Drilling Intervention - Milling and Fishing of High Strength Aluminum Drill Pipe

Abstract

Abstract Superior dependability of the drill string plays an important role in drilling deep and especially ultra-deep, highly inclined and long departure horizontal wells, where it is often exposed to extreme loading conditions in a high pressure and high temperature environment. This need has resulted in the technological development of high strength Aluminum Drill Pipe (ADP) for use in deep and ultra-deep wells, where its' properties and the advantages that it offers can make a significant contribution to reaching the most challenging of drilling targets. Drilling intervention operations such as milling and fishing are also a major challenge in such extreme environments and have led to the development of new tools and techniques to address them. This paper will review the use of ADP in comparison to steel drill pipe and discuss the milling scenarios of cemented and un-cemented drill pipe as well as fishing operations using external and internal engagements. The intent of this paper is to disseminate technical knowledge in this new area of drilling technology.