53 222 PDF

Factors Affecting the Angle of Inclination and Dog-Legging
in Rotary Bore Holest

I* AND H. B. WOODS '
ABSTRACT Rith no weight on the bit, the only force actingon
When conditions are not varied during the drilling the bit i s the result of the weight of the portion of
of a bore hole, the hole assumes'a constant angle the string between the bit and the tangency point.
of inclination. When conditions vary, the hole chang- T h i s force tends to bring the hole toward vertical.
e s direction and eventually assunles another angle. hen weight i s applied, there i s another force on
Mathematical relationships are established giving the bit which tends to direct the hole away from
the forces on the bit, the dog-legging tendency, and vertical. The resultant of these two forces may be
the inclination toward which the hole tends as func- in such a direction a s to increase angle, to decrease
tions 'of drill-collar size, hole size, weight on bit, angle, or to maintain constant angle.
dip of the formation, stabilizers, etc. Conclusions T h e derivation of a relationship between the di-
are reached concerning economical means of fight- rection of the force on the bit and all the variables
ing crooked-hole conditions. that affect i t i s given in the appendix. The relation-
ship itself i s plotted in Fig. 2.
INTRODUCTION
T h i s derivation i s based upon the assumption that
One of the co-authors presented a paper on buck-
the drilling string l i e s on the low side of the hole
ling of rotary drilling strings1 at the 1950 spring
a s shown in Fig. 1. Actually, for some conditions,
meeting of the Mid-Continent District. Later, the
the drilling, string will not lie along the low side,
other co-author pointed out that the previous study
but will buckle helically. It will be shown later here-
concerne'da straight and vertical hole and suggested
in that in actual drilling conditions this situation
that a similar study be made for inclined holes not
occurs only exceptionally and the foregoing assump-
only in honiogeneous formations, but also irf strati-
tion i s correct.
fied formations; either horizontal or inclined. T h i s
In this study, dynamic forces caused by rotation
was done in the present paper.
are disregarded. T h e justification for this i s the fact
In the first part of the paper, the forces acting on that, a s may be s e e n later, the conclusions are con-
a bit are analyzed. Later, the properties of the
firnied by actual field facts.
formations being drilled will be studied; and they,
Consider first the example c a s e of Fig. 2, which
combined with the forces acting on the bit, will be
refers to a drilling string with 6'4-in. collars in 83(,-
used to determine the relation between the angle or
in. hole. T h e upper a b s c i s s a i s the angle of inclina-
change of angle of inclination of the bore hole and ation = of the hole with respect to the vertical a s
the factors that influence them. shown in Fig. 1. The ordinate i s the ratio of the
T h i s paper i s based on mathematical derivations
angle q5 of the inclination of the force on bit to the
which are given in the appendix.
angle = of the inclination of the hole ( s e e Fig. 1).
DIRECTION OF THE F O R C E ON BIT The curves correspond to various values of the I
Consider a drilling string in a straight, but not weigbt on the bit. Consider, for instance, that 18,-'
vertical, hole a s shown in Fig. 1. At the vicinity of 000 Ib are carried in a hole inclined 10 deg. Point
the bit, the string does not ;ontact the wall o f t h e D of curve 2 indicates that for these conditions cj/=
hole. At some distance above the bit, the drilling i s equal to 0.93, which means that 4 i s smaller than
string contacts the wall of the hole at a point des- =; and, consequently, the force on the bit tends to
ignated a s "point of tangency." Above the point of decrease the hole inclination.
tangency, the string l i e s on the low side of the hole. For drill collars other than 6'4-in., and for hole
* Stanollnd 0 1 1 and G a s Co., T u l s a . diameters other than 8%-in., the lower a b s c i s s a
9 H u g h e s Tool Co.. Houston. s c a l e of Fig. 2 must be used. T h i s a b s c i s s a repre-
+ P r e s e n t e d b y Arthur Lublnskr at the sprlng rneetlng of the s e n t s the value of = n ~ / r ,in which:
Mld-Continent District, D l v ~ s l o nof Production, T u l s a , March
1953. = i s t.he hole inclination in radians ( 1 radian
' R e f e r e n c e s are at the end of the paper. = 57.3 deg).
ANGLE O F INCLINATION AND DOG-LEGGING IN ROTARY BORE H O L E S 223
HOLE INCLINATION IN ISOTROPIC

FORRilATIONS
We shall assume that in a formation with no bed-
ding planes, i.e. in an isotropicVormation, a bit
drills in the direction of the force which i s imparted
t o it. ,
Consequently, the direction of the force on the
bit given in Fig. 2 beconles the direction in which
the hole i s drilled.
Consider, for instance, the condition represented
by the point '4 of Fig. 2. T h i s point l i e s on c u r v e l ,
for which the weight on the bit i s equal to 36,000 Ib.
T h e upper a b s c i s s a scale shows that the hole in-
Point of clination i s equal to 10 deg. The corresponding
Tangency value of + / a , a s s e e n in the ordinate s c a l e , i s l e s s
than unity. Consequently, when drilling ahead, the
inclination of the hole will decrease. If the weight
Bit on the bit of 36,000 Ib i s maintained, then the drill-
ing conditions will be represented in succession by
various points of curve 1 located to the left of .-l
until the condition represented by point B i s reach-
ed, for which +/= = I , which means that the hole
inclination will not change any more. l ' h i s inclina-
tion i s equal to 2.23 deg.
Consider now the c a s e of the same weight on the
bit a s previously, but in a hole close to vertical,
such a s represented by point C, foi which the in-
Fig. 1
clination i s equal to 0.25 deg. T h i s time, $/= i s
r i s the apparent radius of the hole in feet (one-
greater than unity; and, while drilling ahead, the
half of diametral clearance between hole and
angle of inclination will build up and s u c c e s s i v e
collars).
conditions will be represented by points of curve 1
rn i s the length in feet of the one dimensionless
located to the right of C until again the condition
unit. Values of rn are obtainable from Fig. 3.
represented by B i s reached, for which the inclina-
rn depends upon the s i z e of drill colIars and buoy-
tion i s equal to 2.25 deg. T h u s , it may be seen that
ancy. Fig. 3 was prepared from a formula given in
with 6'4-in. drill collars in an F34-in. hole and with
a previous publication.' T h e inside diameter w a s
36,000 Ib on the bit, the hole inclination will ap-
assumed equal to 2'4 in. for 6-in. OD drill collars, proach 2.25 deg irrespective of i t s initial inclina-
and proportional t o outside diameter for other s i z e s . tion. In other words, point B corresponds to a stable
T h e influence of inside diameter on values of rn is, drilling condition. 'The angle toward which the hole
in any event, not very significant.
tends for a given s e t of conditions will be referred
When using the lower a b s c i s s a s c a l e , then vari- to a s "equilibrium angle."
ous curves correspond to various weights on the bit,
not in pounds, but in dimensionless units of weight. If, on the other hand, 18,000 Ib were carried in-
T h e weight of one dimensionless unit i s given in stead of 36,000 Ib, then points D, E, and F of curve
Fig. 4 for various s i z e s of drill collars and mud 2 must be considered in place of points il, B, and
densities. C of curve 1. Point U is located farther from the
T h e location of the point of tangency i s shown in line $/= = 1 than point A , which means that in a
Fig. 5 in which the meaning of the two a b s c i s s a hole inclined 10 deg, the tendency to bring the hole
s c a l e s . (rgeneral c a s e and example case) are the toward vertical i s stronger for lR,000 lb than for
same a s in Fig. 2 and the curves correspond to the 36,000 Ib. Similarly, point F i s located closer to
same values of the weight on the bit. The left and the line +/= = 1 than point C, which means that in
right ordinate s c a l e s represent the distance between a hole inclined 0.25 deg, the tendency to build up
t h e bit and the tangency point in dimensionless angle i s smaller when 18,000 Ib are carried than
units (general case) and in feet (example case), re- with 36,000 Ib.
spectively. * " I s o t r o p ~ c " m e a n s h a v ~ n gp r o p e r t ~ e s~ d e n t r c a rnl all d u e c t r o n s .
224 ARTHUR LUBINSKI AND H. B. WOODS
HOLE LIIGC)MUOU. 'C IU DEGREES (EXAMPLE C A W
I 10 I00
"L+ (GENERAL CASE)
Fig. 2-Ratio of Angle 4 of lnclination of the Force on Bit over Angle a of Hole lnclination
Curve
Example Case:
6'4-in. drill collars, 834-in. hole,
10 Ib per gal mud.
Weight in pounds
Genera I Case:
Weight in dimensionless units
ANGLE O F INCLINATION AND DOGLEGGING IN ROTARY BORE HOLES 225
B of Fig. 7 indicates-for instance-that for 8'4-in.

drill collars, the hole tends toward an inclination
of 0.3 deg per inch of clearance, which corresponds
to only 0.26 deg in a 9-in. hole, a s compared to 4 %
deg for 6'4-in. collars in the same hole. These ex-
amples show that holes drilled with large drill col-
lars are much closer to vertical than holes dri1,led
with the same weight and conventional collars.
Point C shows that carrying only 15,000 Ib with
drill pipe and no collars a t all results in an inclina-
tion greater than 7 deg per inch of clearance or more
than 20 deg in a 9-in. .hole, which explains the ne-
cessity for drill collars.
Although problems concerning hole inclination in
inclined beds are much more important from a prac-
tical standpoint, it i s interesting to point out that
WILL OQUlli) OD.- INUIES -
the common belief that holes go inclined only be-
cause of inclined formations or lack of symmetry of
the drilling string i s erroneous. Even in isotropic
Fig. 3-Length m of One Dimensionless Unit formation, a perfectly vertical hole cannot be drill-
If 18,000 1b are'carried instead of 36,000 Ib, then ed with an elastic drilling string, unless extremely
curve 2 shows that the angle of inclination toward small and runeconomical weights are used.
which the hole tends is indicated by point E and i s
DRILLING ANISOTROPY INDEX
equal to 0.5 deg.
Consider the c a s e of a straight, but inclined, hole
Curves 3 and 4 indicate that, for the values of
represented in Fig. 8 and a s e t of conditions for
the weight equal respectively to 9,000 and 5,400
which the force on the bit makes an angle with the
Ib, the inclination of the hole should tend to 0.09
vertical. It i s well known that inclined bedding
and 0.01' deg, respectively; which, for all practical
planes generally make the bit drill updip in hard
purposes, means a vertical hole. However, it i s in- rocks such a s encountered in West Texas, Mid-Con- ,
teresting to note that from a theoretical standpoint
tinent, and Rocky Rilountains. This i s shown in Fig.
for still l e s s weight, e.g., 4,500 Ib a s shown by
8. Consequently, the direction of drilling i s differ
curve 5, the hole does not tend to any very small
ent from the direction of the force on the bit. For
value of inclination, but comes to vertical.
such to be the case, the formation must have a
In Fig. 6 values of a m / r for equilibrium condi-
slightly lower drillability along the bedding planes
tions taken from Fig. 2 were plotted (curves h = 0 * )
than perpendicular to them. The relative dilference
vs. the weight - on the bit in dimensionless units.
For a -given s i z e of drill collar, m i s a constant and
a m / r i s .proportional to the equilibrium angle per
unit of apparent radius of the hole (half of the clear-
ance).
Substituting numerical values for various s i z e s
of drill collars and drill pipe in place of dimension-
l e s s values of Fig. 6, curves of Fig.7 were plotted.
Ilere the equilibrium angle in degrees per inch of
clearance between collars (or tool joints) and hole
was plotted vs. the weight on the bit in pounds for
6'4-in. drill collars, 8%- in. drill collars, loJ/,-in.
drill collars, and 4'4-in. drill pipe.
Consider, for instance, the case of 6'4-in. drill
collars and 45,000 Ib on the bit. Point A of Fig. 7
indicates that this inclination i s equal LO about 1%
deg per inch of clearance between collars and hole,
which corresponds to an inclination of 1.5 x 2.75
= 4'/, deg in a %in. hole. On the other hand, point DRILL COLLAR8 0.0.-INCHES
* The defln~tionof h will be given further in t h ~ spaper, h = 0

