Case Study: UAE Based Operating Company optimizes geosteering in complex carbonate reservoir with SLB TerraSphere

TerraSphere service improves understanding of permeability distribution and helps drill 8½-in section in one run, Abu Dhabi

SLB worked with a UAE based operating company drilling offshore in Abu Dhabi that needed to place a long lateral through the most permeable part of a complex carbonate reservoir while avoiding high GOR zones, water-saturated zones, and possible faults that conventional logs could not clearly identify. The operator also wanted better understanding of permeability distribution to improve geosteering in an extended-reach horizontal section.

SLB deployed the TerraSphere high-definition dual-imaging-while-drilling service, integrated with other LWD and surface logging tools, to provide real-time resistivity and acoustic images, identify vugs and faults, and validate reservoir properties while drilling. As a result, the operator successfully geosteered more than 13,000 ft of lateral section in a single 8½-in run at an MD of over 27,000 ft and a TVD of more than 8,250 ft, without compromising ROP.