=JQE&17491

Torque and DragTwo Factors in

Extended-Reach Drilling
Thor V&o

Aarresfcsd, SPE. and Hcmdd Blikra. SPE, Statoil A/S

Summaw

~s paper addresses the various aspects of mrque and drag prob.

Ietm enco~tered in ~fing ex.&d~-~ch
wens. It ~SGUS*ShOw
muse torque ~d ~g cAcula~Ons ~d me=memen~ m Pl~ 10ng~ng
Opemtiom
fiat minimke
mach well prnfiles, to exe~t:
torque and drng ~ecw. 10mOmtOrhOlecl~ng. md to plan jarring
operations.
htmdmtion

piace~nt was reached in WeIl 33/139.ct33,it was recognized that

the well profile would &d to be nptimized to reach the planned
depth for Well C02-7200-m horizontal displacement The catenary
curve, proposed as a possible snlutim to the torque and drag problems, is the sohvion to the following prnblem?z
A cable with weight per length, w hzs a horizontal force at left
Point A, FH, and a tagmtid fo~e at right Point P(x,y), FT.The horiZontd compomm of the force at Point P is in the.opposite direction
Ofthe force at Point A.
The sohttio to the above problem is given in the x-y plane as

extended-reach drilling, a limitation on the horizontal diSPIaCe.

mm occnrs because of frictional foq%s between the driflsn-ingand
y= a 0%),
the borehcde wall. Drag is measured as the difference between the
static weight of tie ddshing and the tripping weight. giil~ly, a where = = Q
difference between the mrque applied at the rig floor and the tnrque
w
available at the bit mxurs owing to friction. Torque and drag prob.
An interesting feature of the catenay curve is the zero contact
lam am cdten associated with each orher and maybe profound in force between the drillshing and the bnrehole wall. Consequently,
extended-reach and horizontal weUs.
the catenary curve could theoretically give zero fiction between the
As Sheppard etaf. 1stated, a variety of sources of drag and torque
borehole wall and the drillstring.
lnss exist: differential sticking, key seating, hole instabilities, pwf
Several difilculties exist in using this approach for drilling a well.
hole cleaning, nnd the general frictional interaction associated with ~it, ti@f,@veforce at the bottom of the Wellrendts infilkfig
side forces along Ihe rfriflstring. Therefore, drag and torque mea- compression as opposed to the tension given in the theoretical
suremerm may be used to monitnr operations to optimize perfor.
cume. Furthermore, the catenary mme will lead to a much longer
rmmce. fn extended-reach drifting at Stztnit, torque and drag prob. well mdh &an more traditional well mnfiles. Thus, a slight modifiIem.shave initiated use of more sophisticated well protilesx and cation of the catenary curve must bemade.
uc of toque as an indicatnr of hole-cleaning problems. LlnderAn imporrant feature of the catenary curve was kept in the well
standing of torque and drag problems has been applied to rhe weO plans for Wells 33/09-C24 and 33/09-C02 in the Stat~ord field the
planning prncess. As a result, problems me of!en not found in wells very slow build rate in the shallow part of the well with a slowly inwith horizontal displacements np to 5000 m.5 Another interewig cre&ing build rate as well depth i&reases. The sailing angle of 80
implementation
of drag knowledge in operatiomt procedures is to 84 is rherefore much higher than the uaditional 60.
described in a paper on rhe influence of &g on hydrn.lic jar
Figs. 1 and 2 describe fhe well-path phning process with thereefficiency.s
suking torque calculations.4 The catenary curve is compared with
fn this paper, we discuss toque and drag problems in extended.
traditional constam-build curves with 1.5L30-and 2.50/30-m build
reach wells, how knowledge of torque and drag is used in operationrates. A much lower sailing angle is achieved with the Uaditinnal
at prcu?dures, and to what extent the planning phase can help avoid curve design. As a result, as Fig. 2 shows, the measnred depth (MO)
operational problems. Although always referring to extended reach, of the actual well path is lnnger than with traditional shapes. The
the same principles are valid for horizontal, S-shaped, and design- friction alon8 the dcillsting is lower, however, and a higher toque
er wells.7
at the bit is a welcosm result.
The success of reducing wall contact and thereby the told frictinn
Well Profiles
was reported in Ref. 4 and is shown in the simulations of comparison
Optimizing well protiles to minimize torque and drag problems bas of wall con[act force in Fig. 3. Wetl 33/09-C03 has a standard probeen d~cussed in many publications (e.g., Refs. 1,4. and 8 through fila Well 33109-C02 h= a mcditled catenary profile. Note the difIO). Sheppard et al.l thoroughly dkcussed the catenay curve prin- ference in scale in the two parts of Fig. 3. The vey high nnrmaI force
ciple for well drilling. Alfsen et C7L4
discussed a mcdified catenary in Well 33109-C03 Commred with the 33K39-C02profile will give
principl~ Banks et al? included the concept of !onuousity and similar marked higher (riction and thus higher torque loss. 31e well profile used in Starfjord Wells C24 and C2 may lead to
reached rhe important conclusion that making a smooth well parh is
enhanced problems with fcmnation stability and chffertntial srickkey for successfully drilling extremely long-reach weOs.
To reduce frictim in any well, a good nmd program design is im- ing owing to the high sailing angle. However, wherever these probportant. Friction factors dnwn m 0.16 simulations have proved to lems can be handled, rhe moditied caten~ curve will give a lower
give a best fit with measurements.4 l%e torque and drag prngmm friction than Uadixionalwell profiles.
used in the work descrikd here has been used extensively at .statoil
togelher wirb measurements of actual data. Confidence in the cal- Monitoring Hole Cleaning
culations has been achieved, and they have been used to nmnitorand
The confidence in torque and drag simulation programs may give
improve operational practice, Minimizing dogleg severity nnd even unexpected benefits. W%enlong-reach wells ze drilled the torque
mnking changes in dogleg severity have been implemented in our and drag simulation curves may be used to monitor hole cleaning.
procedures. 11
Deviations fmm pmpedy modeled torque and drag simulations may
Several papers have been published on long-reach wdl drilling
indicate hole-cleaning problems.
IYomthe Statfjord C platform.zd After a 6000-m horizontal disFig, 4 shows torque simulations in Well 33/09-C02 and actual
h