means that the format~onI S ~sotroplc. Fig. 4-Weight of One Dimensionless U n i t
226 . ARTHUR LUBINSKI AND H. B. WOODS
HOLE INCLINATION IN DEGREES (EXAMPLE CASE)
0.1 I LO
Exainple
6'4-in,
I 0 Ib
Weight
General I
Weight
.- - .
v a l u e s of h between zero and 0.075.

HOLE INCLINATION IN ANISOTROPIC
- HORIZONTALi FORMATIONS
I t w a s previously 'shown t h a t the' conditions for
maintaining constant angle of hole inclination (equ'i-
ligrium conditions)' for isotropic formations were ob-
tained by the intersection of t h e various c u r v e s of
F i g . 2 with the horizontal line +/= = 1.. Similarly,
as-will be proved in t h e appendix, the equilibrium
conditions for anisotropicf horizontal formations
are represented by the points of intersection of t h e
s a m e c u r v e s with t h e horizontal line +/= = l / l - h .
Consider, for instance, t h e c a s e of h = 0.05. T h e n
+/= = 1.0526 (short dashed line in Fig. 2). F o r a
weight of 8 dimensionless units (36,000 l b for 6'4-in.
drill collars) the equilibrium conditions a r e repre-
s e n t e d by point G . A s G i s located to the left of B,
t h e conclusion
..
may b e drawn
. . t h a t equilibrium
. .
angles
are s m a l l e r in anisotropic horizontal formations than
in isotropic formations. , .
* F o r more rlgorous def~nltlon,s e e appendix.
Fig. 7-Inclination Toward Which the Hole Tends
t " ~ n 1 s o b o p i c " means havlng properties non-ldentlcal m all
(Equilibrium Angle) in Isotropic Formations
direction. Numerical Examples
are given for various values of the weight on the

bit in dimensionless units. A convenient conversion
table of dimensionless units into pounds i s given in
Fig. 11.
The way of using Fig. 9 to 11 will be explained
with a few examples.
Example 1
Consider, for instance, formations slanting 30 deg
in which field practice indicates an angle of about
2'4 deg will be maintained when drilling 9-in. hole
with 6'4-in. drill collars and 4,500-lb weight. Hole
clearance i s then 2.75 in. and weight i s one dimen-
sionless unit, a s indicated in the table of Fig. 11.
Both Fig. 9d and 10d are for y = 30 deg. Point A on
Fig. 10d indicates an inclination,of 2% deg, which
i s close to the actual field value; and consequently
the anisotropy index h i s equal to about 0.050.
Re may now study the effect in this particular
'field of changes of weight, s i z e of drill collars, and
clearance.
If the weight i s doubled to 2 dimensionless units
or 9,000 Ib, the hole inclination will increase to
6'4 deg a s indicated by point B. If the weight i s in-
creased to 18,000 Ib and 36,000 Ib, the hole inclina-
tion will increase to 13% deg and 21% deg, respec-
tively, a s indicated by points C and D.
Consider now that the 6%-in. drill collars are re-
placed by 8'4-in. drill collars. Point E (clearance
Fig. 8 = in.) indicates that for one dimensionless unit of
Although the range of anisotropy indices in Fig. 6 weight, which now means 9,000 Ib, the inclination
was obtained from a consideration of situations in i s 3'4 deg. In other words, the use of larger drill
dipping formation, the results obtained from the use collars and twice the weight resulted in only a small
of the same range of values explain the low hole in- increase in inclination.
clinations obtained in anisotropic horizontal beds Consider now still larger drill collars, such a s
such a s in Kansas where heavy weights may be ap- 10'4-in. in 12'4-in. hole. Point F (clearance= 1%in.)
plied on short drill-collar strings. indicates that 18,000-lb weight results in an inclina-
tion of 3 deg. I n this case, however, the hole s i z e
HOLE INCLINATION I N ANISOTROPIC was increased a s well a s the collar size, and the
SLANTING FORMATIONS additional 9,000 Ib are only partially used to drill
Generalities faster and partially to drill a larger hole. A rough
The determination of the angle toward which the way of calculating the increase in drilling rate i s to
"
hole tends, i. e., the equilibrium angle, for horizon- take the drilling rate a s directly proportional to the
tal formations was relatively easy by use of Fig. 2. weight per inch diameter of hole.* For example,
T h i s problem i s more complicated in the c a s e of in- *Experiments show that the following r e l a t ~ o n s h ~1s
p quite ac-
clined formations, and for this reason i t s explana- cwate:
tion will be given 'in the appendix. The results are
plotted in Fig.. 9, 10, and 11 for anisotr6py indices wherein:
R-k (+)"
h equal to 0.025, 0.050, and 0.075, respectively. R i s d r ~ l l ~ nrate.
g D 1s hole d~ameter.
The various drawings of each of these figures are T
i 1s welght on blt. k 1s a proportional~tyfactor.
n 1s an exponent depending on the format~on,
for various formation dips., , the dip of the formation whlch was taken equal t o unlty In the above
being the angle y of bedding plane with respect to approxlrnat Ion.
the horizontal a s shown in Fig. 8. There 1s no exper~mental justification for the often-used re-
In all of these figures, the equilibrium angle in latlonsh~p:
degrees i s plotted vs. the diametral clearance in

inches between the collars and the hole. Curves
ANGLE O F INCLINATION AND DOGLEGGING IN ROTARY B O R E H O L E S 229
2 4 6 8 2 4 6 8 2 4 6 8
CLEARANCE, IN INCHES
F i g . 11-Inclination Toward Which t h e H o l e Tends (Equilibrium Angle) in Slanting Formations

