Casing while drilling (CwD) has been around for many years and it is one of proven technologies that can save both time and money. CwD is a process where a well is simultaneously drilled and cased; the casing is used for the drill string, and is rotated to the drill and cemented into the well at TD. One of the main benefits of this process is that it greatly cuts down on the tripping time needed to pull out the bottom hole assembly (BHA) and run the case- if not removing this need entirely. Therefore, the flat time is reduced, and the process is made more economically viable.
Figure 1- Casing while Drilling Operation (Courtesy of Weatherford)
As shown in Figure 2 below, which is an example of Casing while Drilling utilized in one of oilfields in Oman for drilling surface section; this process can save up to 37.5% of time spent on a well based on historical data.
Figure 2 – A comparison between conventional drilling and casing while drilling of one field in Oman (SPE 136107-PA ,SPE Journal Paper – 2012).
