Case Study: Permian Basin Operating Company achieves record-best cementing and eliminates an additional casing string with SLB’s casing-while-drilling solution

XCD Casing Bit Drills Five Wells to Access Permian Basin Reservoir Below CO2 Injection Zone

SLB worked with Permian Basin Operating Company to address the challenge of drilling five well intervals to total depth below a high-pressure CO2 injection zone while still enabling cementing of 5 1/2-in production casing and reducing nonproductive time. The operator had been using a costly three-string well design, and earlier two-string attempts had led to CO2 kicks, stuck pipe, wellbore collapse, poor cementing, and NPT.

SLB recommended a two-string casing-while-drilling approach using a 7 7/8-in XCD casing-while-drilling alloy casing bit, Allegro casing- and liner-while-drilling services, Volant Multi-Lobe Torque Rings, and hydroformed centralizers. In five wells, the company drilled to TD, eliminated an extra casing string, avoided kicks, stuck pipe, borehole collapse, and extended NPT, and delivered a record-best cementing job below the CO2 zone.