Lecture_6_Horizontal_Wells_17027097682099169098657d4a083bf6a

Department of Petroleum Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad – 826004

VI Semester B.Tech Petroleum Engineering 2023-24
LECTURE 6 / 2023-24
(For internal circulation only)
HORIZONTAL WELL TECHNOLOGY
BY
Prof. A.K.Pathak
Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad
E-mail: akhilendra56@iitism.ac.in
OBJECTIVES
Horizontal well is defined as the well drilled in the zone parallel to the bedding plane. The well is
deflected to the 900 from vertical and the drain hole is placed exactly in the drainage area. The
objective of the first horizontal well, is to determine if a horizontal well could be drilled
economically and to acquire production data to see if further horizontal redevelopment in the field
is beneficial.
The directional objective to drill a horizontal section is staying in the top 3m (10 ft) of the sand to
increase sweep efficiency and to stay as far as possible from the oil/water contact thereby
lowering the water cut.
Horizontal Well in Thin seam Horizontal Well in Heterogeneous zones
Application of the Horizontal Wells:

To penetrate the reservoir vertical bedding plane. To combat the coning problems.
In low permeable carbonate reservoirs. In fractured permeable reservoirs.
In channel point bars. For recovery of heavy oils.
1
To combat the coning problems In low permeable carbonate reservoirs
In fractured permeable reservoirs
In channel point bars For recovery of heavy oils
PLANNING
Profile Type of well Build up rate Radius of Drain hole length
curvature
A Ultra-short radius well 45-900 / ft. 0.7 to 1.2 ft. 100 – 200 ft.
B Short radius well 20-400 / 100 ft. 14 - 28 ft. 100 – 1000 ft.
C Medium radius well 5 – 200 / 100 ft. 28 – 1146 ft. 1000 – 4000 ft.
D Long radius well 1 – 50 / 100 ft. 1146 – 5730 1000 – 5000 ft.
a: Ultrashort radius b: Short radius c: Medium radius d: Long radius Wells
2
Advantages of medium radius vs long radius:
1. Allows entering the sand closer to the original wellbore.
2. This results in longer section of pay, higher on the structure.
3. It also allows greater predictability of the sand top.
4. Less hole to drill.
5. Faster and less expensive.
6. Lower torque and drag.
Advantages of medium radius vs short radius:
1. Allows use of conventional, more reliable equipment.
2. Higher penetration rates and less tripping.
3. Faster and less expensive.
4. Far less limitation on completion equipment.
Deflection:
Casing whipstocks are used for build up deflection. Although it is recommended that an
excellent cement bond is a requirement for casing whipstocks. The whipstocks have been used to
orient 20 - 40 degrees to the left or right of high side. Diamond speed mills have been used to mill
the windows to increase the chance of performing the operation with one mill. The combination of
bent sub and PDM has been used successfully for build up curvature.
The tangential section and horizontal drain hole is drilled by using rotary steerable system. The
build section is drilled through the water sensitive shale. This shale section has been one of the
traditional drilling problems due to sloughing and swelling. The choice of the drilling fluid was
therefore, paramount. The fluid needed to provide hole stability in the shale but also be non-
damaging in the sandstone reservoir.
CASING CONFIGURATION OF HORIZONTAL WELL
3
DRILLING STRING LOADING
Vertical Hole:
i. Tension above the weight section.
ii. Compression below the weight section
while drilling.
iii. Tension below the weight section while
off bottom.
Build up section:
i. Compression while drilling.
ii. Tension while off bottom.
iii. Fatigue.
Horizontal Hole:
i. Compression on bottom
ii. Tension while pulling.
Model Drill string for Horizontal Well
Design Aspects:
i. For vertical well, top joint tension is the total weight of the string.
ii. In high angled wells and horizontal wells, the well bore supports much of pipe weight and
top joint tension is not equal to the weight of string.
iii. Hole drag governs tension design.
iv. Sliding frictional drag is function of weight of drill string tubular.
v. Top joint tension is a combination if drill string weight and axial sliding frictional drag.
Drill String and Tubular Selection:

