New Offshore Sidetrack Practices Reduced Significantly Stuck Pipes in KSA

This paper demonstrates the causes of the major issue of stuck pipes in offshore sidetracks in Saudi Aramco & also explains the new drilling practices implemented to reduce the number of stuck pipes while drilling or running completion systems. Out of three wells sidetracked, two stuck pipes occurred. Year after, this number of stuck pipe has declined significantly after revised and corrected drilling practices. In year 2005, oil demands went up and therefore, Saudi Aramco converted vertical and deviated wells to horizontal in order deliver more oil to the oil market. Sensitive shale instability problem was present almost in every well where drill pipe got stuck. Also, it is worth mentioning that development of humps while drilling contributed to inability of cleaning the hole very efficiently. Typically, every single well is sidetracked and drilled across shale formations of different pressures up to the productive zone. After drilling the horizontal section, the whole well is reamed with stiff assembly during which obstructions and tight spots are cleared. Then, ICD system is deployed to TD. This paper will highlight the main causes of stuck pipe and following that, successful solutions will be presented and explained in detail.