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drill-stem test
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drill-stem test

petroleum drilling
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Quick Summary

A drill-stem test is a method used in petroleum drilling to determine the productivity of an oil or gas well. This test is performed while the drill stem is still in the borehole.1

Historically, after drilling into a potential productive zone, formations were evaluated to understand their nature and guide completion procedures. The drill stem test involved attaching a testing tool to the bottom of the drill pipe and lowering it to the formation. This tool used expandable seals to isolate the formation, and the mud was removed from the drill pipe to allow formation fluid to enter. After a set time, the openings were closed, and the pipe was brought to the surface. The collected oil and gas, along with recorded pressures, helped assess the formation's production potential.2

While advances in measurement-while-drilling (MWD) and logging-while-drilling (LWD) technologies have made formation evaluation more efficient and accurate, the drill stem test remains a method for establishing potential productivity.2

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. drill-stem test
  2. petroleum production - Formation evaluation

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