CHAPTER-6

DIRECTIONAL DRILLING

Directional drilling is much more than simply selecting a well path and
hole angle. It includes selecting the most appropriate survey techniques,
defining the best control tools, researching applicable government regulations,
and gathering pertinent geological data. In addition, the directional program
may alter or affect the casing and cement program, hydraulics, centralization
and completion techniques.
Controlled directional drilling is to process of deviating a well-bore along
a predetermined course to a target whose location is given as lateral distance
from the vertical. This definition is the basis for all controlled directional
drilling, whether to maintain the well-bore as nearly vertical as possible or as a
planned deviation from the vertical. Vertical drilling, although considered
fundamental in most areas, can be very difficult to achieve in some regions
due to steeply dipping formations.
Inaccessible Locations
Quite often, a target pay zone lies vertically beneath the surface
location that is impractical as a rig site. Common examples include a residential
locations, riverbeds, mountains, harbors, and roads. In these cases, a rig site
is selected and the well is drilled directionally into the target zone.

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Multiple Wells Drilling from A Single Site

Perhaps the most common application for directional drilling is
associated with offshore production platforms. It is more economical, in most
cases, to drill a number of directional wells from a single platform than to
build individual platforms from vertical well. Some North Sea platforms have
capability to drill as many as 60 wells from the single

Figure 6-1 Directional drilling from an offshore platform (Courtesy

Wilson)

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Figure 6-2 Relief well drilling (Courtesy Wilson Directional Drilling)

structure.

Multiple wells from a single site are not uncommon in land

operations. The basic principle is the economic consideration of building

multiple sites, pipelines, and production facilities. Most of the western Siberia
drilling is from multi-well sites (Figure 5-1 and 5-2).
Sidetracks
A frequently occurring cause for directional drilling is sidetracking. The
primary purpose is to deviate the well bore around and away from an
obstruction in the original well bore, such as stuck drill string. Generally
sidetracking cannot be defines as controlled directional drilling because it
does not have a predetermined target.

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Relief Well Drilling

Possibly the most spectacular application of directional drilling is a
relief well to intersect a blowout well near the bottom so that mud and water
can be pumped into the blowout well. Directional control in this type of drilling
is stringent due to the extreme accuracy required to locate and intersect the
blowout well. Quite often, special logging tools are required in locating the
blowout well.
Multiple Targets
Geologist may define multiple target for a prospect that cannot be
drilled with a vertical well. It may be necessary to drill through one target and
alter the direction of the well to reach the next target. The targets may be in
two-dimensional plane such that the drift angle must be altered. Other cases
may involve three-dimensional planning such that the inclination and azimuth
must be changed.

Design Considerations
Assuming that a target and rig site have been selected, the directional
planning consideration are as follows:
-lateral, or horizontal, displacement from the target to a vertical line from
the rig site,

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Figure 6-3 Directional planning considerations(Courtesy Wilson

Directional Drilling)

Figure 6-4 Straight kick (Courtesy Wilson Directional Drilling)

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Figure 6-5 S-type kick (Courtesy Wilson Directional Drilling)

-kick off point (KOP)

-desired build angle rate
-final drift angle
-plan type, straight kick vs. S curve
If an S curve is selected as the plan type the engineer must also select
a drop angle rate and a depth at which the hole must return to vertical (Figure
6-3).

Drift or Inclination Angle

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The drift, or inclination, of the well bore is the angle, measured in

degrees, between the actual well path, or some depth and a vertical line below
the rig site. This measurement is independent of the azimuth or course
heading. Typically this value will range from 15o to 35o. The minimum
acceptable drift angle of approximately 12o 15o is desired by many industry
personnel. Drift angles less than this range are slightly more difficult to
control. In other words, it is usually easier to control a 20o well than a 10o well.
Although wells have been drilled in the 70o 80o range, common upper
restraints are 45o 48o. Hole angles greater than 45o 48o begin to encounter
problems such as increased torque and drag as well as pump down
requirements for some logging operations. Many operators establish 35o as the
upper limit. The typical planning procedure is to establish minimum and
maximum acceptable drift angles and KOP (kick off point).

