SPE/IADC 85287

Fastest Deep Marrat Well in North Kuwait: Case History of Raudhatain 206
M. AL-Saeedi, B. AL-Mutairi and M. AL-Khaldy, Kuwait Oil Company, and T. Sheeran, ChevronTexaco Kuwait

Copyright 2003, SPE/IADC

Background on Kuwait Geology and Jurassic well history
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling Technology
Conference & Exhibition held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, 20-22 October 2003.
Most Kuwait development and oil production comes from the
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE/IADC Program Committee following
review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the
shallow Cretaceous formations which extend down to 12,000+
paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers or the ft, and which have normal pore pressures of less than 12 ppg.
International Association of Drilling Contractors and are subject to correction by the author(s).
The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the SPE, IADC, their These formations consist primarily of sequences of sands,
officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper
for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers or
limestones and shales. The massive Burgan field of Kuwait is
the International Association of Drilling Contractors is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in a good example, where multiple stacked oil zones exist in
print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied.
The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper reservoirs ranging from the Wara formation down to the
was presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A.,
fax 01-972-952-9435.
Minagish Oolite.
These shallower formations contain a variety of challenging
drilling conditions. The near surface formations are prone to
Abstract loss circulation throughout Kuwait, with the highest severity
For the last 20 years, exploration in Kuwait has focused on of losses in the Tertiary Dammam limestones and the
finding commercial quantities of high quality oil in the deeper Cretaceous Shuaiba formation, both of which contain vuggy
high pressure/high temperature (HTHP) Jurassic formations fractures. These formations often experience total losses while
(13,000-17,000 ft), and for gas within the Triassic formations drilling, and are commonly penetrated using mudcap drilling
(17,000-21,000 ft). The HPHT conditions, the presence of H2S techniques. Cretaceous shales in the Ahmadi and Ratawi
and CO2, the narrow pore pressure/fracture pressure (PP/FP) formations are highly reactive, and require inhibitive muds to
window to work with, and the high mud weights (18-20 ppg) prevent hydration and hole sloughing. Hole stability is a
required have made deep drilling conditions in Kuwait some concern in the Burgan sand/shales and in the depleted
of the most challenging in the world. Mauddud formation. Hard and very abrasive sands exist in the
This paper discusses the outstanding drilling performance Zubair formation, and dense carbonates in the Makhul
achieved in drilling Ruadhatain 206 (RA-206) as the fastest formation result in slow rates of penetration (ROP’s) at the
deep Jurassic well to date in North Kuwait. New practices bottom of the Cretaceous. Four casing strings are required to
were incorporated and several firsts accomplished through safely isolate the Tertiary and Cretaceous sequences prior to
optimum utilization of local built-in experience, combined entering the overpressured Jurassic sequences below.
with the latest technology and practices developed by With the shallower horizons extensively developed in Kuwait,
International Operating Companies (IOC’s) and exploration efforts have focused increasingly on drilling into
service companies. the deeper Jurassic Najmah/Sargelu and Marrat formations.
Optimum bit selection resulted in a world record bit run in the Penetrating into these Jurassic sediments poses significant
28” section, and record firsts for Kuwait in the 22” and 16” additional drilling challenges.
sections. Careful analysis of offset data and in selecting mud The thick Hith anhydrite (300 ft) marks the beginning of the
weights resulted in improved hole stability with minimum Jurassic sequence. The Hith is characterized by slow drilling,
mud losses, and enabled the bottom two hole sections to be and contains a rapidly increasing pore pressure from +/-12ppg
commingled. Extensive cement design and optimization up to 17+ppg at the base. Below the Hith is the massive
resulted in an excellent CBL being achieved in the Gotnia salt/anhydrite sequence (500-1500 ft), and which
production casing. contains pore pressures approaching the overburden gradient.
The excellent performance achieved in well RA-206, has now Pore pressures frequently increase from 17.0 ppg in the upper
opened the possibility of efficiently drilling similar wells in Gotnia, to 18.0–19.5 ppg in the 3rd anhydrite towards the base.
100 days (technical limit) instead of the 170-200 days Drilling through the Gotnia requires extremely high mud
normally taken. (Fig-1) The improved drilling practices weights of 18.0-20.0+ ppg to control the formation pressures,
significantly reduced the drilling time and well costs, and and a very narrow window exists between the formation pore
provided a step-change forward in KOC’s understanding of pressure/fracture pressure (PP/FP). In some wells this window
drilling limits when applied to deep exploratory/development is only 300-600 psi, and the formations are easily broken
wells. down while drilling resulting in losses. Once losses occur in
the Gotnia, they are usually total, and can result in well control
situations with saltwater influxes containing H2S. Once
2 SPE/IADC 85287

