GEOTHERMAL DRILLING AND WELL DESIGN

(SE-830-DR2)

Well Targeting and Directional Drilling

Sverrir Thorhallsson
sverrir.thorhallsson@gmail.com

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 DIRECTIONAL DRILLING

•The main reason for directional drilling is environmental. Directional drilling makes
it possible to reach under environmentally difficult terrain such as mountains,
valleys and gullies. It is also possible to locate the drill rig in some distance from
thermal manifestations but still reach the target below the springs and fumaroles.
•Now the majority of HT geothermal wells are directional, which requires
directional drilling equipment and services.

TARGETS:
Sufficienty high temperature:
- Low 50˚C - 150˚C
- Medium 150˚C - 200 ˚C
- High > 200˚C, preferably >220˚C
Permeability/output:
- Low temperature 20-100 L/s
- High temperature ~5 MWe

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 SURFACE GEOLOGICAL DATA

Geological mapping
Geological structures, volcanic history
Tectonic map
Map of geothermal surface manifestations
Ground heat survey
Geophysical surveys
Resistivity surveys -> TEM and MT
Gravity surveys
Microseismicity
Geochemical analysis
Water, steam and gas sampling
Geothermometry
Gas flux surveys

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 INFORMATION FROM BOREHOLES

Location of feed zones

- Strata/Intrusives/Fractures
Actual reservoir temperature
Production capacity
Geochemical composition of reservoir fluid
Geological reservoir formation and structure
Hydrothermal alteration
Geophysical proporties of geological formations:
- NN, Gamma, Gamma-Gamma, Resistivity, Televiewer logging

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 DIRECTIONAL TARGETS

•Directional wells are targeted to intersect geological features and near

vertical fractures to improve the chances of success. Tentatively this is the
case since it is possible to intersect more than one fracture or dike in the
same hole.
•Statistics from several fields around the world do surprisingly not show
directional well to be more productive on average than vertical wells in the
same field.

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 STRATEGY

•The first well on a new drill site may be vertical but then 3-5 additional wells
are directionally drilled from the same drill site, depending on the outcome of
the first one.
•Directional drilling is also applied for drilling a so called “sidetrack” to bypass
any junk or obstruction in the well or to rehabilitate wells that have
inadequate flow.
•“Fork” wells or sidetracks are being drilled right after the first leg is
completed before the rig is moved off, if the expected output is estimated to
be unsatisfactory.

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 KJ-36

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ISE Geothermal Drilling and Well Design March 2019 Sverrir Thorhallsson 8
 WELL TRAJECTORIES

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 IDENTICAL CASING
PROGRAMS VERT/DIR

The casings are

the same.

Different bottom
hole assembly
(BHA) during
drilling.

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 PRESENT PERTAMINA CASING PROGRAM

Regular hole Large diameter hole

Source:
Pertamina
Geothermal
Energy

Ref: Dadi

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 DEPTH CAPACITY OF JARÐBORANIR HF. RIGS (IS)

Different size rigs,

mainly hookload (t).

The true vertical

depth (TVD) reach is
reduced when drilling
directional wells.

Ref.:
www.jardboranir.is/?PageID=104

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 DEFLECTING THE WELLS FROM VERTICAL

•Directional Drilling:
Vertical drilling to 300-450 m to KOP.
Build up angle 1˚-2˚/30 m to 30˚ - 45˚,
requires a mud motor and preferably MWD.
Maintain 30˚ - 45˚ angle to total depth – “stiff bottom hole assembly” or continue w.
motor.
The typical horizontal deflection is 800-1200 m.

•Angle Drilling (slant hole):

Right from surface the mast is tilted 5˚ -30˚ and the same angle maintained to total
depth – “stiff bottom hole assembly”. No mud motor or MWD required. Sigle-shot
surveys.

