New Drilling Technology Developed By E-Spectrum Technologies Helps Make Finding Oil Faster, Cheaper

Drillers are saving time and money by leveraging the latest EM MWD technology

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (PRWEB) - E-Spectrum Technologies, the makers of the Drill Dog™ Electro-Magnetic Measurement While Drilling (EM MWD) system, today announced successful results from a series of tests recently conducted in the south Texas Eagle Ford Shale Play. The Drill Dog EM MWD system is used to guide directional drilling of oil and gas wells towards a target zone by providing a wireless two-way data transmission link between a surface operator and sensors in the drill string located deep underground near the drill bit. The use of EM MWD allows drillers to lower their costs because they complete wells faster than using conventional telemetry methods. These tests demonstrate that the Drill Dog system is capable of performing at extended operational depths in the Eagle Ford’s formations, which are known to be particularly challenging for through-the-earth signal propagation. This achievement underscores E-Spectrum’s 15-year commitment to producing the most technologically advanced downhole data transmission technologies for the oil and gas industry.

The three most recent tests of the Drill Dog EM MWD System in the Eagle Ford recorded depths of 9960, 11020, and 11070 feet TVD. The system was able to achieve 10 bits per second data rates while consuming on average less than 20 Amp hours from a single 29 Volt battery stack. These results are especially impressive given the historical difficulty of using EM in the Eagle Ford and the fact that all three of these tests were conducted using oil-based drilling mud. Jeffery Gabelmann, E-Spectrum’s President stated, “ We still had margin to go deeper in the Eagle Ford; it will be interesting to see how deep this system will perform in formations that are more favorable to EM such as those found in Canada and regions of the Western US.”

This significant milestone is particularly well timed for a market that has forced exploration companies to search for technologically driven efficiencies to maximize their ROI in the face of lower crude oil and gas prices. “The operating companies that are competitive in today’s market are leveraging disruptive technologies to reduce the cost of drilling new wells,” said Gabelmann. “These successful tests are a direct result of our commitment to incorporate newly developed proprietary digital signal processing algorithms into the Drill Dog System as a core element of our Intelligent Channel Coding™ and a Multi-Mode Surface Receiver™. These technological innovations allow the system to operate deeper while simultaneously requiring less power and eliminating the need to deploy multiple receive antennas.”

The Drill Dog EM MWD is the third commercial EM telemetry system developed by E-Spectrum and is configurable for up to 12 Hz carrier/12 Bits per second data rate in top and bottom mount configurations for 4.75, 6.5 and 8 inch collars. The system implements the Drill Dog Tool Interface Bus that allows it to be seamlessly integrated with a variety of third party downhole sensors and communication systems. Integrated system partners are currently in development and new complementary products are scheduled to be introduced starting in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Over their 20-year history, E-Spectrum Technologies has designed over 300 commercial products. Their portfolio includes MWD tools, safety devices, offshore drilling equipment, biomedical instruments, data acquisition systems, SCADA systems, and manufacturing automation tools. E-Spectrum has been designing and building EM MWD systems since 2000.

For more information about E-Spectrum, visit its website at http://www.espectech.com.