Magnus: Utilization of Conductor

Sharing Wellhead Technology To Access

Additional Hydrocarbons With a
Slot-Constrained Platform
S.E. Hicks, A. Moore, and M. Honey, SPE, BP Exploration; I.R. Farmer, Schlumberger;
B. Smart, SPE, and R. Ekseth, SPE, Gyrodata; and D. Brown, Cameron

Summary
The Magnus platform, UK northern North Sea, has been producing
since 1983 with all 20 original slots now occupied. Additional infill
and extend-reach-drilling (ERD) production targets were identified and a means of access was required while maintaining base
field production. Platform modification was selected because of
significant commercial advantage over alternative developments.
The Magnus jacket was modified to permit running of four additional large conductors into which two smaller casings could be
installed respectively.
A tapered jacket profile necessitated preinstalled conductor
guide frames to build to 4 inclination at seabed, requiring initial
use of the large conductor as a conduit for drilling assemblies.
Custom-manufactured and specialist equipment was designed and
procured to enable successful underreaming to 54 in. and installation of 46-in. conductor. Drilling-assembly design and initial pilothole profile were deemed critical to subsequent success in running
rigid open-ended 46-in. conductor. Well-critical structural cement
was pumped to seabed by use of a 16-in. inflatable packer and inner
string. Unguided installation of two 185/8-in. casing strings inside
46-in. conductor was then achieved. The 185/8-in. casing strings
were cemented in place using light cement to preserve (shallow)
casing-shoe integrity. High-resolution multishot gyro surveys and
a newly developed gamma-wipe survey technique were used to
obtain critical 185/8-in. relative-shoe-orientation information before
subsequent kickoff.
Two wells were batch set successfully to the 133/8-in. casing
shoe by means of one conductor. Modification of existing wellhead technology for close proximity has proved successful. Access
to additional Magnus resources by means of an otherwise full
template has been delivered by this conductor-sharing-wellhead
(CSW) technology.
Introduction
Magnus is the most northerly currently operated field on the UK
Continental Shelf (Fig. 1). Discovered in 1974, Magnuss first
production was established in 1983. Continual field development
has resulted in more than 90 penetrations including exploration,
appraisal, and development wells.
In 1995, production from a now full well template plateaued
and a program of well-intervention work was commenced to offset
rapid decline of 60% per annum (Day et al. 1998). An enhancedoil-recovery (EOR) program was later adopted, using water-alternating-gas injection to maintain field output. Extensive subsurface
work focused on EOR mechanisms across discrete reservoir panels
and identified multiple new injection and off-take points that would
be required to optimize field production from each respective area

Copyright 2011 Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper (SPE 124233) was accepted for presentation at the SPE Offshore Europe Oil and
Gas Conference, Aberdeen, UK, 811 September 2009, and revised for publication. Original
manuscript received for review 19 August 2009. Revised manuscript received for review 18
July 2010. Paper peer approved 20 July 2010.

