Case Study: Shell achieves best-in-class drilling performance with SLB remote operations workflows

Shell Reduces NPT and Drills Best-in-Class Well in Central China with Remote Operations Workflows

Shell needed to drill a horizontal well in the interbedded Daanzhai Formation in central China after two previous wells were lost to wellbore stability problems, stuck pipe, and lost-in-hole incidents. The challenge was to achieve the desired dogleg severity while avoiding further borehole collapse and nonproductive time, and Shell worked with SLB on the drilling program.

SLB used remote operations workflows, prejob well engineering planning, geomechanics support, and a fit-for-purpose BHA featuring the PowerDrive Xceed point-the-bit RSS, along with MWD/LWD tools and a revised casing-seat and lateral orientation. The result was zero NPT in the two most challenging sections, a 52% reduction in drilling time versus the best offset well, and a best-in-class well that surpassed the target DLS and drilled deeper than the prior best offset.

Shell

Lin Dong

Team Lead