Directional &

Horizontal Drilling
 Directional Drilling
 There's a maxim in drilling that says "there's no such thing as a
straight hole."

 All wells, whether by accident or by design, exhibit changes in hole

angle and direction.

 Crooked hole tendencies were considered early as a serious drawback

to the widespread use of rotary rigs. But the benefits of rotary drilling
were more than sufficient to overcome this perceived limitation

 So the industry began developing ways to keep wells on course. Thus

was born the science or, perhaps more accurately, the art of deviation
control.
 Definition of Directional Drilling
Directional drilling can be defined as

“ Science of directing a wellbore along a

predetermined trajectory to intersect a
subsurface target”.
Applications of Directional Drilling
 Applications of Directional Drilling
 Offshore Multi-well Drilling
 Relief Wells
 Inaccessible Locations
 Fault Controlling
 Salt Dome Drilling
 Sidetracking Horizontal Wells
 Controlling Vertical Wells
 Horizontal Wells
 Offshore Multi-well Drilling

 A single directional well intersect several inclined oil reservoirs

 Well may have to enter the targets at specific angle to ensure maximum
penetration of the reservoir
 The wells are directionally drilled submersible rig and tied back to platform
once it has been installed
 Relief Wells

 Objective is to intercept the borehole of a well for killing purpose

 These wells are deviated to pass as close as possible to the
uncontrolled wells
 Heavy mud is pumped into the reservoir to overcome the pressure
and bring the wild well under control
 Inaccessible Locations

 For targets located beneath city, river etc

 Directional well is drilled to reach the target

 Fault Drilling

 Bits change direction due to faulted subsurface formations

 Faults can slip and shear the casing

 Salt Dome Drilling

 Severe drilling problems while drilling through salt formations

 Directional well is drilled to reach the reservoir, thus avoiding the

problems associated to drilling salt dome

 Another solution is to use salt saturated mud

 Sidetracking

 Objective is to get past a fish or

 to sidetrack a dry hole to more promising target or
 to explore the extent of a producing zone in a certain sector
of a field
 Controlling Vertical Wells

 Directional wells are drilled to straighten vertical wells

 Horizontal Wells

 Increase productivity of various formations

 More exposure to the reservoir

 Types of Directional Wells
Type 1: Build and Hold -- this pattern
employs a shallow initial deflection
and a straight-angle approach to the
target. Its used to reach single targets
at moderate depths, and sometimes for
drilling deeper wells with large
horizontal departures.

Type 2: Build, Hold and Drop -- after a

relatively shallow deflection, this
pattern holds angle until the well has
reached most of its required horizontal
displacement. This pattern is most
applicable to wells exposing multiple
pay zones, or wells subject to target or
lease boundary restrictions.
 Types of Directional Wells
Type 3: Continuous Build -- unlike the
Type 1 and 2 patterns, this trajectory
has a relatively deep initial deflection,
after which angle is maintained to the
target. The continuous build pattern is
well-suited to salt-dome drilling, fault
drilling, sidetrack sand redrills.

Type 4: Build, Hold and Build -- this is

the general pattern describing
horizontal wells. The decision to drill
horizontally is primarily based on
reservoir engineering and reservoir
management considerations.
 Deflection Tools
 Downhole Mud
Motors
 Directional wedges
 Jet bits with oriented
nozzles
 Deviation in Vertical Wells - Causes
Following are the contributing factors for wellbore deviation
 Formation
- Type, lithology
- Anisotropy
 Bottom hole assembly size, configuration
- Stabilizers size, type & positioning
- Drill collars & Reamers
 Drilling parameters
- Weight on bit
- Hydraulics
 Bit type & Design features
 Deviation Control Methods
Wellbore deviation can be controlled by

 Using pendulum assembly, consisting of the bit, drill collars and

strategically positioned stabilizers, to decrease hole angle (i.e.,
straighten the hole)

 Using packed hole assemblies, consisting of reamers, short collars and

stabilizers, or square drill collars, to "lock in" the bit and maintain a
constant hole angle

 Using directional drilling tools (e.g., downhole motors with bent

housings)
 Horizontal Drilling
 Horizontal drilling is the process of directing part of a well course
through a reservoir such that its inclination angle is approximately
90° from vertical

 Horizontal section may be anywhere from a few feet to thousands of

feet in length.

 Horizontal drilling begins with a more-or-less vertical surface

section, followed by a bend section which progresses from
approximately 0° to 90° inclination with depth, and finally by a
horizontal or lateral section
 Horizontal Drilling Applications

 Reservoirs that would otherwise

be economically inaccessible

 For new development wells

 Enhanced oil recovery

 Well Configuration
Long radius
• build rate between 1o and 6o per 100 ft
• build radius 1000 ft
Applications
• multiple, extended-reach wells
• exploratory wells over long intervals
• wells that require zone isolation and
selective completion/stimulation
Medium radius
• build rate between 6o and 30o per 100 ft
• build radius ranges from about 300 up to
1000ft
Applications
• re-entry wells
• reef reservoirs
• fractured reservoirs
• reservoirs with potential for gas or water
coning
 Well Configuration
Short radius
• build rate between 1o and 3o degrees per
foot
• build radius 50 feet or less
Applications
• infill drilling in depleted reservoirs
• shaly intervals or other trouble-prone
formations
• multiple drain holes
• enhanced oil recovery

Ultra-short radius
• no bend section
Applications
• soft, unconsolidated formations
• multiple drain holes from existing
vertical wells