OtigntiSPE nmusoi$.t Tor.m!aand Drag-Two F@om In 2rf4nd@d.RE.ach

Ddll!ng,m.
C=3tiedh, rniewFeb. 15,1994.Reimd m,u,OiP,
recwivedJuno27, 1994, Pa+erac.
qted fmPubktio July5, 1994. Papa, (WE 27491) firs!Presentedat the1994lADC/.5PE
DriuingCmfa.ra
he!din Was. Fob. 1+18.

8W

measured torque in the 121/.-in.section. The tiee smooth curves are

tie acceptable, planned, and acrual torque simulations, respectively.
The marked change in simulation curves at about 2600 m was
caused by abh change. An aggwssive bit must be simulated witi a
bigher toque on bit than a less aggressive bit.
September

lWA. .IVI

Torque,
Nm

mm.

,,,,,
300-

2414W 1960-

25203080-

,.,0

nm$uuj88~yl

mm
;

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,,,,
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O 5E0 1120 16.302240230333603920448050405600

Fig. IWell profile planning, Well 33/09-C24.

45W4
49cca

II

ma

2600

mu

w+

4*W

4WI

m!

5800 m,

Depth(mm)
Fig. 4-Torque simulations and measurements,
tion, Well 32f09-C02.

,80!

9,00

12%-in. sec-

-@k/

The acceptable bole-cleaning curve is the maximum allowable

torque to be measured before any attempt to clean the hole. The
marked drop in measured torque at 6300-m fMD) was caused by a
trip with backreambtg and a lower rate of penetration. The backreaming provided a significantly cleaner hole and therefore a low,.. .
torque.- Using the acceptable hit for maximum torque during chilliig
operations provides the basis for deciding to begin hole-cleaning
operations.

