Trajectory Planning

CASING
 Objectives

On completion of this module you will be able to:

Understand the different trajectory calculation methods

Be proficient with creating well plans using Drilling
Office

Be able to perform quick (rig floor) 2-D projections for
horizontal landings
What are the basic type of profiles
for wells?
 Well Profiles
Applications

Vertical
Land wells, no space restrictions, cheap low

producers

J type Directional
Unable to get directly over target, increase
reservoir exposure, offshore,

S type Directional
As J type and for wells to be fracced,
instability issues in reservoir

Horizontal
Increase reservoir exposure, thin zones,
naturally fractured areas
 Well Profiles Terminology

S Type Horizontal
SURVEY CALCULATIONS
 SURVEY CALCULATIONS

Survey instruments measure Inclination and Azimuth
at set stations (depths)

We still need to define the wellpath by computing
the shape of the trajectory between surveyed stations
 SURVEY CALCULATIONS
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Absolute location of a reference point or benchmark
on a map

Distance between the reference point and the
survey station

Inclination of the survey station

Direction to the survey station

Calculate 3 dimensional position of each subsequent
station
 BASIC MEASUREMENTS

Inclination: angle between the borehole and
vertical

Azimuth: angle between north and the
horizontal projection of the borehole

Distance: course length between survey
stations, measured by length of pipe added at
the surface. This is used to give cumulative
measured depth (MD)
SURVEY CALCULATION METHODS

TANGENTIAL (no longer used)

AVERAGE ANGLE (no longer used)

RADIUS OF CURVATURE (for quick calcs only)

MINIMUM CURVATURE (industry standard)
 TANGENTIAL METHOD

TVD = MD x cos INC

DISPL = MD x sin INC

TVD

DISPLACEMENT
TANGENTIAL METHOD
NORTH

North = DISPL x cos AZ

East = DISPL x sin AZ

EAST

DIRECTION OF
INCLINATION
S50°E

E/W DISPLACEMENT
 TANGENTIAL METHOD

Assumes the inclination is constant from current
survey point back to the last survey point

Can be accurate if azimuth and inclination do not
change much

Can be accurate over short distances

Useful for quick TVD calculations
 AVERAGE ANGLE METHOD
POINT 1

ASSUMED WELL PATH

ACTUAL WELL PATH

DEPARTURE ERROR
LATITUDE
ERROR

VERTICAL ERROR
POINT 2
 AVERAGE ANGLE METHOD
AVERAGES PREVIOUS DRIFT AND AZIMUTH WITH
CURRENT SURVEY STATION

N/S= MD sin(I avg) cos (A avg) I1 + I2

E/W= MD sin(I avg) sin (A avg I avg=
2

TVD= MD cos (I avg) A +A
A avg= 1 2

Displacement = MD sin (I avg) 2

Better than tangential but not good
enough
RADIUS OF CURVATURE METHOD
A1

I1

A2

I2

Assumes well path is a smooth curve and can be fit to the

surface of a cylinder of a specific radius

DLS variable (BR and TR constant)

Better than average angle but still not good enough
 Minimum Curvature

Fits the well path on the DL

surface of a sphere of a
particular radius A1

DLS constant (BR and TR I1 ²MD

variable) ²TVD DL A2

N
I2

Uses a method similar to W E

radius of curvature S

Most accurate and is the

industry standard
 Minimum Curvature

Takes the space vectors defined by the inclination

and the azimuth at the survey points

Smoothes these onto a spherical arc which is
defined by the curvature of the well

THIS CURVATURE IS: DOGLEG

[ ( ) ( (
D = cos-1 cos I 2 − I 1 − sinI 1 sinI 2 1 − cos A 2 − A 1 ))]
 Minimum Curvature
RATIO FACTOR :

INCLINATION AND AZIMUTH DEFINE STRAIGHT
LINE DIRECTIONS IN SPACE

LINE SEGMENTS ARE SMOOTHED USING RF
360 1 - cos DL
RF= •
DL • π sin DL
 Minimum Curvature

CALCULATE POSITION OF CURRENT STATION

RELATIVE TO PREVIOUS STATION
∆MD
∆TVD =
2
( )
• cosI1 + cosI2 • RF

∆MD
∆NORTH =
2
( )
• sinI1cosA1 + sinI2cosA2 • RF

∆MD
∆EAST =
2
( )
• sinI1sinA1 + sinI2sinA2 • RF
 Well Profiles Terminology
T arg e t

