As 2025 draws to a close, WWT International is proud to reflect on a year of outstanding achievement across North America. Our teams have continued to deliver innovative solutions to some of the region’s toughest drilling and completions challenges, from deepwater sidetracks in the Gulf of Mexico to extended-reach horizontals in the Powder River Basin. Each project underscores WWT’s commitment to engineering excellence, operational reliability, and measurable performance gains for our clients.
Overcoming Horizontal Challenges in Boron Production Wells
In a complex boron extraction project, a client required the installation of perforated composite casing, which is necessary for acid resistance, but a significant challenge to run horizontally through sidetracks. WWT deployed a 4-1/2” FlexShoe with a JetReam casing shoe, enabling the casing to navigate through multiple sidetracks with minimal surface tension. The FlexShoe’s ability to navigate through tight doglegs and successfully set the casing within the lateral ensured a smooth completion and production start-up, demonstrating once again how WWT’s casing running technology thrives in non-rotatable and high-drag conditions.
Casing Wear Mitigation in a Deepwater Sidetrack
In one of the year’s most technically demanding deepwater projects, WWT partnered with an operator to model and mitigate casing wear in a Gulf of America sidetrack well. Using both stiff-string and soft-string modeling, our team accurately predicted wear risks and implemented Non-Rotating Protectors (NRPs) to safeguard the casing. The study revealed how proper modeling, wear factor calibration, and strategic NRP placement can protect areas with high side forces and wear frequency, extending casing life and preventing costly integrity issues in challenging re-entry wells.
Full Riser Protection in the Gulf of America
Further strengthening our offshore track record, WWT delivered full riser protection for a post-tar sidetrack in the Gulf of America. With HD-SS3-578 NRPs pre-installed at the pipe manufacturer’s facility, operations were streamlined and rig time reduced to zero. The 7,300 ft bit run, involving 100 NRPs entering open hole under Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) conditions, was completed with minimal NRP wear and full riser protection maintained throughout drilling. This project reinforced the adaptability and resilience of WWT’s NRP technology, even under extreme deepwater operational constraints.
Torque Reduction in the Powder River Basin
In the Powder River Basin, WWT’s Non-Rotating Protectors delivered a game-changing solution for an operator drilling a three-mile lateral through an abrasive formation. Excessive torque and pipe wear had previously limited drilling performance, but with NRPs strategically placed, WWT achieved a 20% torque reduction, lowering measured torque from 42,000 ft-lb to 34,000 ft-lb. Hook load analysis confirmed improved weight transfer and reduced frictional drag, allowing the well to reach total depth efficiently and safely. Ancillary benefits included a significant reduction in drill pipe hard band wear and reduced usage of mud additives. This success highlights how WWT’s patented fluid-bearing NRP design continues to enable longer, more productive laterals across unconventional plays.
Shaping the Future of Drilling Performance
From innovative FlexShoe applications to advanced casing wear modeling and torque reduction technologies, WWT International’s 2025 North American operations have demonstrated how engineering expertise and field-proven tools can transform well performance.
As we look ahead to 2026, our focus remains on delivering measurable value, maximizing efficiency, reducing non-productive time, and ensuring operational integrity across every well.
WWT International — Driving Performance, Reliability, and Innovation.