41WJ

//

gw
2
; ~w

;
: ?5GW

(224 PROP
.--M&3
.--Z.wao

31CC4-

Planning

Z$wa
5C@4

and Running

Casing

and Liners

ability to nm and cement casings and liners depends heavily on

torque and drag in the well. Simulations of up- and downweights
and tomue caused bv rotation of the liners during cementiw_ a-.
therefo;e
performed ;n the ~kmrting phase of the ;ell.
Fig. 2Torqtte simulations for Well 33109-C24 profiles.
.&sdescribed elsewhere, 4 such simulations have proved to be
Statljonf
C-3313
C027400m in line with tie measmemenrs Taken during operations. Thus, the
StatfjOrdC
-33/9C036500m
simulated curves for weights and torque are helpful to tie driller
when running and cementing casing and liners because deviations
w O MOO12090
.7500 0
10000
from the simulations may give early warnings of hole problems.
0
0
However, not all effects have been explained by simulation. One
example is the up- and downweights of the 7-in. liner in Well
3319-C02. A thorough planning of the 7-in. liner included the fol10!0
lowing obsemations from the up- and downweight simulation
ION
curves.
From the planned curves (Fig. 5), we can see that adding drill collars at the surface when the liner shoe is at about 7200-m MD i-.
ZoM
creases both tie up- and downweight considerably because of
m
weight added in the vertical part of the well. Changing from 5- to
51%in. drillpipe can be seen on the slope of the upweight.
The second change in slope of tie upweight, around 8000-m MD,
3030
results from a minor drop in the welt protile at this location. The
change in well profile atso is reflected in the downweight, although
m
in a slightly different manner. The downweight drops as the !inc%enters the well profile change because of added friction when the liner
40D0
bends. As more liner elements entertbe dropping section, tbe weight
The

5250

5500

5750

SW

62S0

S5W

6750

70(

D@h (m.]

4000

.
.
,.
,.
3
~ 1.
1.

Fig. 3influence of profiles on wall forces.

~

. September

1594

Fig. S-Simulation

and measurements,

7-in. liner.
801

starts to increase slightly again because of added mass in tie dropping section. However, owing to the additional weie.ht beneath the
change in well slope, the wall contact force incre&es again ad
additional friction counteZcts the added mass. For the rest of the
weU, tic weight settles more or less on the same level as before the
tine. cntmed the dropping section.
When liner is mn, one step in the operation procedure is to measure.the up- and downweights of the liner. 13g.5 shows the measured
results and the simulated curves. The similarity between the p.
weight simulations and measurements is striking. However, the discrepancy in tie downweight of the liner is also evident. me topdrive weight is approximately 40000 kg, giving a total friction
abmg the borehole similar to the weight of the string from about
3700-m MD.
The marked unexpected dmD in downweizht at 3700 to 3900 m
has not been fully e;plained bui may be caus~ by measuring at too
high a inn-in velocity. Anotherpossibilhy was that special centralizers were used, although the upweight should have had similar effects.
The discrepancy in the deepest part of the well may stem from
formation m hole-cleaning problems became it is reflected in both
UP-md do~weight plOts.Nondestmctive drillpipe buckling could
also explain fbis speciat feature.
Jarring

in Long-Reach

Wells

The influence of dragon the force available at the jar was discussed
in an earlier publication.h The effect on the impact force can be quite
substentix therefore, the drag effect should be considered when an
extended-reach well is planned.
Use of a torque and dm.g simulator will enable calculations of
hook load for a given tension or compression on the jar. With such
cato.daf ions, it is possible to estimate the force available at the jar
if the string should stick. Therefore, the ddller can use these czJculadons to set and fm the jar in the most efficient way on the fmt signs
of stuck .nine.
.. . .
Another application is to plan the setting of .Jhemechanical jm It
is obvious fbat too high a setting wiU make the jar useless because
the available compression or temion over the jar may not be high
enough to tire it. However, with proper use of a torque and drag calculation program in the planning phase, the correct setting can be
used in the operations.
When deciding whether to use a mechanical or a hydrautic jar, the
available compression or tension at the jm is an imponant criterion.
A hydraulic jar will always fire if set and then put into tension or
compression. However, with a very low compression or tension in
tie loading phase of the j= operations, a hydraulic jar may have a
loading time of several minutes. Consequently, the jarring Operations wiU not be effective. By doing the proper calculations in the
planning phase, we can avoid such ineffective jarring.
F%. 6 gives an example of the drag influence on hook load as a
function ofjwoverpullf orce.~eti eecumes%enotig,
10%
added mass to incorporate drag, and drag simulations. The addition
of 10% mass was fhe recommended practice but did not apply well
to extended-reach wells. It has been shown that in extended-reach

wetls more fhan 1000-kN additional impact force at the stuck point
can be achieved by proper jar operations.h In such cases, thorough
knowledge of the drag effect on the avaitable jar overPullforce is
needed.
Casing-shoe

