Sperry Drilling Services

2007.1

Details Definitions

Directional Drilling

Definitions

Directional Drilling
Horizontal Well
Extended Reach Drilling
Measured Depth
Survey Station distance
Course Length
Hole Inclination
Hole Direction
Vertical Depth, TVD
Latitude & Departure

Closure
Target Closure
Vertical Section
Vertical Sect. Direction
Dogleg
Dogleg Severity
Build/Drop/Turn Rate
Survey at Bit
Tortuosity
Directional Difficulty Index

Sperry Drilling Services

2007

Controlled Directional Drilling

Well Profile Classes

The science of deviating a wellbore along a planned course to subsurface target

whose location is at a given lateral distance and direction from the vertical, at a
specified vertical depth.
Drilling a wellbore with planned deviation from vertical to pre-determined target(s)

Long radius
Medium radius
Intermediate radius

2-6/100 ft
6-35/100 ft
35-65/100 ft

Short radius

65-115/100 ft

Ultra short radius

> 115/100ft

target

Definition : Horizontal Well

A directional well with a continuous section of wellbore with

planned inclination > 86

Extended Reach Drilling

ERD
The drilling of a wellbore in which the final measured depth will
be greater than twice the vertical depth
MD > 2 TVD

MD

> 86

TVD

Directional Drilling - Definitions

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Measured Depth MD

The distance measured along the path of the wellbore from the
surface depth reference to any point located on the path of the
wellbore

Survey Station - SS

Any point (depth) along the wellbore at which a directional

survey is taken

Total depth (TD) is the measured depth from the surface depth
reference to the bottom of the wellbore as measured along the
path of the wellbore
More precisely it is the along hole depth (AHD)

Course Length - CL
The measured length of the wellbore between any two survey
stations

SS1

SS2

Hole Inclination or Drift Angle

The angle of inclination is measured between vertical and the

tangent of the wellbore at a survey station

CL = MD2 - MD1
tangent
survey station

P
MD1 @ SS 1

vertical projection
of the wellbore
inclination

MD2 @ SS 2
vertical

Formation Dip Angle

Hole Direction
Reference North

Horizontal

downdip

horizontal projection
of the wellbore
survey station

tangent
updip

Directional Drilling - Definitions

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2007.1

Vertical Depth Increment - TVD

True Vertical Depth - TVD

The sum of all the TVDs calculated from surveys taken along the
path of the wellbore from the surface depth reference (i = 1) to the point
of interest (i = n)

The vertical distance between two horizontal planes

containing survey stations

The depth reference must always be given (e.g. 1230 ft TVD-RT)

1. survey station

TVD = TVDi

course length

TVD

i =1

2. survey station
Note : the TVD values are calculated from surveys

Latitude and Departure

Closure

Direction and distance of the last survey station relative to the

first survey station. The direction is measured from the reference
North as Azimuth.

latitude

closure direction

departure

sur
clo

target

Vertical Section (1)

Target Closure
Direction and distance of the target center relative to the first
survey station

wellhead

VS direction

TC

P
closure direction

target
re
closu

E
E

VS origin

Directional Drilling - Definitions

TVD

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2007.1

Vertical Section - Plan

Vertical Section (2)

N

Vertical Plot

Horizontal Plot

Grid
North

VS direction
TC

Select :
VS Origin (default : surface location)
Direction (default : target center)
KOP

P( x, y )

y
le
ng
th

Calculate :

EOB

VS

VS Length

EOB

VS origin

TC

X
TVD

Vertical Section

VS
direction

East

Note : scales might be different !

Vertical Section Plan & Surveys

Vertical Plot

Dogleg - DL

Horizontal Plot
Grid
North

The total 3 - dimensional change in hole direction and inclination

between 2 survey stations, combined

TC

expressed in degrees
for example :

KOP

DL = 7.0

EOB

EOB
TC

TVD

Vertical Section

VS
direction

East

DLS and Radius of a Circle

Dogleg Severity - DLS
The total 3 - dimensional change in hole direction and inclination
between 2 survey stations, combined, over a reference course
length :
change of angle
DLS = course length

Change of angle : 360

Course length : 2R

- usually expressed in degrees per one hundred feet

- for example :
DLS = 7.0/100 ft

DLS =

which is equivalent to 6.89/30m or

2.30/10m
Conversion : (DLS deg/100ft) x 0.9840 = DLS deg/30m

Directional Drilling - Definitions

DLS =

360
2R

100 =

5729.583
R

ft

5730
R

(deg/100ft)

ft

360 = 1718.875 1719 (

30
deg/30m)
2R
Rm
Rm

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Build, Drop and Turn Rate

Build, Drop and Turn Rate

Again, change of angle over reference distance :

Build or Drop Rate

Build/Drop Rate =

inclination change in degrees

distance in feet

azimuth change in degrees

distance in feet

IN
L

X 100 [deg/100ft]

Turn Rate
Turn Rate =

BUR =

TR =

AZ
L

X 100 [deg/100ft]

X 100 [deg/100ft]

X 100 [deg/100ft]

Note : Turn rate is also referred as walk rate

Build, Drop and Turn Rate

(DrillQuest)

Survey at Bit
Definition : extrapolated values from survey depth to bit depth

INbit = IN +

BUR
L
100

[deg]

TR
L
100

[deg]

AZbit = AZ +
IN
AZ

Measured inclination, deg

Measured direction, deg

L
BUR
TR

Bit-sensor distance, ft (m)

Build or drop rate, deg/100ft (deg/30m)
Turn rate, deg/100ft (deg/30m)

Tortuosity of Deviated Wells

Tortuosity

Definition : The actual pore space length over the straight path
in the reservoir rock

Definition : The average excess DLS over plan

La
actual

TOR =

straight

DLsvy DLplan 100

MD svy

(deg/ 100 ft )

L
Example :

tortuosity = La / L
Source : SPE 23850

Directional Drilling - Definitions

TOR = (133.72 - 102.13)/ 596.0 x 100

= 5.3 (deg/100ft)
Source : SPE 23850

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Directional Difficulty Index (1)

Directional Difficulty Index (2)

Directional Drilling Difficulty Bands

DDI = log10 MD x AHD x TOR

TVD

DDI < 6.0

Where :
MD
AHD
TOR
TVD

measured depth, ft
along-hole displacement, ft
tortuosity, true vertical depth, ft

Relatively short wells, simple profiles with low tortuosity

6.0 < DDI < 6.4

Either short wells with high tortuosity, or longer wells with

lower tortuosity

6.4 < DDI < 6.8

Longer wells with relatively tortuous wellpaths

6.8 < DDI

Long tortuous well profiles with a high degree of difficulty

Note : DQ calculates DDI

Source : IADC/SPE 59196

Source : IADC/SPE 59196

BULLETIN ON

DIRECTIONAL DRILLING SURVEY

CALCULATION METHODS
AND TERMINOLOGY

API Bulletin D20

First Edition
December 31, 1985

Directional Drilling - Definitions

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