HORIZONTAL, DIRECTIONAL
AND MULTILATERAL DRILLING
RICHARD CARDEN
GSM, INC.
© 2011 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved
Introduction
Attendance sheet – check
your name, if it is not what
you want on the certificate:
Ø Printyour name as you want it
to appear on your certificate
Ø It must be printed so that I can
read it
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Introduction
Business card holder
Ø Place your business card in the
business card holder
Ø If you do not have a business card,
use one of the blanks
Ø I will copy it and give a copy to each
participant tomorrow
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Introduction
One week course
Ø Start at 8:00 am
Ø Break for lunch about 11:45
Ø One hour for lunch
Ø End at approximately 4:00 pm each
day
Ø Will finish the course around 12:00
on the last day
Ø Take coffee breaks during the class
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Introduction
We will do exercises during the
class, which requires a scientific
calculator
Ø Calculators have been provided
There is notebook paper at the
end of the manual for taking
notes and working problems
ØIhave extra notebook paper if you
need it
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Introduction
Please turn off cell phones
(silent mode) and pagers as they
are a disruption to the rest of the
class
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Introduction
At the end of the course, I will
give you a flash drive with the
manual (in pdf format), all the
PowerPoints (in pdf format), and
some Excel spreadsheets for
making calculations
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Introduction
Intermediate
Level
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INTRODUCTION
Directional drilling is the art and
science involving the intentional
deflection of a wellbore in a
specific direction in order to
reach a predetermined objective
below the surface of the earth
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Introduction
At one time it was thought that
all wells were vertical
Methods to measure deviation
were developed in the 1920’s
(initially acid bottle)
Directional drilling developed
after 1929 when new survey
instruments were available
(inclination and direction)
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Introduction
The first controlled directionally
drilled well was drilled in the
Huntington Beach Field in 1930
to tap offshore reserves from
land locations
Directional drilling became more
widely accepted after a relief well
was drilled near Conroe, Texas
in 1934
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Introduction
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Introduction
Today, directional drilling is an
integral part of the petroleum
industry
It enables oil companies to
produce reserves that would not
be possible without directional
drilling
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Introduction
One of the
primary uses of
directional
drilling was to
sidetrack a well
even if it was to
go around a
stuck BHA
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Introduction
Sometimes
multiple sidetracks
are used to better
understand
geology or to place
the wellbore in a
more favorable
portion of the
reservoir
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Introduction
Straight hole drilling
is a special
application of
directional drilling
Ø To keep from crossing
lease lines
Ø To stay within the
specifications of a
drilling contract
Ø To stay within the well
spacing requirements
of a developed field
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Introduction
Drilling multiple
wells from a
single structure
or pad
Most offshore
development
would not be
possible without
directional
drilling
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Introduction
Steeply dipping
sands can be
drilled with a
single wellbore
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Introduction
Inaccessible
surface location
Drilling in towns,
from land to
offshore and
under
production
facilities
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Introduction
Fault drilling
In hard rock,
deviation can be a
problem
Sometimes the bit
can track a fault
Drilling at a higher
incident angle
minimizes the
potential for
deflection of the bit
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Introduction
Drilling around
salt domes
Salt can cause
significant drilling
problems and
directional drilling
can be used to
drill under the
overhanging cap
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Introduction
Relief well drilling
Directional drilling
into the blowout
when the surface
location is no
longer accessible
Very small target
and takes
specialized
equipment
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Introduction
Horizontal
drilling
Increasing
exposure of the
reservoir to
increase
productivity
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Introduction
Multilateral
drilling
Drilling more
than one
wellbore from a
single parent
wellbore
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Introduction
From
offshore
platform, can
have more
wells with
fewer slots
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Introduction
Definition of Extended Reach Drilling
Extended
reach drilling 2000
80 Degrees
wells are 4000
70 Degrees
characterized
TVD Below KOP, feet
6000
by high 60 Degrees
inclinations 8000
50 Degrees
and large 10000
departures in 12000
the horizontal Extended Reach
Right of Line
plane 14000
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Departure, feet
12000 14000 16000 18000
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Introduction
Extended
reach
wells
drilled by
BP
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Introduction
Extended reach wells are
wellbores where the horizontal
departure is significantly higher
than the true vertical depth of the
well, which is the horizontal
departure – TVD ratio (HD/TVD)
Extended reach wells have been
drilled with HD/TVD ratios
greater the 10/1.
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Introduction
Maersk Oil has drilled the longest
ERD wellbore with 40,320’ (12,290m)
at Al Shaheen Field, offshore Qatar.
35,770’ (10,903m) of the wellbore
was horizontal in the producing
zone. The true vertical depth of the
reservoir is 3845’ (1172m ). HD/TVD
is 10.49
Exxon Mobil’s Odoptu OP-11 well
reached a measured total depth of
40,502 ft (12,345m) and a horizontal
displacement of 37,648 ft (11,475m)
(no TVD reported)
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Introduction
BP drilled a well at Wytch Farm with
a measured depth of 37,001’ (11,278
m), a TVD of 5,371’ (1,637 m) and
horizontal departure of 35,197’
(10,723 m). HD/TVD 6.55
Total drilled a well in Tierra del
Fuego with a measured depth of
36,693’ (11,184m), a TVD of 5434’
(1656m) and a horizontal departure
of 34,728’ (10,585m). HD/TVD 6.39
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Introduction
There are four basic hole
patterns
Not all wells conform to the
basic hole patterns and may be a
combination of patterns
For simplicity, the basic hole
patterns are defined as:
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Introduction
Type I is a build
and hold
Ø Drilledto a relatively
shallow KOP
Ø Deflected to a
maximum inclination
Ø The inclination is
held relatively
constant to TD
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Introduction
Type II is a build
hold and drop
often termed an
“S” curve
Ø Multiple targets
Ø Around salt
domes
Ø More torque and
drag for the same
departure
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Introduction
Type III is a
continuous build
to target
Ø Deeper kickoff
point
Ø Small horizontal
departure
Ø Less expensive
Ø Not used much
today
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Introduction
Type IV is a
horizontal
wellbore
Ø Build rates may
be high
Ø Hold inclination is
near 90 degrees
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“Designer”
True Vertical Depth (m)
Well 25
0
0
500
ERD Wells 750
1000
with 1250
significant 1500
1750
azimuth 2000
Final
change(s) Wellbore
2250
Highly
engineered
well plan
required
Pilot Hole
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Introduction
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Introduction
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Introduction
Objectives of course
Ø To understand the terminology used
in directional drilling
Ø To be able to make survey
calculations
Ø To be able to calculate a two-
dimensional directional plan
Ø If you can plan a directional path, you
can drill a directional well
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Introduction
Objectives of course
Ø To become familiar with the common
problems associated with directional
drilling and to be able to recognize
those problems
Ø To become familiar with most survey
instruments and directional tools
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Introduction
Your expectations
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Introduction
Your expectations
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Introduction
Your expectations
Ø BHA design
Ø Torque and drag
Ø Hole cleaning
Ø Casing and Cementing
Ø Anti collision
Ø Magnetics
Ø Rotary Steerable System
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Introduction
Your expectations
Ø Logging
Ø MWD and LCM
Ø Geosteering
Ø Doglegs
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