Schlumberger Unveils Slimhole High Build Rate RSS

Schlumberger announced the release of the slimhole PowerDrive Archer high build rate rotary steerable system (RSS). The new RSS delivers build rates of up to 18-degree/100 feet, with full directional control and dogleg assurance for complex 3D well profiles and multilateral well designs.

"The slimhole PowerDrive Archer RSS can drill well profiles previously only possible with motors, in one run, with the ROP and wellbore quality of a fully rotating RSS," said Steve Kaufmann, president of Drilling & Measurements at Schlumberger. "Expanding the capabilities of our high build rate RSS services, this slimhole edition has drilled 130,000 feet in carbonate, sand and unconventional reservoirs as part of our integrated drilling systems offering, including advanced Smith PDC drillbit technology."

Built on the reliability of the PowerDrive X6 system, the slimhole PowerDrive Archer RSS, using a combination of push- and point-the-bit technologies, introduces a step change in drilling performance in geosteering and openhole sidetrack applications as proven in more than 130 field test runs in North America, the Middle East, West Africa, Europe and Asia.

In the Permian Basin, Cimarex Energy needed to drill a 6 1/8-in horizontal section within a 7-foot thick true vertical depth zone in the Bone Spring shale formation. The well design included high dogleg severity with a 10-degree/100-foot curve. The slimhole high build rate RSS was selected to eliminate additional trips downhole, and the challenging curve and lateral were drilled in one run, saving 26 hours of drilling time.