Logging while tripping services (photo: SIMMONS EDECO/Cordax)

Global oilfield service provider SIMMONS EDECO has announced it has joined forces with Cordax™ Evaluation Technologies to provide highly cost-effective “Logging While Tripping™” (LWT) openhole formation evaluation services.

The Cordax patented formation evaluation technique is a low risk, very economic way of collecting industry-proven openhole formation logging measurements. It is the only openhole logging service that gathers downhole data without requiring a dedicated logging trip. Because measurements are taken from within the LWT drill collars during the regular tripping process, the openhole logging operation is considerably more efficient and cost-effective than traditional logging processes. The technology is capable of capturing quality evaluation from vertical, highly deviated and horizontal well bores.

Now in its 55th year of serving the global oil and gas industry, SIMMONS EDECO made the decision to invest in Cordax in direct response to customer demand for a more efficient, cost-effective logging solution. With Cordax’s field-proven LWT technology and hands-on experience derived from hundreds of successful LWT runs, SIMMONS EDECO customers can now obtain critical high-quality downhole data from all wellbores, even those that were previously deemed to be inaccessible or uneconomic.

“Standard logging practices – such as logging-while-drilling, wireline- and drill pipe-conveyed – require that drilling activity be restricted or come to a complete standstill while logging equipment is run downhole,” says Tyler Longeau, Cordax Manager – Canadian Operations. “As a result, expensive-to-rent rigs and drilling crews must stand by during every logging run. However, because the LWT sources and sensors are pumped into specially designed collars, the LWT tools are retrieved along with the drill pipe as rig operations trip to surface. Being inside the drill pipe and fully retrievable greatly reduces any risk of losing expensive logging equipment downhole and eliminates separate pipe trips. It’s all carried out in one simple operation.”

The Cordax LWT method generates industry-accepted triple combo logs, including conventional and spectral gamma, compensated neutron, and formation density. It also features a choice of three types of resistivity measurements, namely induction, propagation and laterolog, based on project requirements. The Cordax log uses these measurements to clearly define the presence of water, oil and gas, and identify the rock type and basic rock properties, such as porosity and permeability. Advanced properties, including stress brittleness, actually “grade” the reservoir, identifying the best producing sections while avoiding sections that are prone to sanding off or other completion issues.

Since 2011, Cordax has logged over 700 wells without a single “lost in hole” incident. Wells in the USA, Canada, Cuba, Australia and Indonesia have been logged under many – often hazardous – conditions. From underbalanced to long multilateral horizontal and deviated wellbores, the typical logging run requires very little rig time and has minimal impact upon rig operations. For example, Cordax executed a “triple combo with spectral gamma ray” job that collected over 4000m of lateral formation data, requiring only approximately one hour of critical rig time to deploy the tools. The long and deep horizontal tripped as per normal, and even completed some reaming while the log data was collected. The Cordax crew was on location for just over 24 hours in total. The data was processed and used to select critical plug placement and cluster design for the 36-stage fracking operation. This data ensured that frac pressures and plug placement was matched with rock stress and properties.

Tags: Cordax™ Evaluation Technologies, SIMMONS EDECO