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 DIRECTIONAL DRILLING (2 OF 2)

Old procedure
using a
“bent sub” above
the mud motor

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 DIRECTIONAL DRILLING (1 OF 2)

DP 5“ to surface
BHA length 170 m
DC 7 1/2” x 3
X-over

Length
Drilling Jar
X-over This is a modern directional drilling
(m)
Flow 45-50 i/s
bottom hole assembly (BHA)
DC 7 1/2“ x 9
for a 12 ¼" hole.
X-over
-Motor w. bent sub
-Measurement while drilling (MWD)
DC 7 1/2” Non-Mag x 2
-Non magnetic collars for surveys

Well trajectory is maintained by:

Stabilizer 3-Blade
MuleShoe Sub
X-over
-Sliding (drill string rotation locked)
MWD Tool
to build up angle, 40% of the time
length 9,2 m
-Rotating (drill string rotated) to drill
Float Sub
Stabilizer 3-Blade straight , 60% of the time
DC 8“ Non-Mag

X-over

Mud Motor 9 5/8”

w 1,2° bend
length 8,7 m
Integral Blade Sabilizer

X-over
Bit - 100 RPM

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 TORQUE

A deviated well requires

more torque for rotating the
drill string.
In tortuous wells this may
limit how deep it is possible
to drill.

Source: Erin Anderson RES MS

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 BHI PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL ON VERTIRACK (MAINTAINS VERTICALITY)

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 DIRECTIONAL DRILLING AND KOP

• Directional drilling is when a well is intentionally swayed from the vertical to reach
a target via the inclined well. The modern directional industry is dominated by a
few international companies who provide “directional drilling services” . They
provide the experts on the rig to operate the required tools and guide the driller in
staying on track. Usually there are two experts on site the “motor man” and the
“MWD man” who alternate taking shifts. The service companies also rent the mud
motors and MWD tools for the job.
•In the past the direction was surveyed by a logging tool that was run on a wireline
to a “mule shoe” on top of the bent sub or mud motor. The orientation was either
by a magnet or from a gyro. The tools were either “single shot” or they could take
several readings each trip.
•The mud motors were “straight” and the deflection was by a “bent sub” above the
motor, but on the modern motor the drill bit can be angled by adjusting the bend in
the motor housing just above the bit.

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 WHAT IS MEASUREMENT WHILE DRILLING (MWD)?

•In geothermal drilling the MWD tool is used for guidance in directional
drilling. The tool is located just above the mud motor in the BHA and
transmits by mud pulse the Inclination and Azimuth when the rotation is
temporarily stopped but in rotation it transmits the toolface orientation. The
internal temperature of the tool is also transmitted to the surface and in
some tools also measure the annulus pressure. Additional sensors have been
placed in the MWD tool.
•The signal from the MWD tool is either transmitted with mud-pulse
technology up through the drill pipe. Now there are also MWD tools that
transmit electromagnetic waves (EM) that are picked up from the wellhead
and a ground rod that form the two electrodes of a dipole antenna.
•Sometimes a separate gyro survey has to be run on a wireline to confirm the
MWD readings to correct the well trajectory calculations, especially where
there is magnetic interference from the rock.

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 DIRECTIONAL DRILLING CALCULATION METHODS

Geothermal wells are mainly of Type I where you build up angle (20-45°)
and hold it until total deptht is reached.

Calculation methods:
API D20, Bulletin on Directional Drilling Survey Calculation Methods and
Terminology. 1985. API: Washington, DC.

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 TRIGONOMETRY OF DIRECTIONAL WELLS

Source: CONTROLLED DIRECTIONAL DRILLING

IN KENYA AND ICELAND
Thomas Ongau Miyora UNU-GTP 2010

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 COST VERTICAL VS. DIRECTIONAL

Results:
Directional adds 32%
Aerated adds 14%

Cost analysis by OR:

Shown in million Icelandic krona (ISK)
Prices include VAT 24.5%
During the period 2008-2009 the krona
depreciated from 70 to 125 ISK/USD.

12 1/4" 12 1/4" 8 1/2"

Drilling fluid Vertical Directional Vertical
Mud/water 320 423 352
Aerated, balanced 393 447 369

Source: Orkuveita Reykjavikur and Mannvit Engineering

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 CONCLUSIONS

•The majority of geothermal wells nowadays are directionally drilled.

•The casing program the same for directional wells as for vertical.
•Most common for wells is to be drilled with an inclination of 30˚-45˚.
Horizontal deflection from vertical of 800-1200 m. Expect to see greater
horizontal reach in the future.
•Special directional drilling/logging equipment and services are required.
•There are two main types of tools to deflect the well, bent motor and bent sub.
•Two types of tracking: MWD (transmitted) and directional surveys (wireline).
•There are few problems to drill directional wells.
•The directional wells can be logged with wireline tools.
•The added drilling cost for directional wells is ~30%, partly offset by lower
infrastructure and pipeline cost to plant.

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