Case Study: Fremont Operating Company saves USD 8.6 million with SLB's Direct XCD drillable casing bit

Direct XCD Drillable Alloy Casing Bit Saves Two Colorado Wells and USD 8.6 Million

SLB worked with Fremont Operating Company, an operator in Fremont County, Colorado, that was drilling a 5,000-ft interval through unstable shale in the Denver-Julesburg basin. After a bottomhole assembly was lost at 3,800 ft and a sidetrack later stalled, the well could not be advanced past 2,800 ft after casing and cementing, putting the project at risk of abandonment.

SLB used an 8½-in Direct XCD drillable alloy casing bit on 7-in casing to drill the remaining 2,200 ft to total depth, then drilled out the bit after cementing. The casing-while-drilling approach took about 10 rig days, saved the first well and its USD 5.5 million investment, and enabled a second well to be drilled from 1,600 ft to 4,900 ft in seven days for USD 2.4 million, delivering total savings of USD 8.6 million.