Sidetracking existing wells offers technical and economic benefits over drilling new wells. By sidetracking, drilling costs can be cut, wells can be brought into production more quickly, and existing supply lines and gathering facilities can be used instead of having to build new systems. Sidetracking technology
• Saves on financial and material resources.
• Easier on the environment.
• Allows exploitation of flooded field-areas.
• Suspends the rate of production drawdown.
• Can increase the producible oil index.

This makes sidetracking a dependable and effective technology for oil recovery.
Red Baron Group, a business unit of Smith International, is one of leading producers of sidetrack systems. TRACKMASTER was developed by the Red Baron Group and it is the only one-trip window-milling system that allows for cutting the window at one trip (Fig.1).
The TRACKMASTER is the only full-gage system that enables the opening of a sidetrack window in just one trip. It is a self-contained unit that reduces sidetracking costs by 50 percent. In a single trip in and out of the hole, you accomplish all seven of the major steps that are needed for cutting a sidetrack window:
• Run the assembly.
• Orient the whipstock.
• Set the whipstock hydraulically or mechanically.
• Shear the mill from the whipstock assembly.
• Mill and dress the window.
• Drill a full-gage rathole.
• Pull out of the hole.
The result is a full-size window completed in minimal time, providing a full-gage rathole for the directional assembly
(Fig. 2.)

The system is comprised of four major components: the bypass valve, running tool, milling tool and the whip assembly (Fig. 3).
The high-bypass valve allows for circulation of drilling fluid so the whip assembly may be oriented with MWD and can then be closed to facilitate hydraulic setting of the anchor. After shear-off, the valve closes each time circulation is started so all the drilling fluid goes to the mill where it is needed for cooling and cutting removal. The running tool is used for the actual setting of the whip assembly. The milling tool includes 3 mills each with different objectives and dressed with high performance carbide (Fig. 4).
Smith Eurasia Ltd. has been an exclusive representative of Smith International in CIS countries since 1993 year. Smith Eurasia’s engineers have made sidetracking jobs using Trackmaster for such companies as LUKOIL-Burenie, Bashneft, Belarusneft, Turkmenneft.
As an example we can take sidetracking at Ostashkovskoe oilfield for Belarusneft company. The window was milled inside 5 3/4”OD casing at a depth of 2,455-2,445 m. Assembly included whipstock, mechanical anchor and tri-mill. Total operating time for milling the window and drilling the rathole was 173 hours. The same job with using equipment of other producers takes on the average:
– 400 hours (using foreign equipment), 700 hours (using local-made equipment).

So, the economy is from 227 to 527 hours. Due to reduction of the drilling and milling period the economy of chemistry and drilling mud increases.

Smith Eurasia’s specialists have many years of experience both in oil companies in the CIS and in western service companies. Good knowledge of technology and equipment brings high quality service to customers. The company’s highly developed infrastructure includes branches in Russia, in Moscow, Nefteyugansk, Strezhevoi, and Samara, Baku (Azerbaijan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Aktau (Kazakhstan), Poltava (Ukraine), and in Houston.

The list of customers includes such companies as Gazprom, Burgaz, Gazflot, YUKOS, LUKOIL, Agip, TNK-BP, Tatneft, Bashneft, SOCAR, Uzbekneftegaz, Ukrgazproduction.