Case Study: a large oil drilling service provider optimizes North Sea geosteering and well placement with SLB formation evaluation and interpretation

While-Drilling Formation Evaluation and Interpretation Guides Geosteering to Target Zones

SLB worked with a large oil drilling service provider in the Dutch sector of the North Sea to help place a highly deviated well within lower-permeability reservoir zones A, B, C, and D despite seismic uncertainty, mud losses, unexpected faults, and formation dip uncertainty. The goal was to avoid water production and poor stimulation results while reaching additional oil-bearing zones, using while-drilling formation evaluation and geosteering technologies.

SLB deployed the adnVISION azimuthal density neutron service with the ImPulse integrated MWD platform, Petrel E&P software, eXpandBG modeling software, and a PowerDrive rotary steerable system to interpret formation dip in real time and guide the well path. The result was accurate geosteering that placed 372 m below the top of the lower C zone, 835 m within the B and upper C zones, and the last 200 m parallel to the formation, with no failures or sidetracks and avoidance of the water-saturated zone.