Baker Hughes Inc. announced that its subsidiary, Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations, Inc.
, successfully deployed the Hughes Christensen Kymera™ hybrid drill bit for Statoil to improve rate of penetration (ROP) and drilling performance in an appraisal well in deepwater Logan field. This was the first time a large-diameter Kymera bit was run in the Gulf of Mexico.
A 26in. Kymera hybrid bit with 19mm cutters and premium, metal-face seals was used to drill the 26in. vertical section through sediments and salt to section TD, enabling 22in. casing to be set 450ft (137m) deeper than the well’s original objective.
The award-winning Kymera hybrid bit combines PDC and roller cone bit technologies for smoother drilling, superior torque management, and precise steerability through the most complex formations. The bit leverages the cutting superiority and continuous, shearing action of PDCs along with the rock-crushing strength and stability of roller cones. The combination helps Kymera bit to achieve improved performance, excellent toolface control, and higher overall ROP for more footage than either a roller cone or PDC bit.
Statoil selected Kymera bit and 26in. AutoTrak™ X-treme™ rotary-steerable drilling system with CoPilot™ real-time drilling optimization and OnTrak™ measurement-while-drilling (MWD) services in an attempt to improve drilling performance over what has been achieved by large PDC bits used in offset wells.
Large PDC bits tend to generate high torque and vibration that potentially damage bottom hole assemblies and increase nonproductive time. Torque fluctuations also have limited PDC bits’ ability to improve drilling performance in salt. By utilizing Kymera technology, Statoil was able to overcome these limitations and achieve an ROP of 57ft/hr (17 m/hr) through 1,995ft (608m) of salt, as well as 123ft/hr (37m/hr) through 1131ft (345m) of sediments. Overall, the ROP was improved by 26% compared to the nearest offset.
Image: The Kymera hybrid bit combines PDC and roller-cone technologies.
Subscribe
