Components, techniques, and workflows that can
be propagated to different technologies to match dif-
ferent environments are necessary for the wide
range of today’s E&P. Slim, horizontal wells in uncon-
ventional reservoirs require the same measurements
and quality as deep, offshore conventional wells but
the hardware must be capable of navigating tight
doglegs or working at higher limits of temperature
or pressure. The unique through-the-bit approach of
ThruBit* logging service exemplifies this, providing
a complete measurement suite for shale gas devel-
opment from a small-diameter toolstring. With a
diameter of only 2
⅛
in, the logging toolstring is
sufficiently slim to pass through the center of most
drillpipe, jars, and drill collars and out the opening
of the specifically designed Portal* drill bit.
Integration of ThruBit service—a company acquired
by Schlumberger in 2011—with Schlumberger meas-
urements continues with the addition of borehole
sonic services for geomechanical evaluation to the
ThruBit service platform.
Integrating Drilling Technologies
Once the well location has been selected on the
basis of high-quality characterization and a shared-
earth model, drilling performance becomes fundamen-
tal to cost-effective well construction. Improving the
industry’s typically suboptimal workflows begins with
establishing three objectives. The first is to increase
overall drilling efficiency, which is a function of the
rate of penetration and the time actually spent drilling.
The second is to precisely place the well and acquire
formation evaluation data to maximize production
and further reservoir characterization. The third is to
provide wellbore assurance throughout the well’s
productive life.
Optimizing the drilling workflow for these three
objectives is a complex and multidimensional challenge.
It begins with a commitment to research and engineer-
ing, which must be approached in an integrated multi-
disciplinary manner because the technical solutions
span a spectrum of scientific disciplines. Optimization
also demands access to all the components of the
9
Nothing fully replaces visual examination and laboratory
measurement of rock samples recovered from a
reservoir. Schlumberger XL-Rock* large-volume rotary
sidewall coring service, which cuts sidewall cores with
a rock volume equivalent to that of conventional core
plugs, matches the industry’s standard sample size to
limit the expense of conducting conventional continuous
coring. Integration of downhole measurements and
samples to calibrate the digital with the physical
confirms understanding of the reservoir and the
interaction between rock and fluid.
Traditional core analysis data are central to a variety of
activities and span the life cycle of a field. Measurements
are integrated into the evaluation of reservoir geology,
reservoir engineering, and, later in the life of a field,
enhanced oil recovery. Rock property data are integrated in
seismic studies, log interpretation, reservoir simulation
modeling, and stimulation and completions decisions.
Schlumberger has provided laboratory analysis of reservoir
fluids for more than 40 years, and following the acquisition
of TerraTek* rock mechanics and core analysis services
in 2006, digital rock and fluid analysis services are now
integrated across a global network of reservoir laboratories.
The latest offering, CoreFlow* digital core and fluid analytics
services, integrates rock and fluid laboratory work
with digital core scanning and digital fluids to
improve the quality of information for reservoir
analysis and for input to reservoir models.
Integration with Physical Measurements
NMR Laboratory Specialist Kenneth Bohn at the Schlumberger
Reservoir Laboratory in Houston loads a core sample into a
nuclear magnetic resonance device.