fractured, regaining a stable hydraulic balance in the Gotnia the Hith/Gotnia sequence, and this casing is tied back to
becomes extremely difficult. The salt also may act plastically, surface prior to drilling into the formations below. Continuing
allowing the hole to take fluid and balloon back into the well, on, a 7 ¾” liner casing string is run to cover and isolate the
giving the appearance of flow. Each field/area acts differently, fractured Najmah/Sargelu source rock from the lower
and as a result, careful review of offset wells is required to pressured Marrat below, and a 5 1/2” production liner is
select the best mud weights to drill this section. normally set across the Marrat limestone section. The 7-3/4”
Below the Gotnia lies the fractured channel source rock casing is then tied back to surface.
interval (Najmah/Sargelu formations) of layered shales and In the big hole design, the upper hole sections (36”, 28”, 22”)
limestones. If the fractures are intersected during drilling, then are drilled with water-based mud where the formations are
sudden massive losses may occur, followed shortly by well prone to extensive losses, and also to protect the near surface
influxes from the Najmah/Sargelu formations if the well is not aquifers from contamination. The lower hole sections (16”, 12
kept on slight losses. Conversely, if the fractures are missed, ¼”, 9 ¼”, and 6 ½”) are drilled with oil-based mud to handle
the rock matrix itself is of low porosity, and losses while the HPHTconditions and very tight PP/FP window, especially
drilling this section are unlikely. in the lower Gotnia, Najmah/Sargelu and Marrat formations.
Throughout Kuwait, a pressure regression occurs in the Figure-3 shows initial well plan for RA-206.
formations below the Gotnia. Pore pressures typically reduce
from the 18.0-19.5ppg in the Gotnia, to 16.0-18.8ppg in the Final Well Design
Najmah/Sargelu. The Najmah/Sargelu sequence is also sour,
and has been tested at >20,000 ppm H2S in several areas In west Kuwait, most Jurassic wells have encountered severe
of Kuwait. loss/gain situations in the fractured Najmah/Sargelu source
Below the Najmah/Sargelu source rock is a barrier shale rock, and this has been a primary obstacle preventing drilling
(Dharuma), and then a fractured oil-bearing carbonate deeper to the Marrat reservoir rock within the same hole
reservoir (Marrat). The pressure regression below the Gotnia section. For this reason, in W. Kuwait a 7-¾” liner is normally
formation continues, and the pore pressures in the Marrat are set just below the Najmah/Sargelu sequence. In North Kuwait,
typically 1-3ppg less than in the Najmah/Sargelu. The Marrat however, it has been observed that the differences in pore
pore pressures are normally 14.0-16.0 ppg. This fractured pressure between the Najmah/Sargelu and Marrat are less
limestone was the primary target of RA-206 well, and has pronounced, and several wells have combined the
been the target of most Jurassic producers in Kuwait at depths Najmah/Sargelu and Marrat formations together in one hole
of 14,000 to 17,000 ft. The stratigraphy/lithology of Kuwait section, although not without some difficulty (mud losses and
highlighting troublesome formations can be seen in Fig-2. well control situations).
After evaluating the offsets, a proposal was made to drill the
Initial Well Design combined Najmah/Sargelu and Marrat sections together in
RA-206 in 9 ¼” hole to TD at top of Minjur without setting
The initial RA-206 well design was based on a “bighole” intermediate liner at base of Najmah/Sargelu. The only
casing program commonly used in Kuwait for drilling deeper reasons casing would be set early, would be if the lower-
exploratory and development Marrat wells. This design has pressured Marrat formation could not tolerate the higher mud
been refined over time to overcome the drilling difficulties weights required to drill the Najmah/Sargelu. The presence of
encountered in the Cretaceous formations, and to safely meet big fractures in the Najmah/Sargelu source rock could also
the challenging requirements while drilling the Jurassic determine if casing would need to be set early. Ultimately in
section while providing either 7 ¾” or 5 ½” casing to the the RA-206 well, commingling was a success and the well
final TD. drilled 9 ¼” hole all the way to TD with no losses. At TD, 7-
The first 3 casings (30”, 24”, and 18 5/8”) are run to cover ¾” production casing was set across Najmah/Sargelu and
shallow aquifer sands and to isolate the major loss zones in the Marrat formations. Figures 3,5 show the final
Tertiary and Cretaceous intervals. Using the bighole program, RA-206 schematic.
the 30” casing is normally run to the top of the Dammam to
isolate shallow aquifer sands in the Dibdibba. The 28” casing Rig Selection
is run to the top of the Mutriba formation to isolate the
massive loss zones including the Dammam, Radhuma, and The challenging conditions encountered while drilling deep
Tayarat formations. The 18-5/8” casing is run to the top of Jurassic wells in Kuwait requires that large land rigs be used.
Zubair to isolate the Shuaiba limestone which is also a major The bighole casing program incorporates drilling long sections
loss zone. of big holes, and setting several heavy strings of casing. It is
The remaining Cretaceous formations to the top of Jurassic not uncommon to drill 36” hole to 1200 ft, 28” hole to 6400 ft,
overpressured formations are usually covered with 13 ½” 22” hole to 9500 ft, and 16” hole down to 13,500 ft. These
casing. This includes the Zubair, Ratawi, Minagish and long sections of big hole require large mud pumps, good
Makhul formations. From surface to the base of the hydraulics, and high cuttings handling capacities at surface.
Cretaceous, a total of four casing strings are required to isolate These large holes also require running several strings of very
the aquifers, the massive loss zones, and to prepare to drill into heavy casing, for example: 950,000 lbs for the 24” casing,
the pressured Jurassic sequences below. 1,100,000 lbs for the 18 5/8” casing, and 860,000 lbs for the
Upon drilling into the Upper Jurassic, a 10-3/4” heavy wall 13 ½” casing.
liner is run to isolate the overpressured anhydrites and salts in
SPE/IADC 85287 3

