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In an early milestone in the DOE Microhole Technology Program,
63 industry experts participated in a workshop held on April 29–30, 2003 in
Albuquerque to provide feedback on the program to the DOE managers. They made it
clear that there was a serious chicken and egg dilemma in that the technology
would not be tried until there was an infrastructure in place and no such
infrastructure was forthcoming without the market demand, or at least a little
help from DOE. DOE has since co-funded a number of projects under the program
and held a series of integration meetings coordinated by PTTC to insure the
pieces fit together and provided what industry wanted and needed. Well, stand
back—the eggs are hatching and the chickens are on the way.
The last of four Microhole Integration Meetings was held in
Houston on August 16, 2006. These meetings were designed to provide a forum for
the principal investigators of the projects in, and related to, the DOE
Microhole Technology Program to present project accomplishments, milestones and
remaining tasks to interested industry parties and researchers in related areas.
The secondary goal was to highlight industry activity that is applying this and
related technology in the field, with the goal to align the research goals with
the needs in the field and bring to commercial application and industry adoption
the technologies developed in the program. The highlights of the meeting
included these projects:
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Gas Technology Institute/Dennis Tools (Counter-Rotating
Tandem Motor Drilling System, Kent Perry, PI; Eric Twardowski presenting) (see
Figure 1): This project is an outgrowth of a smaller version of the
system developed for Los Alamos National Lab and tested at RMOTC to 800
feet. The system is effective as the right-hand reamer following the
left-hand turning pilot has PDC inserts to relieve some of the rock's
compressive strength and enables the use of higher torque and achieves
drilling rates two to eight times faster than with a conventional motor. The
version being fabricated will have a 2 ¾- inch reamer turning 200 RPM and a
left-hand turning pilot at 1,000 RPM for a net 800 RPM. Equipment is being
testing during the 3rd quarter 2006 at the Catoosa facility.
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Baker Hughes Inteq (Microhole
Smart Steering and MWD System, John Macpherson) (see Figure
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2): This project was designed to
take a commercial bottomhole assembly, the Inteq Coil
Trak, and downsize it to a smaller diameter. Both the
resistivity subassemblyand the rib steering motor have
been fabricated and recently tested by BP on the North
Slope. The planned test was to drill a 3-inch leg 1,700
feet out of a 4 ½-inch liner—2,409 feet was achieved.
After more testing, this tool will be commercialized in
2007.
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Baker Hughes Inteq (Microhole Wireless
Steering While Drilling System, John Macpherson): This
project to build a bi-directional power and
communication module is designed to eliminate the need
for an e-line to communicate with the steering system.
It utilizes a 6–12 bits/second mud pulse with standard
receiving equipment uphole. The equipment is beginning
the manufacturing phase and should be in test during the
first quarter of 2007.
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Stolar Research (Development of Radar
Navigation and Radio Data Transmission for Microhole
Coiled Tubing Bottom Hole Assemblies, Larry Stolarczyk
PI, Larry Icerman presenting): This assembly propagates
low- and medium-frequency radio waves and can look at
least 40 feet up and down. Data transmission is through
the drill pipe or e-line, if drilled with coiled tubing.
A new algorithm is utilized to eliminate the near
wellbore "clutter" to detect distant changes in rock
properties. The prototype is being refined and
fabrication is ongoing. Partners in the project are
Consol and Encana.
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Impact Technologies, LLC (Advanced Mud
System for Microhole Coiled Tubing Drilling and Advanced
Ultra-high Speed Motor for Drilling, Ken Oglesby):
Impact is engaged in the two listed projects, plus
several others spawned by these Microhole projects,
including "ASJ Microhole Drilling System" (Stripper Well
Consortium), "Low Speed Motor for Drilling" (OCAST) and
"SPI Gel Technology" (SWC/ OCAST). The mud project will
deliver a prototype zero-discharge mud-processing system
and the design of an abrasive slurry jet-cutting nozzle
and a high pressure slurry piston pump. It is scheduled
to finish in early
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2007. The second microhole project will
deliver a design for a patented inverted electric motor
capable of drilling up to 10,000 RPM in 1.69- and 3-inch
versions. This project will be complete next quarter.
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Tempress
Technologies, Inc. (Small Mechanically-assisted
High-pressure Waterjet, Jack Kolle, PI, Ken Theimer
presenting): This project advances a technology
currently used to remove scale. It utilizes a split
stream of gas and fluid. The gas and some of the fluid,
2/3 of the flow, is used to power the intensifier which
develops a liquid stream of 10,000 psi and is applied
through eight jets in the 3 5/8-inch rotating drilling
head. It is undergoing bench testing and has cut through
concrete test samples. After additional bench tests, it
will be tested in the field. It is envisioned to be a
commercial product with applications in underbalanced
vertical and directional holes as well as scale removal.
Figure 1 - The GTI/Dennis Tool’s
counter-rotating tandem motor
drilling system bit assembly. |
State-of-the-Art
Summary