6/7/2019 Design Radius of Curvature - Horizontal Directional Drilling

Netwas Group Oil » Horizontal Directional Drilling

Design Radius of Curvature

Last Updated on Thu, 30 May 2019 | Horizontal Directional

Determining the entry and exit points, the depths that must be achieved, and
direction changes for the drill path are all major parts of the planning process.
One of the keys to these calculations is the bend radius of the drill rod and/or
the product pipe. Bend radius is often misunderstood. It is often confused with
the number of feet needed to make a 90-degree turn. Bend radius is defined as
the forward distance required for a drill string to make a 90-degree turn (see
Figure 4-2).

Understanding bend radius and how to use it is very important to the success of Horizontal Directional Drilling Crossing

a HDD crossing and of the utmost importance to the engineer and driller. HDD

314-feet of pipe required

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6/7/2019 Design Radius of Curvature - Horizontal Directional Drilling

FIGURE 4-2 Bend Radius for 90-Degree Bend contractors often only think of Categories
radius as it applies to the drill rod, and owners/engineers often think of it as it Oil Well Drilling
applies to the product pipe. Both must be considered during the HDD design, as Drilling Fluids
Drilling Procedures
well as the allowable bend radius of mud motors and wireline systems.
Drilling Engineering
Drill Rod. Bend radius is a key factor in any HDD design because it is an Drilling Engineering
Drilling Fluids
indication of how much bending the drill rod can handle without significant and
Drilling Guide
possibly harmful stresses. Exceeding the allowable bend radius can result in Well Control
significant damage to the pipe or drill rod. While drill-rod manufacturers may Drilling Operations
Drilling Services
use different methods to establish the bend-radius rating for their pipe, SAE
Offshore Drilling
standard J2022 provides a voluntary guideline for evaluating drill rods using the
Well Control
same baseline. It is necessary to know what method of calculation is being used Horizontal Directional Drilling
by a manufacturer when comparing the bend radius of drill rods from different Drilling Fluid Systems
Formulas and Calculations
manufacturers.
Petroleum Engineering
Drilling Risers Systems
Regardless of the design, drill-rod wear and ultimate failure will happen.
Air and Gas Drilling
However, effective designs with proper bend-radius ranges will help extend the
Drilling Equipment
useful life of the drill rod. Drill-rig manuals provide data concerning the bend Waste Management
radius for the drill rod and recommendations and allowable steering changes for Health Risk Management
Formulas and Calculations
each section of the rod. The recommended allowable steering changes provided
Drilling Engineering
apply to both up or down pitch changes as well as left or right corrections. Milling Grinding Drilling
Allowable bend-radius information is used to determine the setback distance Drilling for Gold
Directional Drilling
required by the drill unit at the entry point. Shallower bore depths require
Drilling Machine
smaller entry angles and greater setback distances, while deeper bore depths Drilling Engineering
allow for steeper entry angles. Any changes and corrections that are made Well Drilling
during the drill should not exceed the recommended bend radius of the drill rod. Test Holes And Wells
Drilling Riser Couplings
When the bend radius is exceeded, the useful life of the drill rod decreases
Drilling Services
dramatically. The damage that is done to the drill rod is subtle and most likely Drilling Fluids
will not be noticed immediately. The failure of the drill rod usually occurs several Extreme Environments
Drilling Guide
jobs after the damage is done.
Patterns of Drilling Predation
Product Pipe or Conduit. Steel product pipe usually has a much larger bend Drilling of Plastics
Calculation Formulas
radius than the drill rod. The largest bend radius of either the drill rod or
Tank Arrangement
product pipe is the number that must be used for planning and completing the Corrosion on Well Equipment
bore. A common industry standard for determining the design radius of Petroleum Engineering

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6/7/2019 Design Radius of Curvature - Horizontal Directional Drilling

curvature for bends used in HDD installations is to multiply the nominal Drilling Methods
Well Drilling Operations
diameter of the pipe in inches by 100 to determine the allowable radius in feet.
Drilling Fluid Technology
This relationship has been developed over the years in the HDD industry and is Iadc Drilling
based on experience, not theoretical analysis. Bending radius and stress Drill through Equipment
calculations are important for HDD installations. Methods for calculating bending Deep Sea Drilling

stresses in steel pipe have been presented in many publications and are covered
in this chapter and in Chapter 5 of this book.