Wear

During drilling of the extremely long 12%-im section in Well

33109-C02, some peculiar behavior of the torque was observed. fn
Fig. 7, fhe predicted and measured toques am presented as functions of depdt. Instead of increasing smoothly as predicted, the
torque seems to oscillate. Quife a lot of discussions have focused on
the possible source of these oscillations.
Whhasailinga ngleof82t 084andm extiem1ylong
12%-in.
section. the possibility of casing wear will be presem. The normal
force around the 13V8-in. casing shoe wiU be directed upwa~
therefore, the drillpipe may put a high stress on the casing shoe.
As shown, especially in the interval between 5800 and 5900 m,
there am 10 cycles of torque, The best explanation for the cycles
seems to be a groove in the casing shoe.caused when the ddfpipe
wore down the casing shoe. The spikes then result fmm the extended
diameter of fhe pipe armmd the tool joints. The observation that the
spikes were spaced about the length of the dritlpipes was contlmed
when the string was pulled because similar torque cycles occurred
duting backreaming.
When the 1378-in. casing is set at a given depth and angle, nothing can be dcme to prevmt this wear. Because this well had an extremely long 12?4-in. section, this effect was more pronounced than
in standard wells. However, when future well pmfdes are planned,
we will select abetter setdng angle and thereby diminish caeingshoe wear.

25,0

,00,

3
-.500

--

--

----

.. ......... ..

;
$

-
,000

.. .

____

...

___

J
,00

E
,,0

7.s0
. . .

.aerp.11

,,,

,,,,

~,.

(m)

Fig. E-Drag influence o jar impact.

802

o,

16

24

32

40

Torquekb
Fig. 7Measured and simulated toque.
September

1994. JPI

operational

Procedures

Most Nmfh Sea fields have been planned with anther sMJJow kickoff@nf, a build rate of 3.@.4i3Om. ~d a sailing angle of about 60.
JUmost siroations. th.,~bg
of mch weJJswas straightforward. fD
one field, however. ~ng
OfsOme Offhe~ web s~med ~ICUJL
tiysis
of these weu shOwd that the operations personnel condnu.
omly tied to get back on the Pkmned weJJpath whenever my deviations were de~~
m tie bnddup sections. Consequently, the dogO and 4 to Si30 m. The wti
leg severi~ fi~ged a 10t be~m
contain forms we= the~fo= quite high in the shd.low part of the
welk, which Id tO pmbIems when trying to reach the tinal depth
gods in the deeper sections.l 1It was recognized that one of tie weti
tlmt did not reach fti depth prubably could have achieved fhe
pbuned depth if tie btidup section had been tilled more smoofhly.
As a result of these studies, operatiowd procedmes were chmged
to minimize dogleg severity in the shallow sections. AJso, more
Otmuugh planning of well paths was implemented for long-reach
wefk The success of implementing this knowledge into opaational
procedures is confiied in that torque and drag pmhlems are not as
critical in ddhng medium-reach wells.s
fn extremely extended.reaih weJJs, me requirement for success
is incorporating teamv.ibrk into the plmnig and ddJling of the
welfs. When trying 03 achieve the mega.reacW wells, everyone
must understand the back~d for fbe different operations.
Incorporating the foque md drag understanding of persons wi6liztthe company into prucedmes for cbillig is an impoftant part of
the plaming phase. The modified catemry cmve demands a stdct
adherence to low dogleg severity in the shallow pat of the well and
a slow increase in build rate m depth increases. ffthe importance of
this plan is not understood, the finaJ long-reach goaJ will not he
achieved. Jn Statfjord Wellg 33/09-C24 and 33/09.C02, such tsantwork worked weJJ,and the planned !!mJJpath wts followed within
acceptable deviations.4

