Schlumberger has picked up this year's ONS innovation award for GeoSphere, its reservoir mapping while drilling service. The ONS SME innovation award went to Fishbones for its stimulation system and Tore Halvorsen, FMC Technologies' senior vice president responsible for global subsea, won the ONS special innovation award for his pioneering work in subsea technology.
Using deep, directional electromagnetic measurements, the GeoSphere reservoir mapping-while-drilling service reveals subsurface bedding and fluid contact details more than 100 ft (30m) from the wellbore. This reservoir-scale view provides an unprecedented depth of investigation, enabling operators to optimize landing, reduce drilling risk, and maximize reservoir exposure. By integrating real-time reservoir maps with seismic surveys, interpretation of the reservoir structure and geometry can be refined, revolutionizing field development strategy.
Schlumberger’s Christophe Dupuis said that the use of GeoSphere in landing applications had removed the need for pilot holes in several programs already. “Having the full view of the reservoir up to 30 meters lets us do very nice geosteering,” he added.
The Fishbones stimulation system is an open hole liner completion that connects the well and the reservoir without the drawbacks of hydraulic fracking. Small diameter tubes/needles are installed with and protected by the liner. At depth the needles are released by pressurizing the liner and the jetting operation starts. Fluid flows through the needles and jets out through the nozzles. The needles are ejected due to the differential pressure across the liner. Four laterals are installed at each depth. Typically 40ft (12m) is achievable penetration.
The Fishbones stimulation system was installed on land in a horizontal well in the Austin chalk formation in Texas in April this year, as part of the Joint Chalk Research program setup by nine operators to qualify the process for the North Sea. Fishbones’ Rune Fryer said the installation created a world record with 60 laterals created from a mother wellbore, leading to a 30 times productivity increase. Two more tests are planned in Texas this month and next, followed by three or four in the Middle East, both on land and in The Emirates offshore. The system is expected to be ready for operation in the North Sea in 2015.
Christophe Dupuis and Emmanuelle Regrain accepted the prize on behalf of Schlumberger and Rune Freyer majority owner for Fishbones, in which Statoil Invest has an 11% stake.
Image from ONS
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