Evolving Practices in Salt-Section Drilling: Global Technology Review and Middle East Field Application

Abstract Drilling through salt formations remains one of the most technically demanding operations in the upstream sector, largely due to the material's unique rheological behavior, complex geomechanics, and its interaction with drilling fluids and temperature. While salt drilling has been practiced for decades, the scale and complexity of today's deep and ultra-deep projects—particularly in regions with thick, heterogeneous evaporite sequences—require continued advancement in engineering methods, real-time surveillance, and subsurface understanding. This paper presents an updated synthesis of modern salt-drilling technologies, supported by a recent field case example from the Middle East, where a challenging salt interval was successfully drilled using an integrated engineering workflow. A structured review of contemporary literature and operator experiences was conducted to capture current knowledge across key domains including salt geomechanics, creep prediction, wellbore stability, drilling-fluid performance, cementing in plastic formations, trajectory control, and drillstring mechanics. To complement this review, targeted discussions with major service providers were undertaken to evaluate ongoing research initiatives, emerging tools, and digital technologies specifically applicable to salt environments. These combined insights form the foundation of a systematic evaluation of the state of practice in salt drilling. Advances in drilling-fluid systems have proven particularly impactful, with modern formulations engineered to maintain rheological stability, suppress washout, and mitigate salt dissolution while supporting improved hole-cleaning efficiency. Geomechanics modeling has also matured, enabling more reliable prediction of creep rates, closure tendencies, and stress redistribution, thereby allowing operators to better optimize casing-setting depths and drilling parameters. Additionally, directional drilling systems with higher torque capability and more responsive control have improved wellbore placement in ductile formations. Innovations in bit design, BHA optimization, and drillstring dynamics monitoring have further contributed to improved rate of penetration and reduced nonproductive time. The Middle East case study presented in this paper demonstrates the practical application of these advancements. The operator encountered a thick, compositionally variable salt package associated with pronounced creep tendencies, elevated formation temperatures, and unpredictable stress behavior. By integrating a geomechanics-led planning workflow with real-time downhole data, advanced drilling-fluid engineering, and optimized BHA design, the team maintained wellbore gauge, avoided costly remediation, and completed the salt section without major operational interruptions. This field example highlights how modern practices can effectively address regional geological complexities and deliver reliable drilling performance. Salt drilling is now an essential capability in regions such as the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Brazil, West Africa, and increasingly across the Middle East. By consolidating global experience with new operational insights, this paper establishes a current benchmark for safe, efficient, and technically robust drilling through salt formations.