Well Drilling and Completions I

Spring 2011
PETR6368/PETR5368
Directional Drilling
Dr.Robello Samuel

Basics

Basic Data:
• True vertical depth (TVD) and horizontal departure (HD) to target
• Kick off depth (KOD)
• Turn off depth (TOD)
• Build rate angle (BRA)
• Drop rate angle (DRA)
• Lead angle (LA)

Planning for well trajectory change

• Original hole inclination, θo
• New hole inclination, θn
• Original hole azimuth, αo
• New hole azimuth, αn
• Overall hole angle change, β
• Required tool face rotation from original course direction
Types Of Designs:

Types of Wells
• Type I – Build and hold
• Type II – Build, hold and drop
• Type III – Continuous build
• Type IV – Build, hold, build (Horizontal wells)

Deflection tools in directional well drilling

Deflection tools are devices that are used to cause a drill bit to deviate and follow a
preselected trajectory of a well. The tools that are currently available and are in use include:
• Directional wedges
• Jet bits with oriented nozzles
• Down-hole steerable systems (motors and bent subs, rotary steerable
system)
• Conventional bottomhole assembly (BHA) hook-ups
• Rotary Steerable Tools

Measurements and Survey Tools

• Magnetic survey instruments
• Gyroscopic survey instruments
• MWD/PWD/LWD/SWD
Dog Leg angle and Dog leg Severity (DLS):
Dog leg is an abrupt change in hole inclination or azimuth which causes bend or tortuosity
in the wellpath. Abruptness in change in the angle and azimuth are important than
change in the angle or direction. Dog leg can be calculated from the survey data over a
course length.
The severity of the dog-leg is related to overall angle change and expressed as the change
in inclination angle per 100 ft course length.
Dog leg severity is calculated by dividing the dog-leg angle by the course length and
expressed in terms of degrees per 100 ft.

Calculation requires
1. Vertical deviations between two survey stations
2. Horizontal direction between the two survey stations
3. The distance between the stations
Dog leg severity is given by
β
δ= ×100 deg/100 ft
L
where
β = arc cos(cos ∆ε sin α n sin α + cos α cos α n )

Example 1:
MD Angle(deg) Direction(deg)
5000 5.5 150
5120 7.5 148
β = arc cos(cos 2 sin 7.5 sin 5.5 + cos 5.5 cos 7.5)
β = 2.01
2.01
DLS = × 100 = 1.67 0 / 100 ft
120

Example 2:
Using the following data calculate the hole curvature between the following survey
stations:
MD Angle(deg) Direction(deg)
5100 3.5 N 150 E
5226 6.5 N 250 E
∆ε = 100
β = arc cos(cos ∆ε sin α n sin α + cos α cos α n )
β = arc cos(cos 10 sin 6.5 sin 3.5 + cos 3.5 cos 6.5)
β = 2.47 0 / 100 ft

Survey Calculations
• Minimum Curvature Method
• Radius of Curvature Method
Problems
Using example problems in the text book.

Example Problem 1:
Determine the trajectory of a Build-Hold Type well:
Target TVD = 10,000 ft
TVD at KOP depth = 2500 ft
Build rate = 20/ 100 ft
Surface coordinates: 20 ft N 5ft E
Target coordinates: 1800 ft N 5000 ft E

Horizontal departure:
X3 = (5000 − 5)2 + (1800 − 2)2 = 5302.68 ft
Radius of curvature:
180 ×100
R1 = = 2864.78 ft
π× 2
Case 2: X3 > R1

a = 10000 – 2500
b = - 2438

 7500   2864.78    7500  

θ = 180 0 − arc tan  − arc cos   × sin arctan −  
 2438   7500    2438  
θ = 39.3 0

Length of section DC:

π
L DC = × 2864.78 × 39.3 = 1965 ft
180

Length of section CB:

R1
L CB = ft
tan ϕ
where
 
 2864.78  0
ϕ = arcsin  = 21.30
 (2864.78 − 5302.68) 2 + (10000 − 2500)2 
 
2864.78
L CB = = 7347.54 ft
tan 21.30

Total measured depth = KOP + L CB + L DC

Total measured depth = 11812.5 ft

Trajectory Change Variables:

α = original hole inclination

αn = desired hole inclination
ε = original hole direction
 εn = desired hole direction
β = overall angle change (dogleg)
δ = dogleg severity
∆α = change in angle
∆ε = change in direction
γ = toolface rotation from the original direction

Tool Face Angle Change:

1. α, β, α n are known
tool face rotation angle

 cos α cos β − cos α n 

γ = arc cos 
 sin α sin β 

2. ∆ε, β, α n are known

tool face rotation angle

 sin α n sin ∆ε 
γ = arc sin 
 sin β 

3. β, α, γ are known
New direction

α n = arc cos(cos α cos β − sin β sin α cos γ )

4. β, α, γ are known
change of direction

 tan β sin γ 
∆ε = arc tan 
 sin α + tan β cos α cos γ 

Problem:

Derive an equation to find the overall angle change in terms of ∆ε, α and γ the
toolface rotation angle

Graphic Techniques:

1. Ouija Board
2. Ragland Diagram

Overall Angle Change, β :

β = arc cos (cos ∆ε sin α n sin α + cos α cos α n )

 ∆α  2  ∆ε  2  α + αn 
β = 2arc sin sin 2   + sin   sin  
 2   2   2 
Example Problem 2

The inclination and azimuth at two survey stations are given below:
Measured Depth = 1012 ft, Inclination 12 deg, Azimuth 123 deg
Measured Depth = 1092.6 ft, Inclination 14 deg, Azimuth 119 deg.
Calculate the displacements with the radius of curvature method. Also compute the dogleg
severity.
Solution:

∆MDi (sin α i − sin α i −1 )  180  ( 1092.6 − 1012 ) (sin 14 − sin 12 )  180 

∆TVDi =  =   = 78.53 ft
α i − α i −1  π  14 − 12  π 
2
( 1092.6 − 1012 ) (cos14 − cos12 ) (sin 119 − sin 123 )  180 
∆L( N / S )i =   = 9.33 ft
( 14 − 12 ) ( 123 − 119 )  π 
2
( 1092.6 − 1012 ) (cos 14 − cos 12 ) (cos 119 − cos 123 )  180 
∆L( E / W )i =   = 15.53
( 14 − 12 ) ( 123 − 119 )  π 
Dogleg severity is
β = arc cos (cos 4 sin 14 sin 12 + cos 14 cos 12)
β = 2.19
2.19
DLS = × 100 = 2.72 0 / 100 ft
( 1092.6 − 1012 )