Case Study: Gulf of Mexico Operating Company continues ultradeepwater drilling in rough seas with SLB Hydra-Stroke bumper sub

Sub helps mitigate drillstring oscillation issues in 6- to 10-ft seas Gulf of Mexico

SLB worked with Gulf of Mexico Operating Company while it was drilling an ultradeepwater exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico during unusually rough 6- to 10-foot sea conditions. The operator needed to keep drilling the next sections without using a heave compensator, which was turned off because of load limitations, and wanted to avoid drillstring oscillation caused by wave motion.

SLB recommended using the Hydra-Stroke bumper sub in the bottomhole assemblies to isolate the drillstring from heave and provide up to 6 feet of telescopic movement, with two sub configurations giving as much as 12 feet of motion compensation. Using seven BHAs, Gulf of Mexico Operating Company successfully drilled the remaining three sections of the well, meeting its drilling objectives despite the rough seas.