HORIZONTAL AND DIRECTIONAL

DRILLING
Presented by
Richard S. Carden

Authors
Richard S. Carden
Robert D. Grace

DISCLAIMER
The information contained herein and/or these workshop/seminar proceedings (WORK) was prepared by
or contributed to by various parties in support of professional continuing education.
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not warrant the accuracy, correctness or completeness of any interpretation, recommendation or description. Under no circumstances should any interpretation, recommendation or description be relied upon as
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COPYRIGHT 2007
BY PETROSKILLS, LLC. AN OGCI COMPANY.
TULSA, OKLAHOMA
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NO PART OF THIS MANUAL MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY
FORM WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM PETROSKILLS.

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................1-1
USES OF DIRECTIONAL DRILLING ..........................................................................1-1
TYPES OF DIRECTIONAL WELLS ..........................................................................1-14
SURVEY CALCULATIONS ......................................................................................2-1
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................2-1
COMMON NOMENCLATURE FOR DIRECTIONAL WELLS ............................................2-5
TANGENTIAL.........................................................................................................2-5
AVERAGE ANGLE..................................................................................................2-8
RADIUS OF CURVATURE .......................................................................................2-9
MINIMUM CURVATURE ........................................................................................2-10
CLOSURE AND DIRECTION ..................................................................................2-26
VERTICAL SECTION ............................................................................................2-27
PROBLEMS .........................................................................................................2-31
DOGLEG SEVERITY ..............................................................................................3-1
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................3-1
PROBLEMS .........................................................................................................3-13
PLANNING A DIRECTIONAL WELL..........................................................................4-1
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................4-1
DETERMINING DIRECTIONAL WELL PLAN ...............................................................4-2
Planning Directional Well with Single Equation ..........................................4-23
PLANNING HORIZONTAL WELLS ...........................................................................4-27
GEOSTEERING ...................................................................................................4-37
SURVEY INSTRUMENTS .........................................................................................5-1
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................5-1
MAGNETIC INSTRUMENT CORRECTIONS ................................................................5-1
Magnetic Declination Correction...................................................................5-1
Non-Magnetic Drill Collar Selection..............................................................5-4
SURVEY INSTRUMENTS .........................................................................................5-9
MAGNETIC SURVEY INSTRUMENT ..........................................................................5-9
Electronic Survey Instruments....................................................................5-10
Steering Tool ..............................................................................................5-11
Measurement while drilling (MWD) tool......................................................5-14
Electronic Multi-Shot...................................................................................5-18
GYROSCOPIC SURVEY TOOLS ............................................................................5-18
Conventional Gyro......................................................................................5-18
Rate Integrating or North-Seeking Gyro .....................................................5-19

Copyright 2007 OGCI/PetroSkills. All rights reserved.

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Horizontal and Directional Drilling

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

iv

Ring Laser Gyro .........................................................................................5-20

Inertial Grade Gyro .....................................................................................5-21
ACCURACY OF SURVEY TOOLS ...........................................................................5-21
ORIENTING TOOLS .............................................................................................5-22
PROBLEMS .........................................................................................................5-28
HORIZONTAL, MULTILATERAL DRILLING ...............................................................6-1
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................6-1
TYPES OF HORIZONTAL WELLS .............................................................................6-3
Ultra-Short Radius ........................................................................................6-3
Short Radius.................................................................................................6-4
Intermediate Radius ...................................................................................6-10
Medium Radius...........................................................................................6-11
Long Radius ...............................................................................................6-14
LOGGING HIGH ANGLE AND HORIZONTAL WELLS .................................................6-15
Logging While Drilling.................................................................................6-16
Pipe Conveyed Logging .............................................................................6-17
Coiled Tubing Conveyed Logging ..............................................................6-19
Wireline Tractor ..........................................................................................6-19
HOLE CLEANING .................................................................................................6-19
Hole Cleaning Problems Associated With Inclination .................................6-21
Annular Velocity..........................................................................................6-23
Flow Regime And Viscosity ........................................................................6-24
Drill Pipe Rotation And Reciprocation ........................................................6-24
Other Considerations..................................................................................6-25
Summary ....................................................................................................6-26
MULTILATERALS .................................................................................................6-27
Multilateral Terminologies...........................................................................6-27
Reasons for drilling multilaterals.................................................................6-28
Multilateral Classification system................................................................6-30
METHODS OF DEFLECTING A WELLBORE ..............................................................7-1
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................7-1
WHIPSTOCK .........................................................................................................7-1
JETTING ...............................................................................................................7-4
ROTARY BOTTOMHOLE ASSEMBLIES .....................................................................7-6
Building Assemblies ...................................................................................7-12
Dropping Assemblies..................................................................................7-13
Holding Assemblies ....................................................................................7-16
DOWNHOLE MOTORS .........................................................................................7-16
STEERABLE MOTOR ASSEMBLIES .......................................................................7-25
ROTARY STEERABLE TECHNOLOGY ....................................................................7-31

Copyright 2007 OGCI/PetroSkills. All rights reserved.