i. The understanding of fatigue damage and its control leads to long reach.
ii. The heavy tubular (HWDP) are required for the bit weight in the vertical position of the
well.
iii. The tubular below this weight section are run in compression.
iv. The medium radius wells use an inverted drill string in compression while rotating the drill
string of high dog leg.
v. Drill string for the horizontal well depends on hole geometry and well path.
vi. The loading on drill string vary according to operations.
Operations:
- Tripping without rotation. - Tripping with rotation.
- Rotating off bottom. - Drilling without rotation.
- Drilling with rotation - Handling stuck pipe.
Model Drill String:

- Vertical hole – 4000 ft to KOP.
- Build up section. 500 ft to the curvature length as per build up rate.
- Horizontal drain hole section: 3000 ft to cover the drainage area.
- Vertical section: 4 ½ in., 16.6 ppf drill pipe.
- Vertical drill collar section: 100 ppf from 3500 – 4000 ft.
- 4 ½ in. HWDP 42 ppf from KOP to Total depth.
- Top joint tension is 197000 lbs when bit is at KOP but 118600 lbs when bit is at Total
depth.
- If total string is run in a vertical well the load would be 255100 lbs.
4
Down-hole Motors
PDM and Bent Sub Turbodrill and PDC bit. Steerable Motors.
All of the drilling, including both the build and horizontal sections, are accomplished using down-
hole motors. In the course of drilling the horizontal wells fields, motor choice is optimized for both
the medium radius build and horizontal sections. Optimization required experimentation with a
number of different motor configurations.
The conventional down-hole motors are 165mm or 171 mm (6 1/2" or 6 3/4") positive
displacement motors which are modified to build angle or make course corrections perform at low
speed and high torque. This is necessary as the high flow rate requirement of 2270 l/min (600
GPM) for hole cleaning is beyond the operating range of most high speed motors is large enough
that it can be hollowed and jetted to allow fluid to bypass the motor section and pass directly to
the bit. This allow the use of high flow rates without damaging the down-hole motors.
A. Build up Section
Three different motor designs were used for building angle.
i. Angle Build Motor:
This motor is modified to build angle by incorporating three bends into the tool. Two of the bends
are accomplished by utilizing bent subs between parts of the outside housing of the motor. One of
the bent subs is located between the bypass valve and the motor housing and the other between
the motor housing and universal joint housing. The final bend is located in the bearing section.
The drive sub is tilted so that it is at an angle to the housing of the bearing section. The angle of
the bends is dictated by the radius of curvature or build rate can be changed to produce tools
capable of dogleg severities of 8 - 20o/ 30m (8 - 20o/100 ft).
5
These modifications cannot be performed at the rig site. The motor is stabilized to make it stiff
and produce consistent build rates. The motor housings are turned down to allow a certain
amount of flexibility for running the motor through casing disadvantage of this motor is that it
cannot be rotated due to the severity of the bends and therefore is not dogleg severity. Because
of the small vertical target (3m, 10 ft), it is virtually impossible to predict accurately enough the
build rate of the motor to drill the build section in one run. The inclination of the well is therefore
build to 90 degrees in a three trip process:
i. Build inclination to 65 degrees with angle build motor.
ii. Drill a tangent section with a steerable motor or rotary assembly.
iii. Build inclination to horizontal, 3m (10 ft) below top of sand with angle build motor.
The angle build motor is designed for a build rate of 2o/30m (2o/100 ft) greater than the
minimum required from the KOP. Since the build rate is higher than required, the tangent section
is drilled to lower the overall build rate. The build rate for the tool is determined from the initial
build to 65 degrees. The length of the tangent is then calculated based on the build rate for the
final build. If the build rate of the tool is consistent, the wellbore will become horizontal at the
required depth below the top of the pay. With this method it is important to have consistent build
rates, although error in the build rate becomes less significant the less inclination is why most of
the inclination is build prior to drilling the tangent section.
The performance of the angle build motors has been excellent. The build rates which have been
experienced are shown below :
6
Design Rate Actual Rate
80 /30m 7-90 /30m
90 /30m 10.90 /30m
0
12 /30m 12.50 /30m
0
14 /30m 13.70 /30m
ii. Bent Housing with Pad
This motor configuration consists of a conventional 1 ¼ degree bent housing with an
eccentric stabilizer or pad. The pad is located just above the bend and increases the dogleg
severity of the tool. The motor is steerable (can be rotated) and therefore does not have the
disadvantages of the angle build motor. If the sand is not encountered where expected, the tool
can be rotated until the pay is entered, then the final build obtained. In other words, the build
section could be drilled in one run.
0
The only disadvantage of the motor is that 8 /30m (8o/100 ft) the maximum consistent
build rate that can be obtained.
iv. Steerable Drain hole Motor