Currently there are four 3000 HP rigs drilling deep wells in to the improved filter cake. In cases of severe total losses,
Kuwait. The rig selected to drill RA-206 was equipped with cement plugs are occasionally used to heal.
3000HP drawworks paired to a 1,500,000 lb mast and A 8.9 ppg low solids bentonite mud was used to drill this
subbase, 3 x 1700HP mud pumps, a full string of 5-1/2” section in RA-206. Partial losses were seen at base of Tayarat
drillpipe for improved hydraulics, a top drive, and 4420 bbls (+/-5200 ft) and continued all the way to casing point at top of
surface pit capacity for handling the large mud volumes Mutriba formation; but with the proper fluid loss control and
required for the big holes and for handling the loss zones. with 30-50 bbls LCM and high-vis sweeps pumped every
connection, returns were kept successfully at 97-100%. The
high circulation rates (+/-1300 gpm) achievable with the 3
Drilling Results pumps allowed excellent hole cleaning, and helped reduce
losses which are sometimes caused by the hole loading up
The impact of Drilling performance is very significant on the with cuttings and causing the mud weight to increase.
petroleum industry, especially when dealing with deep The 24” casing was run and set at 6420 ft in top of Mutriba
exploratary wells. Any improvements in performance will with 97% returns; but during the cement job while using a
reflect significantly on the overall well costs and on the stab-in stinger, communication was observed in the casing x
progress of the forward exploration program. This section of drill pipe annulus. Later it was verified via casing inspection
the paper will discuss in detail the drilling results of each hole logs that the lower 4 joints of casing had parted at bottom.
section, and the areas of improvement and achievements With the proper application of tools (logs/mills) and patience,
accomplished in well RA-206 which resulted in the fastest the well was successfully sidetracked in 22” hole beside the
drilled deep Marrat well in North Kuwait. Figure-1 shows the casing fish, and progressed successfully with the original
days v.s. depth for RA-206 compared to the offset deep wells well program.
drilled in North Kuwait. The well was drilled to TD in 131 In this 28” section, application of an improved bit design
days, but if some of the downtime incidents were removed coupled with detailed knowledge of the formations, and
from the drilling curve, a technical limit of 100 days for future optimizing the hydraulics parameters resulted in achieving a
Marrat wells can be achievable. new World Record for a 28” single bit run in footage and
ROPs (4081 ft and 22.5 fph). This broke the previous record
Teamwork/Communication of (3281 ft and 21.9 fph). The improved bit bearing package
Critical to the success of this well was encouraging an and inserts were key to this achievement. Through this
atmosphere of teamwork throughout the drilling/testing of the optimization, the number of bits used to drill this section was
well, between all personnel including the rigsite supervisors, reduced by 50%.
the drilling contractor, the service companies, the office and
onsite Drilling team, and the Exploration/Field Development Changes in 28” Bit Design
teams. Prior to commencing operations, an onsite Pre-spud Close teamwork and partnership in conjunction with a bit
meeting was held with all key personnel to discuss the overall service company resulted in changes being made to the 28” bit
safety and well objectives to be accomplished. After spudding, design which made this record possible. The bit features
additional onsite meetings were held periodically throughout addressed in the redesign were: using high toughness tungsten
the well to keep everyone focused and aligned on the well carbide inserts with improved thermal fatigue and shock
progress and the objectives. resistance, and changing the shape of the inner row chisel
inserts to reduce corner stresses and enhance
36” interval self-sharpening wear.
This interval was drilled with a stiff bottom hole assembly .
(BHA) using four string stabilizers and a 9.6 ppg prehydrated 22” Section
bentonite spud mud. The 9.6 ppg is required to control The 22” interval was drilled to 18 5/8” casing point at 50 ft in
unconsolidated formations, and in combination with the stiff Zubair top. This drilling challenges were penetrating the most
BHA provides a better well bore and smoother casing running, severe loss circulation formation in Kuwait (Shuaiba, +/- 250
preventing stuck casing incidents as was experienced in an ft thick) to 50 ft above casing point, and hole stability
offset well. 30” casing was run to bottom at the top of problems caused by Burgan formation and the reactive shale
Dammam formation and cemented with no problems. of Ahmadi shale. A 9.1 ppg mud was used to drill this section.
Fluid loss was controlled at <5 cc/30 min before drilling
28” interval Ahmadi shale, and maintained all the way to the top of
A 5000 ft long section was drilled with a stiff BHA using four Shuaiba. Again, high flow rates with the three pumps (1200
stabilizers to penetrate through formations that are prone to gpms) significantly helped in hole cleaning.
losses throughout Kuwait (Dammam, Rus, Radhuma, Due to the expected major losses to be encountered, a
Tayarat). The standard treatment for loss circulation in these procedure developed earlier by this team was utilized to help
sections involves spotting and/or sweeping the hole with LCM prevent/minimize losses and to a accomplish risk free
pills at total concentrations of 25-50 ppb of viscosified mud. operations while logging;
In N. Kuwait, the losses in this section often reduce as more 1- Stop drilling at base of Burgan and run logs before
hole is drilled, aas the drill cuttings tend to plug the formation entering the Shuaiba loss zone.
fractures. Also it has been noted that when controlled fluid 2- Circulate the hole clean while reducing mud weight
loss mud is used, the losses tend to reduce which is attributed to 8.9/9.0 ppg before drilling into Shuaiba.
4 SPE/IADC 85287

