Summary
A promising land
Oil and gas companies have been actively exploring the contact zone
between the East European Craton and the west of the European
Platform since the 1970s. The vast majority of the operations led
in this area have so far involved conventional wells. Today the
target has changed. Hydrocarbon exploration is focused on finding
unconventional reservoirs that can be economically viable.
The operating company ORLEN Upstream, a subsidiary of PKN ORLEN,
the largest crude oil refining company in Poland, is exploring complex
Lublin Basin assets that extend under Poland and Ukraine. The operator
had drilled several vertical wells and two horizontal ones before taking
the challenge on drilling Stoczek-OU1K horizontal well. The aim of
this new project was to explore the gas accumulation and producing
capability in the Lower Silurian and Ordovician shale deposits.
ORLEN Upstream chose TenarisHydril Wedge 563™ connections along
with Tenaris technical and field services for this operation. As a result,
the operator managed to overcome the many challenges posed by this
well and reached the target depth.
Challenges
Paving the new roads in Poland
Poland is recognized for its potential in terms of shale gas. Therefore,
the country has been working to improve the availability of instruments
and equipment, as well as human expertise, to develop the necessary
infrastructure. Drilling wells costs three times more in Poland than in
the United States, making connection performance essential.
The Stoczek-OU1K well is one of a few shale horizontal wells drilled
in Poland so far. As in every exploratory well, many conditions were
unknown. This situation called for special product requirements.
Superior compression efficiency, torque capability and fatigue resistance
were a must for the production casing string that, in order to be
installed in the horizontal section, had to be pushed and rotated several
times to overcome frictional forces and thus reach the target depth.
Solutions
High torque resistance and compression
efficiency
For the challenging Stoczek-OU1K well, ORLEN Upstream chose
5 ½" 26.80ppf Q125 with TenarisHydril Wedge 563™ for the
production casing string. This technology is best-suited for
applications that require extreme torque resistance. This connection
offers field-proven performance and is easy to handle and run.
In addition, the Wedge 563™ ensures 100% ratings in tension
and compression.
For this operation, the TenarisHydril Wedge 563™ premium
connection came with the Recess Free Bore (RFB) option to facilitate
the undisturbed flow in the well during the fracturing process.
To reduce the frictional forces, which occur while running the
string into the lateral part of the well, the coupling with special
bevel was utilized.
Full support
ORLEN Upstream together with Tenaris technical sales and
field services teams worked side-by-side to ensure the success
of the operation.
Tenaris supports Poland from its established presence in Romania
and Italy. In Romania, Tenaris has its commercial office in
Bucharest, its seamless tubes mill in Zalau and the service center
in Ploiesti. In Italy, presence consists of seamless mills in Dalmine,
Costa Volpino, Piobino and Arcore, as well as R&D facilities and
two services centers.
Results
A connection to rely on
ORLEN Upstream’s drilling of the Stoczek-OU1K well was a great
success. The TenarisHydril Wedge 563™ connection facilitated a
smooth operation. It presented zero re-makeups and rejects due to
product-related matters.
Final survey data of the well was taken at the depth of 4307m MD
and 2953m TVD with final inclination 91,5°, with max. recorded
DLS of 8,56°/100ft. During the five days long running operation,
mud-logging unit recorded a torque peak of almost 25,000 ft-lb,
a maximum rotational speed of 90 RPM and a maximum weight
on string of 29,000 lbf. ORLEN Upstream pressure-tested Stoczek-
OU1K well later on with satisfactory results.
Services that add value
The expertise of Tenaris technical sales team supported ORLEN
Upstream in finding the best solution to overcome the challenges
posed by the Stoczek-OU1K well. The field service specialist was
present on the site to share knowledge and experience, providing
useful advice whenever the customer required.
ORLEN Upstream was satisfied with the connection performance.
The operator also acknowledged that TenarisHydril Wedge 563™
connections were instrumental to reach the target depth.
Tenaris experts will use the data gathered in the field to develop
a Torque, Drag & Fatigue analysis. The results will improve the
understanding of the field conditions during the drilling and
running phases, an information that will be useful when drilling
other wells in the future.