Drilling BHAs Gain Speed, PrecisionBy Colter Cookson

A bottom-hole assembly is like an or-chestra in that when its components worktogether, the results can be amazing.

Whether that result is a stunning per-formance of the hit musical “Hamilton”or a record-setting run in a formationfull of tough stringers, it takes time toachieve quality. Just as musicians spenddecades rehearsing several hours a day,the engineers who design BHA compo-nents continue to hone their craft todeliver stellar performances.

That drive for efficiency is reshapingmud motors and the rotary steerable sys-tems those motors often support. Accord-ing to their manufacturers, the latestmotors and rotary steerables can drilllonger, faster and more precisely thantheir predecessors, providing meaningfulreductions in drilling costs and improve-ments in hole quality that are welcomenow more than ever.

“These are unprecedented times,” re-flects Myles Woloshyn, president andchief executive officer of Turbo Drill In-dustries Inc. (TDI). “For the past fouryears, we have focused on ensuring wecan survive at $35 oil and thrive at $45.Today, we are developing tools and tech-niques that can help the industry thriveat $35 and survive at $25.”

Collaboration between operators andservice companies is key to the industry’ssuccess, Woloshyn argues. “We need towork together to examine every step ofthe well delivery process and make itmore efficient,” he outlines. “That likelywill mean standardizing well designs,hole sizes and BHA components to stream-line supply chains.”

Because standardization is crucial

to efficiency, Turbo Drill has developeda customizable BHA with standardizedcomponents aimed at reducing drillingcosts in shale plays, Woloshyn reports.TDI’s customizable BHA consists of anext-generation drilling motor, anymeasurement-while-drilling system, afriction reduction tool and a stick-slipmitigation tool.

According to Woloshyn, every com-ponent is designed to be easy to manu-facture and service. He adds that TDI

makes every part in the United States,which simplifies quality control and en-sures they will be available even whenunusual events disrupt international man-ufacturing or shipping.

“To control costs, the only electroniccomponent in the BHA is the MWDtool,” Woloshyn says. “Mechanical systemscan drill wells at a much lower cost. Ourgoal is to achieve 85%-90% of an elec-tronic system’s performance with halfthe daily cost and only 40% of the lost-

To reduce drilling costs, Turbo Drill Industries Inc. has developed a compound anglemotor that has a lower bend-angle on the outside and an internal bend on the inside.While sliding, TDI says, the two angles combine, allowing the motor to achieve high buildrates in the curve. It is embedded with sensors that gather shock, vibration, rpm andtemperature data to help pinpoint drilling dysfunctions, TDI adds.

The “Better Business” Publication Serving the Exploration / Drilling / Production Industry

APRIL 2020

Reproduced in part for Turbo Drill Industries Inc. with permission from The American Oil & Gas Reporter

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in-hole cost.”

Compound Angle Motor

The customizable BHA can deliversuch strong performance because it usesa compound angle motor, Woloshyn says.“This proprietary motor has a lower bend-angle on the outside and an internal bendon the inside,” he describes. “Whilesliding, the two angles combine, allowingthe motor to achieve high build rates inthe curve.”

If the wellbore deviates from the planin the lateral, the motor’s high doglegcapability while sliding allows for quickcorrections, mentions Chad Feddema,TDI’s chief technology officer. “Switchingfrom a conventional motor to a compoundangle motor dramatically reduces thesliding time,” he states.

The motor’s flexibility allows the drillerto complete the curve and lateral in asingle run, Woloshyn says. In addition toreducing trips, this simplifies the servicecompany’s supply chain. “For every motor,

the industry historically has demanded abackup motor on location, plus anotherin the shop. Using one motor design todrill the curve and lateral, rather thantwo, frees up at least one motor to goelsewhere, helping the service companydeliver quality products at a lower cost.”

When the motor is rotating, it drillsfaster than high bend-angle designs, Fed-dema says. “With any bend-angle, thebit will deviate slightly and waste energydrilling an over-gauge hole. The lowerthe bend-angle, the more drilling efficiencyincreases,” he explains.

The low bend-angle also reduces cyclicstress on the motor, allowing it to run athigher drill string revolutions, Feddemaadds. “The compound angle motor canwithstand 120 rpm in applications wherehigh bend-angle motors would rapidlyfatigue at 65 or 75 rpm,” he says. “Coupledwith a U-joint that transfers power moreefficiently from the motor to the bit, thishelps the express BHA deliver higherrates of penetration.”

Every motor TDI deploys comes em-bedded with drilling dynamics sensorsfrom Sanvean Technologies, one of TDI’sbusiness units, Woloshyn notes. He saysthis is possible because the sensors canbe embedded in all TDI motors. Sensorsalso can be embedded in bits and otherBHA components rather than utilizingcarrier subs.

“The sensors gather shock and vibrationdata, which is critical for understandingcyclical fatigue, as well as rpm and tem-perature. We can use the sensor informa-tion to pinpoint drilling dysfunctions suchas stick-slip and torsional oscillations tosee how they are affecting the bit andBHA,” Woloshyn says.

“After each run, we use proprietarysoftware to download and analyze thedrilling dynamic data so we can highlightareas of concern and help the operatorimprove performance on the next run,”he says. “This process is efficient andrapid enough to analyze the data beforethe next section or well.” ❒

SpecialReport: Drilling Innovations