124

(Moulds et al. 2005). By the late 1990s, it became apparent that

sidetrack options from existing wells alone would not permit full
optimization of the Magnus EOR program.
Conventional means of accessing newly required targets, such
as limited multilateral drilling (as wells become available), would
not deliver full EOR potential. Conversely, a subsea satellite development was found to be uncompetitive in early studies, given the
incremental nature of the EOR program. The most commercially
viable solution was found to be modification of the existing Magnus
platform jacket to permit new wells to be drilled from surface.
The complexity and tapered profile of the Magnus platform
jacket prevented the introduction of more than seven new drilling slots. To use newly constructed slots fully, conductors would
effectively have to be split, permitting two wells from surface
to be installed per conductor. This paper outlines the major challenges posed by conductor-sharing well design and outlines some
solutions found to aid successful well delivery.
Magnus Extension Project (MEP)
The Magnus platform design, providing an original 20 slots,
incorporates a double-battered, four-legged jacket, suitable to its
location 165 km north of Shetland in 186-m water depth. Critically, because of the remote situation and exposure of the platform,
Magnus has a 57-m air gap, designed with its own drilling derrick
from the outset. As such, the Magnus platform does not feature
a vertical face that jacket designs in shallower water depths may
have. Presence of such a vertical face or a lesser air gap simplifies
any post-construction jacket modification by permitting additional
conductors to be installed vertically at seabed (Matheson et al.
2008). This benefit was not available to the MEP.
Platform Modification. The optimum location of new Magnus
well slots had been decided in 1990. The MEP was sanctioned
in 2004, and the most suitable location for new well slots was on
the east side of the platform, the same side as the drilling package. Only the east face of the platform allowed new conductors
to be installed without clashes with existing infrastructure. Early
feasibility studies included appraisal of new vertical conductors
external to the platform jacket; however, the necessary overhang
of the drilling derrick was found to lead to excessive structural
loading. Additional conductors installed on the Magnus platform
were, therefore, required to build to 4 inclination from vertical
at seabed.
With the east face selected for the new slot locations, options
of seven 30-in. slots or four 46-in. slots were identified. MEP
financial criteria necessitated provision of eight new wells; hence,
construction work for four new 46-in. splitter slots commenced
in 2005.
To enable additional well slots to be drilled through the Magnus
jacket, the modifications described in Table 1 were carried out.
Conductor Guide Frames. Installation of six conductor guide
frames per new well slot was carried out external to the platform
jacket (Fig. 2). These guide frames incorporated an asymmetric
funnel design to guide rigid conductor pipe, incrementally building
March 2011 SPE Drilling & Completion

Fig. 2Location of new conductor guide frames on the east

face of the Magnus platform jacket; asymmetrically funneled
guides were external to the jacket and built vertical deviation
to approximately 4 at seabed.

Fig. 1Magnus field location within the northern North Sea.

vertical deviation to 4 at seabed. Five of these preinstalled guide

frames were installed subsea, and one was installed above sea
level (Fig. 3).
CSW Design
The CSW concept has been proved elsewhere (Hashim et al. 1998;
Dharaphop et al. 1999). Recent developments in wellhead design
have led to reductions in required stack-up height, minimizing platform deck requirement (Santos and Floch 2006), and up to three wells
have been installed in a single conductor (Matheson et al. 2008).
However, use of 46-in. full-length conductor required the manufacture of new wellhead equipment based on existing designs.
Magnus field well design retains the option of a 16-in. liner in
the case of problematic drilling of cuttings-reinjection domains.
Such a well design necessitated that 185/8-in. (or larger) conductor
conduits be run inside the main 46-in. conductor. Standard 133/8in. 10K wellhead equipment could be used provided that adapter
equipment could be modified for 46-in. conductors. The key challenge in this respect was found to be the close proximity of adjacent
wells when drilling, requiring development of an API recognized
D-shaped flange permitting riser installation on adjacent slot-sharing wells. Existing 36-in. adapter equipment was scaled up to 46
in., and a complete conductor-sharing system was manufactured
that permits dual 185/8-in. installation from surface (Fig. 4). This
system was specified to material class DD/HH, temperature class
U (0250F), and product specification level 3 plus gas test, and
was fire safe in accordance with API 6FA/6FB as per Magnus
reservoir requirements.

Wellhead Arrangement. While the wellhead and tree equipment

were manufactured to satisfy a 5.8-m vertical allowance above
conductor cut height, arrangement of individual wellheads within
the well bay had to be optimized to permit installation of all eight
planned trees within a 10.5-m-long deck space. The mean 46-in.
conductor center-to-center distance at surface was 2.36 m. A technically simple method of achieving this requirement would be the
manufacture of four custom-made compact housings, providing
unique side-outlet-valve and tree orientations for each well. This
would, however, have been prohibitively costly and would have
incurred risk during wellhead installation unless unique back-up
equipment was also procured for each well.
To overcome this problem, a 3D model of the well-bay space
and wellheads was created and final compact-housing wellhead
requirement was refined to three unique designs (Fig. 5). These
three variants of compact wellhead housing will permit installation
of eight adjacent wells by means of four 46-in. conductors.
The installation of large starter head equipment close to the
conductor deck of the platform, compounded with restricted height
availability, made conductor squat and growth analysis critical. A
study was commissioned to encompass all scenarios of well pairing
(e.g., two injectors, two producers, and an injector/producer pair)
to verify that any movement of the wellhead would not interfere
with platform infrastructure (Fig. 6).
The 46-in. Conductor Installation
The unique challenge of the MEP CSW application stems from
the 4 deviation from vertical imparted by the 46-in. conductor at

