Shell to use Enhanced Drilling's Closed Riser CML services in deepwater GOM

Written by Reidun Christensen | Feb 07, 2022

Enhanced Drilling (EDR) has recently received an order from Shell Offshore Inc. to supply a second EC-Drill® Controlled Mud Level (CML) system to be used in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) system, named CML Closed Riser, is a further development of EDR’s proven EC-Drill® technology, and will provide increased capability and safety.

Innovative method used

EDR’s standard EC-Drill® technology utilises a subsea pump connected to the drilling riser to manipulate the level of fluid within the riser and control wellbore pressure. This system is being used by multiple global clients to control the annular pressure during drilling, tripping, cementing, wireline and completion activities.

To handle the potential challenge of small influxes and riser gas when drilling deep-water wells, EDR has further developed the EC-Drill® functionality by combining it with a riser closure device.

A dual annular riser closure device will be used together with the EC-Drill® system where the dual annular joint will be located subsea just above the EC-Drill® pump.

The system will perform normal operations with annulars open functioning as a conventional EC-Drill® system. If an influx occurs during operations, closing the annulars allows a small influx to be circulated out of the well via the EC-Drill Closed Riser system rather than up the rigs choke and kill lines The system is designed to achieve a high degree of reliability and is built to stringent industry standards.

The CML Closed Riser technology provides further value to Clients by allowing dynamic pore pressure measurement and dynamic leak off testing. This allows the system to actively identify both low and high side well limits during the operation.

‘Fantastic progress’

The confirmation of this order for a 2nd CML system in GOM is a testament to Shell’s trust in Enhanced Drilling’s innovative technologies and solutions. Enhanced Drilling’s Senior Vice President Business Development, Tom Hasler, said:

“This is fantastic progress for Enhanced Drilling, and we are thrilled to continue our long relationship with Shell. The further development of EC-Drill® adds an additional level of safety for Clients, and positions EC-Drill® to compete favourably with traditional surface back-pressure MPD systems on a wider range of wells.”

Technologies and services

Enhanced Drilling aims to help oil companies around the world solve challenges on all types of subsea wells, from top-hole drilling, intermediate section drilling, and reservoir drilling through the whole well construction process including completion.

Enhanced Drilling provides technologies and services that have been deployed on more than 900+ wells worldwide including RMR®, EC-Drill® Managed Pressure Drilling system, Cuttings Transport System (CTS) (which is used to take cuttings away from the wellhead area), MPC Managed Pressure Cementing (MPC®), a complementary technology to RMR®, and the newly developed EC-Monitor system (EC-M).

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