Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Engineering - Department of Metallurgical Engineering

Recently, the application of the maximum reservoir contact strategy is increasing by incorporating new techniques like the multi-stage fracturing technology. For better results, the new stimulation application requires a geometrical horizontal wellbore to be drilled along the in-situ minimum horizontal stress. Drilling such special horizontal candidate represented a challenge for the operators. In this work, an optimization process has been built throughout three different phases of the drilling process including planning, operational real-time support, and best practices from the reported lesson learned. The research introduces eight case studies with the application of conventional and unconventional optimization tools. Results from several minimum stress drilling (MSD) wells showed that overbalance mud system built in combination with oil-base-mud (OBM) is a must. This study presents an insight into the development of the optimization process

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