LATITUDE = TOTAL ∆ NORTH FOR EACH SURVEY De pa rt ure

STATION

DEPARTURE = TOTAL ∆ EAST FOR EACH
SURVEY STATION

North and East are positive

Latutude

South and West negative

Horizontal Displacement is the hypotenuse of
the latitude and departure

Surface Reference Point

 HORIZONTAL DISPLACEMENT (HD)
= closure distance T arg e t

De pa rt ure

LAT2 + DEP 2 = Horizontal DISPLACEMENT

Latutude

Surface Reference Point

 CLOSURE AZIMUTH
T arge t

Depart ure

CLOSURE AZIMUTH =

−1 DEPARTURE
tan

Latutude
LATITUDE

Surface Reference Point

 VERTICAL SECTION
VERTICAL SECTION =
HD X cos (VS AZIMUTH - CLOSURE AZIMUTH)
Target

Depart ure
VERTICAL SECTION IS THE
PROJECTION OF THE HD ON TO
THE VERTICAL SECTION PLANE
(VS Azimuth must be specified)

Latutude
VS Azimuth usually taken as surface
(or tie-in) to TD but could be any
azimuth to best plot the section view

Surface Reference Point

 PLANE OF PROPOSAL
Targ et

De p a r t u r e
Another term for Vertical Section Plane

Not very meaningful with 3-

3-D wells that may
have more than one Vertical Section

Latutude
PLANE OF PROPOSAL
 Vertical Section
Plane of Proposal
For a simple build hold profile, if the well
90degrees was going due East, 90deg, this would be
the VS view at VS azimuth 90deg
1000ft However if the plane of proposal (VS) was
stated as 180degree, what would the new
VS,90degrees
VS look like?
1250ft

1500ft It would be a straight line , shown in red.

Be careful with 3D well plans
VS, 180degrees
2000ft
 WELL PLAN

•
N

MAGNETIC TO TRUE=4.9°EAST

CURRENT SURVEY

• PLAN WELL

VERTICAL SECTION
 Well Plan Format
What is the minimum information needed on a well plot to convey all
the information a directional driller needs ?
Note down all the items that are needed on a well plot.

Titles, Client, Date, Well Paths (labelled)

Scales for each axis noted, measurement units

Plane of proposal (Vertical Section Azimuth)

Geomagnetic model used for plan, version, date etc.

True north, grid, magnetic north corrections – reference for well

Technical Sign off (QC), approved by etc
 Tortuosity
Tortuosity is the excess curvature in a wellbore. It is usually expressed as
a value per unit length eg. 0.4deg/100ft

It is very important when trying to predict torque and drag for a particular
profile.
Rotary steerable assembly should significantly reduce tortuosity compared
with steerable motors
Planning Kick offs
 Impact of Kick off Depth
For the same target and BR:

The shallower the kick off depth, the lower the tangent angle and the shorter is the
well length.
MD INCL AZI TVD NORTHING EASTING
feet deg deg feet N/-S feet E/-W feet

TIE 0 0 0 0 0 0
KOP 1000 0 90 1000 0 0
2000 30 90 1955 0 256
10712 30 90 9500 0 4612
MD INCL AZI TVD NORTHING EASTING
BUT feet deg deg feet N/-S feet E/-W feet

TIE 0 0 0 0 0 0
KOP 5735 0 90 5735 0 0
7735 60 90 7389 0 955
11958 60 90 9500 0 4612
 Shallow Kick off Point

Shorter well length

Lower casing costs, smaller rig capacity ?

More directional work

Inevitable if platform drilling, but maybe not necessary on land

Likely leads to higher cost wells (higher mud and directional)

Lower tangent angles

Easier for hole cleaning

Maybe more difficult for directional work - holding low angle is not always
easy

Disadvantage of Shallow kick off is increased casing wear
 Shallow Kick off Point cont.