Anisotropy Index h=0.075. Numbers on Curves Refer to Weight on B i t in Dimensionless Units
Conversion of Dimensionless U n i t s of Weight into Pounds
Weight, Pounds
Dimensionless Units: ' 1 2 4 8 '
4'/,-in. drill pipe ................... 750 1,500 3,000 6,000
6'4-in. d r i l l collars................. 4,500 9,000 18,000 36,000
8'4-in. drill collars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,000 18,000 36,000 72,000
10%-in. d r i l l collars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,000 36,000 72,000 .....
9,000 Ib in 9-in. hole i s 1,000 Ib per inch; and 18,- tion would reach 5 deg. This Lnding, which, it should
000 Ib in 12'4-in, hole i s 1,470 Ib per inch. We would be remembered, i s for beds inclined 30 deg, i s quite
then expect the 12%-in. bit with 18,000-lb weight to unexpected.
drill 1,470 +1,000 = 1.27 times faster than a 9-in, The use of many stabilizers in the lower portion
bit with 9,000-lb weight. With this respect, better of a string of drill collars i s approximately equiva-
results would be obtained with 11'4-in. drill collars lent to a decrease of clearance between collars and
in 12%-in. hole than with lo1/,-in. drill collars in hole without changing collar size. It appears then
the same hole. that in this example, in which the beds have a dip
Finally, let u s analyze the effect of changes of of 30 deg, the use of stabilizers would result in an
clearance. If 4,500-lb weight i s carried on 6%-in. increase of angle of inclination."
drill collars in a 7%-in.hole instead of a 9-in. hole, The conditions of the foregoing example approxi-
the inclination would be 3'4 deg ( p o i n t ~ ) i n s t e a dof mate fairly well drilling conditions in those areas
2'4 deg (point A), which means that for l e s s clear-
ance the inclination i s greater. The influence of the
* It must be remembered that here we are conaidering o n l y equi-
librium angle of inclination. T h e advantage of s t a b i l i z e r s in
clearance would be greater for much smaller clear- preventing rapid c h a n g e s of a n g l e w i l l b e d i a c u s s e d further
ances such a s '/, in. (point G) for which the inclina- in thia paper.
of southern Oklahoma, Wyoming, and elsewhere where drill collars in 9-in. hole. Fifteen degrees.-of in-
the dip of the formations is between 25 and 4 5 deg. clination- were re-ached. Conventional practice in
The conclusion concerning the foregoing example the same field i s to drill with 6'4-in. drill collars
i s that for the conditions under consideration, there and 8,000-lb weight in order to keep the inclination
aie two means of performing cheaper drilling, viz.: small. T h e new method resulted in drilling progress
1. Increase of the weight on the bit and deliberate of 100 ft per day, as.compared to 35 to 40- ft per
drilling of more inclined holes (see A and, B follow- .day by conventional methods. , -
ing). The advantage of the method in some wild- Example 2
c a t s i s the generally increased probability of dis- L e t us now study another s e t of field conditions
covery because of the updip drift of the bit. On the in which, with 6'4-in. drill collars in 834-in.'hole,
other hand, the appreciable horizontal distance be- 5-deg angle of dip, and 20,000-lb weight,' a.3-deg
tween surface and bottom location of wells may not hole angle i s maintained. These conditions are .ap-
be allowed by present state laws, or may be incon- proximately met by point ,l, Fig. l l b , which indi-
venient in small leases. For large. l e a s e s , it h a s c a t e s 2% deg inclination for 4 dimensionless units
already been proposed that surface locations. nlay of weight (18,000 Ib for 6%-in. drill collars) and
be made s o a s to bottom the wells a s desired.* 2'4-in. clearance. If the weight were doubled to 36,-
2; Use of larger-drill collars, which allow cariy- 0 0 0 Ib, the hole angle would increase to, 4'4 deg
ing more weight on the bit without increasing hole (point B). If, on the other hand, 8%-in.-drill collars
inclination ( s e e C following). The authors of this were used instead of 6%-in.. and 36,000'Ib carried,
paper recommend &in. or 8%-in. drill collars in the hole angle would become 2% deg (point C). 'Fi-
8%-in. and 9-in. holes, which are already being nally, if 72,000 Ib' were carried on 8%-in., collars,
used. Furthermore, the use of still larger collars, the hole angle would become 3'4 deg (poin't D). T o
such a s 10%-in. to 11'4-in. in 12'4-in. hole should investigate the effect of hole clearance aldne, con-
be tried. sider 6'4-in. drill collars with 36,000-lb weight and
T h e foregoing two means, which may also be used clearances equal to 2'4 in. (point B ) and 5/, in. (point
jointly ( s e e D following) are confirmed by the follow- D ) for which inclinations are 4'4 deg and .3$ deg,
ing field data: respectively. T h i s means that for l e s s clearance the
A. In a paper presented in 1952,3 R. B. McCloy hole deviation i s smaller, which i s the reverse of
reported savings of $10,000 to $30,000 obtained in the iituation analyzed in the previous example for
Carter County, Oklahoma, by carrying more weight 30-deg dip. The effect of clearance on hole inclina-
and allowing the well inclination to reach 7 deg. tion increases a s dip angle decreases.. In the limit-
13. Wesley N. hloore in the discussion of the same ing case of zero dip, i. e. horizontal formations, Fig.
paper reported a well in Fremont County, Wyoming, 9a, 10a, and l l a show that the angle of inclination
in which the weight had to be maintained under increases very fast with clearance and i s , in fact,
11,000 Ib, with corresponding penetration rates of proportional to the clearance. For this reason, in
22 to 24 ft per day, in order to keep the inclination the case of horizontal beds or isotropic formations
below 5 deg. Later, it w a s learned from oriented previously investigated in this paper, inclinations
cores that the course of the hole was updip; and, per inch of clearance were given, ,as in Fig. 7. From
inasmuch a s this was a wildcat well on a large inspection of curves of Fig. l l b , it i s seen that the
lease, the weight was increased to 33,000 Ib. The angle of inclination increases with the clearance
inclination reached 17 deg and the resulting rate only for the upper curve, i. e., for the highest weight.
of penetration became 75 ft per day. The resulting T h e conditions of this last example correspond
estimated saving in this 14,000-ft well was $85,000. to crooked-hole territories in West Texas. y. S.'
C. At a meeting of the API Mid-Continentstudy Bachman and H. M. Rollins reported,in a recent pa-
Committee on Bore-hole Drift;W. M. B ~ o t h , ~ r e ~ o r t e d per5 the s u c c e s s attained by use of stabilizers in
the drilling ~erformanceof many holes drilled in Rest Texas for weights a s high a s 50,000 Ib on 8 % -
Sholem-Alechem Field of Oklahoma with 6'4-in. in. bits.
drill collars and 8-in. drill collars. With 10,000 to Highly Inclined Beds
'20,000 Ib and 8-in. drill collars, the same average . In Fig. 12 and 13 the angle toward which the hole
inclination of 2'4 deg a t the bottom of the hole was tends, i.e., the equilibrium angle, i s plotted vs, the
reached a s with 2,000 to 10,000 Ib and 6%-in. drill formation' dip for a clearance between the collars
collars. The large drill collars resulted in a saving and the hole equal to 2.75 in. These figures are for
of about one third in drilling time. anisotropy indices of 0.025 and 0.050, respectively.
D. T h e writers of this paper know of a well in We shall use these drawings to investigate .the
Wyoming in which 30,000 lb were carried with &in. influence of very inclined beds.
232 ARTHUR LUBINSK [ AND H. B. WOODS
drill collars, 3 .deg (point C ) would also be obtained

with 9,000 Ib with 8'4-in. collars or 18,000 lb with
10'4-in. collars. Doubling these weights would result
in an angle of 10 deg (point D).
It i s interesting to note that for still steeper f o r
mations, the previously mentioned weight would lead
to smaller angles of inclination; e.g., 1 deg ( ~ o i n t
E ) and 3 % deg (point F ) , respectively, for an 80-deg
dip. On the other hand, for larger values of weight
the deviation would still be off scale.
A s already stated, Fig. 13 i s for a clearance of
2.75 in., which i s the clearance for 6'4-in. collars
in 9-in. holes. Small errors will be made when these
charts are used for oversized collars. More correct
values might be obtained by using Fig. 10.
Fig. 12-Equilibrium Angle vs. Formation Dip

Anisotropy lndex h = 0.025
Clearance = 2.75 in.
Numbers on Curves Refer toweight on B i t in Dimen-
sionless Units (See Table, F i g . 11)
Point /I of Fig. 13 shows that for 20-deg dip, the
inclination would be 14 deg for a weight on bit of
8 dimensionless units or 36,000 Ib for 6'4-in. drill
collars. Although high, this inclination i s not un-
reasonable.
Following the curve for the same weight, we find
that for fd-deg dip, the equilibrium angle i s some
value far olr scale and altogether unacceptable.
Point B shows that even with 4dimensionless units
of weight (18,000 Ib for 6%-in. collars) the hole
angle i s 28'deg. In such beds, only weights corre-
sponding to one, two, or slightly more dimension- Fig. 13-Equilibrium Angle vs. Formation Dip
l e s s units may be considered. The only possibility Anisotiopy lndex h = 0.050 '
of carrying more weight without exceeding reason- Clearance = 2.75 in.
able inclination i s to use larger drill collars. The Numbers on Curves Refer t o Weight on B i t in Dimen-
inclination obtained with 4,500-lb weight and 6'4-in. sionless Units (See Table, F i g . 11)
A N G L E O F INCLINATION AND DOI G L E G G I N G IN ROTARY B O R E H O L E S 233
I
N o t . Concerning Fig. 9 , 10, and 11 Next, we shall study the continuation of a dog-leg
T h e a b s c i s s a in Fig. 9, 10, and 11 i s the clear- after the instantaneous change of angle occurs.
ance between the drill collars and the hole. In the Start of a Dog-Leg by a Sudden Change of Weight
examples, this a b s c i s s a was used for any s i z e of Sudden changes of angle caused by changes of
collars. Actually, this s c a l e i s correct only for 6%- weight were computed a s explained in the appendix
in. collars; and, if used for 8'4-in. or 10'4-in. col- for a formation of anisotropy index h = 0.025, and
lars, the readings should be multiplied by 1.189 and plotted in Fig. 14 and 15 which are for a drop of
1.414, respectively. For instance, in example 1 the weight from 36,000 to 18,000 Ib and from 18,000 to
c a s e of 18,000-lb weight, 10'4-in. collars in 12'4-in. 9,000 Ib, respectively. In these drawings, the change
hole was analyzed, and point F (clearance 1%in.) of angle i s plotted vs. the clearance between the
of Fig. 10d was taken a s representing these condi- drill collars and the hole.Curves are drawn for hori-
tions. Actually, a clearance of 1'4 in. for 10'4-in. zontal beds and for 30-deg dips, and for various
collars corresponds to a clearance of 1.75 x 1.414 s i z e s of drill collars.
= 2.475 in. of the a b s c i s s a scale. Consequently,
It i s immediately obvious from the inspection of
actual conditions are represented by point I1 instead these drawings that much higher instantaneous
of point F, which means that the hole inclination i s changes in angle result from a drop of weight in in-
2'4 deg instead of 3 deg, which i s a small error. In
clined beds than from the same drop of weight in
most c a s e s , this error i s s t i l l smaller; and, for this
horizontal beds; and that the effect of beds i s much
reason, a complication of providing Fig. 9, 10, and stronger than the s i z e of drill collars.
11 with three a b s c i s s a s c a l e s for various collars
A comparison of Fig. 14 and 15 shows that the
was not deemed necessary.
order of magnitude of instantaneous change of angle
Error for Large Hole Inclinations i s the same for a drop of weight from 36,000 to 18,-
T h e derivations in the appendix are based on the 0 0 0 lb a s for a drop of weight from 18,000 to 9,000
assumption that the hole inclination i s small. T h i s
introduces an error in all of the curves. Although
the magnitude of this error was not calculated, i t i s
the authors' feeling that this error i s negligible up
t o inclinations of 10 deg, small for 15 deg, and ap-
preciable for 20 deg or more. For large hole inclina-
tions, the actual deviations from vertical are small-
er than those indicated in the curves.
DOG-LEGS
Generalities
Up to this point, we have been studying the angle
toward which the hole tends, or equilibrium angle,
with little or no consideration for the changes in
hole anglk which are taking place while this equi-
librium i s being reached. Actually, no troubles may
be expected from the hole inclination itself. Direc-
tional holes are sometimes drilled with inclinations
a s high a s 70 or 80 deg with a minimum of drilling
or pro-duction troubles, even if beam pumped. On the
other hand, troubles may be expected from dog-legs.
Doglegs normally result from a change of condi-
tions such a s a change of weight or a change of
formation property. Such changes cause an instan-
taneous change of hole direction, but the continua-
tion of the hole along i t s new direction may soon
be prevented by the drill collar contacting the wall
of the hole close to the bit..
h e shall first study the instantaneous change of
angle a s affected by: 1, a sudden change of weight; F i g . 14-Instantaneous Change of Angle Caused by
2, a sudden change of formation dip, ce., crossing Drop of Weight from 36,000 to 18,000 Lb
an unconformity. An isotropy Index h = 0.025
234 ' ARTHUR LUBINSKI AND H. B. WOODS
Consider the effect of hole clearance on the,in-

stantaneous change of angle caused by a sudden
drop of weight. Eoth Fig. 14 and , l 5 show that, in
all c a s e s , reducing the clearance reduces the change
of angle. Percentagewise, this effect i s much small-
er in inclined beds than in horizontal beds. Conse-
quently, it seems that reducing the clearance itself,
or using many stabilizers in the lower portion of the
string, would be of doubtful benefit in reducing the
instantaneous change of angle in steeply dipping
formations but may be of great benefit in slightly
dipping formations.
In the foregoing study, we considered effects of
a sudden drop in weight. A sudden increase in
weight gives similar results.
Start of a Dog-Leg by,Crossing Unconforrnity
Suppose that, while drilling, an unconformity i s
encountered and that the beds are horizontal on one
side and inclined on the other. Then, a s proved in
the appendix, thk instantaneous change of angle $-=
(see Fig. 8) i s equal to:
in which h i s the anisotropy index and y the forma-

