Drilling Services in Iran

Directional Drilling Services

Development, Current Climate and an Eye to the Future Although it is over three decades since directional drilling has been applied in Iran drilling industry, but supplying main tools, equipment, spare parts & related software is highly dependent to foreign sources, and access to the newest and the most optimized technologies is so difficult and even impossible in some occasions. As the most of active local service providers just play the intermediary role to import directional drilling equipment to cover country basic requirement and due to the fact that there have not been effective efforts for entrance of advanced technologies therefore, a considerable gap could be observed between Iran and Middle East countries in terms of subjected service quantity and quality. the major diagnosed challenges could be addressed as following:

  •  Lack of national comprehensive database about past and current directional drilling workloads, future requirements, number of active local service providers and their hardware and software capabilities. Limited access to well-known and valid manufacturers to supply substantial equipment and maintain reliable and sufficient spare parts and poor after-sale services.
  • Limited access to advanced technologies
  • Major deficiency in equipment manufacturing mainly caused by lack of financial supports from related organizations and intention of service providers to render their services by imported equipment
  • Insufficient expenditure in personnel training. Undoubtedly, the remarkable improvements in Oil & Gas industry encompassing directional drilling technology have been achieved by major E&P’s R&D departments together with closed collaboration between industry and university which apparently has not been considered effectively in the country. It seems that paying more attention to R&D efforts, supporting private sector investment by suppliant national clients as well as establishing an effective cooperation between industry and university, could pave a path toward meeting micro & macro objectives in such lucrative and strategic industry in Iran Oil & Gas market.

Author: Hamidreza Bayat

 

Mud Logging Services

Mud Logging services have valuable impacts on the optimization enhancement during drilling operation and increase occupational safety coefficient by means of on time and precise drilling information provision. The truth is that international projects perform project management in a way that they would encounter minimum operational risk, damage and delay compensation costs through the application of effective and comprehensive services of mud logging. Among the main factors and obstacles hindering the maximum growth and flourish of this service, the following items can be mentioned:

  • Ambiguity of contractor evaluation criteria in tenders
  • Differences among employer, main contractor, and technical services contractors’ contract nature
  • No useful and thorough use of the whole potential of mud logging services
  • No procedures and minimum requirement definition of mud logging services
  • Poor geological knowledge and experience among contractor’s staff

Suggestions and solutions to enhance quality level and effectiveness are as follows:

  • Sufficient consideration of discipline, operation and business rules and regulations
  • Prevention of price inquiry in contractor identification process
  • Accurate execution of all tenders along with excellent supervision
  • Developing rules and regulations for contractor evaluation and its annual update by referent department, and its reference to all related departments requesting tender
  • More specialists’ familiarity with modern technologies
  • • Development of pervasive meritocratic management system for active private, public, governmental sectors’ performance evaluation
  • Accurate supervision on all phases of project execution and contractors’ technical-engineering services; from contractor selection phase to final project report provision

Author: Mohammadjavad Norani

 

Bit Services

Drilling bit is among the important drilling elements. The advancements in bit production has led to the decrease of drilling days which is essential in considerable decrease of production costs. Compared to other drilling tools, bits are inexpensive but their efficiency has a huge impact on drilling costs. To achieve this, there must be a close relationship between people holding technical knowledge of appropriate bit selection and its users. Lack of such a relationship will cause waste of time and money as well as diversion from the general objectives. As service provider companies are in charge of bit selection, drilling knowledge acquirement and direct relationship with clients and bit producers, they are seemingly the missing link of the chain. In addition, repair and maintenance enable them to use bits several times, and suggest the best solution to final clients through choosing specific bits of different producers. Furthermore, no extra expenses are imposed on either of the two main parties, client or producer. Others are also aware of incomes and costs that ensures a win situation. In Iran country, in addition to the aforementioned challenges, there is special regional and trans regional conditions. It means that despite regional competitors striving for oil and gas utilitarian application, due to trans regional policies and competitions, direct service provision is not feasible even in post-sanction epoch. Therefore, service provider companies can simply take the responsibility of this issue. Service provider companies are obliged to acquire precise information on formations and employ existing facilities maximally in order to achieve long useful lifetime and maximizing the rate of penetration. The main reason is the payment mode of such companies. In fact, they are paid according to their performance not their presence or tools. This is a must and better bits with more accurate parameters are gained and record breaking commences.

