Case Study: a leading Australia drilling company maximizes reservoir contact with SLB GeoSphere reservoir mapping-while-drilling service

Apache Maximizes Reservoir Contact by Landing Four Wells on Target in Australia

SLB worked with a leading Australia drilling company that needed to land wells in a complex reservoir while staying about 10 ft above the reservoir top, without drilling pilot holes. The company also wanted to determine reservoir thickness, fluid contacts, and formation properties to guide the best development strategy, despite significant seismic uncertainty and limited offset well data.

SLB used the GeoSphere reservoir mapping-while-drilling service to reduce geological uncertainty in real time during landing. The service mapped the reservoir top 33 ft deeper than expected, allowed the well to be steered and geostopped in the right position, and eliminated the need for pilot holes. Across four landing operations, the company gained a clearer view of reservoir top, base, and dip at distances up to 82 ft beyond the wellbore, while reducing cost and drilling risk.