Case Study: Parsley Energy cuts drilling cost per lateral foot by 30% with SLB’s PowerDrive vorteX Max System

PowerDrive vorteX Max System Reduces Average Total Drilling Cost by 30% per Lateral Foot

Parsley Energy worked with SLB to improve drilling efficiency on multiwell pads in the Permian Basin, where it needed to extend lateral footage and increase rate of penetration in the challenging Wolfcamp Formation. The company was also dealing with severe shock and vibration, high dogleg severities, and a greater risk of wellbore collision in a dense drilling environment.

SLB recommended deploying the PowerDrive vorteX Max high-powered rotary steerable system to improve trajectory control and withstand the abrasive formation. The results included a 30% reduction in average drilling cost per lateral foot, a 17% reduction in rig days, a 9% increase in average lateral footage per well, and an 89% increase in total lateral footage drilled year over year; one record well drilled 7,128 lateral feet in 1.7 days.

Parsley Energy

Jeffery Boggs

Senior Drilling Engineering Manager