TABLE 1MEP PLATFORM MODIFICATIONS AND RATIONALE

Modification
Installation of six conductor guide
frames per conductor

Rationale
Needed to support and guide the curvature
of new well conductors to seabed

Extension of the drilling derrick

skid beams

To allow the drilling derrick to skid an additional 8.5 m

to the east, thereby accessing the new slots

Strengthening and extension of

platform steelwork

Impact deck level above wellhead deck required

extension over new slots; main cantilever primary
steelwork was strengthened to permit safe transfer
of new loads whilst skidded over new slots

Rerouting of existing pipe work

Pipe work on the eastern side of the platform was

rerouted to permit new conductors to be run adjacent
to the well bay; new perimeter escape route was required

Control and safety system upgrade

Drilling rig upgrade

March 2011 SPE Drilling & Completion

Systems modified to include the additional

wells and flow lines
To facilitate drilling from the new well slots and
provide access to new ERD targets

125

Fig. 3MEP conductor guide frames installed external to the

platform jacket, 7 m above LAT; five more guide-frame structures were installed external to the tapered jacket subsea.

seabed. To aid running of 46-in. conductor, 54-in. hole size was

selected. This large hole size required manufacture of new underreaming arms that could be used on an existing tool. A 26-in. pilot
hole was first drilled by use of a motor to maintain inclination

A-annulus outlets

B-annulus outlets

C-annulus outlets

Fig. 5CSW alignment simulation illustrating relative orientations of wellhead housings at the A, B, and C annuli outletvalve levels; note staggered outlet-valve orientations by level
to permit access to and operation of all valves.
126

Fig. 4Complete 46-in. starter head dual 135/8-in. 10K CSW

stack-up illustration.

and promote build-over-drop tendency for conductor running.

This pilot hole was opened to 42 in. by use of a hole opener and
bullnose assembly, and the 42-in. hole was in turn underreamed
to 54 in. These drilling assemblies needed to be guided to seabed
through the conductor guide frames. To this end, an initial section
of 46-in. conductor was run open ended to seabed to act as a drilling assembly conduit before spud. Use of an inclined open-ended
conductor in turn obviated simple use of internal conductor guides,
landing rings, or stab-in plates (Hashim et al. 1998; Tuah et al.
2000; Anchaboh et al. 2001; Faget et al. 2005) into which subsequent 185/8-in. strings could be run. Dual 185/8-in. conduit strings
were run unguided into an open-ended 46-in. conductor.
Conductor Handling. A 46-in. conductor joint weighs 11 tonnes,
and conventional 46-in. elevators could not be operated easily in
the rig floor space available. Custom-manufactured 46-in. elevators
were procured that could be used in conjunction with conductor
end caps that incorporated a lifting shoulder (Fig. 7).
Use of a custom-manufactured weight-spreader frame to
effectively strengthen the blowout-preventer (BOP) deck directly
beneath the rotary table in the drilling derrick permitted the suspension of the initial 46-in.-conductor section before spud, at the
BOP deck. The BOP deck weight-spreader frame was designed to
incorporate 46-in. remotely operated autoslips (Fig. 8).
An internal lifting tool was used to raise and lower the 46-in.
conductor string vertically to the BOP deck, affording a clear
rotary table for subsequent top-hole drilling. (Use of 42-in. holeopening and 54-in. underreaming tools required the removal of the
rotary-table adapter rings that would have complicated operation
of a false rotary table.)
March 2011 SPE Drilling & Completion

Fig. 7Use of 46-in. conductor end caps that incorporated a

1-in. lifting shoulder permitted use of custom-manufactured
46-in. elevators to aid conductor running.

this end a 42-in. retro-fit conductor shoe was designed and manufactured (Fig. 9). This shoe would be run if dogleg severity was
surveyed to exceed 1/30 m at any point in the initial pilot hole.
Suspension of the shoe inside an open-ended 46-in. conductor joint
would be achieved by means of a 133/8-in. inflatable packer made
up to a 133/8-in. shear-out sub, and the complete assembly could
be run and retrieved on drillpipe. The 42-in. retro-fit shoe was not
deployed on the first MEP well because of a surveyed pilot-hole
profile of dogleg severity less than 1/30 m.
Fig. 6The 46-in. CSW installed; picture shows intermediate housing lowermost (complete with C-annulus side outlet
valves) and dual compact housings uppermost (complete with
A- and B-annulus side outlet valves); note close proximity of
conductor deck steel.

