helmerich&payne_blog

DENVER–Drilling the optimal number of horizontal wells to efficiently drain ultralow-permeability reservoirs is critical to achieving economic value in shale and tight oil plays. In any development project, the goal is to drill the fewest number of horizontal wells required to maximize reservoir drainage. That means spacing laterals at a distance sufficient to minimize overlapping drainage areas while remaining close enough to avoid stranding any reserves. Standard measurement-while- drilling directional surveying is subject to numerous error sources that can be estimated by the Industry Steering Committee on Wellbore Survey Accuracy (ISCWSA) error model. These error sources are quantified and modelled as three-dimensional ellipsoids of uncertainty (EOU) that provide drillers a mechanism to measure wellbore trajectory positional uncertainty. To know more about H&P Technologies, watch out the video here: https://youtu.be/WyBDMAYijdM?si=bn0gRXabqPH7GuoV . The ISCWSA error model...

How do we keep our FlexRigs® fleet running strong? We send them to Galena Park! Our Galena Park operations modify and update our current FlexRigs fleet based on field and customer feedback. Each rig leaves the yard with Super-Spec capabilities and a fresh coat of paint. In other words, we rig'em up, run'em out, rig'em down, load'em out. 💪🚚 📖📚 Dive into our 100+ year history here: https://bit.ly/hpabout REVOLUTIONARY RIG DESIGN. 💪 Read about our award-winning FlexRig® Fleet designed for optimal flexibility, performance and efficiency: https://bit.ly/flexrig-fleet 🎥 Watch our Flex 3 in action: https://bit.ly/flex3-move WANT MORE AUTOMATION? ⏳🔃 Our advanced Rig Floor Automation technology can help you achieve better drilling outcomes: https://bit.ly/rigfloor-automation 🤝TALK TO A RIG SPECIALIST TODAY! Contact our sales team: https://bit.ly/sales-contacts 🦺 WE ACTIVELY C.A.R.E. Our award-winning HSE approach focuses on separating people from hazards through pr...

The use of basic torque and drag modeling as well as the application of industry-standard buckling formulae can limit the options for well design. Advanced buckling modeling , and a fundamental understanding of the effects of buckling, can be used to generate lighter well architectures, resulting in significant savings in cost and CO2e emissions , without compromising well integrity and zonal isolation. The fundamental load regime, and associated assumptions, were analyzed to define the worst-case axial load that could be applied to the surface casing of the proposed lighter well architecture. Two different configurations of the surface casing string were modeled in engineering software using a stiff-string model with unique post-buckling capabilities . The identified load cases were simulated, and different sensitivities were performed, to refine the configuration of the surface casing. The detailed results (including von Mises stress, casing deformation, and axial displacement) were ...

Recent efforts on API RP 78, an upcoming recommended practice for wellbore placement , have provided guidelines for calculating safe separation distances and engineering considerations for those calculations. A major milestone was the publication of a separation rule (Sawaryn, et al. 2019) standardizing a formula for separation factor (SF), which in turn defines the minimum allowable separation distance (MASD) between two wellbores and the allowable deviation from plan (ADP) for a wellbore being drilled. One element of this formula, σpa, describes the accuracy with which a future wellpath can be predicted. Watch out our safety training session in H&P: https://youtu.be/Jexr2Z31EYo?si=OUXam0Z1oXcCL3NK . A framework is proposed for modeling deviation from a projected path using a planned trajectory , bottom hole assembly (BHA) properties, and survey practices. The method identifies where a deviation is detected through survey measurements and estimates a planned recovery operation. Eq...

  Effectively automating drilling a stand while minimizing human variability requires a scalable control system, providing adaptability, seamless implementation, and improved operational outcomes. The system requires high- and low-level process control components to effectively control rig machinery within the bounds of the machine limit controls. By using automation sequences while engaging and disengaging the drill bit, operational states such as breakover, optimal weight on bit (WOB), steady state hookload, and zeroing become easier to distinguish. Through consistent implementation of process automation in drilling operations , the impact on operational outcomes became evident. Analysis of bit disengagement in a series of automatically drilled stands in the lateral revealed a consistent breakover range of 18 to 22 ft. This is particularly noteworthy as breakover is typically more challenging to identify and prone to variability in manual operations. To know more about us, p...

Since Helmerich & Payne’s adoption of Actively C.A.R.E.™ , our serious injury or fatality (SIF)-based safety program , dropped objects have stayed at the top of SIF exposures that our workers face daily. With so many different items located throughout the drilling rig with the potential to become a dropped object, we must stay constantly vigilant in our assessments to eliminate these exposures. While we strive to eliminate potential dropped objects by engineering them out, we sometimes must use other approaches to reduce the chance of a SIF potential event. Some of these tactics include inspections, secondary retention, erecting and honoring buffer zones, and always looking up and asking, “What if?” What goes up… must come down Dropped objects don’t just include large objects like tubulars. As rig crews complete routine mast maintenance and tools are not recorded properly, they can get left at heights. Rough drilling or even a gust...