TBA 100 – A Performance Study of the New

Generation 100-ton Advanced Technology Rig

Maximilian Trombitas,

Product Manager Bauer Deep Drilling GmbH

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Outline

• Field study

• Lessons learned

• Rig design changes

• Mechanization of drill floor processes

• Example: Pipe handling

• Summary

Buffalo 90 is a multipurpose drill rig designed in a

cooperation of Bauer and DeWet

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Buffalo 90 has drilled two horizontal wells for

CBM projects for Kalahari Gas in Botswana

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Operations started in November 2012

• First onshore horizontal wells in

southern Africa

• Rig site in Kalahari Desert, close to

Mmashoro

• Original plan was to drill 5 exploratory

wells and with different completion

strategies

Coal bed methane

• high potential expected (depending

on findings from exploration wells)

The geology for both wells includes coal as the

target reservoir and dolomites above and below it

Trajectory of 1st well shows a short vertical and 3 extended lateral sections:

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270

290

310

330

350

370

390

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

Sidetrack 2 Trajectory Sidetrack 1

Notes: Trajectory based on Pathfinder data, geology schematic

Coal Bed (high ROP) Dolerite (hard, low ROP) • 8 ½” section was drilled with bentonite mud

• all lateral sections were drilled with fresh water

and sweeps

Rig set-up

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Pipe

Rack Dog

House

Pipe

handler

Buffalo90

Rig

Shale

Shaker

Mud

pits

Rig performance analysis of 23 days operation

• Rig NPT less than 0.5%:

• Weight-to-Weight-connection ~2.2 min

• Fuel Consumption ~ 500 l/day

• No HSE incidents or accidents

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Problem Hours % NPT

Pipe handler 0.8 0.14%

Rig mechanics 0.8 0.14%

Air slips 0.6 0.1%

Rotary brake 0.3 0.05%

Total 2.5 0,43%

Step 2

Step 3 Step 4

Step 1

The operational problems involve both

mechanical and human errors

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Downtimes Inefficiencies

Mechan-

ical

Errors

• Waiting on spare

parts (difficult supply

situation)

• Pump capacity

• Shale shaker capacities

Human

Errors

• Waiting on fuel (non-

attention, no

procedures available)

• No work during rain

• Major failures (e.g.

squeezing casing,

drilling towards old

well bore)

• Slow, untrained and

inexperienced crew

• Miscommunication btw.

operator & contractor

• Difficult working

circumstances (no proper

camp, no food

provided,…)

• There is no way

around providing

good training to

people

• Selecting & keeping

the good ones

• Not saving money

on crucial

equipment like mud

pumps or shale

shakers

• Establishing better

supply chains for

future large scale

operations

Lessons learned for the whole system out of the

first operations

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Suggestions

for Rig

Changes

Automation

Issues

Equipment

•Driller’s cabin – more space for 2 people

•Pipe handling system – remote control vs. cabin

•Driller’s cabin – meters with metric units

•Power tong – higher moments change of power tong

•Electronic data collection and display system

•Rig leveling – less transport units

•Mast – bigger drilling axis

•Mud pumps fulfilling flow rate, pressure and noise requirements

•Shakers designed for the requirements of oil & gas operations

•Levels on diesel tanks

•Proper office for contractor on site (printers, phones, etc.)

•High risk operation still manual

•Changing of mind

•More sensors required

•Software

Lessons learned & main changes

PR110 Version: Prototype Buffalo 90:

Major Changes to the prototype:

• Higher degree of mechanization and

automation

• Modular system

• Focus on hands-free & crane-less rig

up/down

• Transport dimensions to fulfill world wide

road regulations

• Diesel or electric driven

• Increased sensor installation

• B-tronic

• Increased hook load

• Trailer remains on ground level

• Increased drilling axis to 800 mm.

