A Sustainable Path Forward: Delivering Canada’s Longest Montney Lateral

In pursuit of the reduction of environmental impact and increased cost effectiveness, drilling operations in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) face the unique challenge of increasing total drainage out of each surface location while reducing land impact. A major unconventional oil and gas operator and a directional drilling service provider have partnered to consistently extend lateral section lengths over 5 km and to drill the longest lateral in Canada’s Montney Play to date. The major E&P company and the service provider had delivered the first 5 successful wells with aRotary Steerable System (RSS) in 2022, having drilled the operator’s longest and fastest Montney well to date, comprised of 4734m. To consistently cross the 5km mark in the 2023 drilling campaign, both companies worked together in vibration mitigation techniques, tool ruggedness, bit selection, drillstring optimization, mud properties and utilization of vibration mitigation tools, both axial and torsional. A data-based, engineered, well-by-well strategy was customized for each of the 4 distinctive targets within the Montney formation, based on previous and current campaign findings. Through the analysis of previous 2022 drilling campaign and development of the 2023 campaign, twomain vibration mechanisms are identified as performance limiters and affecting reliability. The ability of the RSS to measure real-time High Frequency Torsional Oscillation (HFTO), one of the most damaging mechanisms in modern drilling,is utilized to reduce risk of tool damage in hard formations as the Montney. Furthermore, the analysis of high frequency vibration data is utilized to challenge the effectiveness of different types of vibration mitigation tools. The impact of mud properties in bit cutting structure,weight transfer and RSS functionality are evaluated in real time with Pressure While Drilling sensors. The article describes the use of this data to modify tool configuration, BHA, and vibration mitigation tool selection. This led to the achievement of the longest lateral section in all Canada’s Montney Play with 5287 meters, along with the longest RSS run in the Montney and the longest global run for this 4.75" RSS with 5125m. In addition to the increase in reach, performance has allowed to reduce cost per meter drilled by 12%. Ability to measure HFTO in real time increases awareness against damaging vibration within modern drilling applications. Furthermore, high-frequency 3-axial recorded vibration data allows for re-evaluation of the effects that vibration mitigation tools have in the BHA under specific circumstances. The paper confirms the feasibility of extended lateral length benchmarks in the Montney, not achievable years ago due to tool reliability impacting overall project costs. Consistently delivering laterals over 5,000m aids the sustainability of Oil&Gas development projects in culturally sensitive areas where surface location construction and access is under increased restriction.