Case Study: WPX Energy saves 9 days drilling a 14,717-ft lateral with SLB’s PowerDrive Orbit vorteX RSS

WPX Energy Saves 9 Days While Drilling a Nearly 3-Mile Lateral in North Dakota

WPX Energy was drilling extended-reach wells in the Williston Basin and needed to increase rate of penetration while maintaining a low-tortuosity borehole in an abrasive formation for a nearly 3-mile lateral. SLB recommended a drilling system using the PowerDrive Orbit vorteX motorized RSS, a customized directional PDC bit from Smith Bits, and SlimPulse retrievable MWD service.

SLB’s solution helped WPX reach total depth 9 days faster than the average of five comparable lateral sections drilled with conventional motor BHAs, and 3.5 days faster than the best of those wells. The well achieved 76 ft/h ROP, a 20% improvement, eliminated sliding and reaming, allowed casing to be run to bottom in one run, and set a Mountrail County lateral footage record of 14,717 ft.

WPX Energy