DENVER--Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI) unveiled a series of products designed to develop shale reservoirs. The products were introduced at the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC). The new offerings include:

  • Two new motors designed for drilling unconventional reservoirs;
  • An electrical submersible pumping (ESP) system designed to pass through the bend section in deviated and horizontal wells;
  • A directional hybrid drillbit designed to deliver fast, smooth and reliable performance while drilling the curve sections in challenging carbonate formations.

The 7- inch Navi-Drill Ultra XL45 offers high power and torque to drill long sections through hard formations, Baker Hughes said, and the 5- inch NaviDrill X-treme eXtend provides higher power output and increased reliability when drilling slimhole horizontal sections.

The design of the X-treme eXtend motor’s power section provides up to 100% greater torque than typical conventional motor offerings, the Houston-based company said.

The ESP Curve tight-radius system allows operators to improve production by installing the ESP system deeper in the wellbore, closer to the producing zone, according to Baker Hughes.

Decisions made during the wellbore construction, particularly for deviated or horizontal wells, often limit an operator’s ability to install ESP systems at the deepest possible setting depth. Because current industry guidelines recommend not installing an ESP system through a buildup rate greater than six degrees per 100 feet, the systems typically are placed in the vertical section of the wellbore, which can adversely impact pressure drawdown and production. According to Baker Hughes, the FLEXlift system overcomes this challenge in many wells.

The Kymera FSR directional hybrid drill bit is designed to capture more pay zone by providing increased drilling speeds, greater distance between bit runs, and improved directional precision, the company said.

The design of the bit combines the attributes of both PDC and tricone bit technologies, and as a result, Baker Hughes said, outperforms those bit types in carbonates. The sharper, more aggressive teeth on the bit’s roller cone easily crush these formations, the company said, while the PDC cutters of the bit sweep away debris and efficiently clean the borehole.

The URTeC conference, held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, runs through Aug. 27.