3- Pumping high-vis and LCM pills (35 ppb mixed two sections. In RA-206 16” section, started with 12 ppg and
grad/type with calcium carbonate) every stand or as finished with 15.3 ppg. An insert bit was used to drill out the
needed while drilling Shuaiba. float equipment and the top 300 ft of Zubair on rotary BHA
4- Reduce pump from 1200 to 900 gpms, and control before picking up PDC bit and performance motor to drill
ROPs to eliminate any chance of overloading Zubair. The switch to oil base mud has significantly improved
the annulus. well bore stability and minimized hole problems. The benefits
300 ft was then drilled to casing point 50 ft below base of of the three pumps were also seen in the deeper 16” hole
Shuaiba with very minimum losses and 99% returns. The 18- where hole cleaning and pressure requirements for the motor
5/8” casing ran to bottom at 9535 ft and was cemented with drilling are very critical. The ability to deliver (800-950 gpm)
15.8 ppg tail and 10.5 ppg lead slurry, with 62% returns provided the PDC bit with optimum hydraulics, improving
during cement job. durability and ROPs
Successful bit optimization resulted in drilling this section A trial PDC bit then was run to drill the remaining section o
with only two 22” bits, which is a record first in Kuwait. TD, but couldn’t achieve that, drilling only 642 ft mainly in
the Ratawi shale. This bit was pulled, and another PDC bit ofh
Changes in 22” Bit Design different design was run and finished the section to TD at top
Again through close teamwork and partnership with a bit of Hith, drilling 2148 ft with an average ROP of 9 fph. This
service company, improvements were introduced to improve was an excellent achievement, whereby the ROPs improved
the 22’’ bit designs for Kuwait conditions in the Cretacous 50% and the number of bits was reduced from 6 inserts bits to
section. The features which were modified were: using a new only 1 PDC bit compared to offset well.
carbide insert grade to reduce heat checking and improve life, After logging the hole, 13 ½” casing was run to TD of 13562
a redesigned chisel shape for the heel row to protect against ft and cemented with 100% returns.
breakage, a new seal/bearing design with shrouded o-ring seal
for longer bearing life, and a custom nozzle configuration to HP-HT 100% Oil based Mud used in drilling 16”, 12 ¼”, and
clean the cones more efficiently and prevent bit balling as seen 9 ¼” Sections
on offset wells. As a drilling fluid, 100% oil base mud (OBM) has performed
The 22” run was a benchmark, with two bits finishing the with excellent results in Kuwait under many adverse
entire section. The first bit was run for 176 hrs, which was an conditions, including high temperatures, and formation
excellent record for the bit. A comparison with offset wells contamination from salt, H2S, and saltwater flows. It provides
showed that RA-206 used three bits less than the previous good lubricity when drilling across long sections of hole, and
wells in this section. good inhibition across unstable formations. It has a high
tolerance for solids, which is especially important as MW’s in
16” Section the Jurassic section frequently approach 20.0 ppg with 50%
This 4000 ft section marks the end of the Cretaceous age and solids in the mud. It also withstands contamination with acid
the start of the Jurassic age at Hith top. The challenges in this gases such as CO2 and H2S with only moderate changes in
section are the slow ROPs in the very abrasive and hard rheological and chemical properties. It is an ideal drilling fluid
Zubair sandstone, slow ROPs in the Minagish and Makhul for use in shale sections, especially across water
formations, and the wellbore stability of the Ratawi shale. Any sensitive shales.
improvements drilling section will significantly affect the The properties of the oil based mud on RA-206 were
overall performance of the well. maintained as follow:
Throughout Kuwait and especially in the North, drilling the 1- Plastic Viscosity (PV) values were maintained as low
Zubair (1000 ft) is one of the most challenging sections due to as possible for the mud weights being used.
its high abrasiveness, high compressive strength and the 2- Gel strengths were maintained as low as possible to
presence of pyrite in the top Zubair. The Zubair is usually prevent lost circulation due to high surge pressures,
drilled with average 3-7 insert bits which quickly dull and lose while maintaining enough carrying capability so that
gage, requiring many trips to change bits. the barite would not settle, and to provide good
For RA-206, the enhancement introduced to this section was hole cleaning.
the first successful PDC bit application of drilling Zubair in 3- HT-HP Fluid Loss, the High Temperature – High
Kuwait, and which subsequently proved the Zubair can be Pressure (300 Fo, 500 psi) was maintained in the
PDC drillable. Weighing the potential risks/benefits, and vicinity of 2 – 3 cc throughout the section. There was
considering the high cost of new 16” PDC bits, it was decided not any water in the filtrate which clearly indicated a
to attempt to drill Zubair with a rerun PDC bit (9 bladed bit strong emulsion of the mud.
with 19 mm cutters) on a 9 5/8” High performance GT motor. 4- Electrical Stability (ES) was maintained at 2000
This rerun-PDC bit managed to drill almost all the Zubair with (2000 is the maximum limit for ES) which indicated
an impressive increases in ROPs of up to 240% (from 4.0 to the emulsion of the mud was very strong.
13.6 FPH) compared to offsets, and reducing the average 5- Oil/Water Ratio (OWR) was maintained between
number of bits to drill Zubair from 5 insert bits to only one 95/5 to 97/3. The water content in the mud was
PDC bit. maintained as low as possible.
Due to the complexities of this section and as part of an
optimized drilling practices adopted by KOC, a low fluid loss
100% oil base mud was used to drill this section and the next
SPE/IADC 85287 5