Kickoff Point (KOP)

The Kick off point (KOP) is the depth at which the well bore path will be
intentionally diverted from the vertical position. The KOP is usually selected in
soft, shallow formations where directional drilling is easier. In addition, the
KOP is often selected so the final angle build-up can be achieved prior to
setting surface casing. This approach minimises key-seat problems in the hole
section. The KOP affects the final inclination angle. Assume that a target

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exists at 10000 ft TVD, 2000 ft north and 2800 ft east. If a build angle of
3o/100 ft is used, the following maximum inclination angles must be used for
various KOP's.
Inclination Angle,o
23.0
24.4
26.0
27.8
29.9
32.3
35.1

KOP, ft
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500

Plan Type
Two plan types are used in directional drilling. The straight kick builds
angle and drills directionally through the target. The S curve will drop angle
prior to drilling into the target so entry is vertical. Perhaps the most
commonly used plan is a straight kick. The S curve requires careful
consideration prior to its implementation. Since the angle change will occur
deeper in the well where the formation are harder, directional contact may be
more difficult. In addition, the S curve will usually require 10-20 % more
drilling time than a straight kick. The S curve is selected primarily because it
allows vertical entry into the target zone. Many operator believe that vertical
entry may improve completion and production efficiency.

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Build (and Drop) Angle Rates

The build angle rate describes the rate of angle decrease, prior to
returning to vertical. The rates are measured

as degree per 100 ft of

wellbore path. Typical ranges for build and drop angle rates are 1-4o/100 ft
with 3o/100 ft being perhaps the most common. Values above 4o/100 ft can
create dog-leg and key seat problems.

Graphical Presentation
Most directional well plans are presented in graphical as well as tubular
form. The vertical section presentation shows a two-dimensional graph of the
lateral displacement from vertical. The horizontal section, or plan view,
illustrates the heading of the well path from the KOP and is usually
referenced to a north-south system.

Calculation Methods
The drilling industry currently uses computers to make most planning
and survey analysis calculations. Although the calculations are not extremely
difficult to make manually, the computer eases the difficulty and minimises
the possibility of errors.

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Survey Techniques
The magnetic compass is widely used in making directional well surveys.
Magnetic survey instruments are available as:
-single shot instruments that take only one reading on a single photographic
disc film during one run into the well
-multiple-shot instruments recording many readings on a motion-picture type
of film during one run.

The compass unit in both single and

multi-shot

instruments is substantially the same.

Since magnetic instruments are susceptible to magnetic influence of
steel drill pipe and collars, they are generally run inside a non-magnetic drill
collar. The collar is often termed monel collar because of its composition of Kmonel steel. Consequently, a compass reading will only be influenced by the
earths magnetic poles, thus giving a true magnetic compass reading of the
direction and angle of the borehole at a depth at which the compass reading
was taken. A sufficient length for the monel collar should be used for the hole
angle. Another means of obtaining a directional survey is by the gyroscopic
method. Since a gyroscope is not influenced by magnetic disturbances, an
instrument using this principle can be used for determining the direction in
both cased and uncased holes and adjacent to magnetic bodies. The single shot
survey instrument is a precision instrument constructed and easy to operate.
It records the inclination and direction of the borehole on a film disc. This is

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accomplished by photographing the position of the angle indicator, referenced

to a compass card with a calibrated angle unit. A timing mechanism allows the
tool to be positioned in the monel collar before the photograph is taken.

Calculation Techniques
Various procedures have been developed to estimate the well bore
trajectory as it is being drilled. The three most widely used methods are the
tangential, angle-averaging and radius of curvature methods.
The tangential method uses only the inclination and direction angles
measured at a lower end of the course length. The wellbore path is assumed to
be tangent to those angles throughout the section length. The wellbore path is
assumed to be tangent to these angles throughout the section length.
Although this method has probably been the most widely used approach, it is
the most inaccurate of the available methods.
north = MD sin (I2) cos (A2)
east = MD sin (I2) sin (A2)
vertical = MD cos (I2)
The angle averaging is the simple average of the angles at the top and
bottom of the course length. The wellbore is calculated tangentially using
these two average angles over the course length. The wellbore is calculated

