MWD tools improve drilling performance
Downhole measurement while drilling technology is changing the way many wells are drilled. The capability to understand what is occurring at the drill bit as it actually happens is improving drilling performance, safety, and ultimately cost effectiveness. MWD evolved because of the need to acquire real-time data at the well site. The technology was not developed by vendors as simply an ''add-on'' tool - something an operator didn't realize he needed. MWD, with state-of-the-art, rugged, electronic downhole tools, is the closest thing the petroleum industry has to aerospace engineering. The constraints placed on MWD tools are greater than any other downhole tool-including wireline electric logs - because they are in the hole for long durations, operating under severe hole conditions. MWD tools were first used to monitor directional drilling operations on a real-time basis, More recently vendors have developed formation capabilities for MWD. Tools capable of measuring other drilling parameters such as weight on bit and downhole torque and pressure are also available. MWD technology continues to advance rapidly as the second and third generation of tools and equipment are introduced. Improvements are coming in many areas, but the biggest change will be in the development of new surface equipment to analyze retrieved data. For several years, MWD has been providing a reliable and accurate stream of real-time data from downhole. New software packages for surface equipment will allow the data to be analyzed in new ways to improve drilling efficiencies.
- OSTI ID:
- 5847966
- Journal Information:
- Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States), Vol. 58:2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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