Well Planning

Planning even the simplest vertical well is a task that involves multiple disciplines. A casual
observer might think that planning a directional well would require only a few geometry
calculations in addition to the usual tasks. On the contrary, almost every aspect of well
planning is affected when a directional well is planned. Various software systems are
available to assist in these engineering efforts, but effective application of such
software requires a good understanding of the underlying engineering principles. The
fundamental variables that dictate the planned well-path are the surface location for the rig
and wellhead and the location(s) of the target(s) down-hole. However, many other
variables also impact the final well-path chosen.