The Key Drilling Technologies in Fuling Shale Gas Field

The complex geological conditions in the Fuling region have led to many drilling problems such as inconsistent rate of penetrations,different drilling cycles and complex accidents.In order to achieve high quality and highly efficient drilling performance,Sinopec has developed a series of drilling technologies suited to the geological features of the Fuling shale gas field.The key drilling technologies for Fuling shale gas field were analyzed and it was pointed out that by addressing the key issues and field applications the following technologies had been developed:drilling engineering design optimization,high-efficiency drilling techniques for shallow vertical section and second spud directional sections,three-dimensional trajectory controlling technology for optimizing induced fracture cluster spacing horizontal wells,the use of oil-based drilling fluid technology for long horizontal sections,new cementing technology for long horizontal sections drilled with oil-based drilling fluid,and developing an ideal pad drilling pattern for complex mountainous regions.Thus,the drilling technology systems for Fuling shale gas were generally established.Furthermore,the drilling technology development suggestions proposed for the new drilling issues,provided references for other similar shale gas blocks in China with a result of increasing ROP and the reducing drilling cost.