SPE 101835

Improved Window Cutting Efficiency Cuts Casing Exits Costs

J.E. Toulouse, Baker Oil Tools Inc.

Copyright 2006, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2006 SPE Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference
and Exhibition held in Adelaide, Australia, 1113 September 2006.

Introduction

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presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to
correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any
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A new casing exit technology is proving to be a valuable

ally against time-consuming trips in a variety of re-entry
applications. The polycrystalline diamond compact
(PDC)-based window/formation mill was developed to
mill one-trip casing exits through high alloy or chrome
casings and difficult-to-mill/drill formations. The ability to
depend on a one-trip casing exit in areas where hole
conditions, casing type and/or formation strength and
abrasiveness have previously required multiple trips can
render a project economical. Todays ever- increasing rig
rates and overall drilling costs make reentries much
more attractive. Any time that can be saved from the
project translates to a lower AFE and shorter time to
production.

Abstract
Transferring PDC bit technology to milling equipment
has resulted in a new casing exit technology that allows
window milling and rathole drilling to be performed in
one run to improve operational efficiency and cut drilling
costs. The new technology expands the performance
envelope for casing exits to significantly extend the
number of wells that can be re-entered.
Using whipstocks and casing mills to exit existing
wellbores has become commonplace. However, this
operation is becoming more critical because extended
ratholes are often required to accommodate long rotary
steerable assemblies before new formation drilling can
commence. Depending on window depth, the extra trip
required to drill the rathole can take up to two days of rig
time and significantly increase well costs.
To address these issues, a new-style formation mill has
been developed that borrows from PDC design. to
optimize cutting element efficiency and uses a special
PDC compound to effectively cut both metal and
formation. The mill is adaptable to many whipstock
systems or can be run as standalone technology.
Since its introduction, the mill/bit has helped operators in
various geographic regions reach new reserves
economically. Performance has been closely monitored
in applications ranging from through-tubing exits in 4.500
in. tubing to a 13.625 in. casing exit in deepwater salt
and a 7 in. casing exit in 30,000 psi dolomite with chert
nodules.
The tool has saved numerous trips on simple, hard-rock
sidetracks as well as in deepwater plays using rotary
steerable drilling systems.

The natural extension of this milling and drilling ability is

to extend the rathole as far as possible. In the
deepwater Gulf of Mexico, the window and rathole must
accommodate long rotary steerable drilling assemblies
to eliminate the need for an intermediate bit trip with a
motor kick-off BHA. Eliminating the intermediate trip can
cut at least a days drilling off the lateral section.
Furthermore, if the milling assembly can be adapted to a
directionally controllable drilling BHA, at least a portion
of the proposed new lateral can be drilled without
tripping after the window is milled.
The technology to adapt PDC technology to this new
application has existed and only needed to be adapted
to the new role. The new technology reliably cuts a onetrip casing exit and extended rathole in medium- to
medium-hard / abrasive formations such as sandstone,
anhydrite, limestone and dolomite, and has been applied
with impressive results in a variety of environments, from
the deepwater Gulf of Mexico to the North Sea, U.S.
Rocky Mountains and Middle East.
PDC history
The first PDC cutters were introduced decades ago as a
replacement for natural diamond cutters. These early
cutters lacked toughness and thus were generally limited
to soft drilling applications and required special bit
designs and drilling parameters. Over the years,
aggressive innovation and improvements have steadily
increased the durability, impact resistance and abrasion

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SPE 101835

resistance of PDC cutters. Together with major

advances in fixed cutter bit technology, these cutters are
now used to drill in formations and conditions that were
traditionally the domain of roller cone bits.
Todays PDC cutters consist of a relatively thick (up to
1/8 in.) diamond table with some sort of edge chamber
and a carbide substrate with a non-planar interface, of
which there are many designs. The cutters are much
tougher and impact- and abrasion-resistant than cutters
of even one decade ago. These cutters have reached a
point where they are tough enough to take on new
applications such as milling low- and high-alloy steel
downhole.
Drawbacks of conventional casing exit techniques
Whipstocks and casing mills have been used for many
years to exit existing wellbores in preparation for
sidetracking operations. Typically, a whipstock is set at a
pre-determined depth with a window mill attached. The
window mill then is unlatched from the whipstock and
pushed ahead to mill the window. Historically, casing
exits in hard and abrasive formations such as
limestone/marble, sandstone, dolomite, anhydrite, and
deep sandy shales and salts have required several trips
because of premature wear on traditional tungsten
carbide cutting elements. Most of the milling time was
spent extending the bottom portion of the window and
the rathole to a length that would accommodate the
directional drilling bottomhole assembly (BHA),
particularly when it was a rotary steerable assembly.
Depending on window depth, each extra trip could
consume two days of rig time and significantly increase
well costs.
High-grade casing materials present similar challenges
for casing exits. Chrome alloys have been used widely in
highly corrosive downhole environments in fields that are
now maturing. However, untapped reserves from these
fields were considered unreachable with conventional
techniques, which could not economically penetrate the
high-grade casing.
A new solution
To overcome these challenges, a new window/formation
mill was developed using new, high-impact PDC cutters
and bit design techniques. The cutters are thermally
stable with high impact resistance and are capable of
milling alloy steel, stainless steel and formation. The mill
is full drift or bit size for the required exit, so in cases
where an extended rathole is not required, very little
rathole needs to be drilled, thus saving valuable rig time.

