N/A Bit LL with INEOS

Fat Canyon (6306/3-1 S) – Production section

What happened:

Extremely slow progress ranging from 1-10m/hr.
Likely due to sweeling/stickyness of clay due to use of WBM.

Client insisted we increased parameters instead of lowering them, continously increasing WOB and flow.

However, the tips from experienced people onboard the rig including the supervisor and toolpusher had a theory that with lower parameters, the bit’s teeth would actually grab the formation, and not just rest on a “pillow” of mushed up clay, in addition to lowering the chance of pumping the bit off bottom due to the highflowrates.

What was planned:

Drill 12 1/4″ sidetrack section with high ROP.

What was learned:

The client did not want to relent and insisted on keeping all rates as high as possible. Very little improvement on progress were seen and when it was decided to do a bit trip (and also call early TD), both scenarios showed bit grading indicating virtually “unused” bits.

What actions are required:

It is important to be willing to try all options before deciding on a bit trip which is very costly in terms of downtime. Especially when it turned out the bits were virtually unused.