12 ¼” section lower mud weight, and increase only dictated by pore

The objective of the 12 ¼” hole section was to drill through pressures/hole conditions.
the Hith and the overpressured salt/anhydrite sequence of The hard anhydrite Hith formation (+/-200 ft) was drilled with
Gotnia formation, and to isolate this overpressured interval a 17.0 ppg mud, which was gradually increased to 17.5 ppg
from the lower pressured formations below with 10 ¾” casing. prior to drilling into the Gotnia salt/anhydrite sequence
The challenge in this interval is to drill through the narrow (+/-400 ft).
Pore pressure/Fracture Pressure (PP/PF) window with the The Gotnia was drilled with 17.5ppg mud while monitoring
required high mud weights and low ECD without inducing pore pressures via the mud loggers. High ROPs in a drilling
loss/gains. Any well control problems can quickly escalate to break in the salt resulted in the bit getting stuck on bottom.
significant lost time while treating the problems, as the Gotnia The drillstring was successfully freed, but following the
can either kick or go on losses. If it goes on losses, within a incident, a decision was made to control drill the remainder of
short period of time it will kick; therefore, it is critical to the section with lower parameters, and also to increase the
prevent the start of this loss/gain cycle. mud weight to 18.3 ppg to prevent the salt section from
To prevent/minimize well control problems in the Gotnia extruding into the wellbore. This was the first well in N.
section, the following procedures were developed: Kuwait able to drill the entire Gotnia section with MW’s less
• Circulate bottoms up after every short trip, bit change than 19.0ppg.
or any long pump shutdowns. Drilling proceeded to the section TD at 14,162 ft with no
• Influxes must be caught early to minimize the kick further problems. No gains or losses were seen in this usually
volumes and pressures, and to minimize the volume challenging section of hole, and this was attributed to the
of associated H2S when it reaches surface. excellent team work and effort put together in the planning the
• Monitor closely for swabbing when pulling of bottom optimum mud weights to use, and in executing the proper
until above casing shoe. procedures while drilling this stage of the well. The 10 ¾”
• Large background gas increases may be seen when casing was run smoothly to 14,162 ft.
drilling the fractured anhydrite. The key is to not From using the lessons learned and experience gained drilling
overreact and to circulate the mud for several hole similar wells, and with careful selection of the mud weights
volumes to allow the background gas to deplete and using good drilling practices, RA-206 achieved a 61%
before determining if necessary to raise mud weight. reduction in drilling days from 18 to 7 days through the
• If well kicks, then check surface shut-in pressures: A) Hith/Gotnia section compared to offset well. (Unfortunately 4
if none or very low pressure, then circulate using of these 7 days was lost due several attempts to free stuck
drillers method to allow formation to relax until the drillstring/bit due to high ROPs break in the salt (170 fph),
influx is out of the hole, then check to see if no bit/pipe was freed by spotting and circulating 60 bbls of
additional gains while circulating. If okay, then water around).
attempt to drill ahead with same mud weight before
weight-up. B) if shut-in pressures are significant, then Gotnia section casing cementation
slowly weight up in 0.1 to 0.2 (max) increments and After careful evaluation of the potential risks/benefits by the
circulate around to allow the fractures to relax. Drilling Team, a decision was made to run the 10 ¾” casing as
Experience has shown that the initial shut-in drill a longstring instead of as a separate liner and tieback as is
pipe pressures (SIDPP’s) may indicate a higher mud normally used in the Gotnia section. This was based on
weight required to control the well than is finally cementing simulations which showed that the lower mud
used after losses are initiated in this section. weights of 18.3 ppg would allow running 10-¾” casing as a
• When making connection, backream stand up at longstring and pumping/displacing cement up to 5 bpm
drilling pump rate, then reduce pump rate to ¼ pump without exceeding the anticipated Gotnia fracture gradients.
rate and wipe back to bottom slowly to prevent After running casing to bottom and while circulation and
surging the formation. With the narrow pore conditioning, the mud returns were checked at different
pressure/fracture pressure window, it is always circulation rates of 3, 4, and 5 bpm, and no losses were
advisable to minimize swab/surge pressures while observed. The 10-3/4” longstring was then cemented
drilling the Gotnia section. successfully with 19.0 ppg cement slurry at 3-5 bpm with no
losses. Selecting a good cement design/weight slurry,
• Use mudloggers to assist trip monitoring with regards
following a strict casing running schedule to minimize surge
to surge/swab, trip speeds, checking gain/losses for
each stand, and gas cuts during any circulation. pressures, and maintaining good mud rheologies significantly
contributed to the success keeping ECD below the fracture
pressure and the overall success of the 10¾”longstring cement
Drilling of the RA-206 12 ¼” section began with a successful
formation integrity test (FIT) of 20 ppg EMW using 17 ppg job. As a result, 10 days of rig time and approximately
USD$330,000 were able to be saved by avoiding the extra
mud. A PDC bit with rotary BHA was used to drill this
clean out trips and separate casing running associated with
section. Analysis of the offset wells indicated that the Gotnia
section in the area might not require the higher mud weights tying back the 10-3/4” casing back to surface. This was a
significant operational and engineering achievement for
(19.5-20.0 ppg) seen elsewhere in Kuwait, and so a conscious
the well.
decision was made to deliberately start into the Gotnia with a
6 SPE/IADC 85287