In general the bending radius ratings for plastic, generally PVC or PE, pipe will
not exceed that of the drill rod. The exception may be the larger diameters of
these types of pipe, where the integrity of the pipe and the joints becomes a
concern if they are pulled through severe bends. Bending stresses and bend
radius are usually not critical factors for PVC, PE, and ductile-iron products;
however, they should be calculated and compared to the manufacturer's
specifications for allowable bending radius. There is much data from the Plastics
Pipe Institute and pipe manufacturers on this subject. The general equations for
calculating bending stresses are similar for steel, PE, and other materials, but
the material properties and behavior are different and must be accounted for
during any calculations.

Exceeding the recommended bend radius of the product pipe has consequences
that may be apparent during installation or not show up for years, reducing the
life of the product pipe. The main result during installation is a harder than
expected pullback. The product pipe must go through tight bends and curves,
and there is a much greater chance of getting stuck in the hole. If the drill path
is smooth and gradual, the pullback loads are smaller and the pull will be much
easier and quicker.

An area of concern, often overlooked, when considering the allowable bend

radius involves the use of mud motors and wireline systems. The mud motor is
a very stiff section, and depending upon the length, it generally has a bend
radius greater than the drill rod. The stainless-steel monel section that houses
the steering tool is also very stiff and more brittle than the drill rod. The
suppliers of the mud motor and steering tools can provide information and
recommendations concerning the allowable bend radius of their products. When

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6/7/2019 Design Radius of Curvature - Horizontal Directional Drilling

using these tools, the designer should always factor their limits into the bore
plan.

Pipe Stress Criteria

Typical products installed by HDD construction are composed of steel,
polyethylene (HDPE and PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and ductile iron, as well
as direct buried cables. During installation the pipeline products experience a
combination of tensile, bending, and compressive stresses. The magnitude of
these stresses is a function of the approach angle, bending radius, product
diameter, length of the borehole, and the soil properties at the site. Proper
selection of the radius of curvature and type of product will ensure that these
stresses do not exceed the product capacity during the installation. The HDD
design should require the minimum number of product-pipe joints. Flush-type
joints, such as butt fusion or welding, are preferable to glued or treaded joints,
which tend to increase the drag on the product in the bore hole. Other
considerations include minimum cover, minimum separation from existing
utilities, tolerances for deviation in the vertical and horizontal profiles, and
maximum true depth.

During the design, the stresses imposed on the HDD product pipe during
construction and operation must be calculated and checked to be within
allowable limits for the material being used. The stresses at each stage must be
considered both individually and in combination. Stresses come from the
spanning between rollers prior to pullback, the hydrostatic testing pressures,
pulling forces during installation, radius of curvature as the pipe enters the
ground, the drilling profile curvature, external pressures in the drilled hole, and
the working pressure. The load and stress analysis for a HDD pipeline is
different from similar analyses of conventionally buried pipelines because of the
high-tension loads, occasional severe bending, and external fluid pressures
endured by the pipeline during the installation process. In some cases the
installation loads may be higher than the design service loads. Pipeline
properties, such as wall thickness and material grade, and pilot-hole bore path
must be selected so the pipeline can be installed and operated without risk of
damage.

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During design the preinstallation, installation, and operating stresses of the

product pipe must be considered and analyzed. Chapters 5 and 6 of this book
cover the methods for estimating these stresses. The principal stresses of
concern are listed below.

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Responses
yerusalem robel
How to find radius of curvature for hdd section?

8 years ago
Reply

curzio
Where is the mean radius of a pipe?

8 years ago
Reply

costantino
What bending radius a horizontal directional drilling limits?

8 years ago
Reply

Liam
How to calculate the hdd pipeline profile?

7 years ago
Reply

PEONY
What is drilling unit horizontal setback?

7 years ago
Reply

Manuela
How find radius of curvature of steel pipe horizontal directional drilling?

7 years ago
Reply

jane
How to measure bend radius of pipe directional drilling?

7 years ago
Reply

Yonatan Petros
How to calculate radius of curvature for pipe in horizontal directionall drilling?

Reply
7 years ago
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