Open-Ended Conductor Running. The seabed at the Magnus

platform location is too hard to permit driving of the conductors.
Historical attempts to run stiff 46-in. conductor through moderate
(>1/30 m) doglegs have proved to be problematic. While drillstring design was carried out to minimize top-hole tortuosity and
maintain a hold-to-build profile out of the final conductor guide
frames, a contingency was required in the event of undesirable
doglegs being introduced by means of the initial pilot hole. To

Fig. 846-in. remotely operated autoslips used in conjunction

with a custom-manufactured weight-spreading frame allowed
the entire weight of the 46-in. conductor to be supported from
the BOP deck beneath the drilling-rig floor, simplifying initial
drilling operations.
March 2011 SPE Drilling & Completion

46-in.-Conductor Cementing. Cementation of the first MEP

46-in. conductor was achieved by means of an inner string with
a 16-in. inflatable packer set below sea level. This 16-in. packer
prevented backflow of large volumes of cement by removing the
compressible air column within the conductor volume. A custom-manufactured 46-in. cementing/running tool acted as a triple
bushing by which the conductor could be sealed at surface and a
passing packer could be monitored. Use of a control-line-operated

Fig. 942-in. retro-fit conductor-shoe representation; while

this contingency conductor shoe was not required to be run,
given the quality of 54-in. hole drilled, it was designed to maximize chances of 46-in.-conductor running success in the event
of tortuous top hole.
127

E8: PMEP1

E7: NWMP

Depth reference datum: rotary table (RT).

All depths MDBRT (TVDBRT)
Wellhead: 27 m MDBRT

MSL: 57 m

18 5/8? TOC: 77 m (77 m)

Mud line: 243 m

46? TOC: Mud line

133/8? TOC: 340 m (340 m)

Fig.10

46? 1? WT X52/X56 XLC-S-RB: 380 m (380 m)

3 deg inc / 137 deg azi
18 5/8? 87.5 ppf K55 Hydril 521: 390 m (390 m)
NWMP: 385 m (385 m)

Upper Nordland: 712 m

(707 m)
Lower Nordland: 958 m
(937 m)

Hordland: 1017 m
(989 m)

13 3/8? 72 ppf L80 Dino Vam: 1150 m (1100 m)

36 deg inc / 220 deg azi
NWMP: 1131 m (1100 m) 21deg inc / 59 deg azi

Fig. 10CSW well-design illustration showing batch-set 133/8-in.-casing strings cemented back inside conductor-sharing 185/8-in.
conduit strings.

inflatable packer also afforded the capability to maintain inflatable-element pressure if a leaking packer was observed. A 46-in.
conductor was suspended by the blocks to mitigate the risk of
becoming locked in the slips as the cement set.
Unguided Conductor Conduits. To reduce drilling complexity, dual 185/8-in. conduits were planned to protrude 5 and 10 m
from the 46-in.-conductor shoe only, vertically staggered to aid
subsequent kickoff from each well. Placement of 185/8-in.-casing
shoes deeper by means of continued drilling was not required by
the Magnus casing design (Fig. 10). To this end, a single 42-in.
cleanout run was carried out through the 46-in.-conductor shoe,
into which both 185/8-in.-conduit strings could be run.
To reduce the tendency of the second unguided 185/8-in.-conduit
string to hang up on the initial 185/8-in.-conduit string, semiflush
connections were used on non-centralized pipe. The initial conduit
string was run to protrude 5 m outside the 46-in. conductor shoe,
a minimum of 8 m off hole bottom to negate any chance of the
first 185/8-in. string hanging up on hole fill, leading to buckling
and ensuing occupation of greater space inside the 46-in. conductor. The second 185/8-in.-conduit string was then run to 10 m
outside the 46-in.-conductor-shoe depth with an eccentric shoe to
aid running against the initial conduit. A stab-in circulating casing-running tool was also used throughout dual 185/8-in. running
operations to maintain the capability to wash and rotate casing at
any stage in the operation.
Dual Unguided 185/8-in.-Conduit Cementing. Both 185/8-in.conduit strings needed to be cemented uncentralized (to reduce
running risk) and by means of a 57-m air gap with a low formationfracture strength. Extensive Magnus offset drilling has resulted in a
well-constrained fracture gradient of 1.26 SG at the conductor-shoe
depth of 380 m measured depth below rotary table (MDBRT). The
185/8-in.-conduit cement did not carry structural loads. All well
and tree loads were transferred to the 46-in. conductor (Fig. 10).
Subsequent hole sections were drilled using a diverter, so a 60-psi
128

