Two Diameters. One Trip. Zero Casing Delays. Surface-Controlled RFID Reamers Enable Heavy-Wall Casing to Reach Bottom of Complex Salt Interval

Safely drill and case a challenging directional exploration interval through a complex formation sequence that included a creeping salt section.
Avoid offset-well issues—including stuck drillstring, casing-running difficulty, and nonproductive time—by creating sufficient salt-zone clearance to run and cement heavy-wall casing as planned.
Achieve a fit-for-purpose, formation-specific hole profile in a single run without added trips, rig time, or operational complexity.
Support successful installation of heavy-wall casing and long-term isolation of the salt zone while enabling the well to progress without delay.

Deployed the Weatherford RipTide™ RFID-activated drilling reamer system as part of a borehole enlargement service.
Configured two different-diameter RipTide reamers in one bottomhole assembly to enable selective, multi-diameter enlargement in a single run.
Used RFID activation and control technology to independently open and close each reamer from the surface without additional trips, reamer runs, or bottomhole assembly (BHA) changes.
Drilled a 14 1/2-in pilot hole, then ran the tandem reaming assembly to enlarge the interval in one trip.
Enlarged the hole above the salt section first, creating sufficient clearance below the casing shoe.
Sent surface-transmitted RFID commands to deactivate the first reamer and activate the second, selectively enlarging the salt interval to a larger diameter.
Reversed the reamer sequence at total depth to eliminate the remaining rathole below the enlarged section.
Delivered precise, on-demand control of borehole diameter across formation-specific risk zones while maintaining operational efficiency.

Completed selective borehole enlargement in one trip, eliminating additional reamer runs or BHA changes and avoiding added rig time.
Enlarged 1,781 ft (543 m) of the wellbore from 14-1/2 to 16 in above the salt section and 833 ft (254 m) to 17-1/2 in across the salt interval.
Confirmed the planned hole geometry with caliper logs, completed wireline logging without incident, and ran and cemented heavy-wall casing as planned.
Mitigated stuck-pipe and casing-running issues experienced in offset wells while reducing nonproductive time.
Achieved reliable isolation of the salt interval and enabled the well to progress to the next phase without delay.

Details

Location

Austria

Well Type

Exploration, directional

Products/Services

Area of interest

First Name

Last Name

Phone

Email

Company

Country

Region

Message

Marketing

Tick to subscribe Weatherford newsletter

Two Diameters. One Trip. Zero Casing Delays.