Author: Davood Kokhani

 

Drilling Fluids Services

Drilling fluids are made of the combination of materials with different properties suspended in water or hydrocarbon surroundings. It is a delicate and complex issue to reach appropriate drilling fluids formulation for the implementation of multiple aims, which are sometimes contradictory, together with its rotation in the depth of earth and connecting layers composed of various lithology under pressure and high temperature. Although it is estimated that the costs pertaining to drilling fluids approximately allocate 5 to 10 per cent of the drilling costs of a well, a great percentage of drilling operation problems stem from the negative effects of drilling fluids. The cycle that is undoubtedly the result of ten years of experience and optimization in the drilling fluids industry of international companies includes the following stages:

  • Design, engineering and planning
  • Supply and maintenance of materials
  • Development and execution of fluid operations in drilling rigs’ site
  • Performance supervision, HSE and QC through reference laboratories
  • Continual research in relation with the operations
  • Refinery and recycling of drilling fluids

At the present, the integrated position of drilling fluids encompassing design, engineering, operational execution, refinery and recycling is provided as a comprehensive plan (Total Fluids Management-TFM). Undeniably, such coordination among different actions with the same goal under one single management result in various achievements which some of them are mentioned below:

  • Optimal and close relationship between execution and technical-engineering in order to achieve operation supervision and transfer of operational problems to technical-engineering for investigation and study
  • Research on operational problems after technical-engineering investigations in order to achieve methods for productivity enhancement in the form of making formulations or production of required additives
  • Developing high-quality additives proportionate to drilling fluids system through performing QC in the company’s laboratories
  • The improvement of staff capabilities (especially drilling fluids engineers) through progressive trainings
  • The execution of HSE and QC in the departments of the company
  • Making use of technical-engineering and research learnt lessons in drilling fluids design, engineering and planning in new projects in the form of continuous improvement
  • Ongoing supervision and continuous reports to top management in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company’s operations
  • Useful and easy company’s access to modern technologies through establishing relationships among companies and international research institutes and employing these technologies in the company’s operational research.

A glance at the manner of providing drilling services in the past years indicates that nearly 60 to 70 percent of our country’s projects are conducted separately. In addition, beside the integrated view of service execution, the client’s supervision share and services provider’s share of execution and quality enhancement are considerable and they require revision. Meanwhile, parallel to technical and engineering structures QC, operation, research, development and specialized training are notably important and support this complex but seemingly simple industry. International companies consider principled research and relations with universities for industrial research and specialized training for executive-level model for technical and economic optimization. In this regard, the identification of knowledge-based structures can result in sustainable development in drilling fluids industry so that it could dynamically lead our present and future drilling industry needs toward optimal and executive solutions.

Author: Kourosh Tahmasebi

 

Coring Services

Typically, Iran’s annual coring services amount is 4,000 meters 75 percent of which is performed by state-owned companies and the remaining 25 percent is carried out by private companies. Unfortunately, coring operations are canceled or only the coring operation done in pay zone due to operational risk, reduction in costs and time constraint. Comparing Iran’s coring services with international ones, we can investigate the following differences from several aspects. From managerial view point, it is necessary for the companies in foreign countries to make decision on the implementation of coring operation from surface to pay zone; moreover, the number of coring operations are proportionate to the field extent in order to complete the required information. On the contrary, priorities of coring operation are subject to reduction in costs, reduction in operation risk and time limit in Iran. As far as experience is concerned, it is revealed that the majority of coring projects in Iran are executed in a conventional manner whereas leading overseas companies perform coring operation in advanced ways such as oriented coring, sponge coring and side wall coring enabling them to collect more valuable geo-mechanical and reservoir information.

Finally, Iranian companies have been able to fill the market gaps and with respect to the capabilities of domestic companies, there is no need for the returning of foreign companies. Additionally, it has been proven that a company survive in the market if it has three or four coring operations in length of 1,200 meters of core annually. Therefore, according to the annual lengths of coring in Iran, existing companies have two coring operations every year. Due to the volume of investments required for the coverage of the three coring size, survival will be very hard for the existing companies and any new investment in the coring services is doomed to failure

Author: Ali Badsar

 

