Multilateral Drilling

 Complexity of downhole
loading in horizontal wells

Dr.Robello Samuel
Friction

• The COF is a scalar dimensionless value that depends on the

surface but is independent of the surface area. The friction force
acts in the direction opposite to the direction of motion of the
object. COF can be explained on the basis of the following four
types of friction:
• Static friction
• Kinetic friction
• Rolling friction
• Slide/roll friction
Why it is important?

2000 ft

KOP

20 deg dogleg

1000 ft MD= 3450 ft

20 deg
15 deg dogleg 1000 ft, MD 3600 ft

10 deg dogleg 1000 ft MD=3900 ft

1000 ft, MD 7500 ft

2 deg dogleg
45 deg

60 deg

80 deg

90 deg
Drag Calculations

Direction of motion
Direction of motion

Direction of friction vector

Reciprocation Direction of friction vector

Rotation

Direction of motion
Direction of friction vector
V
• Va Vc
A
•

Reciprocation and Rotation

Torque Calculations

Direction of motion
Direction of motion

Direction of friction vector

Reciprocation Direction of friction vector

Rotation

Direction of motion
Direction of friction vector
V
• Va Vc
A
•

Reciprocation and Rotation

 Side Force Calculations

2
 
 d 
2  d 
Fn   T sin     T  w
sin
  
 
normal force     
ds  ds
 weight along string 

azimuth change  inclination change 
Typical Friction Factor

 Higher friction in Open Hole versus Cased

Hole
 Higher friction in Water Based Mud vs Oil
Base Mud
Directional Drilling Engineering / Drill String Design
Wall forces – Lateral forces

The wall forces are the lateral forces

exerted by the drill string on the wall
of the hole. They result from:
Hook load
• Gravity Wall force
Buoyed
• Hole curvature or dog legs weight

• Buckling Drill string

•
tension
Centrifugal forces
The distribution of these forces vary Wall force

with the movements of the drill

string. Drill string
Buoyed tension
weight

13
Directional Drilling Engineering / Drill String Design
Wall forces – Lateral forces

Lateral Forces vs Well Profile Lateral Forces vs Well Profile

Running in Pulling out

14
 Methodology to Calculate the Contact
Force or Side Force (API Units)
 Calculate radial clearance rcl= (WellboreID – Pipe OD)2
• Where rcl needs to be on ft. Divide by 12 in/ft
 Side force

• Where Fab is the axial force in kips*1000 = lbf and the Fab is taken from the
bottom segment
• Change in the azimuth = Top Segment Azi – Bottom Segment and converted
to radians
• Average of Inclination = (top Incl + bottom Incl)/2 and converted to radians
• Change in Inclination is = Bottom Inc- Top Incl and converted to radians
• Length of the segment in ft
• Wbouy=Boyancy factor* lineal segment weight= ppf
• The sign of the expression that have the Wbouy will be negative when build (-
), positive when drop (+)
Operations
Axial Force
(Top)

 Tripping In

Contac  Tripping Out

Axial
t Force
Drag  Rotating Off-Bottom
Force
 Rotating On-Bottom
 Sliding Drilling
Normal
Hydrostatic  Back Reaming
Force
 User Defined
Operation
Gravity
Force
Axial
Hydrosta
tic Force
 Direction of Vectors depend on Operating
Mode
 Model Description
Models
Soft String The string is treated as an extendible cable
with zero bending stiffness and shear forces.
String follows the center line of wellbore
Stiff String Includes the effects of bending moment and
increased side force from stiff tubulars in
curved hole, as well as the reduced side
forces from pipe wall clearance. Consider the
Stiff String Model to evaluate a string
containing stiff tubulars in a well with high
doglegs e.g. 15°/100ft, analyze wellbores
with long vertical sections, observe buckling
using the clearance plot or T&D wellbore
schematic, analyze string with upsets
(typically found on stabilizers or friction
reduction devices)

Hybrid T&D String is in contact with the wellbore

trajectory only at discrete points. Includes
bending stiffness and shear forces.
Buckling
Buckling

When compressive axial force reaches a critical limit, the

string deforms in two types of buckling:

 Sinusoidal
 May be referred to as lateral or “snaky” buckling
 Usually first form of buckling
 Occurs in deviated sections

 Helical
 Occurs post-sinusoidal when severe compressive
loads are encountered
 “Wrap” contact can quickly result in string lock up
 Development of Buckling

Motionless (no compression)

Compression starts

Maximum compression

22
Non-buckled Pipe
Perfectly laying coiled tubing in Perfectly laying coiled
constant curvature well tubing in deviated well
Buckling effect
Buckled pipe in constant Buckled pipe in deviated
curvature well well
When does buckling occur?

 Buckling occurs if the buckling force, Fb ,

is greater than a threshold force , Fp ,
known as the Paslay buckling force.

.
 Fb   Fa  p i Ai  p o Ao

Where:
Fb = buckling force
Fa = actual axial force (tension
positive)
pi = internal pressure
po = external pressure
 F p  4 w (sin  ) EI r
Where:
Fp = Paslay buckling force
w = distributed buoyed weight of casing
 = hole angle
EI = pipe bending stiffness
r = radial annular clearance
 Buckling Behavior

Buckling Force Magnitude Result

FbFp No buckling

FpFb1.4Fp Lateral (s-shaped) buckling

1.4FpFb2.8Fp Lateral or helical buckling

2.8FpFb Helical buckling

MSE/HMSE
Bit Torque
MSE/HMSE
MSE/HMSE
MSE/HMSE