AnTech Ltd, an engineering design and manufacturing company serving the international upstream oil and gas industries, has reported a successful showing at the SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing and Well Intervention Conference and Exhibition 2009 in Houston, USA. Operators heard about AnTech’s successful field tests carried out last year. Of particular interest was an onshore well that AnTech drilled with its Colt bottom hole assembly for CTD in the Antrim shales of Michigan on behalf of an independent service company. The primary aim was to produce shale gas. This was accomplished by drilling a well with a hole diameter of 4 3/8in to a measured depth of 5090ft, and true vertical depth of 1750ft. A total distance of 1186ft was drilled, which commenced at 3858ft and stopped at 5037ft. At all times, real-time data while drilling was delivered to the surface, providing engineers with the ability to monitor position and conditions to control the direction. During the operation, AnTech used a series of drilling fluids which proved to be effective: initially brine, then 20% nitrogen followed by 40% nitrogen. This has been built on in further operations where the tool has been successfully tested with an air foam mix.