Drilling and Well Engineering
Abstract
Abstract
Abstract The drilling of horizontal wells in unconventional reservoirs such as Vaca Muerta presents significant operational challenges due to elevated bottomhole temperatures, high mud weights, and severe downhole vibrations. These conditions require the integration of advanced drilling technologies and optimized operational practices to sustain high rates of penetration while maintaining wellbore quality and directional stability. This paper presents the application of a motor-assisted rotary steerable system (RSS) for drilling the lateral section of a horizontal well in the Vaca Muerta formation. The drilling approach incorporated detailed pre-job engineering, offset well analysis, bottomhole assembly (BHA) modeling, torque and drag simulations, and the definition of an operational parameter roadmap. During execution, real-time downhole data monitoring enabled dynamic adjustments of drilling parameters to maintain stable drilling conditions and directional control. Improved drilling performance was observed, with more than 1,700 m drilled within the first 24 hours after landing in the lateral section and an average drilling rate of approximately 1,600 m/day. The lateral interval exceeded 4,100 m and was drilled predominantly under continuous rotation, eliminating the need for extended sliding intervals. The well trajectory exhibited low tortuosity with an average dogleg severity of approximately 0.5°/30 m, and no unplanned operational events or tool-related nonproductive time were recorded. The results indicate that the observed performance improvements were associated with the combined effect of the motorized RSS configuration, drill bit design, BHA configuration, drilling fluid properties, and optimized operating parameters. The integrated drilling system contributed to improved drilling efficiency and wellbore quality in extended horizontal sections of the Vaca Muerta formation.
Direct answer
What can I do from this paper page?
Use this page to scan "Fast Drilling Achieving High Efficiency Horizontal Drilling and Performance Improvement with Motorized RSS in Vaca Muerta, Argentina" quickly: start with the summary and abstract, then check the authors, source, topics, and related papers. From here, open Scollr to follow Drilling and Well Engineering research, save the paper, or map adjacent work.
Research areas
Follow related topics
Citation
BibTeX
@article{Leon2026Fast,
title = {Fast Drilling Achieving High Efficiency Horizontal Drilling and Performance Improvement with Motorized RSS in Vaca Muerta, Argentina},
author = {N. Fuenmayor Leon},
journal = {SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.2118/231729-ms},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2118/231729-ms}
}FAQ
Using this paper in a discovery workflow
How do I find related work for this paper?
Use the related papers and topic links on this page as starting points. In Scollr, you can also open the paper and build a literature map around its references, citing papers, and related work.
How can I keep up with new Drilling and Well Engineering research papers?
Follow Drilling and Well Engineering research in Scollr. New papers from the topic flow into a personalized feed, and you can save useful studies to revisit later.
Can I cite this paper from this page?
This page includes a static BibTeX block for Fast Drilling Achieving High Efficiency Horizontal Drilling and Performance Improvement with Motorized RSS in Vaca Muerta, Argentina. Always verify the DOI, source, and publication details against the publisher record before submitting a manuscript.
Follow this research in Scollr
Follow the topics and authors behind this paper, save useful studies, and build a literature map when you are ready to go deeper.
Get the app