tion dip on one side .of the unconforrnity. T h i s for-
mula means that the instantaneous change of angle
0 I 2 S 4 5 6 7 does not depend upon weight, collar size, clearance,
CLEARANCE IN INCHES
.,
or hole inclination, but depends only upon formation.
Thus, once more we conclude that the previous re-
F i g . 15-Instantaneous Change of Angle Caused by
commendation of drilling with more weight on the
Drop of Weight from 18,000 to 9,000 L b
bit and letting the inclination build up does not re-
Anisotropy Index h = 0.025
sult in sharper dog-legs.
Ib, this change of angle being primarily influenced Take, for instance, h = 0.025 and y = 30deg. Then,
by the formation dip. the instantaneous change of angle is 0.75 deg..The
Thus, a conclusion may be reached that a recom- change in angle will be g e a t e r , f o r steeper dips and
mendation previously made,in this paper to drill for higher values of anisotropy index.
cheaper holes by carrying more weight and accept- Actually, the foregoing formula holds true only
ing more deviation should not result in sharper dog- for s m a l l dips. For large dips, the instantaneous
legs. change of angle depends not only upon the forma-
Both..Eig. 14 and 15 show that for a 30-deg dip, tion, but also upon the other previously mentioned
the order of magnitude of the instantaneous change factors. The authors believe, however, that for dips
of angle i s l e s s than 1 deg. Although calculations such a s 30 deg, the formula gives a satisfactory ap-
have not been made for-greater dips and greater ani- proximition.
sotiopy indices, it i s apparent to the authors that Continuation of a Dog-Leg
for.such conditions the change of angle would be
So far we have investigated ,the instantaneous
more than proportionally,greater.This indicates that
change of angle, which i s the start of a dog-leg. Let
in highly inclined beds, sudden changes of weight
us follow the continuation of a dog-leg. Fig. 16a
should be avoided.-
shows a straight, but. inclined, hole drilled through
Fig. 14 shows that 6'/,-in: ~ o l l a i ~ . ~lower
i v e angle steeply inclined formations to an unconformity on
changes th'an larger-collars for 30-deg dips when the the other side of which the bedding planes are hori-
weight is dropped from 36,OO.O to 18,000 Ib. For other zontal. A s the horizontal formations are penetrated,
dips, opposite results might be obtained and actual- there i s an instantaneous change of angle. Drilling
ly no~conclusionscan be reached about the influence progresses a s indicated by the,dashed lines in Fig.
of collai s i z e on the instantaneous change of hole 1 6 a until the condition represented in Fig. 16b i s
angle in dipping formations. reached. At this stage, the drill collar contacts the
Fig. 16-Dog-Leg Caused by Going from Inclined to Horizontal Beds

236 . ARTHUR 'LUBINSKI AND H. B: WOODS
wall of the hole a t the unconformity (point A). When

drilling below point B, a s indicated by dashed lines
in Fig. 16b, the bit will drill parallel to the original
hole until .it has advanced far enough for the o v e r
hanging portion of the drill collar below point A to
impart to the bit an appreciable force toward verti-
cal.
If, the clearance between collar and hole were
smaller, the instantaneous change of angle would
be substantially the same, a s previously explained.
However, the drill collar would then contact the
wall a t point A when the bit had advanced to some
point above B , such a s C. The hole would then con-
tinue from point C in a direction parallel to the orig-
inal hole. It i s obvious that the reduction of c l e a r
ance reduces the misalignment between the upper
and lower parallel portions of the hole. This mis-
alignment i s equal to one-half the clearance between
the collar and hole. Thus, the reduction of clearance
reduces the severity of dog-leg.
In Fig. 16, the d o g l e g i s directed toward vertical.
T h e foregoing conclusion holds true, however, for
any dog-leg.
It i s the authors' belief that, for steeply inclined
formations, this reduction of severity of dog-legs i s
the main advantage in the use of smaller hole t o col-
lar clearances or, what i s more or l e s s equivalent,
in the use of several stabilizers in the lower portion
of the string.
In Fig. 16 the d o g l e g was produced by an uncon-
formity. A similar dog-leg would be produced if the
weight were suddenly dropped, a s i s often done
when it i s desired to reduce deviation. The result-
ing hole i s illustrated by the solid lines in Fig. 17.
If the weight were .gradually reduced to i t s final
value, a hole illustrated by the dashed lines would
be drilled. The results would be: 1, the same o v e r
all hole straightening; 2, no dog-leg; 3, faster drill-
ing.
'Ahen i t i s desired t o increase the weight on the
bit, a gradual increase will also avoid a dog-leg.
T h e conclusion i s that in crooked-hole territory,
large changes in weight should be graduated over a
15- to 30-ft interval.
HELICAL BUCKLING -
T h i s investigation was made with an assumption

that the drill collars lie on the low side of the hole,
a s shown in Fig. .l. Actually, even ,in the absence
of any rotation, there are conditions for which the
string does not lie on the low side of the hole, but
buckles into a helix.
A theoretical study sh'ows that, for a given dimen-
sionless weight on the bit, there i s a value of = m / r
below which helical .buckling
. may occur and above Fig. 17-Effect of Drop of Weight
ANGLE O F INCLINATION AND DO LEGGING IN ROTARY BORE HOLES 237
which it cannot occur. Model experiments were made formations, unless - very low and uneconomical
fixing the limiting value of = m / r for differentdimen- weights are carried.
sionless weights. The results are shown in Fig. 2 2. In crooked-hole territories of hard-rock areas,
and 5 in which the portions of the curves drawn with such a s West Texas, Mid-Continent, and Rocky Moun-
dashed lines indicate helical buckling conditions. tains, cost of drilling may be lowered by:
T h e use of the curves of Fig. 2 has shown that a. Carrying much more weight and deliberately
helical buckling occurs only when the weight i s accepting a larger deviation;* this does not
suddenly increased in a nearly vertical hole drilled result in sharper doglegs. Such a method
in horizontal.or nearly horizontal formations. In- in- could not be used in steeply dipping forma
clined beds the collars always lie on the low side tions because unieasonable deviation would
of the hole. In horizontal beds the collars lie on the result.
low side of the hole for equilibrium conditions and b. Using larger drill collars with which more
when the weight i s being decreased. In fact, in al- weight may be carried without increasing
most any actual situation encountered in drilling, deviation. Examples: 8-in. collars in P i n .
the possibility of helical buckling of drill collars hole, 11-in. collars in 12%-in. hole.
may be ignored. c. Using both foregoing methods in conjunction.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 3. Extreme reduction in hole clearance, such a s
I t was assumed in this paper that,-in isotropic by the use of several stabilizers in the lower part
formations, drilling i s performed in the direction of of the collar string results in:
the force imparted to the bit. In other words, it was a. A decrease in severity of dog-legs.
implicitly assumed that bit ability to drill i s the b. A decrease in hole inclination in slightly
same in the axial and lateral directions. Actually, dipping formations for heavy weights only.
these two abilities are not necessarily equal and .,
c. No decrease in hole inclination in steeply
their ratio certainly depends upon the type of bit. dipping formations.
An extensive experimental program i s being conduct- 4. Sudden large changes of weight in crooked-hole
ed now by one of the authors in order to determine territories cause dog-legs and should be avoided.
the relative abilities of bits to drill laterally and- Any large change of weight should be graduated over
axially. After completion of this program, the math- a 15- to 30-ft interval.
ematical findings of this paper might require some APPEND5
modifications to make allowance for the type of bit. DIRECTION O F THE FORCE.ON BIT
T h e use of stabilizers investigated in this paper
Differential Equation Method
concerns the case of many stabilizers located in
The coordinate axes, abbreviations, general solu-
the lower portion of the string. The effect of the lo-
tion of the differential equation, and designations,
cation of one stabilizer only could be studied by
if not defined below, are the same a s in the appen-
the means used in this investigation. A previous
dix of ref. 1.
publication6 concerns the location of one stabilizer
Consider a straight, but inclined, hole, the low
in a vertical hole and not in an inclined hole. Simi-
side of which i s represented by the straight line DC
larly, the effect of a limber joint could be analyzed.
in Fig. 18. The angle of inclination with respect to
The downdip drift of bore holes was not mention-
the vertical i s a . The curve AB represents the elas-
ed in this paper. It i s well known that in very steep
tic line of the drilling string. A i s the point of tan-
and soft beds the bit may drift downdip or along a
gency and B i s the bit. L e t x2 and x 3 designate the
contour line. The authors believe that these pheno-
distances in dimensionless units from the neutral
mena might be studied by making allowance for fric-
point to the bit and the tangency point, respectively.
tional rotational effects and for differences in the
The differential equation of this string i s the same
ability of the bit to drill laterally and axially.
a s the differential equation of the string in a vertical
A similar mathematical study without the simpli-
hole investigated in ref. 1, on condition that the
fying assumption of small hole inclinations might
angle a i s small.
be conducted. The results would not only ~ r o v i d ea
I t results from the inspection of Fig. 18 that the
correction for the most inclined holes investigated
difference of deflections between points A and B i s
in this paper, but would also extend the findings to
the entire range of conditions encountered in direc-
equal to: -
I+ (x,-x,) a dimensionless units.
tional drilling. m
CONCLUSIONS
*Large savings were made by carrying more than 30,000 Ib and
1. Drilling a perfectly vertical hole with an elas- lettlng holes g o off a s much a s 1 7 deg. In wildcats, the updip
.tic drilling string i s impossible, even in horizontal drift may Increase the chances of a discovery. ,
238 . . . . ARTHUR LUBINSKI AND H. B. WOODS
------
Neutral Point Depth The expression of the inclination + of the force
r on bit is:' . c
or:
L e t us solve the s e t of equations (2),,(3), and (4)

