Directional Drilling
Directional Drilling
Directional Drilling
Directional Drilling
Samip Umaretiya
Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University,
Gandhinagar.
Directional drilling is defined as the practice of controlling the direction and
deviation of a wellbore to a predetermined underground target or location.
Reasons
Side Tracking
Restricted locations
Reach Multiple targets and reduce number of platforms
Horizontal drilling
Reach in thin reservoir
Salt dome and fault drilling
Relief wells and etc.
Reference System(Depth & Geographical)
Trajectory is related to money.
3D reference system
Vertical depth
Horizontal distance from well head in northerly direction
Distance traversed from wellhead in easterly direction
Depth Reference System
Geographical Reference System
Planning & Profile of well
Push the bit: Use pads on the outside of the tool which press
against the well bore thereby causing the bit to press on the
opposite side causing a direction change.
Point the bit: direction of the bit to change relative to the rest of
the tool by bending the main shaft running through it.
Advantages:
Continuous rotation of the drill string allows for improved transportation of
drilled cuttings to the surface resulting in better hydraulic performance,
better weight transfer for the same reason allows a more complex bore to
be drilled.
The well geometry therefore is less aggressive and the wellbore (wall of the
well) is smoother than those drilled with a motor.
Push the bit Point the bit
Why Directional Survey?
1. 3D
2. Trajectory b/w two stations may not be straight
line.
MD/AHD
Based on the number of drill pipes are run into the well
Azimuth of Wellbore
When survey is taken at that time the direction in which bit is pointing that’s called as
azimuth.
Magnetic North (Based on earth megnatic field components)
True North (Geographic North pole)
Grid North (From the map, Rectangular grid system)
UTM (60 zones are devided into the 6 degree latitude, central meridian=GN)
Mainly 2 Conversitions are applied to the measured azimuth
Grid convergence & Declination (+ve & -ve)
Inclination
How much degrees we are deviating from the vertical
1. Tangential Method
Use Inclination & Azimuth @ lower survey station only
Assumed path is tangential (Straight line) throughout survey interval
If Angle is high; More survey interval; more inaccurate result
Model (Highly Inaccurate & Not Recommendable)
2. Balanced Tangential
Use both Stations survey data (inclination and azimuth)
Assume well path (2 straight line segment of equal length)
2 time tangential model is applied
Model (Approximate closure shape & yields more accurate result)
3. Average Angle Method
Inclination and direction will be averaged @ both survey stations
Wellbore path assumed to be straight line
Simple Calculation can be done by hand held calculator & Accurate
4. Radius of Curvature Method
Assumed path (Curvature which has a shape of spherical arc)
Inclination and direction are varying in course of length
Less sensitive to error even if survey interval is long
Complicated & Best handled by computer
5. Minimum Curvature
Takes space vectors
Curvature path is calculate by ratio factor defined by dogleg of wellbore
Total curvature is minimized into arc
Calculation best handled by computer