• No cabin at the pipe handler

Evaluation and benchmarking of every single process

on the drill floor

Basics:

• List all tools that you want to handle (representative tools)

• Analyze the work flow of handling those tools (for example: flow charts)

• List all work steps and rank them

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Break-down & Visualization

Definition & Categorization

Evaluation & Ranking

Drilling tools: BHA

Standardization for the assembling of a BHA is difficult, the different tools

vary immense in many aspects

• Different types of tools

• Different design of tools

• Different dimensions of tools

• Different manufacturers of tools

• Different handling requirements of tools

• Different layout of the drill string (setup, diameter…)

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BHA tools

Can we define a list of BHA tools that represent all/most of the tools that are

available on the market? (If I can handle those tools, I can probably handle

all the other tools!)

• Which tools

• Specifications of those tools

• Handling of those tools

• Logistic of those tools

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Example: Drilling Bit

Roller-cone bits

Drag bits

Specifications: 3 ½” PDC 22” PDC 28” PDC

Length 400 mm 700 mm 750 mm

Weight 5 kg 750kg 900kg

ID - - -

OD 75 mm 240 mm 260 mm

Max. OD 90 mm 558 mm 710 mm

Thread 2 3/8” Reg. Pin 7 5/8” Reg. Pin 8 5/8” Reg. Pin

Make-up Torque 2,5 kNm 85 kNm 160 kNm

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Example: Jar Disassembling Work Steps

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Work Steps

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Work Steps

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Work Steps – Manual and On Rig Floor

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Autom. Manual On Rig Fl. Hazard. Time Frequent Realizable Knowl.

Transp Pick up sensible string x x

Transp Lay down sensible string x x

Transp Lay down item x x x x

Transp Pick up item x x x x

Ass Safety clamp on x x x x

Ass Safety clamp off x x x x

Ass Jar safety clamp on x x x

Ass Jar safety clamp off x x x

Handl Slips in x x

Handl Slips out x x

Handl Bushing in x x x

Handl Bushing out x x x

Handl Bit breaker plate frame on x x x

Handl Bit breaker plate frame off x x x

Ass Bit breaker plate on bit x x

Ass Bit breaker plate off bit x x

Handl Bit breaker plate in frame x x

Handl Bit breaker plate off frame x x

Ass Bit + bit breaker plate in frame x x

Ass Bit in bit breaker plate x x

Ass String revolution indicator x x x

Ass Breake connection man. x x x x x

Ass Make-up connection man. x x x x x

Ass Screw connection man. x x

Ass Unscrew connection man. x x x

Handl Change elevator x x x x

Handl Guide pipe up x x x x

Handl Guide pipe down x x x x

Handl Cover borehole x x

Handl Push string x x x

Transp Winch on x x

Transp Winch off x x

Serv Add ball/chip to well x x

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Evaluation and benchmarking of every

single process on the drill floor

Break-down & Visualization

Definition & Categorization

Evaluation & Ranking

Example for a project to mechanize a process on a

drilling rig

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Manual Semi-remote

controlled Remote controlled

Fully mechanized 100% Hands free

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Cylinder length measurement

trip-in/trip-out inclination

Length measurement

sledge Cylinder length measurement

inclination

Cylinder length

measurement

clamp

Pipe isolating

proximity switch

Cylinder measurement

V-door

Example for a project to mechanize a process on a

drilling rig

Examples of the selection of sensors for a

fully automated drilling rig.

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Information of sensors are required to

achieve a fully automated drilling

process

• Drilling torque, vibration & tension

sensor

• Sensors on top drive

• OPC-interface for „Plug and Play“

• B-Tronic

Summary

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• The performance of the protoytyp rig was excellent with:

• NPT less 0,5%

• No LTI

• Training, crucial equipment and supply chain shouldn’t be the bottleneck

• Benchmark and evaluate all processes on the rig to understand the way to

get a fully automated solution

• Push automation & mechanisation to the limit by increasing the efficiency

• Modular systems to offer a range of different applications to customer

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Thank you for

your attention!!!

Maximilian Trombitas,

Product Manager -

Bauer Deep Drilling GmbH