Well Deviation Theory

A deviated well cannot be treated the same as a vertical well, since the depth measurements will not match. As all mapping and modeling involve true vertical depths, you must derive these depths from the well data.

The data required is kept in a deviation geometry file that records the actual location for each part of the well bore.

There are two mathematical methods for converting deviated data to true vertical depth.

The Tangential Method

The Tangential Method uses simple trigonometry to derive the displacements and assumes that the 1

The Tangential Method uses simple trigonometry to derive the displacements and assumes that the dip angle is held constant over the section (i.e. the well path is a straight line between the survey points, which is not true):

Where TVD = True Vertical Depth, MD = Measured Depth N = Displacement in a northern direction E = Displacement in an eastern direction A = Angle from the eastern direction I = Angle from the horizontal

While this is a valid method, it is also a simplistic method that assumes straight-line segments with constant angles along the well trajectory.

The Minimum Curvature Method

Realistically, well paths are curved as the target well-bore trajectory is built up (you cannot make sharp angles with a drill bit). The method of applying a minimum curvature to the well path takes into account the gradation of the angles in three dimensions along the well-bore trajectory and, hence, is a better approximation. The Minimum Curvature Method effectively fits a spherical arc between points by calculating the "dog-leg" (DL) curvature from the 3D vectors and scaling by a Ratio Factor (RF).

Given the equations for the two different methods for calculating the TVD, we see that simply converting the dip angle, I, to the scaled and averaged angle (a "minimum curvature equivalence" angle as I call it), , is a simple substitution:

For the horizontal displacements, the equations are non-linear and we have to make an approximation. Since we have already found the substitution of q1 incorporates the term of " we can approximate the "minimum curvature equivalence" azimuth angle, q, as a simple linear average: ",

These two methods are used in the Well Explorer program for handling deviated geometry. See Deviated Geometry in Well Explorer.