American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2012 - 93

tight limestone ceiling. Maintaining well
bore inclination near to formation dip allows the well bore position to be confirmed
without drilling into the limestone (Figures
5A and 5B).
Utilizing LWD measurements to actively geosteer in real time is a costeffective way to support high-volume/highefficiency directional drilling programs
for Bakken Shale oil targets in NPE's
North Dakota acreage. Offset well data
and other information provided input to
generate geologic models and synthetic
LWD responses of the planned well bore.
Real-time LWD measurements and
downhole samples have enabled a dedicated, experienced team to accurately steer
the wells to the required target zone and
drill the lateral sections, maintaining the
well position within the target formations.
Reliable reporting and effective lines
of communication among the multidisciplinary team of on- and off-site, officebased personnel are essential to providing
excellent service. Maintaining consistency
of the team, particularly the on-site personnel, is valuable in building and retaining
knowledge and experience to continuously
improve the well-placement process, and
to improve operational efficiency.
In this example, for the 17 laterals
drilled between August 2010 and August

2011, the partnership between the operator
and service provider contributed to an
average of 92 percent of the well bore

length being successfully positioned within
the targeted intervals of the Bakken Middle
Member and Three Forks formations.r
agement, and a Ph.D. from Walden
University.

KEVIN O'CONNELL is manager of
operations at North Plains Exploration
with 29 years of experience in production,
completions and drilling operations.
His areas of work include most major
basins in the lower-48 and Alaska, with
experience ranging from coalbed
methane to deep drilling and completions,
along with horizontal well activities.
Before joining NPE, O'Connell served
as the operations manager for GMT
Exploration Company. He has a B.S. in
petroleum engineering from the University of Wyoming and is a registered
professional engineer in Colorado.

AARON J. WHEELER is the PayZone
steering adviser and geosteering operations manager for PathFinder, a
Schlumberger company. He has more
than 15 years' experience working with
MWD/LWD services for formation evaluation, geosteering and pore pressure
evaluation. Wheeler received his B.S.
in civil engineering from Texas Tech
University. He is a member of the
Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log
Analysts, and the Society of Petroleum
Engineers.

DAVID SKARI is a geologist with
North Plains Energy. He has 26 years
of experience in the petroleum industry.
Prior to joining NPE, he was an area
and district manager for Smith Technologies, managing operations around
the world, including West Africa, the
Middle East, the Far East and Russia.
Skari holds a bachelor's in geology
from the University of Colorado at
Boulder, an M.B.A. from the American
Graduate School of International Man-

ALLAN RENNIE is a business development manager and M/LWD product
champion for PathFinder, a Schlumberger company. He has been working
for more than 20 years in technology
and operations, developing and supporting a wide range of M/LWD systems
and services for well placement, formation evaluation, geosteering, and
downhole ranging (passive/active) applications.

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American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2012

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