CoreAll (Norway)

Abstract Oil and Gas research dates to the 1860s and, ever since, continuous overtime improvements and enhancements to existing technologies have been tested and experienced. However, the quest for continuous acceleration and improvements in daily operations is extremely related to the advantages and ease of oil and gas as critical resources. Nowadays, terms related to formation and reservoir evaluation, which is the deep study of subsurface formation properties, such as lithology, porosity, permeability, and saturation, are acquired using methods such as wireline well logging, real-time logging while drilling and core analysis. The advantage of core analysis (coring) fully depends on the ability to retrieve cores as close as possible to the actual reservoir's properties so that porosity and permeability can be analyzed. This project is intended to prove the concept to core and log at the same time, thus saving rig time and increasing the accuracy of the coring points before taking a crucial decision. The first phase of this trial as technological innovation is an Advanced Coring System (ACS), which cuts the core while logging, and contemplates gamma ray and resistivity sensors within the core Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) itself, close to the core head. The first field pilot was done in the Middle East during Q3 of 2022. The main objective was to guarantee that information from reservoir as per drilling program (gamma ray, inclination, vibration, temperature) was being obtained through real time data transmission while using the Intelligent Coring System (ICS). The coring assembly was successful in cutting and retrieving the desire core interval with excellent performance in comparison to standardized coring BHA in the operator company, however, the main objective of the pilot was not achieved. The MWD transmitter experienced malfunctions, hence no real-time gamma ray data was transmitted to the surface. After POOH and laying down the coring assembly, an initial investigation at the rig site showed fluid invasion into electronic components, impairing the data recovery. The ICS is a novel technology, potentially disrupting the way coring is done today: a coring system, which combines coring and real-time formation evaluation. A second innovative technology is under development: the Downhole Convertible Drill Bit (DCDB), a system that allows downhole conversion between coring and drilling modes, thus saving a round trip every time the mode of operation is changed between drilling and coring. While initially designed for oil and gas applications, this technology can be fully used for CCS purposes, thus contributing to the green shift. This system is yet to be tested on a commercial project.

Core drilling has been a central part of petroleum exploration drilling for many decades, yet some significant challenges still adhere to conventional core extraction methods and technologies. These challenges could conceivably be addressed by modern instrumentation of the core drilling assembly, but commercial offerings remain limited. The Intelligent Coring System (ICS) is a joint development project between Norwegian technology company CoreAll and the operator companies Lundin, Spirit Energy, and DEA. The objective is to design a fully instrumented core drilling assembly that can log essential formation and fluid parameters along with downhole diagnostic, transmit the data to surface in real time, and allow the addition of further technologies. A prototype version of this core drilling assembly, designed to collect 3” rock formation cores in 8 ½” near-vertical tangent hole sections, was recently run in a test well in Norway with good results. Four coring runs were performed on concrete in a pre-drilled, shallow well. Three of these provided 100% core recovery. Resistivity and gamma ray was logged for all runs, with additional downhole diagnostics data. Downhole electronics and surface decoding were 100% operational throughout. RT data density was approximately 6 points/meter; memory data exceeded 2000 lines per meter.