Sperry-Sun Records 200th Multilateral Installation
The STG-06 well is the fourth trilateral well constructed by Sperry-Sun for Petronas Carigali utilizing the retrievable multilateral system (RMLS™). It is also the third of five multilateral wells (four trilaterals, one dual-lateral) scheduled for the current Sotong drilling campaign. The wells are being drilled from the nine-slot Sotong platform using a drilling tender. The project is scheduled to provide the equivalent of 17 wells (three conventional singles, one dual-lateral, four trilaterals) from eight of the slots, with one slot left for potential future use.
The 17 wells were planned according to a drainage pattern that is designed to optimize production and recovery of the K2 oil reservoir of the Sotong Field.
For the STG-06, two pre-milled RMLS window joints were installed in the primary 9 5/8" casing string, allowing two 8 ½" laterals to be drilled in addition to the mainbore. The laterals were lined with a tapered 7" x 4 ½" liner, which was then perforated underbalanced.
The well was completed eight days ahead of AFE by successfully utilizing established contingency techniques to overcome the problems encountered. The well has been tested to 1,900 b/d oil through a restricted ½" choke. The wells have been designed to produce at a controlled rate of approximately 2,000 b/d in order to minimize the drawdown due to the risk of coning from the overlying gas cap.
"Since the installation of the first LTBSä (lateral tie-back system) in January 1993, Sperry-Sun has continually refined multilateral drilling technology and methods," said Edgar Ortiz, president, Halliburton Energy Services. "This dedication has resulted in success after success and allows us to offer our customers the most tried and true multilateral systems in the world."