for c/a. Then, for various numerical values of x2
and x3, corresponding values of c/= are calculated.
Substituting into (6) corresponding values of +/a are
obtained. Thus, both +/a and =m/r are known for
various s e t s of values of x 2 and x3.,+/a was plotted
vs. =m/r in Fig. 2. Each curve i s for a constant
value of x2 ..
Iteration Method
The functions which are particular solutions of
the differential-equation were computed in ref. 1 by
s e r i e s for the values of x up to x = 4.218 only. In
this investigation; greater values of x for which con-
vergence of series i s very poor, had to be consider-
ed. For this reason the following. iteration method
was devised.
Re shall choose, a s axes of coordinates, X and Y
as shown in Fig. 19 and denote by X I the distance
from the bit to ttie point of tangency. The following
equation'represents a curve passing thro-ugh B and
Fig. 18-Differential Equation Method A (see Fig. 1 9 ) and satisfying the boundary condi-
T h i s fact i s expressed by kquation (1) folloking. tions a t these points. These boundary conditions
Equations (2) and (3) following express -the fact are a s follows: deflections equal to zero and r + = XI
that the bending moment i s nil a t points A and B, a t B and A, respectively; d 2 ~ / d x 2 = 0a t B and A;
respectively. , curve tangent a t A to the straight line CD.
Finally, equation (4) following expresses. the fact r nX X.
that the drilling string i s tangent to the hole a t A., ' Y =- sin- + ( r + =XI)-
77 Xl Xl
~(s,-s,)+ ~(T,-T,)+c(U,-U,)=
aP3 +bQ3 +cR3 -
ij
+(xz-x3)a
(1)
(2)
'If this curve were the'elastic line, then the bend-
ing moment a t any-point P would be (see Fig. 19):
aP2 +bQz +cRz =0 (3)
aF3 +bG3 +cH3 - -a
- (4
Divide a, 6, c, and the second members of the equa- . .
tions by a . wherein: p i s the weight of string per unit length;
Eliminating a / = , b / a , and c/a between the four and t and r] are the coordinates of any point (? be-
eauations. we obtain: tween B and P. The relationship between'? and i s t
the s h e a s the relationship (7) between I' and'.Y.
s3-s2 T,-T2 .
.
,Substitutihg the 'expressions of Y and r] into (8) and
p3 Q3 R3 o,,, , = 0 (5) integrating, we obtain:
P* " Q* . . Rz.. , . 0
dZY
,
Vr
.
.. R X
V ~ A P'
- F3 Gi 'H3 ' .. -1 EI - =FX- -- sln - - -- V a X +- X sin
Solving (5) for a m/r, numerical values of am/r dXZ . .n XI X I ?7
were computed. for various values of x2 (dimension-

l e s s weight on the bit) and x3 (dimensionless dis-
tance 'from .neutral point to tangency point). x2-x3
was plotted vs. am/r in Fig. 5. Each curve i s for * With other symbols, this expression on page 208 of ref. 1 was:
a constant value of x 2 . p = c2/x2.
ANGLE O F INCLINATION AND DOGLEGGING IN'ROTARY BORE HOLES 239
Eliminating +/= between (13) and (14) and solv-

Neutroi Point Depth ing for r/= m:
r XI
-= (15)
I =m 24 28 144
I
I T h i s equation i s similar to equation (5)of the dif-
I ferential equation method. It gives r/=m a s a func-
I x*= m x,
tion of the dimensionless weight on bit x 2 and the
distance xl from the bit to the tangency point in
I dimensionless units. Then, substituting (15) into
(13), +/= may be computed.
T h e results obtained with the iteration rne'thod
and the differential equation method are identical.
, XI= m x,
-
I Small differences appear only in the region of heli-
cal buckling (dashed portion of curves in Fig. 2 and
5) which are of no interest. T h i s proves that there
i s no need for a second iteration.
Y Consider now equilibrium conditions in isotropic
I 1 formations. Making $/= = 1 in (13) and eliminating
x i between (13) and (15), a relationship between
=m/r and x was obtained and plotted in Fig. 6
v
L -- (curve h = o f . Because an algebraic elimination of
x i between (13) and (15) was not easy, the actual
Fig. 19-Iteration Method
operations were performed , a s follows: First, r/= rn
w a s eliminated between (13) and (15) and the result-
Expressing the fact that the bending moment i s ing equation solved for x 2 . Then, values of x 2 were
o \ = LI in (91,
nil at .I, i. e., making d 2 ~ ' / d . Y 2 = and computed for many arbitrarily chosen ,values of
making the following substitutions: Finally, corresponding values of =m/r were obtain-
F = V+ (10) . ed with (15).
V = pm x, (11) H O L E I N C L I N A T I O N IN. A N I S O T R O P I C
Xl =,m x1 (12)
FORMATIONS
and rearranging, we obtain: .
Consider Fig. 20, in which V and F represent the
vertical and horizontal components, respectively, of
(13) the reaction of the bottom of the hole on the bit and
= =m in which the straight line d i s the, direction perpen-
dicular to bedding planes and making an angle y with
Integrating (9) and determining the integration con- the vertical.
s t a n t with the condition dY/dX== for X=S, (point A ) , Projecting the reaction of the bottom of the hole
an expression i s obtained. Integrating this l a s t e'x- on the axis d and on an a x i s e perpendicular to d
pression and determining the integration constant ( s e e Fig. 20), we obtain:.
with the condition I' = 0 for S = 0 (point B) another Component perpendicular'to the bedding planks
expression i s obtained. Then, making in this l a s t F sin y + V c o s y
expression I' = r + =.Y1 and S = I\. ( ~ o i n At ) , ,a re- Component parallel to the bedding planes
lationship i s obtained which, after substitution of F c o s y - V sin y
( l o ) , ( l l ) , and (12) and after rearranging, becomes: We may write that the component of an instant-
aneous displacement in the direction perpendicular
to the bedding planes, i. e., along a x i s d, is:
n ( F sin y + V c o s y)
wherein: n i s a proportionality factor.
(14) Assume that the component of displacement in the
direction e i s smaller for anistropic formations than
Anisotropic Horizontal Formations

For anisotropic horizontal formations y = 0 and,
consequently, formula (18) for equilibrium conditions
becomes:
instead of +/a = 1 for isotropic formations. The re-

lationship between am/r and x2 for various values
of h was computed by the method already explained
for isotropic formations in the section "Iteration
Method" and plotted in Fig. 6.
Anisotropic Slanting Formatiow
We shall explain how the data of Fig. 9, 10, and
11 were obtained. For any given curve, the aniso-
tropy index h, the inclination of beds y, and the di-
mensionless weight on bit x are constant and
known; an$, therefore, the variatles in equation (18)
are +/= and a .
L e t us arbitrarily choose a few values of a m/r.
Corresponding values of +/a are obtained from Fig.
2. Then, equation (18) contains only the variable a ,
for which it i s solved.
Thus, for each arbitracily chosen value of am/r,
a corresponding value of a was obtained; and finally,
dividing the second by the first, a corresponding
Fig., 20 value of r/m was calculated. If Fig. 9, 10, and 11
for isotropic formations. Then, this component.may were rigorous, the abscissa should be r/m and not
b e written: the clearance 2r. With this l a s t abscissa, Fig. 9,
nh'. (F. cos y - V sin y)
wherein: h' i s a positive factor smaller than unity. 10, and 11 are correct only for the value of m cor-
responding to 6'4-in. drill collars and approximate
By definition, the anisotropy index h i s equal to:
for other collars.
h = 1-h' ( 16) In order to ascertain that the equilibrium condi-
Projecting the above two components of displace- tions of Fig. 9, 10, and 11 are stable, formula (17)
ment on a vertical axis d' and a horizontal axis e', was transformed a s follows:
we obtain:
Vertical component of displacement: ($)(y)
(1-h
m
c o s 2 y ) + -'hr s i n y c o s y
+
n(F siir y+V cos y) cos y-nh'(F c o s y-V sin y)sin
Eiorizontal component of displacement:
n(F sin y+V cos y)sin y+nh'(F cos y-V sin y) cos y
Consequently, if $ i s the inclination of the direc-
=
(z)(y) m
h sin y c o s y + --(1-h
r s i n 2y)
Assume, a s a.bove, that values of h, y, and x 2 are
(20)
tion of displacement, we may write that tan $ i s given and constant. Assume further a given s i z e of
equal tb the ratio of the horizontal by the vertical drill collars and hole. Consequently, . . m/r i s also
componenk. Then, assuming $ small and replacing known and constant. L e t us arbitrarily choose values
tan $ by $, substituting V+ for F and rearranging, of am/r. Corresponding values of +/a are obtained
(z)
we obtain:
+ (z)=
a (1-h cos2 y) + h s i n y c o s y
(17)
from Fig. 2 and those of $/= are calculated with
formula (20): By such numerical computations, it
was found that for equilibrium conditions, i. e., for
$/= = 1:
a h sin y cos y + (1-h sin2 y) $
a;
and for equilibrium cdnditions ($ = a ): (0
a =
(t); (1-h ;os2 y ) + h sin y cosy
(18)
a,
which means stable equilibrium.
The curves of Fig. 9, 10, and 11 show that the
(9)
a
a h sin y c o s y + (1-h sin'y)
equilibrium angle i s minimum for s o h e value of
ANGLE O F INCLINATION AND DOGLEGGING IN ROTARY BORE HOLES 24 1
c l e a r a n c e , which, i n most c a s e s , i s within the r a n g e of weight, downdrift i s p o s s i b l e when t h e formations

of a c t u a l conditions. F o r l e s s c l e a r a n c e than the are inclined l e s s than 4 d e g for a conventional
foregoing value, t h e equilibrium angle becomes amount of hole clearance and l e s s than 2 d e g for
greater. T h i s surprising f a c t w a s described in the s m a l l clearances.
body of t h i s paper. An a n a l y s i s i s deemed n e c e s - Downdip drift for slightly s l a n t i n g formations is
s a r y here i n order t o s h o w t h a t a proof may b e given, not a very important phenomenon and, for t h i s rea-
which i s independent from the arbitrary concept of s o n , w a s not treated in t h e body of t h i s paper. T h e
drilling anisotropy* introduced in t h i s investigation. main purpose of explaining i t here i s i t s applica-
In a s l a n t i n g formation the force on the bit i s in tion t o updip drift in nearly vertical formations.
a direction which t e n d s t o bring t h e hole toward Nearly Vertical Formations
vertical; and, consequently, +/a i s l e s s than unity. T h e s t r a i g h t line e in Fig. 2 1 r e p r e s e n t s a direc-,
I n other words, the conditions a r e represented in tion parallel t o nearly vertical formations. T h e
F i g . 2 by a point s u c h a s H. T h e n , c o n s i d e r t h e con- s t r a i g h t line d i s perpendicular t o e. T h e straight
ditions represented by point K , for which t h e weight l i n e a r e p r e s e n t s t h e a x i s of a n updip hole.
on t h e bit and +/a are the s a m e a s previously. As- Analyzing t h e nieans by which the drilling ani-
sume that t h e hole inclination = i s t h e same. Con- sotropy concept w a s introduced in t h i s investiga-
sequently, the inclination + of the force on t h e bit tion, i t i s apparent t h a t drilling conditions would
i s a l s o identical in both c a s e s . T h e magnitude and remain the same if the bedding p l a n e s were parallel
t h e direction of t h e force on the bit a n d the forma- t o d i n s t e a d of e, and t h e factor h'[see formula (16)I
tion being t h e same, we may conclude t h a t in both were replaced by i t s reciprocal. On t h e other hand,
c a s e s the equilibrium angle must be t h e same. In- i t r e s u l t s from an inspection of Fig. 2 1 t h a t t h e up-
asmuch a s v a l u e s of = were a s s u m e d e q u a l in both d i p drift of the a x i s a of t h e hole with r e s p e c t t o
c a s e s and as v a l u e s of a m / r are different a t H and bedding p l a n e s e corresponds to a downdip drift with
K , therefore, v a l u e s of r are not equal. Consequent- r e s p e c t t o d. Consequently, we must r e p l a c e in our
ly, there are generally two v a l u e s of t h e apparent consideration y by -(90 deg-y). Consider, for in-
r a d i u s of the hole for which the equilibrium angle s t a n c e , the c a s e of y = 85 deg., h = 0.050; i. e., h'
i s the same, which e x p l a i n s the s h a p e of c u r v e s of = 0.950. T h e n , i n s t e a d of a n 85-degdip, we may con-
Fig. 9, 10, and 11. s i d e r a d i p of -5 d e g and h'equal t o 1/0.950=1.0526;
Slightly Slanting Formations i.e., h = 1-h'= -0.0526. T h i s method permits u s e
F o r small y, s u b s t i t u t e i n (17) y for - s i n y and o f simple formulae (21) and (22), i n s t e a d of more
unity for c o s y and disregard h y 2 and +hy, both s m a l l complicated e x p r e s s i o n s (17) and (18) i n the c a s e
compared to unity.
and for equilibrium conditions ($ = a):

