24/06/04
Drill Pipe - No Longer Dumb Iron?

For far too long, the drilling industry has referred to drill pipe as dumb iron or just 'pipe'. After all, it has no electronics or computer chips, it does not find the targets, and it requires the assistance of other components to complete the job. So why should we think of it in any other way? At least that has been the common perception, with typical comments such as:

We have been drilling these wells for years with the rig's 5" drill string, and it has worked in every other case. Why should we change now? How do we know which sizes to use? We simply do not have the time or the resources to investigate these options and scenarios and are therefore going to use what we always have.

Often the attitude is "If it ain't broke don't fix it". No one wants to take on the extra work or the extra time that would be required. However, drill pipe technology has developed considerably in recent years. We now have drill pipe with specialised connections, different dimensions and even different grades to replace or provide best case scenarios compared to those that were previously available. The most important point being that these alternatives can save time and money.

With advances in tubular technologies, the options for change are endless. No longer do you have to use standard 5" drill pipe. There are many alternative pipe sizes that can be used, such as 5 1/2" and/or 5 7/8". The advantages of such are substantial through both Hydraulics and Torque & Drag.

This is where Applications Engineering becomes important. Through the integration of our experienced Petroleum Engineers, we work with the customer and help to re-design the prospective wells through enhanced torque & drag analysis, hydraulic modeling and new leading edge drill string technology. We become actively involved in well designs, planning and string selection. We do the engineering work to help find the best solution for their drilling problems. We look at each well differently and thus are able to recommend optimum tubulars as well as drill strings to benefit the drilling program. We then determine if using an alternative drill string will allow for substantial savings in both drilling and handling times on a particular project.

Refer to the diagram below showing a typical hydraulics comparison of 5" VS 5 1/2" VS 5 7/8" for the 12 1/4" hole section, as you can see the variances in hydraulic losses are substantial between the sizes when compared against flow rates.

This chart shows some of the advantages through the introduction of alternative connections and tube sizes. For example, we at Premier are a leader in the North Sea with the implementation of XT drill strings.

Other alternatives are the use of single strings to replace tapered strings. By doing this, you alleviate the need to lay down pipe between hole sizes, this will allow you to cancel an entire fishing and handling kit from the rig.

What was once nothing more than 'pipe' now has become leading edge technology that can provide clients with innovative and time saving solutions.
Take another look at drill pipe and drill pipe solutions – it really is not dumb iron anymore.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about Premier Oilfield Rentals innovative approach to tubular rentals, please feel free to contact darren.mourre@premieroilfield.com or call +44 (0)1224 724900.

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