9 ¼” Section • If total losses occur, then circulate 100 bbls LCM

The initial well design was to drill 9 ¼” hole to the top of while also keeping the back side full with low weight
Marrat, and set a 7-3/4” liner to isolate the higher pressured diesel mud to balance formation pressure, or if hole
Najmah/Sargelu sequence above from the lower pressured conditions allow, pull back to the shoe while filling
Marrat below. Below this liner, a 6-1/2” hole would be drilled the back side with mud, and once at the shoe, attempt
through the Marrat reservoir rock to final well TD at the top of to fill back side with a slightly lower mud weight to
Minjur formation. This is the standard bighole well design achieve a static balance.
successfully utilized throughout most of Kuwait. Fig-(3) • If the wellbore becomes unstable with either massive
After careful evaluation of the offset wells’ MW’s/pore losses with or without some gains, then be prepared
pressures encountered, an opportunity was seen to commingle with acid soluble cement to treat the fractures.
the Najmah/Sargelu and Marrat formations together by • Use the mud loggers to assist in trip planning and
extending the 9 ¼” hole to TD of the well at top of Minjur monitoring of gain/losses for each stand, and gas cuts
formation. The risks in commingling both formations together during any circulation.
were a) the Marrat may not tolerate the higher mud weights
required to drill Najmah/Sargelu (NJ/SG) without 9-1/4” Implementation of Commingling
experiencing massive whole mud losses, and b) the presence Before starting to drill the 9 ¼” section, the previous Gotnia
of major fractures in Najmah/Sargelu which could cause kicks mud weight of 18.3 ppg was reduced to 17.0 ppg. A rotary
from the NJ/SG sequence if losses are encountered in the assembly was used to drill out the 10 ¾” casing and 5 ft of
Marrat section. Two offset wells had commingled the new formation, and as per the plan, the OBM density was
Najmah/Sargelu and Marrat sequences together in one hole further reduced to 15.8 ppg with no influx experienced.
size, but with mixed success. Both wells encountered Drilling proceeded to the Najmah coring point at 14167 ft.
significant losses when drilling through the fractured Cored 180 ft in the Najmah/Sargelu, and reduced the mud
reservoirs, and one experienced difficulty getting the final weight to 15.7 ppg while cutting the second core. Drilling
casing string to bottom. Careful review of this data suggested continued with 9 ¼” to the base of the Sargelu formation, and
that it might be possible to use lower mud weights in the to this point no losses or gains had been experienced. Based
Najmah sequence, which in turn could help minimize any mud on the favorable hole condtions observed, the final decision
losses and reduce the risks of combining the two was made to continue to commingle the Najmah/Sargelu and
sections together. Marrat sections all in 9 ¼” hole.
Accordingly, the Drilling Team developed a plan whereby Continued drilling 9 ¼” with a PDC bit to 14900 ft (the 2nd
RA-206 would begin the 9-1/4” hole in the top coring point), while simultaneously further reducing the mud
Najmah/Sargelu sequence and reduce the mud weights to the weight down to 15.5 ppg. Cored 270 ft of middle Marrat with
lowest possible level the hole would permit without inducing a 15.6 ppg mud due to an increased in gas units. Drilling
well influx. If low enough MW’s could be used, and no resumed and reached TD of the well at 16370 ft (top of
signifant losses or gains experienced in the NJ/SG section, Minjur) with final mud weight of 15.7 ppg. 5 ppb Calcium
then at the base of Sargelu formation a final decision would be Carbonate Fine and Medium was added to the system while
made to either continue drilling 9-1/4” hole, or stop to set a 7- drilling to reduce any potential losses and differential sticking
3/4” liner to prevent incurring hole problems. tendencies. Two 9¼” PDC bits were used to drill this
A Team and Rig procedure was developed to minimize/limit commingled section. Logged the hole section, and the mud
losses and well control problems: weight gradually increased to 15.9 ppg due to numerous trips
• The PP/FP will be narrow when fractures are and slug volumes. Prior to running the liner, the mud weight
encountered, so expect to have sudden gains, or was reduced back to 15.7 ppg. The 7 ¾” liner and Tieback
potential losses at any time especially in the Sargelu. were run and cemented in place with no problems, and
• Minimize surge and swab when tripping with coring achieved an excellent CBL across the production zones.
BHA near bottom. Through the careful planning in the office, good
• If sudden gains are seen, pick up off bottom and treat communication, and effective implementation in the field,
gently by circulating out the kick on choke while successful commingling the Najmah/Sargelu and Marrat
gradually increasing the mud weight using the wait formations together was achieved, resulting in a savings of
and weight method in 0.1 ppg increments. Shut-in two weeks of rig time and USD$575,00 in daily rig
pressures and flow checks should be made after each spreadcosts and tubular costs, compared to having separate 9
increase to determine the final mud weight. Localized ¼” and 6 ½” hole sections as per the initial plan.
experience has shown that the initial SIDPP’s tend to This success has opened the possibility to deepen the future
indicate higher mud weights required than is finally wells to Sudair and Pre-Khuff gas horizons. This achievement
needed to control the well without losses. Inducing has also proven that a slimhole design (starting with 24” csg
losses should be avoided at all costs or the well will and ending up with 5 ½” liner) may be possible in the future
begin the well bore breathing cycle. development stage for this new prospect which may result in
• If sudden losses are seen but with partial returns, then savings of 4 million dollars per well.
pick up and circulate 100 bbls LCM pill (but only
acid soluble CaCO3 since this is in the
reservoir section).
SPE/IADC 85287 7

