Schlumberger announced today the launch of the PowerDrive Orbit rotary steerable system (RSS). The new RSS expands the operating envelope of rotary steerable technology by extending system life, delivering precise directional control, and increasing drilling efficiency.

“PowerDrive Orbit technology enhances trajectory control to provide precise positioning and improved hole quality,” said Steve Kaufmann, president, Drilling & Measurements, Schlumberger. “This enables customers to drill longer and faster in fewer runs, thus increasing drilling efficiency and reducing overall costs.”

The newly designed pad actuation system, combined with real-time three-axis shock-and-vibration measurements, allows the PowerDrive Orbit RSS to withstand the most difficult drilling conditions and operate at higher rotational speeds than conventional systems. The multiaxis continuous inclination and azimuthal gamma ray capabilities reduce the uncertainty of well positioning, and enable self-steering to deliver a smoother wellbore.

The PowerDrive Orbit RSS was field tested in more than 500 runs over two years in challenging onshore and offshore drilling conditions in regions that included the Middle East, US land, US Gulf of Mexico, Colombia, Mexico, China, Venezuela and the North Sea.

In the Middle East, a customer had a requirement to maintain directional control while drilling deep laterals in a challenging onshore oil well. The PowerDrive Orbit RSS drilled a record 12,690 ft in a single run, extending the lateral length of previous wells by 33% and completing the operation 21 days ahead of schedule.

This service is the latest addition to the PowerDrive* technology RSS portfolio, which has drilled more than 135 million ft globally since the first tool was introduced 16 years ago.