DQE Rig 51 in Kurdistan and the 8” AVS undergoing surface checks prior to the run
The AVS was selected by a Norwegian Operator drilling an exploration well in Kurdistan. The brief was to run the AVS below the MWD tool which only the AVS can do and jet a stabiliser that is prone to pack off, making pulling out the hole very difficult. After a 3 week transit across Europe and through Turkey the AVS eventually arrived at the rigsite. The tools were plugged into and checked electronically and function tested. Everything checked out even in the 49 degC surface heat! The AVS was run in the hole and shallow functioned perfectly. Downlinking took only 6 minutes. Drilling 12 ¼” hole commenced until 1400m. The BHA was POH with the AVS in Bypass position to clean up the well rapidly and jet the stabiliser. The BHA came out the hole with no overpulls and the stabiliser was perfectly clean. It took another 5 weeks before the tools were back in Sheffield but overall a fantastic first trial for the AVS. Since then the tools have been stripped down and minor mechanical upgrades made and the software updated to ensure even quicker downlinks.