pressure seal was required between touching 185/8-in. strings inside

the 46-in. conductor. Given the likely length of metal-on-metal
contact inside the 46-in. conductor, the cementing-fluid velocity
profiles and resulting cement sheath about the unguided conduits
were likely to be poor. Maximum annular coverage was therefore
deemed critical, and 1.50-SG cement slurry was used for the whole
cement job to permit a cement column back to surface without
fracturing the conductor shoe.
The first MEP 185/8-in.-conduit pair was cemented successfully
in this fashion using a stab-in/latch-in cement stinger by means of
the deepest (E8) 185/8-in. string.
Conductor-Sharing Well Planning
The 4 inclination at seabed was imposed by structural constraints
of the upper jacket but is desirable for ERD wells, provided that
the well heading is aligned similarly. Well target and slot allocation was, therefore, conducted in such a way that non-ERD wells
could turn back beneath the platform from their initial eastward
heading (e.g., to satisfy infill requirements). New ERD injection
and production targets could be accessed to the north and south of
the platform without the introduction of excessive tortuosity.
New-Well Trajectories. Given the rigidity of the 1-in. wall thickness
of the 46-in. conductor, the constant southeastward heading initiated
by the conductor guide frames was maintained to the conductor setting depth. The slight vertical deviation necessarily imparted by the
46-in. conductor at seabed was, therefore, held constant in planned
tangents to the 46-in.-shoe depth. Planned MEP wells then adopted
shallow S-shaped profiles to attain target step-out and drop to 45
inclination through the reservoir. Maintaining lateral deviation from
adjacent wells at surface would, however, be critical, given the close
proximity to what may be a completed well (Fig. 11). Comprehensive
anticollision schedules and survey programs were required at each
stage of top-hole- and intermediate-hole-section drilling to maintain
safe separation from both existing and planned MEP wells.
March 2011 SPE Drilling & Completion

Fig. 11Example plan view showing CSW profiles in the vicinity of the 46-in. conductors; for planning purposes, both
46-in. conductor and internal unguided 185/8-in. conduits were
assigned well paths. Green dots represent conductor locations
at surface (46-in. conductor in center and 185/8-in. conduits on
either side).

Batch Setting Strategy. Planned well profiles were optimized

as far as possible to satisfy operator anticollision criteria; however, close proximity of conductor-sharing wells down to 600-m
MDBRT would have necessitated the shutting in of an active well
when drilling the adjacent conductor-sharing slot. To mitigate this
risk and simplify operations, batch setting of subsequent (typically
133/8-in.) casing strings was adopted (Fig. 10).
Similarly, downhole and annular safety valves have been deepened to approximately 650-m MDBRT, which is sufficient to allow
safe exit of future MEP wells from remaining 46-in.-conductor
slots. Subsurface safety valves are not recognized as valid pressure-containment barriers; however, their planned closing (e.g.,
when drilling nearby) does reduce the severity of consequences in
the event of a collision above the closed subsurface safety valve.
In this way, a tolerable collision risk-assessment exercise can be
conducted and executable separation factors can be derived to
permit drilling of close top holes. In this way, boundary conditions
were placed around both existing and planned wells, with lesser
separation permitted above deepened subsurface safety valves. A
collision above a closed and tested subsurface safety valve would
have no environmental impact or health, safety, and environment
implications, provided the appropriate wells have been shut in
and gas inventory has been evacuated. A typical traveling-cylinder
(anticollision) plot illustrating the close proximity of offset wells
at 600-m MDBRT is presented in Fig. 12.
The 185/8-in. Survey Method. Installation of two unguided casing
strings inside a 46-in. conductor would lead to unknown relative
positioning of respective 185/8-in. strings. Simulation work predicted that the second unguided string would not have sufficient
weight to nudge the first string out of position on the low side of the
46-in. conductor. The probability of the 185/8-in. strings becoming
twisted could not be eliminated, complicating well target allocation
to 185/8-in. slots at surface (Fig. 13).
March 2011 SPE Drilling & Completion

