Pluspetrol runs Dopeless technology in Vaca Muerta shale well

Pluspetrol successfully used Dopeless® technology for the first time in a horizontal well in Vaca Muerta, a field in the Argentine province of Neuquén. This field has technically recoverable resources of 20 billion barrels of oil and 583 trillion ft³ of gas (Vaca Muerta y Los Molles).

The company selected 7 in. and 5 in. casing with TenarisHydril Wedge 513™ and Wedge 563™ Dopeless premium connections. TenarisHydril Wedge Series 500™ connections were specially designed for demanding applications in which high torque strength is critical. Tenaris also provided technical assistance throughout the operation.

Pluspetrol drilled the PSO-1009h well to a total depth of 3,900 meters (11,811 feet). The operation was completed safely without rejects and re-makeups.

Multifunctional coating increases reliability

Dopeless technology is a dry, multifunctional coating applied at Tenaris mills in a controlled industrial process that turns conventional operations with thread compounds obsolete. This process ensures that the exact amount of lubricant is used, minimising the risk of re-make ups and rejects, and increasing the reliability of the installation. This solution makes the rig site safer, cleaner, and reduces the environmental impact of the operation.

"Minimising running times could reduce problems associated to the presence of fluids inflows. Having used Dopeless technology resulted in a good alternative as we faced the possibility of having to run the pipes without completely killing the well," said Lisandro Garza, Pluspetrol Drilling Engineer.

Shale well challenges

Running a shale well requires high torque resistance, while the fracturing stage demands tubular products with high resistance to internal pressure and tensile loads. Nicolás Rebasa, from Tenaris’s Technical Sales team in Argentina, explained that "in every unconventional well, the hydraulic fracturing operation defines the mechanical design of the production casing, which must not only withstand high internal pressures during stimulation (between 10000 and 14000 psi) but also high axial tensile loads induced by low temperatures and high pumping rates."

Tenaris worked side-by-side with Pluspetrol throughout the entire operation. Specialists assisted the customer with string design, material selection, pipe management with just-in-time delivery, make-up of accessories at Tenaris centres, and field service assistance during the running.

"It is very important to work side-by-side a customer like Pluspetrol from the start of its E&P unconventional project, bringing all our knowledge of well design, supplying Tenaris's technologies and adding value with the services we can offer," said Darío Códega, Tenaris Technical Sales team in Argentina.

Adapted from press release by Cecilia Rehn

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/02042014/pluspetrol_runs_tenaris_dopeless_technology_in_vaca_muerta_shale_well/