HDD Technology Continues to Advance Gas and Oil Production Adapted from Information by the American Petroleum Institute (API) Scientific advances are giving America’s gas and oil companies access to more resources from more challenging geologic conditions and from more remote places - some previously unreachable - with greater safety and efficiency, and significantly less impact on the environment. Here are some of the technologies propelling the industry to the next level: Seismic - Three-dimensional seismic techniques provide scientists with data featuring detailed information about the rocks below and their capability to contain concentrations of natural gas or oil. With ultra-modern computer imaging, 3D seismic technology enables geologists and geophysicists to “see” the subsurface in three dimensions. As a result, exploration drilling is more carefully and accurately targeted. Now, a much higher percentage of exploration wells find gas or oil, compared to just a couple of decades ago, which means fewer unsuccessful wells are being drilled. Advanced Drilling Techniques - Precision drilling has dramatically reduced the surface footprint. Advancements in horizontal directional drilling (HDD) have led to the discovery of resources way beyond the drill site, sometimes up to four miles from the drilling location. In the past, wells were only drilled vertically, requiring many more drilling rigs to produce the same amount of resources. • In North Dakota, wells are drilled to 9,000-10,000 vertical feet, then go horizontally for up to two miles, threading the Bakken Shale Formation to allow the best opportunities for producing the crude oil the formation contains. Flexible rig technology allows companies to drill multiple wells from a single rig on the surface. • In western Colorado, “flex rigs” drill as many as 22 directional wells from a single pad, finding natural gas accumulations contained in the complex weave of river channels laid down hundreds of millions of years ago. With the advancements in HDD computerization, sophisticated sensing and measuring tools provide real-time information from the wellbore back to the operators during drilling. These bottom hole assemblies are attached at the end of the drill pipe and linked directly to the motors providing power and rotation to the drill bit. Based on this real-time information, operators make decisions on the direction of the drilling. A host of developments in materials used in the drilling process, including improvements to horsepower, drilling tools and equipment, computing capabilities on the rig, and instant telecommunications between remote rig location and home office have improved the performance and integrity of drilling operations. DIR Photo courtesy of Richard Ranger. 28 FEBRUARY 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource®
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk4Mzk=