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"You are trying to optimize that run; tripping takes time," says Munro. For example, if an operator can drill a 3 000metre well with three bits rather than five, depending upon the rig, that could save three days of downtime and
tripping.
The simulator predicts the ROP on a metre-by-metre basis enabling the optimum simulation in terms of dollars per
metre to be calculated.
"It all comes down to cost analysis," he says. "Sometimes your bit may drill farther but you choose to pull it because a
new bit will give you better penetration and it comes out in real good repairable condition so it costs you less to
repair."
Since changing companies, Munro has introduced the Optimizer to Shell. The first trial well was successful and he
plans to use it on another three wells. "If it works as well as it did in the first well -- and I am confident it will -- I hope
the company will take hold of it and institute it throughout."
Drilling simulation works best in a field in which the operator has access to a broad base of wells, he says. "What we
are using is the best run data we have had from before and looking at it and saying: 'Here is our best average -- how
can we improve on it?'"
With nearly 100 wells from which to choose, Anadarko was able to select "the best of the best," with the objective of
repeating that result, says Munro.
"Our problem was that we would be drilling a well and have, say, 150 rotating hours and that was our best well and
the next would be 175 or 180 [hours]," he says. "What we tried to do was get every well so it was 145 to 155 hours
with a very small standard of deviation."
While the geology may change about 10 kilometres away, "you should be within hours [field hours]" of that objective.
"Everything is repeatable," he says. "It is mass manufacturing of a gas well."
A key feature of the use of the simulation is the communication between head office and the field, ensuring that field
staff know what the operator wants to accomplish. Staff were given some leeway around the simulation and
challenged to try it and see if they could improve on it, says Munro. "Sometimes they did and sometimes they didn't
but they'd try it and if it got better they'd keep it and if it didn't they'd go back to what we suggested," he says.
"You give them an 80% result and they will give you back at least that and if you've got the best operating practices,
you should drill the best penetration rate and the best well."
While initially there was some skepticism, "in the end the guys in the field liked working with it because it took a lot of
the pressure of trying to tweak the bit themselves," he says.
According to Munro, it's hard to quantify the actual savings with the use of well simulation. "The first couple of wells
you get a pretty good gain but after that, once you get it down to where you are doing your best, you don't get any
more gain," he says. "The only thing that changes that is you tweak your bits and a technology change and you get
another maybe two or three per cent, but what you do get is very good predictable [results]."
At Anadarko, the company found that once it starting using the simulator "we kept getting better" as field staff gained
more experience. "Once you start working with it and have got data in an area you can keep bringing your tweak
times down," he says. While at some point, "it's not going to get a whole lot better," the operator still has the
advantage of greater predictability in the drilling operation.
With a better handle on the time and the cost of each well, an operator can start doing more scheduling and putting a
string of wells together with which it can go to a drilling contractor, with resulting cost savings.
CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION
Geir Hareland, Tel: (403) 210-6264; E-mail: gharelan@ucalgary.ca