than one hour and moved as one load.

The ADR 300 has a versatile layout, which means that it can be rigged up around existing equipment or even on two separate leases.

Where would this rig usually be found working?

Ensign’s hydraulic ADR units are currently deployed throughout the world—Australia, Africa, the Middle East, and all three countries in North America.

What is the effective depth range of this rig?

The small footprint and very fast move and rig-up times allow this rig to work efficiently from 1,000 m to over 3,000 m vertically and deeper horizontally.

What was the most challenging project worked on and why?

The Occidental Petroleum Corporation Elk Hills project in southern California. The locations available to the rig in this very old field are of varying shapes and sizes, with some locations having multiple operating pumpjacks that the rig fit around. Some holes are drilled with the rig itself on one lease and the central system (gen sets, pumps, and tanks) on another. The well profile (3,000 m true measured depth—or TMD—horizontals), weather conditions (over 45ºC), and continuous operations (no days off for breakup, etc.) required detailed maintenance planning.

RIG SPECIFICATIONS Why would a drilling engineer hire this rig ?

The ADR 300 is safe (no rig crew contact with drill string), fast (drilling, tripping, and moving), and efficient (equipped with top drive, runs casing up to 13 3/8” and has pulldown capability). The rig has proven that it can outperform telescopic doubles and triples on a spud-to-spud comparison.

What applications does this rig work in?

With the ability to fit large blowout preventer stacks (over 4.4 m clear working room) and no pipe-racking limit, the rig performs well in any area and well profile up to 3,200 m TMD. What does this rig do best?

The ADR 300 outperforms the competition in rig release-to-spud times, casing running costs, and rig-up versatility.

What is the deepest well ever drilled with 2,000 m vertical and 2,900 m TMD in California.

this rig?

N umber of loads 11 (not including tubulars) Depth rating 3,200 m Hoisting capacity 133,440 daN Top - drive drilling torque 27,000 ft-lb @ 80 rpm P ull- down 20,000 lb

capacity

M ud pumps up to 2 x 1,600 hp as per customer requirements M ud tanks up to 2 x 60 m3 as per customer requirements

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Computer Management ● Rig Intercoms (VOIP capable) ● Cellular Repeaters ● Portable Cell Towers ● Two Way Radios ● Portable Sat Phones ● High-Speed Self-Seeking Sat Dishes ● Portable Gas Detection ●

(403) 250-5417 www.rigsat.com Alberta | British Columbia | Saskatchewan

“Ryan’s project execution in the field is what makes the difference.”

Our Business Is Service.

Our Expertise Is Engineering.

Remember that engineer who never left the office?

- ate his lunch at his desk - came in early, stayed late - worked on weekends - got the job done We are him. drilling completing, Are you looking at drilling, working over or abandoning? Need well licence applications, drilling and completion programs, or wellsite supervisors?

LET US DO IT FOR YOU. SINCE 1982, IF IT’S DOWNHOLE IT’S US.

At Barlon we mean business, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every week of the year.

Phone Us.

Ryan Energy Technologies 2800, 500-4th Ave SW Calgary, AB T2P 2V6 PH: 403-269-5981

Suite 1110, 340 - 12th Avenue S.W. Calgary, AB T2R 1L5 Bus: (403) 261-7097 www.barlon.ca

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