Notes from Norway: recent field trials give cause for SABER optimism
Neil Bird, VP Advanced Drilling Systems, Enteq
Last month, our team of engineers and I travelled Norway to put our novel alternative to traditional rotary steerable system (RSS) for directional drilling, the SABER Tool, through its paces in the latest in our series of field trials. This was the first field test for our second-generation design with an improved control mechanism, and we are pleased to report a qualified success.
Not only did SABER mechanically function as expected downhole, it did so through 100m of granite – a fairly unforgiving proving ground as it goes for drilling technologies. Our goal is for SABER to provide a game-changing alternative to current technology in extreme conditions and for non-traditional applications, such as geothermal drilling, so this is an important milestone.
The gearbox, motor assembly and pressure compensation mechanisms all performed as intended, and we were able to generate sufficient power to control the valve and steer. In fact, we found there was more torque available to us than we had modelled, meaning greater controllability and therefore a larger operating range than initially calculated.
On the strength of these results, we should comfortably meet the operating envelope as per the original design criteria. This provides assurances that we have truly developed a tool which can meet the higher performance and lower capex that today’s operators require as they contend with more demanding field environments and energy transition applications, such as geothermal drilling.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing though. As expected with any type of shakedown testing, we did experience some minor mechanical issues and a few glitches with some of the electronics in the programming and control system, but these were minor and uncomplicated to fix. Most were actually fixed in situ, and the remainder are all quickly resolvable for the SABER engineering team based at our UK tech centre in Cheltenham.
This round of field testing also offered an excellent opportunity for us to test SABER with technologies from our partners. When we worked on the design for SABER, we knew that we wanted to develop a tool which could work in harmony with other technologies, so where better to put that to the test than with our partners, as part of the field trials?
Next, we’re swapping snowshoes for sunglasses and heading to Catoosa, Oklahoma for our next round of field trials. In the short-to-medium term, the main commercial application for SABER will be onshore drilling, and the softer rock formations and similar operational environment will be a true-to-life test for its main application.
The latest Baker Hughes rig count has 734 onshore rigs in the United States – up nearly 100 on last year. Will we see counts back in the range? Probably not, but what we do see is a healthy and resilient sector – and with it the need for an alternative to traditional RSS directional drilling systems which can offer superior performance at a lower price.
With the kinks ironed out of the control system and the lessons from Norway under our belt, our primary goal for the Catoosa tests is to demonstrate a sufficient dogleg response. This will be the last big box to tick and if we can do so – barring some software and functionality patches – SABER will be on track for commercial partner field trials in H2 2023.
Then we can really look forward to SABER rattling some RSS cages.
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