Despite hostile wellbore conditions, an operations team overcame challenges of drilling-fluid design and management to drill the first ultrahigh-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT), deep-gas well offshore Malay Peninsula. With a bottomhole temperature (BHT) of 488°F, the well reached the highest temperature ever recorded in Southeast Asia. Thorough planning and advanced drilling-fluid technology resulted in drilling fluids with extreme temperature stability. Designing, planning, and deploying a thermally stable drilling fluid for this high-temperature environment helped reduce the time required for circulating or conditioning, thus reducing rig time and mud treatment cost.
Introduction
Because of extreme wellbore conditions, HP/HT drilling and exploration involve engineering expertise, competent well design, and enabling HP/HT technologies.
