Case Study: a Malaysian operating company achieves record-length high-angle sidetrack drilling with SLB's integrated BHA solution

Integrated System Sidetracks and Drills High-Angle Well in Unstable Formation

SLB worked with an operator in Malaysia that needed to sidetrack out of 13⅜-in casing and drill at least 2,500 m through an unstable formation while enlarging the hole and building inclination from about 25° to 80° so 9⅝-in casing could be run. The operator also wanted to reduce vibration and improve wellbore quality, so SLB proposed an integrated drilling approach using a TrackMaster CH cased hole whipstock system and an integrated BHA.

SLB milled the casing exit and drilled a 7-m rathole in one trip, then used an integrated BHA with a PowerDrive Xceed rotary steerable system, Rhino XS expandable reamer, and a 12¼-in PDC bit to directionally drill the 2,719-m section while enlarging it from 12¼ in to 13½ in. The wellbore was built from 28.1° to 80.6°, and SLB set a new record in Malaysia for the longest RSS run, delivering a stable, high-quality wellbore of record length.