Together with international partners Reelwell has started a Joint Industry Project (JIP) on Extended Reach Drilling (ERD), aiming to qualify and demonstrate drilling reach beyond 20 km.The main goal is to verify the RDM capability of safely and efficiently drilling ERD wells beyond the drilling reach of conventional drilling methods. Outstanding ERD performance is expected due to:

• Superior hole cleaning
• Reduction of torque and drag by buoyancy technique
• Improved downhole pressure and ECD control
• Reduced buckling
• Downhole traction

The project duration is 2 years, starting from January 2011. The project is funded in a JIP by Shell, Petrobras, Total, RWE and the Demo2000 programme of the Research Council of Norway.