Directional Drilling

Directional Drilling
When is it used?
Type I Wells (build and hold)
Type II Wells (build, hold and drop)
Type III Wells (build)
Directional Well Planning & Design
Survey Calculation Methods

What is Directional Drilling?

Directional Drilling is the process of
directing a wellbore along some trajectory
to a predetermined target.
Basically it refers to drilling in a non-vertical
direction. Even vertical hole sometimes
require directional drilling techniques.
Examples: Slanted holes, high angle holes (far from vertical), and Horizontal holes.

Non-Vertical
Wellbore

q, a or I
Inclination Angle
Z Axis (True Vertical
Depth)
North
Direction
f, e or A
Angle
Direction Plane X

Lease Boundary
Surface
Location for
Well No. 2

Surface Location for Well No. 1

Bottom Hole Location for Well 2

Houses

Figure 8.2 - Plan view of a typical oil and gas structure under a lake showing how
directional wells could be used to develop it. Best locations? Drill from lake?

Top View

NOTE: All the

wells are
directional

5 - 50 wells
per platform

Figure 8.3 - Typical offshore development platform

with directional wells.

Drilling Rig Inside Building

Figure 8.4 - Developing a field under a city

using directionally drilled wells.

Why not
drill from
top of
mountain?

Maximum
lateral
displ.?

Fig. 8.5 - Drilling of directional wells where the

reservoir is beneath a major surface obstruction.

Cement Plug

Fish Lost in Hole and

Unable to Recover
Sidetracked Hole
Around Fish

Figure 8.6 Sidetracking

around a fish.

Figure 8.7 Using an old

well to explore
for new oil by
sidetracking
out of the
casing and
drilling
directionally.

Oil Producing Well

Ready to Abandon
Sidetracked
Out of Casing
Possible
New Oil
Old Oil Reservoir

Type II
Build-hold and Drop (S Type)

Type I
Type III

Build and
Hold Type

Build-hold Drop and/or Hold

(Modified S Type)

Continuous
Build

Figure 8.8 - Major types of wellbore trajectories.

Figure 8.10 Geometry of the

build section.

Build Section

Build Radius:

18,000
r1
* BUR

Build Section:
Length
ofarc,L1 r1 1
Vert
icaldepth
C'D' r1sin 1
Horiz.dev. DD' r1(1 cos 1)
L1
100
r1

1 *
1
180

rad deg

18,000
r1
* BUR

Start of Buildup

End of Build

Type II

Drop Off
Target

Build-hold-and drop for the case where:

r1 x 3 and r1 r2 x 4

Kickoff

Type II

Build-hold-and
drop for the case
where:

r1 x3 and r1 r2 x 4

End of Build
Maximum
Inclination
Angle
Drop Off

Target

Projected Trajectory

Projected Trajectory
with Left Turn to Hit
Targets

Target 1
Target 2
Target 3

Fig. 8-14. Directional well used to intersect

multiple targets

N18E

S23E
A = 157

Fig. 8-15.
Directional
quadrants and
compass
measurements
N55W
S20W

A = 305

Lead Angle

Projected Well Path

Surface
Location
for Well
No. 2

Lake

Target at a
TVD 9,659

Figure 8-16: Plan View

Example 1: Design of
Directional Well
Design a directional well with the following
restrictions:
Total horizontal departure = 4,500 ft
True vertical depth (TVD) = 12,500 ft
Depth to kickoff point (KOP) = 2,500 ft
Rate of build of hole angle = 1.5 deg/100 ft

Example 1: Design of
Directional Well
This is a Type I well (build and hold)
(i) Determine the maximum hole
angle (inclination) required.

(ii) What is the total measured depth

of the hole (MD)?

Type I: Build-and-Hold
2500

Imax
12,500

TVD1
10,000
HD1

Imax

4,500

Uniform 130
Increase in Drift
per 100 ft of hole
drilled
10,000

Try Imax = 27 ??

