How can you use geosteering to increase production rates?

2 Why is geosteering important?

Geosteering is especially important for horizontal and deviated wells, which are commonly used to access unconventional or complex reservoirs. Horizontal and deviated wells can increase the contact area between the wellbore and the reservoir, enhancing the drainage and recovery of hydrocarbons. However, these wells also pose more challenges for drilling and reservoir management, as they require more accuracy and control over the wellbore trajectory. Geosteering can help you achieve these objectives by providing real-time feedback and guidance on how to adjust the wellbore direction to maximize the exposure to the sweet spots and minimize the risks of drilling into undesired zones.

3 How does geosteering work?

Geosteering involves the use of a combination of tools and methods to collect, transmit, analyze, and act on the data from the wellbore and the formation. Measurement while drilling (MWD) and logging while drilling (LWD) sensors and instruments are connected to the drill string to measure parameters such as inclination, azimuth, gamma ray, resistivity, porosity, density, and pressure. This provides information about the wellbore position and orientation, as well as the properties and characteristics of the surrounding formation. Geosteering software integrates MWD and LWD data with other sources such as seismic, geological, and petrophysical models to generate a geosteering model. This model is updated and refined as new data becomes available. Additionally, it provides recommendations and alerts on how to steer the wellbore to achieve optimal placement and alignment with reservoir features. Lastly, a rotary steerable system (RSS) device is installed between the drill bit and drill pipe to control direction and angle of the drill bit without rotating the entire drill string. The RSS can be operated remotely from the surface or autonomously based on input from geosteering software. This helps to execute geosteering adjustments more efficiently and accurately while reducing drilling time and costs.

4 What are the benefits of geosteering?

Geosteering can offer several benefits for your drilling and production operations, such as increasing production rates, reducing drilling risks and costs, and improving reservoir understanding and management. By keeping the wellbore within the most productive zones, you can increase the flow rate and recovery factor of the hydrocarbons. Additionally, geosteering can help you avoid geological hazards, such as faults or fractures, which can reduce the chances of encountering drilling problems or lower the operational and capital expenses. Furthermore, by collecting and analyzing real-time data from the formation, you can gain more insight into the reservoir geometry, heterogeneity, and quality. Geosteering can also assist in optimizing well spacing and placement, as well as completion and stimulation strategies to enhance reservoir performance and longevity.

5 How can you learn more about geosteering?

Geosteering is an intricate and dynamic technique that requires a high level of technical knowledge and practical skills. If you want to learn more about geosteering, there are a variety of resources and opportunities available, such as online courses and webinars, books and publications, and field trips and workshops. These can provide you with theoretical and practical aspects of geosteering, like the principles, applications, tools, methods, and best practices. Additionally, you can find case studies and lessons learned from different projects and scenarios. All these resources can be found from reputable sources such as universities, professional associations, industry experts, publishers like SPE, AAPG, or Elsevier, training centers, service companies, or operators.

6 Here’s what else to consider

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