h
a = (22)
1- (1-h)- +
a
y
Formulae (21) and (22) were u s e d for formations

inclined 5 and 1 0 deg.
Downdip Drift
We have assumed s o far an updip drift of t h e bore
hole. F o r a downdip drift, y should b e considered
negative in formulae (I?), (18), (20), (21), and (22).
Numerical a n a l y s i s of t h e s e formulae i n d i c a t e s t h a t
downdip s t a b l e equilibrium conditions may occur
only for y c l o s e t o zero or t o 9 0 deg. F o r s m a l l dips,
downdip drift i s impossible for a weight on t h e bit
of one d i m e n s i o n l e s s unit or l e s s . T h e greater t h e
weight on the bit, t h e wider t h e range of y for which
downdip drift i s possible. F o r 8 d i m e n s i o n l e s s units
* S e e text preced~ngequation (16). F i g . 21-Nearly V e r t i c a l Formations
24 2 ARTHUR LUBINSKI AND H. B. WOODS
of nearly vertical formations. I t w a s u s e d for d i p s ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

of 85 and 8 0 deg. T h e experimental work w a s conducted in t h e
Vertical Formations H u g h e s T o o l Company R e s e a r c h and Engineering
Laboratory and t h e mathematical work w a s perform-
Applying the above method t o the limiting c a s e
' e d in t h e R e s e a r c h Department of t h e Stanolind O i l
of vertical formation, formula (19) becomes:
a n d G a s Company. T h e authors w i s h t o acknowledge
their appreciation t o both companies for permission
t o publish t h i s paper. T h e y wish a l s o t o thank t h e
I-h i s smaller than unity; and t h e horizontal line following for valuable help:
corresponding t o s u c h a v a l u e of + / = in Fig. 2 in- T. VI1. Keating, Chairman of t h e A P I Mid-Continent
t e r s e c t s some c u r v e s a t two points, s u c h a s H and Study Committee on Bore-Hole Drift.
K . P o i n t K, however, corresponds to an unstable W. A. Kistler, Hughes T o o l Company.
equilibrium and may b e disregarded. G. W. King, J. A. Muckleroy,and J. C. Stall. Stano-
T h e l i n e HK d o e s not i n t e r s e c t t h e c u r v e s of high lind O i l and G a s Company.
d i m e n s i o n l e s s weights, which m e a n s that in vertical P e t e r A. Szego, T h e R i c e Institute. .
formations the weight must not exceed a certain W. W. Moore, British-American O i l Producing Co.
v a l u e above which there i s n o equilibrium.* Formula H. M. Hollins, Drilco Engineering Company.
(23) and Fig. 2 were u s e d in preparing Fig. 9 i , 10i,
and l l i . REFERENCES
DOG-LEGS Lubinski, Arthur: A Study of the Buckling of Rotary Drill-
ing Strings, D r r l l i n g and P r o d u c t c o n P r a c t r c e . 178 (1950).
Start of a Dog-Leg by a Sudden Change of Weight
A s s u m e t h a t i n a straight but inclined hole, a sud- Maretich, F. A. and Wilkie, S . K : Socony Reduces Drill-
ing Time in Guario by Directional Drilling, 0 1 1 G a s J . .
d e n change of weight c a u s e s a sudden change of t h e 5 1 [33] 172, Dec. 22 (1952).
direction of drilling. T h e inclination $ of t h e in-
" c ~ l o ~ ,R . B: The Need for a Definition of a Crooked
s t a n t a n e o u s direction of drilling a t t h a t time i s g i v e n Hole, 0 1 1 G a s J . (title: Wanted: A Definition of a Crook-
i n the g e n k r a ~c a s e by formula (17) and for s l i g h t l y ed Hole) 50 [7] 98, March 31 (1952).
inclined beds by formula (21). T h e value of a m / r ,
Booth, W. M: Oversize Drill Collars Aid, Drilling Industry
which d o e s not change, i s known; and, consequent-
in Crooked-hole Country, O i l G a s 1 . . 51 [13] 79, Aug. 4
l y , t h e value of + / = corresponding to t h e new weight (1952).
may be obtained from F i g . 2 and s u b s t i t u t e d into (17)
Bachman, W. S. and Rollins, H . M: Straight-hole Drilling
o r (21). Practice in West Texas, T h e Drclling C o n t r a c t o r , Dec.
T h e sudden change of angle is equal to $--a. By 15 (1952).
s u c h a means, c u r v e s of F i g . 14 and 15 were com- MacDonald, G. C. and Lubinski, Arthur: Straight-hole
p uted. Drilling in Crooked-hole Country, Drcllrng a n d P r o d u c t i o n
P r a c t c c e , 80 (1951).
Start of a Dog-Leg by Crossing an Unconformity
Suppose t h a t t h e b e d s a r e inclined above and hor- BIBLIOGRAPHY
izontal below an unconforrnity. Assume equilibrium
Burgess, Gerald: Well-bore Deviation, T h e D r r l l i n g C o n -
conditions before the unconformity i s reached and t r a c t o r , Dec. (1952).
a s s u m e that y i s small. Then, making $/= = 1 in
Clark, L. V. W : A Theoretical Examination of Straight
(21), we obtain for conditions above the unconform- Hole and Directeddrilling Technique, The Institution of
ity: Petroleum Technologists, Vol. 22, March (19361.t
7 hY
Capeluschnikov, M: Why Holes Go Crooked in Drilling,
World P e t r o l e u m , I , 191 (1930).
)Although thrs paper a s a whole I S of value, one portlon may