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tangentially using these two average angles over the course length. The
method is simple and accurate.
north = MD sin [(I1 + I2 ) / 2] cos [(A1 + A2 ) / 2]
east = MD sin [(I1 + I2 ) / 2] sin [(A1 + A2 ) / 2]
vertical = MD cos [(I1 + I2 ) / 2]
The radius-of-curvature method uses sets of angles measured at each
end of the course length to generate a space curve representing the wellbore
path. It has a shape of spherical arc passing through the measured angles at
both ends of the course. Although this approach is perhaps the most accurate
means of survey calculations, it is difficult to do manually and is better suited
for computer solutions.
north = MD {[(cosI1 - cosI2 )] [(sinA2 sinA1)]} / [(I2 I1) (A2 A1)]
east = MD {[(cosI1 - cosI2 )] [(cosA1 cosA2)]} / [(I2 I1) (A2 A1)]
vertical = MD [(sinI1 - sinI2 )] / [(I2 I1)]

Example 6-1
Use the following survey data to compare the three survey calculation
techniques.

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Measured

Depth,

Hole Angle,

Azimuth

ft
3000
3300
3600
3700
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000

2
4
8
12
15
16
17
17
17
17

N28E
N10E
N35E
N25E
N30E
N28E
N50E
N20E
N30E
N25E

Solution
The following table is obtained using three different techniques known
as tangential, average angle and radius of curvature.
Depth

3000
3300
3600
3900
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000

TVD
/
3000
3299
3596
3889
4952
N
5913
N
6869
N
7826
N

8782
N

9738
N

North
South
0
20.6N
54.8N
113.3N
357.9

East/
West
0
3.6E
27.6E
53.9E
196.3E

601.3
E
789.2
E

325.7

1063.9

649.7

549.7

1317.1

795.8

1582.1

919.4E

TVD
/
3000
3299
3597
3893
4963
N
5926
N
6885
N
7841
N

8798
N

9754
N

North

East/
West

South
0
14.8N
43.8N
88.9N
316.7

0
5.1E
17.1E
43.2E
161.3E

550.4

291.7E

771.2
E

476.7

1010.7

673.7

1275.6
1535.0

122

761.8E
896.4

TVD
/
3000
3299
3597
3893
4962
N
5926
N
6885
N
7841
N

8797
N

9754
N

North

East/
West

South
0
14.8N
43.5N
88.6N
316.2

0
5.1E
17.0E
43.0E
161.5E

550.0

291.1E

769.3
E

468.7

1006.1

634.7

1270.7

757.8

1530.0

892.4

Dogleg Severity
Large angle changes occurring over short course length can place high
bending stresses on the pipe. In addition to these, doglegs can cause
keyseating problems. Most operators place a limit on the amount of angle
change allowable over a 100 ft segment. Generally the limit is 4o-6o per 100 ft.
Doglegs that occur at shallow and deep intervals are concerns for different
reasons. Although shallow doglegs tend to wash out and enlarge in softer
formations, they can cause increasing problems due to high string weights
hanging at the doglegs as the well deepens. Dogleg calculation technique based
on the tangential method.
DL = 100 / {(L) [(sinI1 . sinI2) (sinA1 . sinA2 + cosA1 . cosA2) + (cosI1 . cosI2)]
DL = dogleg, o/100 ft
L = course length, ft
I1 . I2 = inclination at upper and lower surveys,

A1 . A2 = direction at upper and lower surveys,

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Example 6-2
Calculate the dogleg severity for the two successive surveys as follows:
Properties
Depth, ft
Inclination
Azimuth

Survey I
4231
13.5o
N10E

Survey II
4262
14.7o
N19E

Solution:
DL = 100 / {(L) [(sinI1 . sinI2) (sinA1 . sinA2 + cosA1 . cosA2) + (cosI1 . cosI2)]
DL = 100 / {(31) [(sin13.5 . sin14.7) (sin10 . sin19 + cos10 . cos19) + (cos13.5 .
cos14.7)]
DL = 3.229o / 100 ft

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