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An Operator in the Southern Delaware Basin Drills their Most Efficient Well in Just ~16 Days, Utilizing Ulterra’s SplitBlade™ & CounterForce™ Technology

28 May 2019

Ulterra has been afforded the opportunity to supply drill bits for the 12.25” section for a customer drilling in the Greater Permian Basin. The Ulterra team has commonly proposed their SplitBlade™ technology for this application, and it has proven to be an effective solution for this customer. Since running Ulterra, performance for this operator has been significantly boosted – saving time and money downhole.

Gradually running Ulterra in other hole sizes, this operator teamed up with Ulterra to complete an entire well in the southern Delaware Basin with the goal of eliminating a couple of trips to save associated BHA costs.

While targeting the oil-rich Wolfcamp A formation, operators are challenged with drilling through interbedded shale and limestone. Considering the changes in formation strength, the teams collaborated to select the right bit(s) for each section. Utilizing both SplitBlade™ and CounterForce™ technology, this operator was able to overcome various performance limitations.

Initially, this operator drilled down to 7,245 ft. with Ulterra’s 12.25” SPL616, drilling 5,665 ft. with an impressive rate of penetration (ROP) of 101 ft/hr – reaching past the Bone Spring formation into the top of the Wolfcamp formation. To tackle the tough limestone and chert found deeper in the intermediate section, this operator utilized Ulterra’s durable 12.25” CF716 to drill an additional 2,241 ft. Utilizing this combination, this operator was able to two-bit the entire lateral.

Maintaining a high pace, the curve was drilled with Ulterra’s 8.5” SPL613 to a full 90° to prepare for the lateral. Ulterra’s SplitBlade technology was selected to help overcome the challenges faced with directional control and proved to be an effective solution, helping to push the curve to be completed in just 9 hours.

To finish the well to total length, Ulterra’s CF616 drilled 9,910 ft. at an average ROP of 79 ft/hr, staying within the pay zone 95% of the time. Ulterra’s patented CounterForce technology helped to minimize drilling vibration to increase efficiency with its unique cutter configuration.

Reaching nearly two miles to total length in the horizontal section was a major accomplishment for this operator. Drilling 1,150.56 ft per day, the entire well was completed in just 16.166 days – making it their most efficient well to-date.