Well Testing Services

By passing a few years after advent of delivering production services and experiencing remarkable changes in capabilities and challenges in volume, extend and context, there are some requirements to maintain the records achieved, to keep the pace of development and to enhance the trends. There should be specific formulations and companies ranked in a predefined structure In order to have a definite frame for evaluating the service providers and facilitate the route for organizing and implementation of performance- based contracts Not a very long time has lapsed since Iranian private companies first began delivering production services to the upstream industry, however a dynamic growth in service quality and structure has been experienced. The situation has changed considerably. The capabilities and shortages have changed in volume, extend and context. A different balance has formed compared with 5 years age when the market suffered a vacuum in sufficiency of available equipment, facilities and human resources to run the operations. The offshore sector is almost saturated by service providers at an acceptable level of quality. Onshore has moved at a slower pace however .Generally speaking, the production services in the private sector have been promoted to very admirable and expectant levels, meanwhile they’ve been confronting challenges technical-wise as well as in terms of market clarity. In order to have a definite reference frame for evaluating the service providers, services quality indices have to be revised into specific formulations and companies ranked in a predefined structure based on their actual records so that they can orient their efforts upon definite criteria and they can anticipate proportional consequences. This will also facilitate the route for organizing and implementation of performance- based contracts. Production well services on the other hands suffer an unclear market. E&P operators might organize a clearer assessment of their minimum service requirements and their demand frequency especially in mature fields. Service providers need a clearer market perspective in order to invest in the above on a mid and long-term basis.

Author: Ali Zanganeh

 

Cementing Services

Cementing is one of the most influential services on the lifetime and integration of wells. During cementing, annulus between casings/liners and well is filled with cement slurry having specific and designed features tailored for the existing conditions. After being hardened, the cement slurry plays different roles including protection of weak formations and casings against the imposed stresses and tension as well as corrosions stemmed from formation liquids, and layers hydraulic isolation especially in the productive zone of interest. Having miscellaneous conditions of cement slurry application, cementing operation is accompanied by several challenges. In this regard, cement slurry proportionate to each operation is specifically designed. Specific additives are employed in order to reach optimal design which is carried out by running numerous experiments in oil well cement laboratory. One of the remarkable issues that are worthy to mention in this field is the employment of different classes of cement and additives according to the existing standards such as API, etc. At the present, drilling cement and limited number of additives are manufactured in our country. Considering the necessity of highly practical and strategic cement additives compatible to Iran’s oilfields and reservoirs, it is essential to develop knowledge-based companies more than before so as to expand knowledge borders and localize the mentioned additives. This can lead to improvement in this field of drilling services that may finally result in the cementing quality enhancement and overall well construction. In addition, making use of developed technologies related to the simulation of cementing operation and its calculations can make a contribution to the decrease of operation risk and more compatibility of operation execution with engineering principles. From this perspective, it is considerable to expand the use of such soft wares and activity development in this field.

Author: Soheil Saeedi

 

Coiled Tubing Services

In the mid-1990s, only a couple of foreign or international companies exclusively provided coiled tubing services in Iran. Since it was developed in oil and gas industry shortly before that, coiled tubing was considered as the novel technologies. After the approval of coiled tubing capabilities in repair activities, its limited application in operations increased gradually; consequently, service provider companies embarked on supplying more tools with higher technology. National Iranian Drilling Company supplied and launched its first owned coiled tubing device in 1992. Shortly after that, having purchased its foreign partner’s coiled tubing device, this company’s fleet reached two devices. Due to the expansion of coiled tubing physical fleet, expectations of this technology exceed its primary applications for fluid injection, acidizing operations, cement conduit strap, Nitrogen lifting, etc. Furthermore, clients inquire coiled tubing service provider companies to offer more advanced applications such as completion/ work-over, fishing services, advanced well operations, tools for entering pronged wells, etc. According to the strong software potential of coiled tubing, expansion is possible for specialized service provider companies offering well coiled tubing tools due to the fact that advanced well tools and their related operations require different knowledge and experience ranging from management to the maintenance of coiled tubing devices.

Author: Mohammad Taghi Houshmand

 

Perforation Services

Sending perforation guns to the required coiled tubing depth is one method of oil and gas wells’ perforation. Due to the application of coiled tubing in perforation peripheral operations such as acidizing and well revival, this method can be more effective and economical compared to other methods. If perforation operation is done through coiled tubing, the operation depth is determined by Physical hit depth control of perforation guns end with a final depth of the well, and depth modification based on the mentioned depth. Two major errors occur in this method:

  • Final well depth is approximated by drilling pipes and their approximate length in the well. This lacks required precision for perforation operation.
  • In some cases, required depth for perforation operation is widely different from final well depth. This decreases the precision of operation. According to instructions of perforation operation by coiled tubing, before the main operation, coiled tubing with some empty perforation guns (without explosives) are sent to the final well depth to assure that the path for explosive transfer is readily open and in case of any problems, we can remove explosives obstacles in wells and send out empty perforation guns after measurements. This innovative method, utilizes wireless gamma ray sensors working with batteries. The extent of well depth modification is determined by placing these sensors in empty perforation guns of the first operation and comparison of values gained by gamma with values driven from basic well logging. First, gamma-depth log of executed operation by coiled tubing is achieved through the comparison between gamma-time logs of sensors in empty perforation guns with depth-time log of coiled tubing device. After examining this log with the basic well log on the base of which perforation depth is determined, differences are captured and depth modification is carried out. Additionally, this method prevents the need to coiled tubing equipped by electronic signal wire the supply of which is troublesome due to sanctions.