Vert.
Depth

4,500 Horizontal Deviation

Solution
Type I Well
2500

1.5 deg/100

Available depth
= 12,500-2,500
= 10,000

Imax
TVD1
10,000

Imax
HD1

From Chart,
o
Try Imax = 27

Build Section
o

From chart of 1.5 deg/100, with Imax = 27

In the BUILD Section:
Imax
TVD1

8,266

Imax
HD1

MD1 = 1,800 (27/1.5)

TVD1 = 1,734
HD1 = 416
Remaining vertical height
= 10,000 - 1,734 = 8,266

Solution
Horizontally:
o

416 + 8,266 tan 27 = 4,628

We need 4,500 only:
Next try Imax = 25 30 min
8,266

Imax

MD2 = 1,700 (25.5/1.5)

TVD2 = 1,644
HD2 = 372

Solution:
Remaining vertical depth = 10,000-1644
= 8,356 ft.
Horizontal deviation = 372+8,356 tan 25.5
= 4,358 ft. { 4500 }
0
Approx. maximum angle = 26 1
4

What is the size of target?

MD = MDvert + MDbuild + MDhold

MD at 27

8,266
2,500'1,800'
cos 27
13,577'

8,356
MD at 25.5 2,500 1,700
cos 25.5
13,458'

MD 13,500'

Type II Pattern
Given:

KOP = 2,000 feet

TVD = 10,000 feet
Horiz. Depart. = 2,258 feet
Build Rate
= 20 per 100 feet
Drop Rate
= 10 30 per 100 feet
The first part of the calculation is the
same as previously described.

Procedure - Find:
a) The usable depth (8,000 feet)
b) Maximum angle at completion of
buildup (180)
c) Measured depth and vertical depth
at completion of build up
(M.D.=900 ft. and TVD = 886)
d) Measured depth, horizontal departure
and TVD for 1 1 /100 ft from chart.
0

Solve:
For the distances corresponding to the
sides of the triangle in the middle.
Add up the results.
If not close enough, try a different value
for the maximum inclination angle, Imax

Example 1: Design of Directional

Well

(i) Determine the maximum hole angle

required.
(ii) What is the total measured depth (MD)?
(MD = well depth measured along the
wellbore,
not the vertical depth)

(i) Maximum
Inclination
Angle
18,000
r1
15
.

r2 0

D4 D1
12,500 2,500
10,000 ft

(i) Maximum Inclination Angle

q max

D D x 2 (D D ) 2 2(r r ) x
1
4
4
1
1
2
4

2 tan 1 4
2(r1 r2 ) x 4

2
2

10
,
000

4
,
500

10
,
000
2(3,820)4,500
-1
2 tan

2(3,820) 4,500

q max 26.3

(ii) Measured Depth of Well

x Build r1 (1 cos q )
3,820(1 - cos 26.3 )
395 ft
x Hold 4,500 395
4,105 ft
L Hold sin q 4,105
L Hold 9,265 ft

(ii) Measured Depth of

Well
MD D1 r1q rad L Hold
26.3
2,500 3,820
180

9,265

MD 13,518 ft

Horizontal
N View

Vertical
View
We may plan a 2-D well, but we always
get a 3D well (not all in one plane)

MD, a1, e1
DMD
b = dogleg
angle

a 2, e2

Fig. 8-22. A curve representing a wellbore

between survey stations A1 and A2

Directional Drilling
1. Drill the vertical (upper) section of
the hole.
2. Select the proper tools for kicking off
to a non-vertical direction
3. Build angle gradually

Directional Tools
(i) Whipstock
(ii) Jet Bits
(iii) Downhole motor and bent sub

Whipstocks

Standard retreivable

Circulating

Permanent Casing

Setting a Whipstock
Small bit used to start
Apply weight to:
set chisel point &
shear pin
Drill 12-20
Remove whipstock
Enlarge hole

Jetting Bit
Fast and
economical
For soft formation
One large - two
small nozzles
Orient large nozzle
Spud periodically
No rotation at first

Small Jets

Jetting
Wash out pocket
Return to normal
drilling
Survey
Repeat for more
angle if needed

