Drilling Specialties Company, a division of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP, introduces Tribex ERD, a specialized dry lubricant designed for the demanding environment oil and gas operating companies face in extended reach drilling.

Tribex ERD, unlike most liquid or dry lubricants, can be used in oil- or water-based fluid systems. The multifunctional additive reduces static and dynamic friction and high temperature/high pressure fluid loss. Further, its proprietary formula has demonstrated an efficient sealing capacity while reducing torque variability in the wellbore.

“Extended reach laterals are an effective way to optimize wellbore output in what are often costly drilling projects”, says Ryan Pritchard, business development manager.

With Tribex ERD, our customers can achieve extended reach laterals with greater efficiency and tangible cost savings.

Drilling Specialties Company has tested Tribex ERD across multiple U.S. basins. One such example is of an independent West Texas operator who was experiencing high downhole torque values in a highly deviated, extended reach well. The cost impacts of extended reach drilling to the operator included reductions in drilling efficiency and lateral length associated with rig limiting torque and rate of tool failure due to downhole vibration.

After introducing Tribex ERD as a replacement of two common liquid lubricants, field trial data showed a 67 percent reduction in lubricant needed to achieve the same performance. Tribex ERD improved torque values compared to both common liquid lubricants at lower cost. The operator was able to achieve an increase in drilling optimization and performance while lowering overall lubricant spend.

“Extended reach laterals are an effective way for Chevron to optimize reservoir wellbore output”, says Neil Trotter, Drilling Fluids Team Lead at Chevron, who also tested the new product.

As drilling with oil-based mud is not always an economical/environmental option, evaluating water-based mud performance is key. Recently, Chevron successfully drilled an extended reach lateral with water-based mud while trialing a new drilling fluid additive, Tribex ERD from the Drilling Specialties Company.

When examining the average U.S. rig cost per day, along with rental expense of directional tools, costs can escalate substantially when drilling today’s challenging wellbore geometries. With Tribex ERD, operators should be able to optimize the efficiency of their drilling equipment by improving weight on bit transfer. The result is drilling greater lateral length in less time.   

Source: Chevron Phillips Chemicals