Author: Ali Irani Kermani

 

Logging Services

One of the primary challenges that Oil & Gas industry encounter was reserve evaluation and simultaneously importance of Electrical Loggings have been considered necessary. In Iran, Logging Operation of continuous measurement of hydrocarbon and reserves properties has been recorded in Lali field (Lali-1) in 1938 by Schlumberger brothers for the first time. Since then, the logging companies put their tools and technology into service in Iranian onshore and offshore fields. Since 2012 and prior to that, due to sanctions against Iran, logging tools & technology have been restricted and limited to Traditional and long-established tools. Also, recent tools & technologies in Iranian logging market are mainly imported and not well-built. Although few local companies (despite of the vast challenges) have had some achievements in this field most of the local technologies are copped from the imported traditional one. Although there are limited number of patents in this regard and in some cases; for instance, Perforation domain (Guns & Bullets) local knowledge and technology are completely independent. The main challenges that Iranian logging domain and industry has been encountered during the recent years could be classified as human resources, technology, management, Procedures & communications, and data quality. In this regard, the technology gaps and human resources have had the largest affects as per Priority Matrix (refer to Logging & Petrophysical Committee). Iranian Logging and Petrophysics Committee has been trying to evaluate and prioritize the drawbacks and root causes of the challenges in order to provide the solutions. Also as a committee, we are trying to determine logging Road Map and KPI to improve the logging domains future in Iran and looking forward to post sanction time.

Author: Mojtaba Khadem

 

HSEQ

Iran is considered as one of the main countries possessing the greatest oil and gas reserves. Aiming to reserve preservation, optimized exploration till production, safe transmission with least wastes & final refinement, require up-to-date technologies as well as practical commitment to apply the highest level of safety & quality within the oil & gas sector. World has been in challenge with some critical environmental crises such as climate change & global warming which are threatening the earth & people’s health. Strategic planning in terms of QHSE to be in such a way to overcome the current industry risks and to take serious steps towards our social responsibilities in protecting the world particularly by copying with greenhouse gases sources. It is crucial to fortify the QHSE atmosphere in the post sanction plans as this will lead the O&G sector to protect people, country capitals & environment etc. Similarly, operation must be absolutely aligned with strategies & plans. Thus constant monitoring of the system and performance based management, would be an inevitable approach to be chosen. Notably, applying this approach requires introduction of national integrated documents; specialized integrated training system; and integrated auditing system, which can build up a mutual language through the whole O&G companies. Those items along with resource allocation, are considered as the fundamentals of a comprehensive management system. Furthermore, the management system has to comply with international models such as OGP’s operating management system (OMS). In this comprehensive model, all concerned segments must gather together and by means of an integrated management approach, the whole industry towards will be directed towards goals and objectives.

Author: Mehdi Babaei Rostami

 

Drilling Logistics

It is revealed that handling marine and vessel operations is of significance which emphasizes senior management cooperation in the provision of fundamental needs and requirements of logistics managers. Certainly, everyone is aware that offshore well drilling plan is heavily dependent to proper and on time supply of goods, and in most of the designed plans, its weight factor is 35-40%. Therefore, it is essential for the senior management to take heed to the supply of financial requirements and specialized workforce considerably. The following items which put new challenges in the way of logistics management and are in need of spontaneous decision-making and suitable solutions are to be added to the mentioned concerns:

  • Present limitations in ports including necessary human resources for loading and unloading operations, machinery and special rules for this field
  • Customs restrictions leading to major problems for drilling companies in some cases
  • Rules related to goods and staff entrance and exit and existing limitations in this field especially in case of workforce with different nationalities
  • Restrictions of Free Zones Organization and the necessity of continuous interaction in order not to interrupt operations
  • Limitations in supply of goods during sanctions
  • Restrictions of Emirate ports from which most companies suffer

Author: Hossein Ghadami

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