The two unguided 185/8-in.-casing strings were expected to

be touching at the 46-in.-conductor shoe and to be only 1.33 m
from planned tolerance lines of adjacent MEP slots. This unusually tight well spacing required the use of some novel surveying
techniques.
Gamma-Wipe Survey Technique. A newly developed gammawipe technique used a directional gamma tool and wireline conveyed gamma ray source to confirm the relative orientation of
adjacent 185/8-in.-casing strings.
A focused gamma ray logging-while-drilling (LWD) tool was
run to the shoe of the first 185/8-in. casing, while two centralized
gamma sources were lowered on wireline into the adjacent 185/8in.-casing string (Fig. 14). Rotating the LWD tool on drillpipe by
increments of approximately 30 provided azimuthally dependent
gamma-ray signal strength, providing relative orientation of adjacent casings.
A peak reading in gamma counts above background indicated
when the sensor package was directed toward the center of the
adjacent 185/8-in.-casing string (Fig. 15).
High-Density Gyro Surveys. While the gamma-wipe technique
was planned to provide relative 185/8-in.-string orientation information before well allocation and drill out, use of high-density
multishot gyro surveys in both 185/8-in. casings was predicted to
be capable of distinguishing the two well paths in space.
At surface, the position of both 185/8-in.-casing strings was
fixed because of a 46-in. landing plate that was mounted atop the
46-in. starter head. Into this landing plate, the two 185/8-in. mandrel
hangers were run and landed (Fig. 16).
Close proximity of adjacent unguided 185/8-in. strings led to the
conventional ellipses of uncertainty for respective gyro runs not
providing unique well paths for individual conduits (Fig. 13, A).
To overcome this issue, two gyro-survey runs were carried out in
each casing string with a high-resolution survey interval of 3 m on
the in run and 12 m on the out run. Two complete sets of running
gear and downhole electronics were mobilized to minimize the risk
of gross errors being repeated between surveys in the same slot.
Multiple survey stations were acquired at each depth to analyze
repeatability of data in real time. High-accuracy centralization
was achieved through use of precision roller equipment above and
below survey tools.
Gyro-Survey-Data Analyses. The first step in the analysis
procedure was to verify that there were no misalignments or gross
errors between surveys in the same slot. To achieve this, a coordinate-difference test (Ekseth et al. 2007) between the two sets of
survey data was compared against an ellipse of uncertainty, set
at three standard deviations from center to center of the 185/8-in.
strings at total depth (touching each other). This method would
ensure that the data were performing within the ellipse boundaries
throughout the whole run and not only at total depth. A chi-squared
analysis was then carried out to establish the level of confidence
in the comparison between the data sets.
Slot One (E07). The two high-resolution surveys (run in at 3-m
intervals) in Slot E07 were compared at 15 different points. Comparisons of the coordinate differences at these points were then tested
against error parameters. A chi-squared test was run, and test limits
were set at one, two, and three standard deviations. If all parameters
fell within the 2 standard-deviation boundary, analysis could proceed
with confidence. Uncertainty terms in the band between two and
three standard deviations would mean that we could proceed with
caution. Confidence levels above three standard deviations between
two surveys in the same slot would mean that repeatability had not
been achieved because of gross errors. Results from the comparison
were close to the one-standard deviation limit, allowing combination
of data from both runs to create a definitive survey.
Slot Two (E08). The same process was repeated for the data
in Slot E08. Results from the chi-squared test were again favorable. Run data were again combined, and a definitive survey was
created. Comparison of the two definitive well paths could then
be carried out.
Well-Path Comparison. The separation between the two surveyed well paths was plotted against the known minimum (centerto-center distance if 185/8-in. strings were touching) and maximum
129

Fig. 12Typical traveling-cylinder, or anticollision, plot illustrating allowable deviations from plan of less than 1 m at 600-m MDBRT.