the mill directionally stable and limit cutter damage while

milling. The blade design and hydraulic configuration
provide large water courses that direct drilling fluid to
efficiently clean and cool the cutter elements for
increased durability.
Overexposed carbide cutters on each blade also protect
the PDC cutters from breakage and provide additional
contact points to smooth torsional vibration. Wide blades
provide high strength for breakage resistance and ample
contact area for smoother operation. The robust solid
center design is very core-resistant, and while a
compromise for drilling and hydraulic efficiency, average
ROPs are not adversely affected.
The mill also has a steerable gauge configuration that
is stable and stall-resistant to improve directional control
while drilling away from the casing. With its formation
cutting capability, the mill easily drills an ample rathole
for running long directional assemblies.
Through its first year of field development, the PDC
formation mill has proven useful in many applications.
The mill is highly efficient at milling low-alloy steels and
low Chromium content stainless steels, making it an
excellent choice for difficult milling jobs such as heavy
wall P-110 and Q-125 casing and chrome casings. This
applicability is attributable to the reduced vibration
resulting from the design and the optimal placement of
each cutter on the bit to maximize cutting efficiency. The
bit also has been designed to drill medium- to mediumhard formations. In addition to being an efficient casing
mill, it can complete a window into hard formation and
extend the rathole to accommodate long drilling
assemblies, an accomplishment that is not possible with
standard tungsten carbide mills.
An unexpected application arose when a replacement
was needed for a diamond speed mill (DSM) for air/foam
milling. The natural diamond of the mill normally used for
through-tubing applications could not withstand the heat
generated in this environment. The window/formation
mill proved to be an ideal replacement with its stable
gauge / low vibration, limited depth of cut design and
thermally stable PDC cutters.

Additional advancements improve milling and drilling

performance. Cutter layouts are designed for maximum
penetration rates in tough casing materials and are
arranged in a specially engineered spiral alignment that
reduces vibration while enabling smoother, cleaner cuts.
The total cut depth of each cutter is also limited to make

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SPE 101835

DeepWater GOM extended rathole

An operator needed to exit 13 5/8 in., 88.2 lb/ft Q-125
casing in an existing subsea well to drill into a new play
more economically. The operator wanted to exit the
casing in a vertical hole section and drill the rathole while
building angle such that the wellbore high side could be
detected by conventional MWD equipment, thus saving
a trip with gyro equipment and providing positive kickoff
from the old wellbore.
The sidetrack was planned as a reentry into the existing
development well to drill and evaluate other possible
hydrocarbon-bearing sands. The plan called for the
sidetrack to begin after cleaning out the temporary
abandonment surface plugs placed in the casing, after
which a bridge plug was to be set in the casing. The
whipstock with 12.250 in. OD PDC formation mill and a
12.250 in. Superloy watermelon mill was made up and
tripped in hole. This milling assembly was modeled to
build hole angle off the whipstock face.
A 24 ft window was then milled and 119 ft of rathole was
drilled. Surveys taken with an MWD gyro tool indicated
that the rathole was building angle away from the old
well. Final survey with the milling tools was 3.96
inclination at the MWD. The sidetrack was successful in
milling the window and drilling the rathole while building
angle away from the vertical hole section in a single trip.
At the bottom of the rathole, the shale formation was
drilling off at an ROP of 76 ft/hr.
Figure 1, PDC Formation Mill
Deepwater Gulf of Mexico time saver
Using the new window/formation mill, an operator in the
deepwater Gulf of Mexico realized significant savings
with a one-trip exit through 7 5/8 in. 39 lb/ft P-110
casing. Using the mill with a one-trip, full-drift whipstock,
the operator successfully milled an exit and drilled the
required open hole for a short lateral in a single drill pipe
trip, in 6-1/2 hours.
The re-entry into a depleted zone was part of a water
flood project. The planned lateral was be short, across
one sand zone projected maximum thickness of 250 ft.
Wireline logs defined the upper and lower sand
boundaries at 18,618 ft and 18,686 ft. A bridge plug was
set to isolate the existing wellbore; then the whipstock
and formation mill were run in and set on a retrievable
bottom trip anchor at 18,630 ft. The window was
subsequently milled in 2 hours, 32 minutes. Forty-one
feet of depleted sand (6 ft less than maximum logged
thickness) was also drilled in the same trip in 3 hours, 58
minutes. An open-hole completion was subsequently
installed to complete the project. The operator saved at
least one day of rig time at +/- US$200,000 per day as
well as drilling package mobilizations and associated drill
costs (+/- US$100,000).