and making y = 0 in (21), we obtain for conditions mrslead the reader, vtz., the one concernrng a strarght-hole
below the unconformity d r ~ l l ~ ntechn~que
g by sublectrng the d r ~ l l ~ nstrrng
g to t e n s ~ o n .
Thrs was shown In the followmg: 1, D r s c u s s ~ o nby H. B .
Woods of the paper by A. Klinkenberg, "The Neutral Zones rn
= a Drrll P ~ p eand Casing and Thew S r g n ~ f ~ c a n cIn e Relatron to
Bucklrng and Collapse," Drrllrng and Productcon Practcce, 64
* Actually, there rs probably an equrlibr~urnfor a very rncl~ned (1951), and 2 , Lubrnskr, Arthur. Influence of Tensron and Corn
hole. Thrs investrgatron was made w ~ t han assumptron of small pression on Tubular Goods ~n 011 Wells, S e c . IV, Proc. Am.
hole rnclrnatron. P e t . Inst. (Prod. Bul. 237) 3 1 (195 1).
ANGLE O F INCLINATION AND DOGLEGGING IN ROTARY BORE H O L E S 24 3
I
DLSCUSSION words, clearance between the drill rod and the walls
J. B. Murdoch, Jr. (Eastman Oil Well Survey Co., of the hole i s practically zero. In the few surveys
Denver, Colo.)(written):* hlr. Lubinski and Mr. Woods I have seen of such drill holes, the deviation has
are to be commended for presenting the theoretical seemed very slight considering the small diameter
b a s i s for an analysis of the factors affecting the of the holes and the ability of the rods to bend. Ob-
deviation and dog-legging of drilled wells. They viously, any study of the subject should take into
demonstrate ath he ma tic ally that the drilling of a tru- account the dip of the beds through which the hole
ly vertical hole to any considerable depth i s a prac- i s drilled, hole diameter, hole length, the type bit
tical impossibility. Because of the small amount of .used, the amount of weight applied to the bit, and
weight which it would be necessary to carry on the many other factors.
bit, the penetration rate would be reduced s o that T h e eBect of clearance between the drill collar
the drilling of such a well would be economically and the hole increases only when extreme weights
unsounr are applied to the bit. The "equilibrium angle" i s
T h e authors have advanced a theory that, when g r e a t e w o r extreme weight on the bit. T h u s , i t would
drilling in a homogeneous formation with a given seem best to employ oversize drill collars with
dhll-collar diameter and hole s i z e and constant weights l e s s than the extreme, and accept a certain
weight on the bit, an equilibrium angle will be reach- moderate amount of drift a s a requisite for increas-
e d and maintained. T h i s i s substantiated by prac- ed rate of penetration. Instances cited in the pape'r
tice. Surveys of many wells in uniform formation show that a considerable saving in drilling expense
where drilling methods are standardized show that has been realized in allowing the drift angle to in-
the well course assumes and maintains a somewhat crease moderately.
uniform angle and direction for most of i t s length. T h i s analysis shows that dog-legs of small mag-
Variation in the drilling procedure usually changes nitude are caused by a sudden increase or decrease
the drift angle and turns the well course. in the weight applied on the bit; a l s o that when the
One of the proved systems of reducing angle in the bit i s drilling in highly inclined beds the dog-leg i s
drilling of a directional well has been to use a sta- much larger. The use of oversize drill collars re-
bilizer above the drill collar and bit, and to drill with duces the change of angle because the clearance
reduced weight. Thus, theory bears out practice, be- between the drill collar and the walls of the hole i s
cause this drilling s e t u p i s an effective means of in- l e s s , thus effectively prevents the bit from realign-
creasing the distance between the bit and the "point ing the well course. The instantaneous change of
of tangency9' of the drill pipe. angle i s alniost identical, regardless of the amount
The authors'demonstration of the influence of the of weight carried on the bit. Therefore, drilling ,with
ratio of the drill-collar s i z e to the s i z e of hole cut increased weight will not result inasharperdog-leg.
on the drift angle, i s substantiated by another prac- The authors prove that the use of oversize drill col-
tice developed in drilling directional holes. A drill- lars and additional weight on the bit while maintain-
ing setup which increases drift consists of a bit, a ing a moderate drift angle in the hole will not cause
stabilizer (or roller reamer) above it, and plain drill sharper dog-legs in the well course.
pipe used instead of drill collars. Urilling with this An investigation was conducted recently previous
setup with increased weight on the bit invariably in- to the preparation of a paper dealing with methods
creases the drift. A variation of this drilling hookup used and difficulties encountered in producing direc-
often i s used immediately after a deflecting tool has tionally drilled wells. Operators who had years of
been run. The stabilizer i s eliminated and drilling practical experience in producing many wells of this
i s done with plain drill pipe above the bit. T h i s gen- type were interviewed. The consensus was that the
erally increases drift in the well and continues the inclination of the well (even when drift angleswere
directional turn initiated by the whipstock. The the- a s great a s 75 deg) did not greatly increase produc-
oretical data in this paper shows that the ability of tion costs. The principal cause of suckerrod and
the drill string to bend in the hole tends to increase tubing wear, and much of the pump abrasion, was
the "equilibrium angle" of drift. Advantage i s taken attributed to dog-legs in the well course. Many of
of this fact to change the course of a directed well. the operators stated that they would prefer to pump
highly deviated wells with uniform courses, rather
A study of the deviation of diamond-drill holes
than produce so-called straight wells in which the
might be of interest to investigate this theory f u r
course of the hole formed a tight spiral, or which
ther. In drilling such small-diameter holes, rods are
contained sharp kinks. Probably a dog-leg limit of
used that almost completely fill the hole; in other
3 to 4 deg per 100 ft of hole drilled would be prac-
* ~ l n c eremoved to Long Beach, C a l d . tical for economical production. D o g l e g s in the
shallower depths of the well are liable to cause present some case histories which I believe are of
more sucker-rod and tubing wear than those deep in interest.
the hole, because more of the weight of moving equip- Fig. 1 (Moore) represents the drilling progress of
ment bears on the side of the hole in the first in- the well in Fremont County, Wyoming, referred to
stance. These production engineers considered that by the authors a s the one used in my discussion of
pumping costs could be reduced materially if wells R. B. McCloy's paper presented in 1952 a t Wichita,
were drilled more carefully in order to eliminate Kansas. It i s reshown at this time for the purpose
sharp bends in their courses, and that extreme care of illustrating by example the author;' conclusion
used to keep drift angles low was unnecessary. From 2a, viz.: "In crooked-hole territories, cost of drill-
these opinions, it would seem that allowing wells ing may be lowered by carrying much more weight
to deviate beyond present straight-hole contract and deliberately accepting a larger deviation; this
limits would not tend to increase production costs. does not result in sharper dog-legs. Such a method
FVesley W. Moore (British-American Oil Producing could not be used in steeply dipping formations be-
Co., DallasNwritten): The authors have analyzed cause unreasonable deviation would result."
quantatively t h e factors affecting the angle of in- I t will be noted that, by deliberately accepting
clination and doglegging in rotary bore holes. These the larger deviation, it was possible to reduce rig
analyses can serve a s a guide for substantial re- time an estimated 62 days. Inasmuch a s this was a
ductions in rotary drilling costs. very large rig, it i s estimated that the savings on
I shall confine my comments to the conclusions. this well approximated $85,000. I do not fully agree
reached by the authors and, in support thereof, shall with the authors in their statement that "such a
ELAPSED DRILLING TIME - DAYS
o' a' E a' C v- C I< m- m-

DEVIATION -DECREES
Fig. 1 (Moore)
ELXPSED DRILLING TIME - DAYS

0 10 10 30 40 50 60 TO 10 W IW 110 I20 IS0
method cannot be used in steeply dipping formations to desired depth in the allotted time using 6%-in.
because unreasonable deviation would result." drill collars. Therefore, 8-in. drill collars were used
Fig. 2 (Moore) represents the drilling progress of in a 9-in. hole below 3,5% ft. Reights carried are
a well in which very steeply dipping beds were en- noted along the drilling progress curve. Uog-legs
countered and which was drilled rapidly without can be noted a t 4,800 ft and at 7,200 ft, but no drill-
creating serious dog-legs, even though the angle of ing difficulty was experienced in the entire 8,100 ft
deviation climbed to a s high a s 18 deg. T h i s par- of hole.
ticular well was a wildcat drilled on a lease across The cost of drilling this dry hole was comparable
an overthrust fault from the main part of the field, t o the drilling of other wells in the field where dips
and the surface location was s o situated a s to p e r of the formation do not exceed 1 2 deg. It i s difficult
mit a drift even larger than was experienced without to estimate what the cost would have been had we
either crossing the fault or going beyond the lease refused to accept s o large a deviation from vertical.
boundary. T h e drilling of this well, because of l e a s e In support of the authors' conclusion 2b, viz.,
commitment, was an operation against time. There- 66
using larger drill collars with which more weight
fore, it had to be drilled rapidly a t whatever cost. may be carried without increasing deviation. Exam-
Difficulties experienced in maintaining straight ples: &in. collars in P i n . hole, 11-in. collars in
hole from the surface down to about 3,500 ft made 12'4-in. hole," I offer Fig. 3 (Moore) which shows
i t appear improbable that we cou!d successfully drill the drilling progress a t the Steamboat Butte Field,
0
ELAPSED DRILLING TIME
I0 20 SO 40
- DAYS -
50 60 70 0 1
ELAPSED DRILLING TIME
0 2 0 X ) 4 0 6 0
- DAYS
6 0 7 0
---
0 lo 0 10 I
DEVIATION - DEGREES DEVIATION- DEGREES
Fig. 3 (Moore)
Wyoming, of ~ H . J wells drilled with the same rig, per foot for drilling in this field i s based on the aver-
using the same crews and pusher. Both wells were age rate of penetration per net drilling day, a sav-
located in areas of relatively flat dip. One, however, ings of $2.71 per foot resulted from the use of &in.
was west of the axis while the other was east of the drill collars; and for a 7,000-ft well, this savings
axis. The principal difference in the two wells was . amounted to very nearly $19,000.
the use of 8-in. drill collars in a 9-in. hole at the Similar comparison can be made between two other
well on the right; whereas 6'4-in. drill collars in a similar wells drilled with a smaller rig in this same
9-in. hole were used at the well on the left. field, one of which used 6'4-in. drill collars, and the
Weight on bit for the well on the right averaged other 8-in. drill collars. The average rate of pene-
something like 30,000 Ib with a maximum of 45,000 tration using 6'4-in. drill collars in a 9-in. hole was
Ib; whereas the weight on bit for the well on the left 80 ft per day, a s compared to 104 ft per day for the
averaged about 20,000 Ib with a maximum of 35,000 same rig, using 8-in. drill collars in a 9-in. hole.
Ib. It can be noted that the maximum deviation for IIere again, the maximum deviation was slightly
the well on the right was 3 deg a s compared to 2! greater for the well making the better time, viz.,
deg for the well on the left. 5'4 deg as compared to the 4 % deg for the well
Average rate of penetration per net drilling day making the slower speed, but neither hole has given
for the well on the right was 139 ft, a s compared to trouble.
102 ft for the well on the left. necause the price The savings in footage cost amounted to $2.63
ANGLE O F INCLINATION AND D O G L E G G I N G IN ROTARY B O R E H O L E S 247
per foot for the well using 8-in. drill collars, or over replacing cosines of small angles by one and tan-
$18,000 for a 7,000-ft well. g e n t s of small angles by the angles, the order of
magnitude of the overall error i s obtained by check-
P e t e r A. Szego (The Rice Institute, Houston)(writing the errors arising through these replacements.
ten): The authors are to be congratulated on their For angles l e s s than 10 deg, the maximum error for
valuable contribution to the theory of bore holes. t h e s e replacements i s about 1'4 percent; for angles
T h e mathematical techniques used appear to be up to 15 deg, about percent; for angles up to 20
correct. An independent check of the numerical com- deg, about 6 percent. Thus the authors' estimates
putation would be an extensive task-testimony to seem reasonable.
the magnitude of the work carried out by the authors. T h e authors point out the desirability of extend-
However, it i s interesting to note that verification ing their work to large angles of inclination. Inas-
of a key numerical value i s available in a German much a s the elementary beam formulae are restricted
paper by A. Willers.* Willers considers only vertical to situations wherein the slope of the deflection
holes (a = 0). However, a s the authors point out, the curve remains small, the large-angle situation must
functions which must be computed in the inclined be studied with inclined coordinates such a s those
c a s e coincide with those required for the vertical shown in Fig. 1 (%ego). T h i s figure corresponds to
case. Willers finds that the weight on bit (in dimen- Fig. 19 of the paper. L i s the distance from the bit
s i o n l e s s units) required to produce first order buck- to the point of tangency; U and il' are the force com-
ling of a uniform drill stem of infinite length is'1.88. ponents acting on the bit; the distributed weight p
T h i s agrees exactly with the value found by A. h a s a component p cos a in the .T direction and a
Lubinski,+ which i s the foundation for the present component p sin.: in the I' direction. The bending
work. T h u s there i s good reason to trust the accu- equation becomes:
racy of the calculations.
T h e agreement i s all the more striking when it i s
realized that Nillers employs asymptotic s e r i e s for
large arguments, whereas Lubinski u s e s power s e -
r i e s throughout. Inasmuch a s the latter converge
slowly for large values of the argument, asymptotic
s e r i e s should be used in the event further investi-
gations require precise calculations in this range.
Actually it will be simpler to carry out further
work by approximate methods such as the authors'
iteration scheme. In the use of approximate methods
the choice of techniques i ~ - ~ a ra t matter
l ~ of per-
sonal preference. A good feature of the
authors' approach lies in the fact that only integrals
of the approximating function appear in the final ex-
pressions. T h i s means that, even though the approx-
imation i s poor in some regions, the average obtain-
e d by integration still gives good values. T h e ac-
curacy of the method i s shown by the agreement ob-
tained with values computed from the s e r i e s solu-
tion. Of course, one could carry out a further itera-
tion, but only a t the price of greatly complicating
the formulae.
T h e most frequently occuring assumption in this
paper i s that the angle of inclination of the bore
hole be small. The authors estimate that the con-
sequent errors are negligible for angles l e s s than
10 deg; small for 15 dag; and considerable above
20 deg. Because the errors arise primarily through
* Fr. A. W ~ l l e r s : T h e B u c k l ~ n g of H e a v y Rods (m German),
Zertschrift fib Angewandte hfathernatrk und Mechanik, 21, 4 3
(1941).
f ~ e f I(,
. p. 242. 1 Fig. 1 (Szego)
This generalizes equation (8) of the paper and re- small-hole inclination which undoubtedly will be
duces to it when = = 0. Introducing the dimension- useful in future research.
l e s s quantities x=,I/rn, =Y/rn, 1= L/m, u = U/mp, The authors wish to thank Mr. Moore for his val-
w = V/rnp, the bending equation becomes: . uable discussion. His actual field examples confirm
the conclusions of the paper, based on theoretical
findings. He does not wholly agree, however, with
the conclusion that in steeply dipping formations,
carrying heavy weight would result in unreasonable
The boundary conditions in din~ensionlessunits are deviations. Mr. Moore has perhaps misunderstood
I,
y = y ( x ) = 0 at x = 0 ; y = r/m, y '(x) = y"(z) = 0 our conclusion 2a, which for additional clarity
should have been worded a s follows (new text i s
A s a first attempt a t a solution, one might try the italicized:
iteration technique with an initial approximation 2. In crooked-hole territories, cost of drilling may
function: be lowered by:
y = m~ F
l +n L s i n q a. Using conventional drill collars, but carry-
ing much more weight t h m .generally done
and deliberately accepting a larger devia-
Equations (13), (14), and (15) of the paper are then tion; etc.
replaced by the respective formulae: In Mr. Moore's example of his Fig. 2, 8-in. OD,
tanp+tan= r i. e., oversize, drill collars are used below 3,500 ft
tan a m tan= and this chart i s a good example for our conclusion
2c rather than 2a.
T h e authors wish to thank Mr. Murdoch for his in-
teresting comments. The most important of these
may be summed up a s follows:
, tanp+tan= r 1. Production troubles are caused by dog-legs.
2. Inclination of the well (even with drift angles
tan a m tan=
a s great a s 75 deg) has very little effect on pro-
duction difficulties.
3. The paper might be used to evaluate the per-
formance of slimhole drilling.
The second comment i s very significant in view
of the fact that the authors recommend drilling holes
inclined up to 15 or 20 deg only.
The-authors are in agreement with the third com-
ment above. Cheap slim-hole drilling, recently ad-
vocated by Gerald Burgess, may become in the fu-
28 144 ture a common practice in drilling exploratory wells.
+ cosa(T-n n4 -11
- One of i t s limitations i s that the method i s very
likely not suitable in very dipping formations. T h i s
When a and p are small, these expressions reduce investigation could make possible a comparison of
t o those obtained by the authors. One need only the relative merits of slim-hole and conventional-
note that = + /3 = 4. hole drilling for any given s e t of conditions. For
Using the foregoing expressions one can compute this purpose, curves for greater dimensionless
corrections for the curves developed by the authors weights than those made s o far should be prepared.
and extend their range to larger angles. Checks
should be made to determine the range of values of J. P. Bernhard (Regie Autonome Des Petroles,
a for which the approximation i s sufficiently accu- Paris, France)(written):* This paper throws a very
rate. The c a s e a = 90 deg can be studied directly new and bright light on the whole problem of well-
with fairly simple functions. It i s to be hoped that bore drift. After thorough study and comparison with
the large-angle c a s e will be investigated further. experimental facts, I cannot find anything against
the statements pr$sented.
Mr. Lubinski and Mr. Woods (written): The au- I should like, however, to add the following com-
thors wish to thank Dr. Szego for his comments. ments to this very valuable work.
They particularly appreciate his outline of a proce-
dure for eliminating the simplifying assumption of * Prepared following presentation of paper.
..
ANGLE O F INCLINATION AND DOG-LEGGING IN ROTARY BORE HOLES 249
Orientation of the Drift