Horizontal and Directional Drilling

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

APPENDIX ..........................................................................................................7-35
HORIZONTAL DRILLING WITH AIR ..........................................................................8-1
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................8-1
DOWNHOLE MOTORS ...........................................................................................8-2
MWD EQUIPMENT ................................................................................................8-2
HOLE CLEANING ...................................................................................................8-4
HORIZONTAL SECTION LENGTH .............................................................................8-4
LITHOLOGY AND TARGET CONSTRAINTS ................................................................8-4
CONCLUSIONS .....................................................................................................8-6
TORQUE AND DRAG .............................................................................................9-1
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................9-1
SIMPLIFIED TORQUE AND DRAG MODEL ................................................................9-2
FACTORS THAT AFFECT TORQUE AND DRAG ........................................................9-9
Friction Coefficient......................................................................................9-10
Directional Profile .......................................................................................9-11
String Weight ..............................................................................................9-14
DIRECTIONAL DRILL STRING DESIGN ...................................................................9-18
Conventional directional well ......................................................................9-18
High Angle or Horizontal Well.....................................................................9-23
PROBLEMS .........................................................................................................9-26
PRIMARY CEMENTING.........................................................................................10-1
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................10-1
MANUFACTURE OF CEMENTS ..............................................................................10-1
GENERAL PROPERTIES OF OIL WELL CEMENTS...................................................10-2
Viscosity .....................................................................................................10-3
Thickening Time .........................................................................................10-3
Density........................................................................................................10-4
Yield............................................................................................................10-4
Fluid Loss ...................................................................................................10-4
Free Water..................................................................................................10-5
Compressive Strength ................................................................................10-5
CEMENT ADDITIVES ............................................................................................10-6
Density Control ...........................................................................................10-7
Accelerators................................................................................................10-9
Retarders..................................................................................................10-11
Fluid Loss Additives..................................................................................10-11
Friction Reducers .....................................................................................10-12
Lost Circulation Material ...........................................................................10-12
THE CEMENT JOB.............................................................................................10-12
Cement Sheath Requirements .................................................................10-13

Copyright 2007 OGCI/PetroSkills. All rights reserved.

Horizontal and Directional Drilling

Table of Contents

Displacement Mechanics in Primary Cementing ......................................10-14

Centralization............................................................................................10-15
Pipe Movement.........................................................................................10-22
Drilling Fluid Condition..............................................................................10-24
Hole Conditions ........................................................................................10-24
Displacement Velocity ..............................................................................10-25
Spacer Fluids............................................................................................10-28
Mud-Cement Density Differences.............................................................10-28
Contact Time ............................................................................................10-29
Directional Wells.......................................................................................10-29
Summary ..................................................................................................10-30
Gas Migration ...........................................................................................10-31
CHAPTER 11 THE PROBLEM OF DEVIATION AND DOGLEGGING IN ROTARY BOREHOLES ...........11-1
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................11-1
THEORIES OF CAUSES OF DEVIATED HOLES........................................................11-3
CATEGORIZING CROOKED HOLES .......................................................................11-4
METHODS USED TO CONTROL DEVIATION ...........................................................11-6
DOGLEGGING IN ROTARY BOREHOLES ..............................................................11-10
A UNIQUE APPROACH TO DEVIATION.................................................................11-16
SUMMARY ........................................................................................................11-21
CHAPTER 12 GLOSSARY OF TERMS FOR CONTROLLED DIRECTIONAL DRILLING .......................12-1
APPENDIX-TABLES ..................................................................................................................... A-1
TANGENT, COSINE AND SINE VALUES TABLES ...................................................... A-2
BUILDUP CHARTS IN US UNITS ............................................................................ A-5
BUILDUP CHARTS IN SI UNITS ............................................................................ A-30

vi

Copyright 2007 OGCI/PetroSkills. All rights reserved.