P.agmussen,
B. etal.:WmldReCOfiin fitended-R~chDfitling,Well
33/9-cIo, SfatfjordField Norway.paperSPE 219g4 presentedat the
1991JADCJ3PEDrillingConference,Amsterdam,March 11-14.
3. Nj%.rheimA. and TjOtta.HZNewWorldRecordi. Extended-Rez.ch
DrillingfromPlatfmmStattiord C;p?.wr SPE23849presented.:th.
1992fADC/SPEDrillingConference,New Orleans,Jan 18-21.
4. Alfsen, T.E.et al.: ,Fuddngthe Limits for Extended.ReachDrilJing,
New WorldRecordWellFrom Plaffom SE@ordC; We!!C2T paper
SPE26350presentedatfhet993 SPEAIIIXId Tedmi.d Conferenceand
Etiibition, Houston,Oct. 3-6.
5. Eck-Olsen,J. eral.: N0161SeaAdvancesin Extended-ReachDrilling,
paperSPE257.50mesmtedat the 1993JADCYSPEDdlingConfermcq
tisterdam, Mtih t 1-14.
6. AaIW@ T.v.: DregCalculationsIMPmvtE~cienw of Hydmufic
Jars, Oil & Gas3, (March29, t993).
7. Jkk-Olsen, J, eI al.: DesignerDirectionalDrillingTOJmreas. TotaJ
P .,.O. n.nm
Recoveryand Pradwrion h...-,
r-r----WE 27461 pxsemed at the
:b. 1>18.
1994L4DC/SPEDrillingConference,DaJlas,Fe]
th Double-S-Shaved
8. WiJscm,T.P.andYakin,O.:TwoDouble-Azimuti..
WellsPlannedand DrilledJJsigTorqueand Drag Modeling, p~Pm
SPE 23848 Presmred at the 1992L4D0SPEDitling Conference,New
Orleans,Jan 18-2t
9. Banks,S.M..Hog&T.W.,md Thc,mgood,J.L., %mrming ExtededReach CapabititicsThmugh WellboreprofileOpindsatiompaperSPE
23330mesemeda! the 1992JADC/SPEDriltiw Confermce,NewOrleans,jam 18-21.
10.CdIo,B,, Lee,R.L.,andMiska,S.: CmstaM-Cummm F@aticm Improve Designof 3-DWetlTrajectory: Oil& Gas J. (ApriJ1993).
11.Aarreslad,T.V.:4-Effectof Steerable BHA on Drag and Tque in
Welts,paper SPE 20929prmmed at the 1990SPE EuropeanPemIeumConference,TIE Hague.Oct. 21-24.
12.fhumas,G.B.Jr.:Calculusand Analyric Geomeoy fourthedition,Addison-WesleyPublishingCo.. Reading,MA(1974).
z

ft
in.
Ibf
lbm

Conclusions

.-.

1. Tomue and drag are kev factors in fhe ulanninz and driJJinEof
extendedlfe.ach and~orizon-tal weJJs.

2. Torque and drag cdcutations, togefher with rneasummets of

torque and hooktoad, can be used to monifor hole-cleaning requirements during dzoling.
3. Torque and drag calculations should be used to optimize weJI
prufiles.
4. Torque and drug calculations should be used to pJan for optimized jarring operations in extended-reach and hmizonttd welk.
5. Torque and drag calculations, together with measurement?.,
may be used to detect droling problems Jiie casing-shoe wear.
6. Use of toque and drag ca[ctdations, together with measurements, can prevent stuck casings and liners.
Acknowledgments

We thank Den Norske Stafs Oljeselskap .4/S (Statoil) for permission

to publish this paper. SpeciaJ acknowledgment is given to the operations peuple who planned and drilled the wells dkcussed in this paper.

M.C., Wick,C., and B.cgess, T.: .DesigningWell Paths To

1. Sheppard,
ReduceDrag and Torque,SPEDE (Dec.1987)344.

. Sep+ember 7994

EOl=m
E+ OO=cm
E+OO=N
E-01 =kg

TQnvwsim factorIs exact

lhorV7ggo Aartesiad isan otiserforthe

DriitingAnalysis, Drilling.
ond Well Technology Dept. ot 3tatoil in Stcwanger.His expertise
is in high-pressure, high-temperature dtilling development, drilIlng technology R&D, data analysis methods, andjarring operation optimization. A member of the 1993 Forum Series In Europe
Committee, Aarresfad holds MS and PhD degrees in applied
mathematics from the U. of Bergen. Harcdd Blikra isa staff engineer for the Directional DrNing, Drilling, and Well Technology
Dept. of Sfofoil. Shce joining Statoil, he has worked in directional dtilling, directional suweying, and offshore dfilting. He holds 33
and MS degrees in petroleum technology from Rogaland Dls-

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References

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Aarrestad

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Blikra

303