In April 2022, the National Hydrocarbons Commission authorized Mexico's largest state-owned company to drill the Chaya 1001EXP onshore exploratory well in Comalcalco, Tabasco.
While the exploratory drilling work was being carried out, the customer realized that this onshore well was one of the deepest in Mexico, with the hydrocarbons located more than 8 kilometers from the surface, so a change in the supply of products was necessary. Well conditions were challenging with a high pressure of +10,000 psi and high temperature with more than 150° C (HP-HT), requiring products with a high resistance to collapse, corrosion and with high torque capacity.
During the operation, the customer opted to drill deeper, up to 8,500 meters with a horizontal displacement beyond 3 kilometers. The change added complexity to the operation since the introduction of the pipes must be done while rotating, directly impacting the capacity of the drilling equipment and tools.
Through its Rig Direct® service model, Tenaris supplied more than 2,000 tons of seamless pipes and had field service experts on site to support with the installation.
Tenaris provided technical support before and during the operation with string design and material selection, and torque, drag and fatigue analysis because of the need to rotate the casing a few meters to reach target depth due to the extreme conditions of the well. String design and material selection services for this well were performed using specialized software and knowhow that guided the customer in the selection of best suiting steel grades, wall thicknesses and connections from the TenarisHydril portfolio.
For the Chaya- 1001EXP well, Tenaris provided integral connections TenarisHydril Wedge 513®, TenarisHydril Wedge 521®, TenarisHydril Wedge 523®, designed for high pressure and high temperature environments, and TenarisHydril Wedge 533®, which saved time during programmed operations on the rig floor.
"This project is important to us because it has become a milestone in drilling in Mexico. This is going to lead to drilling even deeper and more challenging wells, so we will have to be prepared to face these challenges from the technical, commercial and product engineering side, with the development of products with steel grades or dimensions," said Technical Sales Engineer at Tenaris in Mexico, Alonso Magos.
After having concluded its exploratory phase, the customer is evaluating the potential of the Chaya-1001EXP well, which will produce an estimated 2,000 barrels of oil per day.
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