Build up section to be cased off

Good to case of the build up section

Typical offshore designs set casing at end of initial build

Reduce risk as build up section potentially more unstable

Enables a very high displacement from the wellhead

ERD wells use very high kick off points and very high angle tangent section
angles

Allows high displacement even if at a shallow TVD

Build up rate typically low to reduce overall torque and drag

Allowing high build up rates here will have large impact on torque values
further down well
 J Type vs S type
To hit the same target for the same KOP, BR and DR, profiles would be as
follows:
J type MD INCL AZI TVD NORTHING EASTING DISPL DLS
feet deg deg feet N/-S feet E/-W feet feet deg
TIE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
KOP 1000 0 0 1000 0 0 0 0.00
2000 30 90 1955 0 256 256 3.00
10712 30 90 9500 0 4612 4612 0.00
S type MD INCL AZI TVD NORTHING EASTING DISPL DLS
feet deg deg feet N/-S feet E/-W feet feet deg
TIE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
KOP 1000 0 0 1000 0 0 0 0.00
Hold 2500 45 90 2350 0 559 559 3.00
Drop 7440 45 90 5844 0 4052 4052 0.00
8940 0 90 7194 0 4612 4612 3.00
11246 0 90 9500 0 4612 4612 0.00
 J Type vs S type discussion

As can be seen for the same kick off point there is a large
difference in the tangent angle and measured depth of the well.

S type wells will tend to develop a lot more torque than an
equivalent displacement J type

Usually S shaped wells drilled for “production reasons” have a
small tolerance on the angle across reservoir (less than 5 or 10
degrees)
 Well Planning Tips

Every target potentially has 100’s of well plans to hit the centre.

Ensure plan is drillable. Avoid too much steering in problematic
formations

Consider maximum DLS capability of BHA and limit max planned DLS to
80% (see DLS guideline slide)

Make plans as simple as possible (best option usually one with shortest
MD and smallest DDI)

Remember high DLS early in plan may cause T & D issues later on

Know what the completion mechanism is e.g. ESP’s need tangent
sections, PCP’s have DLS constraints
 Well Planning Tips

Avoid long tangents (>300ft) with Inc < 20deg

Try to include tangents (>60’) before targets, casing points, horizontal
landings and between curves of different DLS.

Use geology to help with plans, if you know a formation naturally builds
then use this to your advantage

Consider wellbore stability issues (there may be directions or
inclinations to avoid)

Consider whether or not wireline logs to be run (may limit inc < 60 deg)
 DLS planning guidelines

Unless reliable information from local experience dictates otherwise use
the following guidelines:

HOLE SIZE Max Planning DLS

> 17 ½” 2°/100’
17 ½” 4°/100’
12 ¼” 6°/100’
8 ½’ and smaller 8°/ 100’
 BASIC MATHEMATICS
FOR QUICK PROJECTIONS
The Basics
What is the relationship between Circumference,
Radius & π?

We know that :
Circumference = 2πRc= πD = 360°ARC
Therefore:
360 = 2πRc
360 / 2 = πRc
180 = πRc
180 / π= Rc
1 unit of Radius = 1 Radian (Ra)
180 / π = Ra = 57.296°
 Build Rate
Where does the equation for Build Rate come from?

Build Rate is the Arc of a circle divided by the

Circumference:

BR = 360° / Circumference
= 360 / (2 x πx Rc)
Or BR = 57.296/Rc

Where BR in deg/unit length (°/ft or °/m)

Radius of Curvature Projection
When we compare two points on the curve:
If we consider the Arc DF we know that:

∆TVD = XF = EF -BD =Rcx Sin I2 -Rcx Sin I1

= Rc(Sin I2 -Sin I1)
= 57.296 (Sin I2 -Sin I1) / BR

And the ∆displacement

∆disp = DX = CB -CE = (RcxCosI1)-(Rcx Cos I2 )
= Rc(CosI1-CosI2)
= 57.296(CosI1-CosI2)/BR
 Arc Lengths & Angles
Given that :
To find the Arc AB Circumference = 2πr = 360° Arc

Arc AB will be a fraction of the Circumference, the

ratio of this fraction will be the Arc angle divided by
the Circumference Arc (360°):
Arc AB = 2πRc x θ/ 360°
Arc AB = πRc x θ/180°

From previous slide, BR (in °/ ’) = 180 / (π x Rc)

Thus we can derive:

Arc AB = θ/BR
Radius of Curvature Projection

When we compare two points on the curve:

If we consider the Arc DF we know that

Arc DF = θ / BR

θ is the difference between the two inclinations

so:
Arc DF = (I2 - I1) / BR