OIL DRILLING METHODS

UNIVERSITY OF KARBALA

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PETROLEUM ENG. DEP

Oil Well Drilling Methods

Student Name:

Ali Mahmoud Ayal

Supervisor:

Abdul kareem Alrubaiey

Date

17/6/2020
OIL DRILLING METHODS

Introduction

Crude oil is complex mixtures of hydrocarbons, non-hydrocarbons and other trace elements
stored in sedimentary rocks. Best method to extract these resources from deep formations are via
drilling. A well is created by drilling a hole into the earth crust with a drilling rig that rotates a
drill string with a bit attached. There are a variety of drilling methods each possessing their own
benefits.

The well is created by drilling a hole 12 cm to 1 meter (5 in to 40 in) in diameter into the earth
with a drilling rig that rotates a drill string with a bit attached. After the hole is drilled, sections
of steel pipe (casing), slightly smaller in diameter than the borehole, are placed in the hole.
Cement may be placed between the outside of the casing and the borehole known as the annulus.
The casing provides structural integrity to the newly drilled wellbore, in addition to isolating
potentially dangerous high pressure zones from each other and from the surface.

The drilling platform provides a base for workers to couple and uncouple the sections of drilling
pipe which are used to increase the depth of drilling. As the hole deepens, additional lengths of
pipe are added and the drilling string is suspended from the derrick. When a drilling bit needs to
be changed, the entire drilling string of pipe is pulled out of the hole, and each section is
detached and stacked vertically inside the derrick. After the new bit is fitted in place, the process
is reversed, and the pipe is returned to the hole to continue drilling.

Care is needed to assure that the drilling string pipe does not split apart and drop into the hole, as
it may be difficult and costly to fish out and may even result in the loss of the well. Another
potential problem is if drilling tools stick in the hole when drilling stops. For this reason, once
drilling begins, it usually continues until the well is completed.
OIL DRILLING METHODS

Theory

Oil exploration makes use of several types of drilling methods and platforms based on the type of
formations, geographic location, soil type and the like{1,3}. Here are six (or more ) of the most
common drilling methods used in extracting oil and gas from beneath the earth:-

(1) Percussion or Cable Drilling

(2) Rotary Drilling
(3) Dual-Wall Reverse-Circulation Drilling
(4) Electro-Drilling
(5) Directional Drilling
(6) Smart Drilling

Percussion or Cable Drilling

Percussion drilling is an oft-used manual drilling technique in which a hammering bit is attached
to a long cable that is then lowered into a wide open hole. The technique is also known as cable
drilling, wherein the driller uses a tripod to support the tools. By going back and forth with the
bit, the action loosens the soil in the borehole, which is then extracted with the help of a bailer.
At intervals, the bit is removed while the cuttings are suspended in water, which is then removed
by pumping to the surface. Asteel casing helps prevent the hole from collapsing down
temporarily and also to protect the hole against contamination of groundwater. The temporary
setting is to be removed after a permanent screen and casing are installed.

This type of drilling is perfect for unconsolidated and consolidated formations including sand,
silt, sandstone and even gravel. Manual percussion can reach depths of about 25 meters.
OIL DRILLING METHODS

Rotary Drilling

Rotary drilling is also one of the most common methods of drilling, especially for digging up
exploratory and production wells, which boast of depths that exceed five miles below the ground.
Click here to learn more about oil & gas drilling.

For holes from 15 cm to 152 cm (6 to 60 in) for dewatering, freeze holes, paste holes, mineral
exploration, geothermal, oil and gas pre-collars, cavern wells, injection/extraction holes, water
test holes, or monitor wells, you need safe, straight, hassle-free meters from a drilling contractor
with the right technical expertise and compliant and reliable rigs and equipment.

Cuttings are then removed by fluid circulation that gets inside the pipe. The penetration rate is
faster when using air-based drilling fluids compared to the water-based ones. A drag bit is useful
in this scenario to penetrate unconsolidated sediments, while the roller bit can drill through
consolidated rock. The overall rotation speed of the drill can be increased or decreased
depending on the hardness of formation material.

Fig.(1) A land-based rotary drilling rig.

OIL DRILLING METHODS

Dual-Wall Reverse-Circulation Drilling

Dual-wall reverse-circulation is a type of rotary drilling itself in which two concentric drill pipes
are used to create a controlled flow. The drilling fluid is pumped through an outer swivel to reach
the bottom of the bit, and then ricochets upward into the main pipe. All cuttings are carried
upward through an internal pipe and with the help of surface swivel. The method also allows for
geologic sample collection, with samples usually delivered through the cyclone created at the
surface. The method is compatible with both rotary drilling and percussion drilling methods. The
fluids are circulated within a controlled space and all cuttings can be recovered any time.