T h e authors start from the well-known fact that h cos+ c o s y sin y sin 8
the bit generally drills updip and, by introducing the
conception of a drilling anisotropy index, arrive a t Besides the solution h = 0 (isotropic formation)
the calculation of the equilibrium angle. and y = 0 (horizontal formations), which were ob-
I wish to point out the consideration of the sniso- vious, this equation i s satisfied by 8 = 0 (downdip
tropy index i s sufficient to explain that the bit can drift) and 8 = R (updip drift).
generally not reach any equilibrium condition out of Still another equilibrium condition would be real-
a vertical plane perpendicular to the bedding plane. ized by satisfying the equation:
L e t u s choose, a s axes of coordinates, Ox and Oy c o s 8 tan+ t a n y + 1 = 0
iri horizontal plane, Oy being a horizontal of the For drifts which are not abnormally high, say
bedding pl-ane, and OZ an upward oriented vertical. about 20 deg, the solution of this equation h a s a
A s auxiliary axes, we choose Oy 'coincident with physical meaning only if y i s greater than 70 deg.
Oy, OZ'normal to the bedding planes, and OZ' in the T h u s we may conclude that whatever the drift
bedding plane, oriented downdip. angle and the formation should be, a stable condi-
L e t 4 and 8 be, respectively, the inclination-and tion can be found for updip or downdip drift only,
the orientation of the force on bit, whose magnitude unless a definite relationship exists between dip,
we take a s unity. drift angle, weight on bit, and direction of drift.
The of the force On bit O n the axes T h i s relationship can be maintained only in extreme
Or. Oy, and OZ are: c a s e s of nearly vertical dip or extreme drift.
X = sin+ cos8 However, c a s e s of lateral drift are known even
Y = sin+ s i n 8 in current practice. The above statement means that
Z = cos+ their interpretation need's something e l s e than the
Projecting on the axes 0; 0; (Iz', we find the anisotropy index, such a s rotational or frictional
components: effects, etc. '
x'= s i n + c o s 8 cosy - cos+ siny Hole Inclination i n Anisotropic Formations
Y'= s i n + sin 8 I would suggest a simpler way to arrive a t the cal-
Z'= s i n + c o s 8 s i n y + cos+ cosy culation of the drift angle. Consider Fig. l (Bernhard)
The components of an instantaneous displacement the projections of the force on the bit on the a x e s d
with respect to the axes Oz',OY: 0,: will be propor and e used by the authors. They are (the magnitude
tional to: of the force on bit being again taken a s unity):
Vx'= (1-h) X' on axis d: cos (+-y)
on axis e: sin (4-y)
Vy'= (1-h) Y'
The components of the instantaneous displacement
v '= Z' are proportional to cos (6-y) and to (I-h) s i n (+-y)
and with respect to the axes Ox, Oy, Oz, to:
Vx = (1-h) c o s y X'+ sin y Z'
vy = V,'
V, -(l-h) sin y XO+c o s y Z'
=
Substituting, and rearranging, we obtain:
cos y-cos 4 sin y)
sin ~ - s i n + c o s 8 cosy)
T h e orientation 1 of the displacement will be giv-
en by:
(1-h) s i n + sin8
vY
tanq=-=
Vx sin+ cos8-hcosy(sin~cos8cosy-cos+ siny)
Writing 1 = 8 (equilibrium condition) we obtain,
after rearranging: ,Fig. 1 (Bernhard)
So one can write immediately: of angle i s concerned. The equilibrium angle on the
tan ($-y) = (l-h) tan (4-y) contrary i s much more sensitive to changes of dip
in inclined holes. Keferring, for instance, to Fig. 13,
which i s valid for any 'angle. For small angles, it i s
one can note.that the equilibrium angle varies from
easy to show that this equation i s the same a s equa-
1 8 deg to 25 deg on curve 8 if the dip varies from
tion (17).
For equilibrium conditions, we write: 25 deg to 35 deg; whereas it varies only from 2.2
deg to 3 deg on curve 1. It i s my belief that this
tan (a-y) = (l-h) tan (4-y) could lead to some dog-legging, if very inclined
T h i s equation can be used in a very easy way: holes are drilled with a large clearance.
y being given, to each arbitrary value of a corre- We had recently an example of such changes in
sponds a value of 4, s o +/a n ~ a ybe calculated. our operations in Southern France. A well had been
Then, for a given weight on bit, corresponding val- sidetracked in an updip direction. The plans were
ues of =(m/z) are found on Fig. 2 of the authors pa- for a 20-deg inclination which has been obtained
per. Dividing = by those values, the values of r/m very easily, the average dip being 30 deg. However,
are obtained. the formation drilled i s well known for having local
~og-~egs variations in dip of about f 5 deg. These variations
I agree with the authors' conclusion that the dog- caused the inclination to vary rather quickly between
legs caused by unconformities are not sharper in in- 16 deg and 22 deg, without any change in weight on
clined than in nearly vertical holes. However, this bit. No trouble has been experienced during drilling,
holds true only insofar a s the instantaneous change however.

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Factors Affecting the Angle of Inclination and Dog-Legging

in Rotary Bore Holest

HOLE INCLINATION IN ISOTROPIC

HOLE LIIGC)MUOU. 'C IU DEGREES (EXAMPLE C A W

B of Fig. 7 indicates-for instance-that for 8'4-in.

* The defln~tionof h will be given further in t h ~ spaper, h = 0

v a l u e s of h between zero and 0.075.

are given for various values of the weight on the

degrees i s plotted vs. the diametral clearance in

F i g . 11-Inclination Toward Which t h e H o l e Tends (Equilibrium Angle) in Slanting Formations

drill collars, 3 .deg (point C ) would also be obtained

Fig. 12-Equilibrium Angle vs. Formation Dip

Consider the effect of hole clearance on the,in-

in which h i s the anisotropy index and y the forma-

Fig. 16-Dog-Leg Caused by Going from Inclined to Horizontal Beds

wall of the hole a t the unconformity (point A). When

T h i s investigation was made with an assumption

L e t us solve the s e t of equations (2),,(3), and (4)

were computed. for various values of x2 (dimension-

Eliminating +/= between (13) and (14) and solv-

Anisotropic Horizontal Formations

instead of +/a = 1 for isotropic formations. The re-

c l e a r a n c e , which, i n most c a s e s , i s within the r a n g e of weight, downdrift i s p o s s i b l e when t h e formations

and for equilibrium conditions ($ = a):

Formulae (21) and (22) were u s e d for formations

of nearly vertical formations. I t w a s u s e d for d i p s ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

)Although thrs paper a s a whole I S of value, one portlon may

o' a' E a' C v- C I< m- m-

ELXPSED DRILLING TIME - DAYS

ANGLE O F INCLINATION AND DOG-LEGGING IN ROTARY BORE HOLES 249

Orientation of the Drift

cos y-cos 4 sin y)

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