Snubdrilling a new well in Venezuela
A new well was successfully drilled using a snubbing jack. The drill bit was rotated using a rotary table, downhole motors and combination of the two. Expected high-pressure zones prompted this use of ``snubdrilling.`` The primary objective was to drill a vertical well through underlying sands and gain information about formation pressures. This data would aid in the drilling of a relief well using a conventional drilling rig. The secondary objective was to relieve pressure by putting this new well on production. In addition to special high-pressure drilling jobs, there are other drilling applications where snubbing jacks are a feasible alternative to conventional rotary drilling rigs or coiled tubing units. Slimhole, underbalanced and flow drilling, and sidetracking of existing wells are excellent applications for snubdrilling. Advantages of snubdrilling vs. coiled tubing drilling, include ability to rotate drillstrings, use high-torque downhole motors, pump at high rates and pressures, apply significant overpull in case of stuck pipe, and run casing and liners without rigging down. Shortcomings of drilling with snubbing jacks compared to coiled tubing are the need to stop circulation while making new connections and inability to run continuous cable inside workstrings.
- OSTI ID:
- 175985
- Journal Information:
- World Oil, Journal Name: World Oil Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 216; ISSN 0043-8790; ISSN WOOIAS
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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