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Information Only - Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - U.S. Department of ...

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THE PAST-DECADE DEVELOPJ.\ilENTS At'll> FUTURE TREl'lDS IN<br />

OIL-WELL DRILLING, COl\1PLETION, At'ID STIMULATION, WITH<br />

SPECIAL APPLICATIONS TO DEVELOPJ.\ilENTS<br />

'. AT THE WIPP SITE<br />

Geir Hare,end<br />

Introduction<br />

This report discusses and describes developments in well drilling, complete iJ, and<br />

stimulation technologies since the early 1980s and how they have improved safet;. ~ost<br />

efficiency, and recovery from new and existing oil and gas wells. The application <strong>of</strong><br />

these technologies is addressed in term~<strong>of</strong> improve;: ancfsafer recovery <strong>of</strong> shallow oil<br />

and gas resources in the WIPP site study area. The future trends <strong>of</strong> the technologies are<br />

estimated based on current technology trends and research efforts in eacb <strong>of</strong> the<br />

disciplines.<br />

Technical development in drilling, completion and stimulation<br />

During the past decade, a tremendous amour.' <strong>of</strong> attention has b' nlaced on<br />

drilling, completion, and stimulation <strong>of</strong> highly devi: "d and horizontal \0. The<br />

technologyadvancemem. for these types <strong>of</strong> wells ha\e shown promising results in part<br />

due to the combined effects <strong>of</strong> improvements in directional drilling, completion,<br />

stimulation and production techniques. Highly deviated and horizomalNells are being<br />

drilled for a number <strong>of</strong> reasons. These include increasing the effective drainage area in<br />

comparison t vertical wells, increasing the sweep efficiency in reservoirs under enhanced<br />

recovery, more effective completion in thin reservoirs to maximize production, reducing<br />

problems assoc,iated with water and/or gas coning, increasing production from horizontal<br />

wellbores that intersect natural fractures, improving production in low-permeability<br />

reservoirs, producing from multiple horizons by a single well, and a host <strong>of</strong> other<br />

benefits (Rampersad, 1994).<br />

The major improvements during the past decade, especially in well productivity,<br />

have been achieved due to a combination <strong>of</strong> technological improvements in the areas <strong>of</strong><br />

drilling, completion. and stimulation. Improvements in the individual technologies are<br />

discussed below.<br />

Drilling<br />

The following sections discuss the areas <strong>of</strong> drilling technology that have improved<br />

over the past decade, and predict some <strong>of</strong> the tVture technology trends.<br />

Directional and horizontal well drilling<br />

The major improvemen- over the past decade has been the application <strong>of</strong><br />

directional and horizontal well drilling. The contributing factor for the rapid increase in<br />

directional wells is due to a combination <strong>of</strong> many factors involving better tools and<br />

<strong>Information</strong> <strong>Only</strong><br />

X-l

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