Najmah/Sargelu and Marrat Production Liner Cementation ECD’s. The following engineering software
7 ¾” Liner was planned to cover the Marrat and was used:
Najmah/Sargelu. The challenges and concerns for this very - Swab/Surge simulations were run to predict
important cement job were: optimal liner running speeds to prevent
• From the open hole logs, Exploration was deeply formation break down while running in hole
concerned about an oil water transition zone from with the liner.
15100 to 15250 ft which was within 52’ of the - ECD simulations were run in order to
planned test interval. maximize pump rates while cementing to
• The caliper log showed extensive hole washouts achieve turbulent flow for the fluids (where
from 15250-15500 ft. possible), while keeping ECD’s below
• Avoidance of any remedial jobs. formation fracture gradient. These
• Providing the required good isolation and CBL simulations used the liner geometry and
across production intervals for the well actual borehole profile as obtained from the
testing operations. caliper log ASCII data, and modeled the
mud, spacer, and cement rheologies as
In light of the challenges identified, a pre-job planning obtained from the lab tests.
meeting was held between the Drilling Team and the Cement and Spacer Design
cementing service company. Every effort was made to • A “spacer train” concept was introduced. This
improve the quality of the cement job so as to ensure concept is based on studies performed at the service
successful production testing for this critical exploratory well. company’s research center. The thought was to
A chief concern was that with the close proximity of the water introduce several sweeps of low density/high
leg to the test interval, if any welltests produced water, it density/low vis/high vis spacers to remove the mud
would be inconclusive whether the water was coming from filtercake. The spacer train was also designed such
test interval or from a channel behind pipe from the that the final “in-place” hydrostatic, with the
zone below. chemical washes, spacers, and cement, was the same
as the hydrostatic of the OBM drilled with.
Cement Results The following spacer train was pumped:
The 7 ¾” liner was successfully ran and cemented with 17.5 - 10 bbls surfactant/chemical wash in base oil
ppg slurry and resulted in an excellent CBL for the Marrat @ 7.11 ppg.
interval 15850 -14775 ft. the oil water transition zone had also - 30 bbls of a dual spacer @ 15.0 ppg.
perfect CBL and isolation. The area with extensive washouts - 10 bbls surfactant/chemical wash in base oil
from 15250-15500 ft illustrated excellent CBL. Above the @ 7.11 ppg
Marrat interval, from 14775 to the 10 ¾” casing shoe, the - 30 bbls of a dual spacer @ 17.0 ppg.
amplitude looks good, averaging 90% bond across the entire - 100 bbls cement @17.5 ppg.
interval. This can be seen in Fig-4. This great achievement - 15.7 ppg OBM displacement.
was credited to the teamwork, planning, and execution The final in-place density of the resultant spacer train
between the office, field, and through the extensiver efforts of was 15.7 ppg,.
the cementing service company. • Cement design was as follows:
- Coarse silica, required for the prevention of
Best Practices contributed to this Success: strength retrogression at temperatures >
Centralization: 225F.
• Caliper log was used to determine optimum size and - Cement additives to accelerate the
placement of centralizes. expansion of the cement over time, to
• Very good centralization across the critical intervals. combat micro-channels and improve the
1 per joint in the production zone. overall cement bond.
• Installing the right kind of centralizers. In the high - Hematite to assist obtaining the final slurry
washout areas, chose the larger bow centralizers to density of 17.5ppg .
help ensure good centralization, whereas in gage hole - Latex-based fluid loss additives to provide
sections used conventional bow centralizers. excellent fluid loss characteristics in
Mud addition to good solids suspension and low
• Circulated and conditioned the mud prior to rheological properties.
cementing to assist cleaning and to optimize the - Dispersant to control the viscosities
displacement efficiency. The properties were tailored - Retarder to control the cement thickening
to create a low mobility and uniform viscosity time
profile across the entire annular space; YP<10, The properties of the cement were as follows:
PV<20,FL<15, and Gel Strength: flat profile. Density; 17.5 ppg, Fluid Loss: 41 cc/30 min, Free Water @45
Simulations deg: Nil, PV: 124, YP:11, Thickening time: 6:10 @ 223
BHCT, Compressive strength: 2040 psi @ 20 hrs.
• Extensive cement and spacer testing were carried out
in order to optimize thickening time, pump rates, and
8 SPE/IADC 85287

The well-testing program was successfully completed, and the 3. Drilling practices
Marrat and Najmah/Sargelu objectives tested. Upon
completion, RA-206 became a new successful discovery well Utilization of procedures developed by Drilling
for Kuwait. Team (KOC/IOCs/Mud companies) when drilling
a major loss zone section (Shuaiba) or drilling
within tight PP/FP window (Gotnia
Conclusion and learnings &Najah/Sargelu).
Achieving an excellent CBL across production
The unprecedented achievements in the successful drilling of liners by adopting best cement practices
well RA-206 as the fastest drilled Marrat well in north Kuwait developed by KOC/IOC/Cementing Co. in
proved the ability to drill north Marrat wells in less than 100 well RA-206.
days (technical limit) instead of the 170-200 days normally
taken to drill these kind of wells. The drilling of RA-206 well Acknowledgements
highlighted the Drilling optimization and efficiency by
utilization of latest drilling technology and products provided The authors wish to express their appreciation to Kuwait Oil
by service companies combined with local and IOC expertise. Company for permission to publish the information on
For future Marrat and similar wells following lessons learned Raudhatain 206, and would like also to extend our thanks to
should be applied. the great effort put by RA-206 Deep Drilling (I) team
members including; AC Gupta and Red Robert (KOC senior
supervisors), Galen Heth and Bill Wagstaf (KOC supervisors),
1. Bit optimization KSF Rig-24 crew and management, Rig-24 MI mud
Utilization of the latest developed design bits to engineers, and Rig-24 Halliburton cementing engineer and
improve durability and ROPs in the long 28”and personnel and Bit companies engineers (Smith, Hughes, Reed
22” sections. Hycolg) for their quality service and support.
Drilling abrasive Zubair sandstone with a proper
designed PDC bit with high torque 9-5/8” References
performance motor. 1. AL-Saeedi, M., Munger, R., Tooms, P., AL-Mutairi,
B., AL-Quraini, K., Decaire, J., Tuncer, T.,” First
2. Well plan changes High Pressure, High Angle Well in Kuwait”; SPE
10 ¾” longstring casing can be run in the Gotnia 72299, 2001.
section if mud weigh is less than 18.5 ppg with
no losses instead of running liner and tieback.
Najmah/Sargelu formations can be commingled
with Marrat formation in this same prospect of
Raudhatain field.
Slimhole design can be applied in the
development stage of this prospect starting with
24”csg and ending up with 5 ½”csg.
SPE/IADC 85287 9

Figure:1 RA-206 Fastest Deep Marrat well in N. Kuwait

Days Vs. Depth

1,000 MU-10

2,000 NWRA-1

3,000 SA-153

4,000 RA-206

5,000 Technical Limit

6,000

7,000
Measured Depth, Ft.

