| Title | Successful Drilling of an Outfield Injection Well into a Shallow Steam Horizon, Maibarara Geothermal Field, Philippines |
|---|---|
| Authors | Winilfred M. Erispe Jr., Michelle M. Visperas, Hannah Yvette P. Bumanglag, Jim Paulo M. Bautista |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | |
| Abstract | The 32 MW Maibarara Geothermal Power Facility was constructed to be a compact operating production field. The production wells and injection wells are drilled into the upflow zone of the field but deviated in different directions. Ten years of infield brine injection caused an injection breakthrough to two production wells, necessitating the transfer of brine reinjection about 1 km north of the production sector. Well ORI-1, the first outfield injection well, was collared 11 meters from well Mai-1, the first exploratory well drilled in 1977, and was designed to intersect the shallow steam horizon intersected by Mai-1. Several challenges were encountered during ORI-1’s drilling. These include steam and gas kicks, total loss of circulation during cementing jobs, errors on directional survey due magnetic interference from Mai-1’s casings, as well as high formation temperature resulting to the pulling-out of the mud motor and completing the hole with a slick bottomhole assembly while drilling blind to its total depth. This paper discusses challenges encountered during the drilling of ORI-1 along with the solutions adapted by MGI to successfully attain the objectives for ORI-1. |