Drilling rig with mud system and research well

Research environment for testing of drilling and completion tools and activities 

Rig floor activities
Mud circulation system
Shut-in wellhead for pressure testing of casing during several weeks

Equipment

A Herrenknecht semi-automatic drilling rig is permanently installed at the RCSG. It is positioned on top of a 387 m deep well that can be used for research purposes. A 20” casing is installed and the well is cemented. The well can be completed with various working strings with a diameter up to 18“ that can be used for various tests
and demonstrations of concepts and tools. Two other 36 m conductors are installed, one of them is planned to be used for drilling a well in the next months. The rig is connected to a full mud circulation system with pumps and ring line system. An experienced crew operates the rig following strict safety regulations.

Application areas

This unique R&D setup enables testing of well technology on real scale in a safe and controlled environment. Downhole experiments at the site include testing of plugs, casing and tools. Research topics in execution or under evaluation include testing of new drilling technology, casing integrity, well abandonment, well intervention and maintenance, monitoring and logging, field approval testing of tools and systems. The facilities can be used for training purposes and act as a field lab for smart sensoring and augmented reality in industrial/petrochemical environment.

Related projects

The 50T drilling machine has and currently is used for the following projects.

Facts and figures

System

  • Status: fully operational

    The set-up has been completely revised in the last 2 years and is ready for new projects.

Rig

  • Herrenknecht B003 drilling rig

    The Herrenknecht B003 is a hydraulic drilling rig.

Cemented casing of research well

  • Size: 20" (50.8 cm)

    Diameter of the steel casing.

  • Depth casing: 360m

    The working depth of the installed casing.

  • Grade: X-56

    Grade of the installed casing.

  • Burst pressure: 211 Bar/3060 psi

    Burst pressure of the installed casing

  • Collapse pressure: 100 Bar/1050 psi

    Collapse pressure of the installed casing

Mud circulation system

  • Mud tanks: 3x 10 m3 vessels

    The water or mud is stored in these vessels before being pumped to the rig.

  • Return tanks: 2 x 5 m3 vessels

    Circulated mud is returned in these vessels.

  • Pumps: 3 pumps

    During rig operations, 2 pumps are normally used with one in back-up.