Causes of Wellbore Deviation

Because of its elasticity, its tendency to buckle under axial forces and its inability to withstand
lateral forces, the drill string has long been recognized as a key to controlling wellbore
deviation. The role of the drill bit has been less obvious, although it has long been known that
forces at the bit can affect its path. These forces vary among different bit types even in the same
formation, indicating that bit design and geometry relate to wellbore deviation. Still, most studies
on wellbore deviation have focused on the drill string, accepting the idea that weight-on-bit is the
principle contributor to deviation.

Although the exact causes of wellbore deviation are unknown, we can list the following as
contributing factors:

 Formation type (i.e., lithology, anisotropy, dip)

 Bottomhole assembly size and configuration (i.e., stabilizer types, size,
positioning; drill collars; reamers and other tools)
 Drilling parameters (i.e., weight on bit, hydraulics)
 Hole angle
 Annular clearance
 Bit type, design features

Wellbore deviation results from forces acting at the bit. We can separate a study of these forces
into two parts:

 Bit/rock interaction — the study of bit behavior in various rocks under the action
of applied bit loads
 Drill string mechanics — the analysis of drill string behavior under the action of
imposed forces

Bit-Rock Interaction

We can break down the mechanical actions of drilling a rock into three categories: percussive
action, drag-rotary action and combined percussive/drag-rotary action ( Figure 1 ,
Parameters affecting hole deviation that are due to rock/bit interaction):
 Figure 1

Rolling cutter bits employ a combined percussive/drag-rotary action, while, fixed cutter bits fall
into the drag-rotary action category.

Parameters that affect hole deviation based on bit/rock interaction relate to rock properties, bit
characteristics and drilling variables. Table 1 , below, lists the most important of these.

Table 1. Parameters affecting hole deviation that are due to rock/bit interaction

Rock properties Bit characteristics Drilling parameters

Cohesive strength Roller cone: Depth of cut/ weight on bit
Angle of friction Number of teeth or inserts per given row of a cone Rotary speed
Angle of bedding planes Half-wedge angle of bit tooth
Degree and type of anisotropy Bit diameter
Amount of cone offset
PDC:
Number of cutters
Cutter size and shape
Bit diameter
Rake angles
Bit profile

Drill String Mechanics

The deviating forces that the drill string imparts to the bit relate directly to the string's
configuration, the hole geometry, and the weight on the bit. Structurally speaking, a drill string is
a flexible, elastic member, unable to resist lateral loads and subject to buckling under axial loads.
The shape of this buckling depends on how much weight is applied at the bit ( Figure 2 , Shape
of buckled curves (a) and drill sting bucking effect on hole deviation (b)). Once buckling occurs,
the bit is no longer vertical, and hole deviation results.

Figure 2

The extent to which buckling occurs depends on the drill string's rigidity and length. Techniques
that have been used to minimize buckling include:

 reducing weight-on-bit to a value less than that of the critical weight which
induces first-order buckling
 adding stabilizers to the drill string at points of maximum deflection in the
predicted buckling mode
 using large-diameter drill collars
From the standpoint of reducing buckling, the ideal bottomhole assembly (BHA) would have a
diameter equal to the hole diameter. Of course, this is a practical impossibility, so we instead use
stabilizers ( Figure 3 ), which have larger diameters than drill collars, to limit the BHA's lateral
movement.

Figure 3

Deviation Forces on an Unstabilized Bottomhole Assembly

Factors that are of practical importance in affecting drill string behavior include:

 drill collar stiffness and unit weight

 hole inclination
 clearance between the drill string and the hole
 weight-on-bit
 formation characteristics
Figure 4 (Idealized sketch of forces affecting hole deviation angle), which shows a bottomhole
assembly in a straight, inclined hole (angle of inclination = .) illustrates the forces acting on the
bit to cause deviation.

Figure 4

In analyzing these forces, we assume that the bit is free to turn, but laterally restrained; that the
drill collars lie on the low side of the hole and will remain stable there; and that the bit will drill
in the direction in which it is pushed, which is not necessarily the direction in which it is aimed.

The force with which the bit acts on the formation is F , and is applied at an angle with the vertical. We
B

may resolve FB into two components: a longitudinal force F1, which acts in the direction of the hole axis, and a
lateral force F2, which is perpendicular to the hole axis. F2 may act on the low side of the hole ( Figure 4
(a)); it may be zero ( Figure 4 (b)); or it may act on the high side of the hole ( Figure 4 (c)).

When F2 acts on the low side of the hole, deviation will decrease. If it acts on the high side,
deviation will increase. If F = 0, a stable condition results, in which drilling proceeds in the direction of the
2

hole axis and a remains constant.

When hole deviation is decreasing, F will decrease to zero. Thereafter, a stable condition is reached for a
2

smaller value of a. If hole deviation is increasing, a stable condition will occur at some larger value of a.

In Figure 4 (a), an increase in F causes F to increase, while in Figure 4 (c), an increase in FP cause F to
P 2 2

decrease. Clearly, increasing FP results in a smaller equilibrium angle a. This beneficial result of increasing F P is
known as the Pendulum Effect.