(center-to-center distance if casing strings were sitting against

opposite sides of the 46-in. conductor). Change in relative orientation of one string to another was then plotted, and trends were
analyzed. Separation between the surveys from each casing string
was then plotted against the known physical boundaries (Fig. 17).
(a)
Image illustrating
overlapping EOUs

(b)
Planned exit from 18 5/8?

It was expected that the most likely outcome would be that the
casing strings would be touching for the majority of the section
and hence the actual center-to-center distance would be close to
the minimum separation. This was generally found to be the case,
as illustrated in Fig. 17. Little change in relative orientation of
(c)
Image of twisted 18 5/8?

(d)
Possible collision if 18 5/8?
relative orientation unknown

EOUs

Twisted 18
1 5/8 ?
Fig. 13Illustration of unknown 185/8-in.-conduit paths inside 46-in. conductor when installed unguided; conventional gyro-survey
accuracies would lead to significantly overlapping ellipses of uncertainty (EOUs) (A) preventing derivation of two distinct paths.
Incorrect allocation of well target in the event of an unknown twist (C) could lead to a collision (D).
130

March 2011 SPE Drilling & Completion

Gravity Toolface
(GT F_RT)
190
(DEG)
190

46
46

CutAway

Ray Gamma Ray

(GR_RAB_RT)
(GAP 1)
300

18-5/8 conduit 1: run in

hole with directional
gamma LWD tool to
depth D; rotate for peak
gamma signal

18-5/8 conduit 2: run in

hole with gamma source
on slick-line to depth D

Fig. 14Gamma-wipe relative-survey-technique summary.

the conduit strings was surveyed. The difference in orientation

derived from the in-run data processed at 3-m intervals, in-run data
processed at 12-m intervals, and out-run data processed at 12-m
intervals was between 29.65 and 45.93. Use of the higher-resolution 3-m-spaced data suggested maximum offset of the second
conduit string to be rotated 29.65 counterclockwise about the first
conduit string at total depth (Fig. 18).
Attempts to fully describe the two 185/8-in.-conduit paths inside
the 46-in. conductor by gyro surveys alone proved to be successful, and relative-orientation information derived from definitive
185/8-in. gyro surveys corroborated previous gamma-wipe results.
No change to well-slot allocation was required because no twisting
of unguided conduits was found to have occurred.
Extensive gyro work carried out on the first MEP well pair
occupied 24 hours of rig time, while the gamma-wipe run occupied
approximately 4 hours. Gyro-survey findings did, however, suggest
that reduced survey resolution could be afforded in the future and
a second tool may be run in memory mode. Reducing the survey
program to one more rapid run per conduit string is, therefore,
considered desirable, given the benefit of establishing accurate
bottomhole locations. Data quality has shown that if any twisting
had occurred, then the gyro could be used to determine where this
occurred and how it affected the casing strings. To this end, future
MEP programs will not incorporate the gamma-wipe technique but
will rely on an optimized gyro-survey program, estimated to take
less than 4 hours.

Fig. 15Image illustrating a typical response from a directional

gamma LWD tool: Gamma ray signature is shown in the righthand track and gravity tool face in the left-hand track. In this
example, the peak gamma response corresponds to a tool face
of 90 right of high side.

