Skip to main content

Shell’s interest in EC-Drill MPD solution leads to FEED study

Published by , Editor
Oilfield Technology,


Norwegian offshore technology provider Enhanced Drilling (formerly AGR Enhanced Drilling) is conducting a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study for Shell.

The operator wishes to explore the use of Enhanced Drilling’s

EC-Drill managed pressure drilling (MPD) system on a number of new-build drill ships, currently under construction.

The FEED study, which began in early September, is examining rig and riser integration on a new build rig.

The four-month study’s scope of work includes engineering and operational reviews of EC-Drill, and well prospect evaluations. The project is being run out of Enhanced Drilling’s Americas head office in Houston, Texas.

‘Walk the line’

EC-Drill, which is for use on floating rigs, solves a challenge commonly encountered in deep-water wells: drilling within a narrow pressure window. The system (pump module pictured above) enables management of well bore bottom-hole pressure (BHP) via the raising/lowering of drilling mud in the riser. By changing the fluid level in the riser with EC-Drill, the operator can maintain BHP in the narrow window between pore and fracture pressures as required in these scenarios.

EC-Drill was the subject of a pilot project with Statoil in March/April on the Troll Field. Statoil is due to introduce the MPD technology to the Gulf of Mexico on a multi-well project.

‘Track record’

Norwegian company Enhanced Drilling, which is headquartered in Straume near Bergen, changed its name from AGR Enhanced Drilling in April this year. The move came following the legal de-merger from AGR Group in 2013. As well as EC-Drill Enhanced Drilling is known for its RMR Riserless Mud Recovery system, MPC Managed Pressure Cementing system and CTS Cuttings Transportation System. RMR and CTS have been deployed on more than 600 wells, with RMR recently celebrating ten years of successful deployments worldwide.


Adapted from a press release by David Bizley

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/16102014/shells-interest-in-ec-drill-mpd-solution-leads-to-feed-study/

You might also like

 
 

Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below):


 

This article has been tagged under the following:

Oil & gas news