The method is applicable for all types of geologic formations and does not require surface
casing, too.

Good sample recovery is one of the main strengths of this method. The method also allows for
fast penetration in alluvial or fissured rock. Also, it does help in delivering an accurate estimate
of aquifer yield from the depths of the formation.

Electro-Drilling

In this method, rotary tables, winches and the like are driven by electric motors, thus leading to
better flexibility in operations along with remote-controlled drilling. These drills are new
methods of oil and gas exploration, as they provide more direct power to the drill bit by
connecting the motor above the bit, below the hole.

The electro-drilling system has been successful in complex geological conditions where there is
use of weighted mud or mud mixtures. Electro-drilling has made its presence felt in various
places including Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, which are keen to implement electro-
drilling widely to boost savings in energy and material usage.

Combining the advantages of rotary and hydraulic-motor methods, this method involves a big
range of drill-bit rotational speeds. This method can also use different borehole cleaning agents.
One can even implement controlled drilling of deviated boreholes with this method.
OIL DRILLING METHODS

Directional Drilling

Directional drilling, in its most basic sense, is drilling that isn't done vertically but is instead
done horizontally, at an angle or with a curve. It is also sometimes called directional boring, and
it can be used in a variety of natural gas and oil extraction situations.

Directional drilling is useful for retrieving resources when the shape of the reservoir makes
vertical drilling less effective or when the oil or gas is trapped in rock and isn't able to flow into a
large reservoir. It can also be used to access multiple reservoirs with one rig and to adjust the
pressure in gas mines through a process known as degasification.

Though the basic concept of directional drilling can be traced back to the 19th century, it didn't
become a popular technique until recently. Technological advances throughout the 20th century
helped it gain some traction, and in recent years, new digital technologies have made it even
more common. Oilrig operators can now collect data to better plan drilling operations and use
computer controls to operate drills more precisely.

*Designer Well Drilling

Designer wells are a subset of horizontal wells, with the main difference being that they're
designed to reach multiple pools of oil or natural gas. Designer wells are used in areas with
multiple sections of recoverable oil and gas. Drilling one well that can be used for multiple
reservoirs is much more cost-effective than drilling multiple wells.

*Slant Drilling

Slant wells, also called J-type wells or deep kickoff wells, look similar to horizontal wells but
differ in a few key ways. They're usually used in situations where it's difficult to determine
exactly where the target is located from the surface.

*Multilateral Drilling

Another drilling method used to tap multiple reservoirs or multiple parts of one large reservoir at
once is multilateral drilling. This type of horizontal well features multiple offshoots that come
from the main well. These offshoots can be horizontal, curve off slightly to one side or turn
sharply like at an angle like a J-type well.
OIL DRILLING METHODS

Smart Drilling

Since most of the easy oil and gas reservoirs are already developed, the need of smart ways to
access unconventional reservoirs is undoubted. The best way to achieve a “smart well” is to think
smartly from the beginning. Therefore, smart technologies have to be applied in the early stages
of the well, precisely when drilling the well. To drill smartly, the ultimate objective is to reduce
drilling cost by reducing the well count and access most of the pay zone with the drilled wellbore
[2]. In another word, it is a goal for the operators to apply new economical smart methods to drill
a well that is capable of producing an amount of production equal to more than one well if drilled
in a conventional way. The paper chooses to start with a smart drilling method that has a
promising future in adding smart and economical values to the well; that method is the Fishbone.

Summary
These methods of drilling for oil reservoirs and some of them are common for gas
reservoirs, their uses differ from one field to another or from one reservoir to another,
according to the formative nature of the reservoir to be drilled or extracted from oil or gas
from them, these methods are summarized clearly above, as for these methods also differ
In terms of cost as well as in terms of characteristics that we must first identify before
using one of the methods .

*exploration wells are drilled purely for exploratory (information gathering) purposes in a new
area, the site selection is usually based on seismic data, satellite surveys etc.

*oil producers producing predominantly liquid hydrocarbons, but most include some associated
gas.
OIL DRILLING METHODS

References

1-Zayn Bilkadi (University of California, Berkeley), "The Oil Weapons", Saudi Aramco World,
January–February 1995, pp. 20–7.

2- "Crude Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Activity". Energy Information Administration. U.S.
Energy Information Administration. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.

3-Halliburton Technical,books.