Mud Motors
Drillpipe
Non-magnetic
Drill Collar
Bent Sub
Mud Motor
Rotating
Sub

Increasing Inclination
Limber assembly
Near bit stabilizer
Weight on bit forces
DC to bend to low
side of hole.
Bit face kicks up

Hold Inclination
Packed hole
assembly
Stiff assembly
Control bit weight
and RPM

Decrease Inclination
Pendulum effect
Gravity pulls bit
downward
No near bit stabilizer

Packed Hole Assemblies

Drill
pipe

String
Stabilizer
HW DP

String
String
NB
Stabilizer Stabilizer Stab
Monel
Steel DC Steel DC DC

Vertical Calculation

Horizontal Calculation

3D View

Dog Leg Angle

Deflecting Wellbore Trajectory

0

270

90

180

Bottom Hole Location

Direction : N 53 E
Distance : 2,550 ft
TVD :

10,000
E 2,550 sin 53
2,037 ft
N 2,550 cos 53
1,535 ft

Closure 2,550

E 2 N2

E
Closure Direction tan -1 53o
N

Survey Calculation Methods

1. Tangential Method
= Backward Station Method
= Terminal Angle Method

Assumption: Hole will maintain

constant inclination and azimuth
angles between survey points

Known : Location of A
Distance AB
Angl es IA , IB

IA

Angles A A , A B
IB

Calculatio n : VAB AB cos IB

HAB AB sinIB
B
Poor accuracy!!

IB

Average Angle Method

= Angle Averaging Method
Assumption: Borehole is parallel to the
simple average drift and bearing angles
between any two stations.

Known: Location of A, Distance AB,

Angles IA , IB , A A , AB

(i) Simple enough for field use

(ii) Much more accurate than

Tangential Method

IA
IB

Iav g

IAVG
B
IAVG

A av g

IA IB

2
A A AB

Average Angle Method

Vertical Plane:

IA

Iav g

IB
IAVG

IA IB

VAB AB cosIavg
B

IAVG

HAB AB sinIavg

Average Angle Method

Horizontal Plane:
AB

B
AAVG

DN

AA

DE

HAB AB sin Iavg

DE AB sinIavg sinA avg

DN AB sinIavg cos A avg
DZ AB cosIavg
E

Change in position towards the east:

IA IB A A A B
Dx DE L sin
sin
..(1)
2
2

Change in position towards the north:

IA IB
Dy DN L sin
2

A A AB
cos
2

Change in depth:
IA IB
DZ L cos

..( 3)

Where L is the measured distance

between the two stations A & B.

..( 2)

Example
The coordinates of a point in a wellbore are:
x = 1000 ft (easting)
y = 2000 ft (northing)
z = 3000 ft (depth)
At this point (station) a wellbore survey shows
that the inclination is 15 degrees from vertical,
and the direction is 45 degrees east of north. The
measured distance between this station and the
next is 300 ft.

Example
The coordinates of point 1 are:
x1 = 1000 ft (easting)
o
y1 = 2000 ft (northing)
I1 = 15
o
z1 = 3000 ft (depth)
A1 = 45
L12 = 300 ft
o

At point 2, I2 = 25
Find

and A2 = 65

x2 , y2 and z2

Solution
Iav g

I1 I2 15 25

20
2
2

A av g

A 1 A 2 45 65

55
2
2

H12 = L12 sin Iavg = 300 sin 20 = 103 ft

DE = H12 sin Aavg = 103 sin 55 = 84 ft
DN = H12 cos Aavg = 103 cos 55 = 59 ft
DZ = L12 cos Iavg = 300 cos 20 = 282 ft

Solution - contd
DE = 84 ft
DN = 59 ft
DZ = 282 ft
x2 = x1 + DE = 1,000 + 84 ft = 1,084 ft
y2 = y1 + DN = 2,000 + 59 ft = 2,059 ft
z2 = z1 + DZ = 3,000 + 282 ft = 3,282 ft