Colombia's Pendare Field is famous for its strong and difficult-to-control directional tendencies, especially in horizontal wells. These tendencies lead to increased well tortuosity and friction factor, significantly raising the drilling complexity during geosteering with a motor. Additionally, a key challenge is the proximity to the oil/water contact within the productive sandstones. For Tecpetrol, the goal was to drill a 3,000-ft horizontal section without a rotary steerable system (RSS) through the thin sandstone layer and avoid water contact.
Through the combination of PowerPak™ steerable motors, PeriScope HD™ multilayer bed boundary detection service, DQ1000™ wellsite mass spectrometer gas analyzer, and DrillPlan™ coherent well construction planning solution, Tecpetrol successfully drilled the longest horizontal well in Colombia while avoiding early water production from the nearby oil/water contact. The operation was planned and optimized using the DrillPlan solution. By analyzing historical data from the Pendare Field, a trajectory with low tortuosity was designed to enhance weight on bit (WOB) operating range and rate of penetration (ROP). This approach enabled informed decision making to ensure the well was drilled within 7 ft of its intended target depth.
To accurately map the top of the reservoir and prevent premature exits from the target formation, PeriScope HD service mapping technology was employed. The DQ1000 gas analyzer estimated well permeability and detected water proximity. The modular design of PowerPak steerable motors enabled customized performance drilling tailored to the specific requirements of the operation while the BHA was optimized for friction factor to further enhance directional control. As a result of these efforts, a 3,000-ft section was successfully drilled in one run, setting a record for the longest horizontal well in Colombia drilled with a motor.