8,000

9,000

10,000

11,000

12,000

13,000

14,000

15,000

16,000

17,000 RA--206
TD - 16370'
18,000
in 131 days
19,000

20,000
0 50 100 150 200 250
Days from Spud
10 SPE/IADC 85287

F ig u re 2 : K u w a it L ith o lo g y a n d D rillin g P ro b le m s

S T R A T IG R A P H Y D .D L IT H O L O G Y M A R R A T C A S IN G D E S IG N D R IL L IN G P R O B L E M S

+ /-
K U W A IT G R O U P
TERTIARY

1290 …………… ………… 30" M a jo r L o s s

D AM M AM Csg @ DAM M AM Zones
Top
2075 ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^
RUS ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^
W e ll C o n tro l
2545
RAD HUM A (H ig h P re s s z o n e )

4000
TAYARAT
S h a llo w G a s
5300
HAR THA

5590
W e llb o re
SADI
24" In s ta b ility
6330 Csg @
M U T R IB A
M U T R IB A T o p
A b ra s ive
6840
M IS H R IF
S lo w R O P s

7045
R U M IA L A
H 2S Zones
7535
AHM ADI
CRETACEOUS

7960
W ARA S a lt P ro b le m

8035
M AUD DUD

8295
B URG AN

9305
S H U A IB A
1 8 5 /8 "
9545 C sg @
Z U B A IR Z U B A IR
TOP
10950
RATAW I SHALE

11400
R A T A W I L .S T O N E

11860
M IN A G IS H

12930 1 3 1 /2 "
M AKHUL C sg @
H IT H T o p
13495 ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
H IT H ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
13680 + + + + + + + + + +
G O T N IA ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
+ + + + + + + + + +
1 0 3 /4 "
14165 C sg @
N AJM AH TO P NAJM AH
14280
JURASSIC

SARG ELU

14360
DARUM A
7 3 /4 "
14425
M AR R AT ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
C sg @
U .M A R R A T
14730
M ID D L E M A R R A T
5 1 /2 "
15485 L IN E R
LO W ER M ARRAT
@ TD
M IN J U R 16325
TD 16475
SPE/IADC 85287 11

Figure 3: Comparison of Initial versus Final Casing Design

System Stratigraphy Drilling RA-206 RA-206

Depth INITIAL CASING DESIGN FINAL CASING DESIGN

Kuwait Group Surf

TERTIARY

Dammam 1290
30” at Dammam Top 30” at Dammam Top
Rus 2075
Radhuma 2545
Tayarat 4000
Hartha 5300
Sadi 5590
Mutriba 6330 24” at Top Mutriba 24” at Top Mutriba
Mishrif 6840
Rumaila 7045
CRETACEOUS

Ahmadi 7535 10 3/4” Tieback

Wara 7960
Mauddud 8035
7 3/4” Tieback 7 3/4” Tieback
Burgan 8295
Shuaiba 9305
Zubair 9545 18 5/8” at Top Zubair 18 5/8” at Top Zubair
Ratawi SH 10950
Ratawi LS 11400
Minagish 11860
Makhul 12930
13 ½” at Top Hith 13 ½” at Top Hith
Hith 13495
Gotnia 13680
10 3/4” Liner 10 3/4” Longstring
Najmah 14165 at Top Najmah
at Top Najmah
JURASSIC

Sargelu 14280
Dharuma 14360
7 3/4” Liner
U. Marrat 14425
in U. Marrat
Middle Marrat 14730
L. Marrat 15485
Minjur 16325
5 ½” Liner at TD 7 3/4” Liner at TD
TD 16475
12 SPE/IADC 85287

Figure 4: RA-206 CBL

SPE/IADC 85287 13

Figure 5: RA-206
Final Casing Schematic

Rig Floor

GL at ft RT
30” Cement Top: Surface 30”, 196.1, “B”, DQ-H60, 1279 ft
( 335 bbl 14 ppg lead, 420 bbl
15.6ppg tail Class V Slurry)

30” Shoe: 1279ft

24” Top Job: Surface
( 300ft from surface or 40 bbls)
24”, 171.4ppf, K-55, DQ-S60QT, 6304ft
24” Cement Top: 500
FTABOVE TAYARAT
(960 bbl 12.5 ppg lead 194 bbl 15.8ppg
Tail Slurry 500 ft above Tayarat)
24” Shoe: +/-6304 ft

18-5/8” Cement Top: 1000 ft

inside previous casing shoe
(15.8ppg Tail, 500ft,935 bbl 10.5
PPG Lead 160 bbl 15.8 PPG )

13-1/2” Cement Top: 1000ft inside 18-5/8” Shoe: +/-9535ft

previous casing shoe 18.5/8”, 136ppf, C-95, Antares, 0-2350ft
(550 bbl 15.8 PPG Lead and 70 bbl Tail 18.5/8”, 139ppf, C-95, Antares, 2350-TD
cement)

13-1/2”,81.4 ppf, SS-110, NK3SB, 0-13562ft

10-3/4” Full casing 160 bbl 19 PPG
Lead and 55 bbl Tail Cement

13-1/2” Shoe: 13562ft

10-3/4”, 73.2ppf, NKAC-95, NKHWC , 0-14162 ft Liner

7-3/4” Tieback Cement To surface 320
bbl 15.8 PPG lead and 80 bbl 15.8 tail
cement
10-3/4” Shoe: 14162ft

7-3/4” Liner Cement: Hanger Top

7-3/4”, 46.1 ppf, NKT-110, BDS, 13860ft Tieback
(17.5ppg Single Slurry, 100 bbl ) 7-3/4”, 46.1ppf, SS-110, BDS, 13860-TD, Liner

7.3/4” Shoe: +/-16370ft