Mobil identifies extended-reach-drilling advantages, possibilities in North Sea

Extended reach drilling (ERD) is an integrated methodology for drilling high-angle well bores with long horizontal displacements. Because long-term profitability is a primary concern of the oil and gas industry, major efforts are under way to optimize drilling procedures to make operations more cost effect. All phases of drilling are being subjected to close scrutiny of the involved economics. Now emerging is the possibility of obtaining substantial savings by upgrading conventional directional drilling techniques into advanced procedures for drilling high-angle, extended-reach well bores. Such a capability offers a variety of applications with the potential for significant reductions in cost. Utilization of ERD procedures could be made to: Develop offshore reservoirs now considered uneconomical; Drill under shipping lanes or under environmentally sensitive areas; Accelerate production by drilling long sections of nearly horizontal hole in producing formations; Provide an alternative for some subsea completions; Reduce the number of platforms necessary to develop a large reservoir.