Deep water drilling - identifying the technical challenges

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Deep water drilling - identifying the technical challenges

Sparkman, G.W. / Smith, T.

Deep water tracts dominated the August, 1997 western Gulf of Mexico lease sale with 75% of the tracts receiving bids being in water depths described as 'deep.' Deep water is defined as being between 2,000' and 8,000'. Many of the tracts were at the 8,000' water depth. The responsibility now goes to the drilling engineers to get to the resources that are under these tracts. They are faced with challenges such as inadequate riser materials and too narrow pore pressure/frac gradient margins. The Drilling Engineering Association (DEA) held an industry meeting in September 1997 to identify the technical challenges being faced in drilling in these water depths. Representatives from operating and service companies described and prioritized problems in five categories: I. Well Control, 2. Rig Issues, 3. Well Design, 4. Development and Production Problems, and 5. Deep Water Testing. Feasibility studies to solve top issues in each of the categories were then described. The development of these feasibility studies through joint industry projects will link existing projects with needed technology development. This will allow the service providers to develop technology to reach this new frontier. This paper will detail the top issues that were developed in the conference.