Steerable Drilling Assembly Single-Trip Milling and Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wellbore departure and drilling systems require multiple downhole trips, which are inefficient and costly, as they necessitate separate operations for window milling and lateral wellbore drilling.
Innovation Solution
A steerable drilling assembly with a cutting implement and whipstock system that allows for both casing window milling and lateral wellbore drilling during a single downhole trip, utilizing a releasable attachment member and back-up components to control cutting depth and minimize attachment residue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional separate operations for window milling and lateral wellbore drilling are used, then each operation can be performed with dedicated equipment, but multiple downhole trips are required increasing time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the window milling operation and lateral wellbore drilling operation into a single integrated bottom hole assembly. The cutting implement includes both milling cutters for through-casing milling and drilling cutters for lateral wellbore drilling, allowing both operations to be performed during one downhole trip, thereby eliminating the need for multiple trips and reducing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom hole assembly is designed with multi-functionality to perform both window milling and lateral wellbore drilling. The cutting implement can mill through the casing to create a window and then continue to drill the lateral wellbore, making the same assembly universal for both operations that were previously performed by separate specialized equipment.
2Productivity
If a single bottom hole assembly is used for both window milling and lateral wellbore drilling, then trip time is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting implement is segmented into distinct functional sections: milling cutters for through-casing milling, drilling cutters for lateral wellbore drilling, and backup components for depth control. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while being integrated into a single assembly, managing complexity through modular functional divisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The assembly incorporates a steerable drilling assembly with a steerable drilling tool that can dynamically adjust the drilling direction. This dynamic capability allows the single assembly to adapt to different operational phases (milling vs. drilling) and maintain control despite the increased functional complexity, thereby improving productivity.
3Device complexity
If cutters are used for both milling and drilling, then a single cutting implement suffices, but control over cutting depth becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Backup components are positioned behind the cutters in advance to control the depth of cutting. These backup components act as depth stops that prevent the cutters from penetrating beyond a predetermined depth, providing precise control over cutting depth before the actual drilling operation begins. This preliminary depth control mechanism ensures accurate cutting depth while using a single cutting implement for both milling and drilling.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems facilitate forming lateral wellbores by optionally eliminating one or more trips downhole. The systems provide for forming a lateral wellbore by enabling the milling of a casing window and/or the drilling of the desired lateral wellbore to a target depth during a single trip down hole. The systems also facilitate improved downhole dynamics control and overall bottom hole assembly functionality.