Conclusion
MEP conductor installation necessitated the use of 46-in. conductor deviated from vertical, which in turn led to the installation
of open-ended conductor and running of dual unguided 185/8-in.
conduits. The nonstandard operation incorporated use of multiple items of custom-manufactured equipment and required use
of novel cementing and surveying techniques. Use of unguided
conduits has been demonstrated to be feasible, provided that new
cementing and surveying methods are developed.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank BP EOC and partners Nippon Oil Exploration
& Production UK Limited, ENI UK Limited, and Energy North
Sea Limited for permission to print this paper. Thanks are also
conveyed to all team members of the MEP for helping to deliver
the first slot-sharing well pair ahead of schedule despite inherent
challenges.
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of the Magnus Field for Post-Plateau Production. Paper SPE 49130

Centre-Centre Distance

Distance

.8

Min 1s

Metres

Max 1s
Min 2s

.6

Max 2s
Min 3s
.4

Max 3s
Min physical
Max physical

.2
0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Measured Depth

Fig. 1646-in. starter head with dual 185/8-in. landing plate and
18-in. mandrel hanger installed; center-to-center separation
of conductor-sharing 185/8-in. strings is 23 in.
March 2011 SPE Drilling & Completion

Fig. 17Plot showing variation in gyro-surveyed center-tocenter separation between 185/8-in. conduits inside 46-in. conductor with depth; physical limits of conductor inside diameter
and minimum 185/8-in. center-to-center separation when touching are included.
131

Centre-Centre Direction

Direction

90

Min 1s

Degrees

Max 1s
0

SI Metric Conversion Factors

ft 3.048*
E01 = m
in. 2.540*
E00 = cm
psi 6.894 745
E00 = kPa

Min 2s

*Conversion factor is exact.

Max 2s
-90
Min 3s
Max 3s

-180
0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Measured Depth

Fig. 18Plot showing variation in relative orientation of gyrosurveyed 185/8-in. well paths with depth.

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132

Simon Hicks is a BP drilling engineer, now based in Tripoli, Libya,

working for BP Exploration Libya. He joined BP in 2004 having
completed a physics Masters degree at Imperial College, UK
and a further research Masters degree in marine geophysics
at the National Oceanography Center, UK. Hicks has planned
and overseen numerous drilling programs across the North Sea
UK, including subsea appraisal wells west of Shetland, central
North Sea subsea tiebacks, and high performance platform
drilling. He is now planning deepwater exploration wells offshore Libya. Angela Moore is a senior drilling engineer with
BP Exploration in Aberdeen, UK. She joined BP in 2000 with a
BS degree from the Open University, UK. She worked offshore
for several years in the southern North Sea, UK and west of
Shetland, UK on operations including multilaterals, workovers,
and subsea wells. Moore worked as senior drilling engineer for
Magnus, planning subsea, extended-reach, and conductorsharing wells. She is currently leading a team that manages
supplier performance for UK well operations. Mark Honey is a
technology research and development manager for BP based
in Sunbury-on-Thames, UK. He joined BP in 1998 and has worked
mainly in the North Sea, UK in a variety of engineering and
operational roles both onshore and offshore, latterly as wells
team leader for the Magnus platform. Honey has over 25 years
experience in the drilling and completions business and has
a BS degree from Birmingham University, UK. His current role is
research and development manager for one of BPs flagship
technology projects. Honey is an SPE member. Ian Farmer is
a drilling engineer at Schlumberger Drilling and Measurement
currently located in Copenhagen, Denmark. He joined
Schlumberger Wireline Services in 1995 after graduating from
Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK with a BE in mechanical
and offshore engineering. Farmer is a wellbore surveying and
well positioning subject matter expert within Schlumbergers
technical community. He has enjoyed a variety of European
and international assignments including deepwater projects,
west of Shetland, UK as well as mature platform and new field
developments in Denmark. Barry Smart is the Gyrodata technical services coordinator for the Europe, Africa, and Caspian
region. He joined Gyrodata in 1998 and moved to the technical group in 2007 following five years as a survey engineer
and four years as an account manager in the operations
department. Smarts current role within the Gyrodata technical group involves analysis of survey data and the testing and
implementation of new developments. He is an SPE member.
Roger Ekseth is a development manager at Gyrodata Inc. He
has research interest in directional surveying. Ekseth holds an
MS in geodesy and a PhD in directional surveying, both completed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology,
Trondheim, Norway. He is an SPE member. Dave Brown is the
surface products account manager at Cameron, UK. He has
worked for Cameron for eight years in a range of technical
and managerial roles. Before his move to Cameron, Brown
worked for seven years at Wood Group and ten years at Vetco.
He has more than 25 years experience as a design engineer
and technical manager with surface wellhead systems.

March 2011 SPE Drilling & Completion