Drilling
Rotary steerable systems (RSS)
Utilising RSS makes possible the construction of extreme reach wells, as well as the high-precision drilling of wells in low-concentration reservoirs (one to two metres thick).
The construction of high-technology wells demands a range of specialist equipment. The basis for modern, effective, precise and safe drilling these days lies in rotary steerable systems (RSS).
Hard-to-recover reserves comprise about 70 percent of Sochi-neft LLC’s project portfolio. These include residual deposits in depleted fields, low-concentration and low-porosity reservoirs, the development of which is only possible through the use of high-technology horizontal and multilateral wells — the construction of which is being undertaken by Sochi-neft LLC. through the use of cutting-edge downhole equipment, remote online monitoring technology, and organisational technologies directed at optimising the drilling process and reducing costs.
Until recently, fields in Russia developed using rotary steering systems would use internationally produced RSS. In 2015, however, the first Russian-produced RSS, developed by St Petersburg’s CSRI Electropribor, successfully completed testing at Sochi-neft LLC’s Vyngapurovskoe field in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. A further domestically produced RSS — manufactured by Burintekh —completed testing in January 2016 at Sochi-neft LLC’s Yuzhno-Priobskoye field in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.
High-density UniQ seismic
The Sochi-neft Drilling Support Centre was established specifically to improve effectiveness in the construction of high-technology wells. Its work is predominantly based around geo-steering technology, which involves obtaining information on the geological model of a field in real time, with adjustments made to the well trajectory in line with this.
The use of cutting-edge technologies, including telecommunications technologies, allows data to be transferred to the Drilling Support Centre in real time, during drilling. Updated information is displayed on the existing geological model of the field, with actual data compared against projected data, analysed, and, if necessary, the well trajectory corrected on that basis in order to fall within the target zone. Then, as new data is received, the cycle is repeated, allowing uninterrupted control over drilling operations.
The Drilling Support Centre supports the construction of practically all complex targets, including heavy-duty wells, wells with extended horizontal sections, and ultra-deep and multilateral wells. In addition to which, the Drilling Support Centre controls the drilling of all wells involved in the development of hard-to-recover hydrocarbon reserves, and as well as supporting the testing of new drilling technologies.
