It’s no accident that the Viking International’s name is synonymous with Underbalanced Drilling (UBD) technology and air drilling. We saw the necessity for UBD technologies and services back in the mid 1980’s while drilling in the West Texas Overthrust and dedicated the resources, realized our vision, and are now leaders with hundreds of successful UBD wells to our credit.
What is Underbalanced Drilling and Why Use It?
Underbalanced drilling is the intentional reduction of drilling fluid density to lower hydrostatic pressure in a wellbore so that it is lower than formation pore pressure. Or, more simply put, underbalanced drilling maintains wellbore pressure below formation pressure while drilling.
Less Pressure, More Flow
• Lower pressure in the wellbore encourages oil/gas flow, reducing formation damage.
• Lower pressure in the wellbore increases the rate of penetration, prolongs bit life and increases flow.
• Lower pressure means less fluid loss when drilling, resulting in reduced fluid maintenance costs, a decrease in lost circulation time, and less non-productive time.
In underbalanced reservoir drilling (UBD), the emphasis is on protecting the formation, particularly in low-pressure, depleted reservoirs. Encouraging the reservoir to flow while it is being drilled avoids creation of wellbore buildup and its associated negative impact on well productivity and reservoir recovery. Lower pressure in the wellbore also increases ROP, prolongs bit life and prevents fluid loss into the formation, making differential sticking unlikely. These benefits allow for enhanced production and reservoir recovery which increases the economic viability resulting in a quicker payouts for wells.Our operations in West Texas have relied on air drilling for decades to get through hard fractured limestone formations quickly and without costly fluid losses. Air drilling uses mist or foam as the drilling fluid, increasing ROP and lengthening bit life and although air drilling is an "old" technology in the U.S., it holds bright promise in Morocco, Romania and Turkey.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Underbalanced Drilling
Advantages
• Much Higher ROP While Drilling
• Greatly Reduces Formation Damage While Drilling
• Allows Drilling Through Severe Lost Circulation Zones
• Numerous Geological and Pay Identification Benefits
• Normal Triple-Combo or Quad-Combo Can be Run
• Addition of Temperature Log Identifies Gas Flow Into Wellbore
• Aides in Quickly Identifying Target Zones for Cement Calculations
• Reduces Perforation Interval for Lower Costs
• High Quality Cuttings Which are Clean and Dry
• Numerous Completion Benefits
• No Drilling Mud to Clean up From Formation or Fractures
• Allows for Zones to be Quickly Tested
• Less Cleanup Time During Flowback / Swab Testing
• Decreased Rig / Testing Costs
Disadvantages
• Hazardous When Drilling High Pore Pressure Zones
• Risk of Sticking When Encountering Formation Water
• Possible Crooked Hold Due to High ROP
• Increased Risk of Washouts
Viking International consists of a team of management and drilling personal that have drilled hundreds of Underbalanced wells and have an excess of over 100 years of experience collectively in Underbalanced Drilling. We are well positioned to provide expertise, in conjunction with our equipment and services, to Operators looking for value and experience from their partners.
A Full Circle of Service From the UBD Regional Leader
Assembling the right Equipment
Viking International aggressively acquired key technology, from nitrogen-generation units to mobile air package units, took them to the field, and proved that UBD techniques can be applied safely while preventing formation damage. Using reservoir characterization during UBD has enabled the discovery of new reservoirs previously overlooked with overbalanced technologies.
Underbalanced Drilling
Less pressure, more flow. In underbalanced reservoir drilling (UBD), the emphasis is on protecting the formation, particularly in low-pressure, depleted reservoirs. Encouraging the reservoir to flow while it is being drilled avoids creation of "skin" and its associated negative impact on well productivity and reservoir recovery. Lower pressure in the wellbore also increases ROP, prolongs bit life and prevents fluid loss into the formation, making differential sticking unlikely. Overall results: enhanced production and reservoir recovery.
Air Drilling
Getting there faster. West Texas operators have relied on air drilling for decades to get through hard fractured limestone formations quickly and without costly fluid losses. Air drilling uses mist or foam as the drilling fluid, increasing ROP and lengthening bit life. Although air drilling has been around for decades in the United States, it has been underutilized in other parts of the world leaving room for reservoir growth.
Service: The Difference Between Success and Failure
Keys to Success:
Understanding the Project: We provide basic and detailed screening and engineering to select and quantify the benefits of our technology for your wells.
Provide Engineering Support: A full-time global staff of experienced reservoir and well engineers helps ensure that every Viking International project lives up to its potential. Our engineers add a layer of UBD expertise and understanding to your staff that you won’t get any other way.
Providing State of the Art Equipment: We have a large fleet of surface and rotating control devices, fit-for-purpose drilling fluids and foams, nitrogen, compression, separation systems and more. This huge "toolbox" ensures that you get exactly the right tools for your project.
Provide Experience that is Unmatched: With an active management team and field personnel that consist of many individuals with well over 100 years of successful experience collectively, our goal is to provide expertise, in conjunction with our services to Operators looking for value and experience from their partners.
Deliver Results: Our staff of project managers, wellsite engineers, wellsite supervisors and equipment specialists has more UBD training and field experience than any other team in the industry. These are the people who make sure that the UBD value we’ve projected is delivered to you on location. Their success has built ours.
Surpass Expectations: Our goal is to help you exceed the expectations of your reservoir and your wells. Our track record-tell us we’re succeeding.
INVENTORY
Mobile Air Drilling Packages
• Various sized Mobile Air Drilling Packages (complete with compressors and boosters) are available
• Stand-alone compression and booster packages
• Nitrogen units complete with separators, heaters and power
• Air/Foam/N2 rates capable of drilling any hole size to any depth
• UBD accessories such as hammers, hammer bits, blooie lines, rotating heads, etc.
Engineering Services
• Full service engineering design for underbalanced applications
• Air/Foam/Mist/Aerated Mud simulations for best formation response
• Equipment recommendations
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