Reelwell
Aug 24, 2026
Powered wired drill pipe delivers 100% power uptime on demand and enables active ranging at 306 ft center-to-center while drilling.
Reelwell’s powered wired drill pipe has enabled a new active-ranging benchmark during a well intervention in West Texas, demonstrating how reliable electrical power through the drillstring can enable new downhole capabilities.
The project, executed in collaboration with Gunnar Energy Services, combined DualLink with Gunnar’s DeadAhead™ active-ranging technology to locate and approach a nearby legacy wellbore dating from the 1950s.
Across two downhole runs over 10 days, DualLink delivered electrical power directly through the drillstring to the ranging system, remaining available every time power was requested and delivering up to 41 A downhole. The system supported 11 ranging shots, including a 306 ft center-to-center measurement while drilling.
Integrating active ranging into the drilling operation
Active ranging allows drilling teams to establish the distance and direction to another wellbore underground, providing the information needed to accurately navigate towards a target during well-intervention and interception operations.
Conventionally, active magnetic ranging can require drilling to stop while wireline equipment is deployed, a measurement is taken and the equipment is recovered before drilling resumes. Where repeated measurements are required as two wellbores converge, these interruptions can add rig time and increase open-hole exposure.
For the West Texas operation, the DeadAhead™ active-ranging system remained integrated within the drilling assembly, with DualLink providing a continuous electrical pathway from surface to the bottomhole assembly.
Six ranging shots were acquired while drilling ahead during the first ranging run, with a further five confirmation shots taken while coming out of hole during the second run. This enabled repeated ranging measurements without separate wireline deployments for each measurement.
Beyond telemetry: delivering power downhole
While wired drill pipe is often associated with high-speed telemetry, the West Texas deployment demonstrates the additional possibilities created by delivering electrical power directly through the drillstring.
DualLink supplied up to 41 A downhole to the DeadAhead system. The high electrical current induced a magnetic field onto the target well, allowing the ranging system to determine its distance and direction at greater well-to-well separation.
“The West Texas deployment demonstrates what becomes possible when reliable electrical power is available through the drillstring,” said Ian Silvester, CEO Reelwell North & South America. “Delivering up to 41 amps downhole allowed the ranging technology to remain integrated in the drilling assembly throughout the operation. It’s a strong example of how powered wired drill pipe can enable new ways of working downhole.”
Field-proven performance in demanding conditions
A total of 69 DualLink joints were deployed across two runs, accumulating 76 hours below rotary and 29 circulating hours.
The system operated in demanding drilling conditions including 12.5 ppg brine containing approximately 180,000 mg/L chlorides, at a flow rate of 900 gpm and with H₂S present.
The deployment also demonstrated the mechanical resilience of the DualLink drillstring. During the operation, the string was handled as standard drill pipe without any changes to string make up, racking or connection times, proving robust and reliable even during stuck pipe and well control events. This allowed the drilling crew to work within familiar drilling practices while maintaining the electrical pathway required to power the ranging system.
Powering new downhole possibilities
The West Texas deployment builds on previous field experience with DualLink and demonstrates how powered wired drill pipe can move active ranging from a separate wireline intervention towards a capability integrated directly into the drilling operation.
With the ranging system powered through the drillstring, measurements can be taken at planned points while the bottomhole assembly remains configured for drilling. This provides a practical route to a more continuous operating sequence with the potential to reduce the time and open-hole exposure associated with repeated wireline ranging runs.
More broadly, the project demonstrates the potential created when reliable electrical power, rather than telemetry alone, is available throughout the drillstring.
By providing a powered digital network between surface and downhole, DualLink creates opportunities to integrate and power new technologies directly within drilling operations, supporting greater automation, improved operational control and new approaches to well construction and intervention.
“Active ranging depends on being able to generate a strong, reliable signal downhole,” said Clinton Moss, CEO, Gunnar Energy Services. “By delivering high current directly through the drillstring, DualLink allowed DeadAhead™ to remain integrated in the drilling assembly and acquire repeated ranging measurements as the operation progressed. Achieving a measurement at 306 ft center-to-center demonstrates the potential of this combined approach for future well interception and intervention operations.”
The West Texas deployment provides another field-proven example of how reliable power and connectivity through the drillstring can expand what is possible downhole.
Download the case study below.