Economic advantages of a new straight-hole drilling device

The straight-hole drilling device (SDD), an automated well steering system operating basically in sliding mode, was developed specially for automated drilling of a 9-km-deep vertical scientific well in a critical geological environment. The system was designed originally as a special-purpose directional-drilling tool to keep vertical hole sections straight in formations that tend to build inclination or where hole stability is a problem. Only recently has the potential for cost savings by use of the SDD been verified in the Mediterranean area. Not only does the SDD improve hole quality, it also provides cost savings in drilling time, casing size, and well consumables.