Subsequently, the well was directionally drilled, and

9 7/8 in., 62.8 lb/ft SLX casing was run through the
window. The shoe was then drilled out and the well
drilled to final TD.
The entire extended rathole was finished to depth and
the window milled in the same trip, which is not always
possible with traditional tungsten carbide mills, even in
generally soft Gulf of Mexico formations. The operator
potentially saved one trip per day, and also avoided an
intermediate bit to build angle. The hole section was
drilled in one trip with a rotary steerable drilling system.

Worlds first true coiled tubing underbalanced

casing exit
The new formation mill enabled the worlds first true
coiled tubing-conveyed underbalanced casing exit using
gas as the milling fluid. The operator began a massive
coiled tubing underbalanced drilling campaign in April
2003 to access additional reserves from the carbonate
reservoir. To date, 21 multilateral wells have been
completed with a total of 150,000 ft of formation drilled.
All drilling is performed with nitrogen gas. However, early
attempts to mill the windows in a similar fashion proved
unsuccessful due to the lack of cooling on the natural
diamonds in the diamond speed mill that has traditionally

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SPE 101835

been used. Windows were milled using water, which

created an overbalanced condition that interrupted gas
production and caused water loss to the formation.
A system using the PDC formation mill and an air-driven
motor was installed in a well in June 2004. The window
and formation rathole were completed in a single milling
trip through a 7.00 in., 35 lb/ft liner at a depth of 11,424 ft
MD and a temperature of 300F. A small amount of
water was misted into the nitrogen flow to provide some
lubrication for the motor bearings. The milling rate of
progress was significantly greater than the previous
windows milled in this project, and the milling assembly
was conveyed on the drilling coiled tubing reel, which
eliminated time-consuming reel change-outs. Total
casing exit time was reduced 60% over the previous
average. Volume of water introduced into the formation
was reduced by 97% to 175 bbls, compared to the
previous average of 5,000 bbls. Reservoir damage was
all but eliminated, and gas production continued
uninterrupted. Window milling with nitrogen has enabled
future development of the field by allowing high-rate
production wells to be sidetracked.
PDC solution saves time and money in hard rock
An operator needed a window cut in 7 in., 32 lb/ft casing
at 11,682 ft to perform sidetracking operations. The
Dinwoody formation in this area was known to be very
difficult drilling. It is a dolimitic sandstone with a
compressive strength of 25-30 KPSI that is normally
drilled with an IADC code 617 insert-type roller cone bit.
This formation/area has typically taken as many as three
trips with standard tungsten carbide window mills to
perform a casing exit. Previously the added cost of extra
materials and rig time made sidetracking less attractive.

formation mill saved the operator approximately 4 days

rig / operational time on a +/- US$25,000 per day land
rig, and despite the drilling setback, the project remained
under the original plan AFE / schedule.
Conclusion
A new type of formation mill using PDC technology has
made it possible to mill casing exits and drill rathole in a
single trip, allowing operators to improve operational
efficiency and cut drilling costs. The mill has expanded
the performance envelope and number of candidate
wells for re-entry. Direct savings (i.e., reduced rig time,
trip time and BHA costs), AFE impact, and shortened
time to first production justify the use of this technology
in many areas.
The case histories recounted in this paper are not all
deepwater rig cost environments. However, all are highprofile projects in their respective areas and show the
widespread effectiveness and versatility of the
technology. With the advent of highly impact- resistant
PDC cutters, these mills are designed to perform in a
much wider range of applications than was traditionally
thought possible. The direct savings of time and initial
cost are relative to rig costs. Thus, the greatest savings
are realized offshore in deep water. However,
incremental savings can significantly impact land and
coiled tubing applications. At least one of the projects
would not have been feasilble without the new formation
mill. Gaining experience in new applications, the PDC
formation mill technology will continue to bring value to
re-entry operations.

The formation mill was run in hole on a compatible

whipstock system and set in place on a mechanically set
bottom trip anchor. Window milling began and a 12 ft
window was cut in the casing. The customer also
required 10 ft of open hole. Complete time for window
milling and drilling on this job was only 7 hours:
significantly less than previous exits cut with tungsten
carbide mills. The milling assembly was pulled out of the
hole and, upon inspection, was found to have only 1/16in. of gauge wear with 95% of the PDC cutters
undamaged. The window cutting operations were
completed in one day, saving the operator 2 days rig
time over previous operations.
In subsequent drilling operations the lateral wellbore had
to be plugged and abandoned. A new window was
required. The service company repeated the successful
window cutting operation above the original kick-off
point. The same formation mill was run in hole on a new
whipstock and set in place. A 12 ft window and 5 ft
rathole were successfully milled in 10 hours. The
formation mill suffered little extra wear after milling the
second window. Final gauge loss was still only 1/16 in.
Overall, the performance and robustness of the PDC

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