These motors are built along the lines of
the bent housing with eccentric stabilizer.
The bend however is accomplished at two
points instead of one. The two bends are
placed in the universal joint housing like a
conventional bent housing. A full stabilizer
is located on the bearing housing instead
of just above the bend. A second stabilizer
is placed on top of the motor but it is
sufficiently under gauge that should not
influence the build performance of the
tool. The configuration of this tool makes it
more capable of forming an arc than the
conventional bent housing. Experience
with this motor on two wells has proven it
will obtain a minimum of 110 /30m (110
/100 ft) build rate. With this tool a well can
be built to horizontal at a specific build
rate up to 110 /30m (110 /100 ft) and
encounter a small directional target in a
single run.
7
B. Horizontal Section
Two different motor configurations were used in the horizontal interval.
i. Stabilized Steerable Motor
This motor consists of two stabilizers on a type of bent housing motor. This motor is used
in the horizontal interval on the first three re-drills. However stabilizer hang up make oriented
drilling difficult and low dogleg severity (1-20 /30m, 1-20 /100 ft) resulted in long sections needing
to be drilled in oriented mode. Trips are to be made to change stabilizers for inclination control.
ii. Slick Bent Housing Motor
This motor has the advantage of not hanging up during orientation due to the absence of
stabilizers. It also has higher dogleg severities and corrections could be expected to drop
inclination drastically during rotation or at least behave inconsistently. However in practice the
tool is found to be closer to a holding assembly although this varies from well to well. The
directional performance of the tool is shown below.
0
Rotating - 1.0 to + 100 /30m
Oriented up + 50 /30m Oriented down - 50 to 70 /30m
It should be noted that oriented drilling resulted in a 50 to 75% reduction in rate of penetration
compared to rotation drilling.
2. Bottom Hole Assemblies
All components of the bottom hole assemblies must withstand the bending moments resulting
form the high build rates. Drill collars were precluded because of their stiffness and relatively high
forces at the tool joints. To supply weight to the bit, 127 mm (5") heavy weight drill pipes are
used. Instead of using non/magnetic drill collars, 2-3 joints of non-magnetic 127mm (5") heavy
weight drill pipe are used. No changes are made to the M.D tool as it is between two of the non-
magnetic joints.
In the horizontal section the drill string is inverted and drill pipe is run between the heavy weight
drill pipe and the bottom hole assembly. This is done to maximize weight in the less deviated part
of the well and minimize it in the horizontal section, thus lowering the drag. This makes a
considerable difference in the ability to orient the drilling motors.
3. Torque and Drag
No special consideration is given to torque and drag in the pre-planning of the wells. It is
surprising to find that torque and drag are lower in the horizontal wells than vertical wells in the
same area which uses water based drilling fluids. This shows the contribution that the oil base
drilling fluids made to reducing torque and drag.
4. Surveying
MWD directional tools are used for both the build and horizontal sections. Preference are given to
a MWD tool which would produce surveys while in orientation (tool face) mode. Most tools require
pump shut down to obtain a new survey, which is inconvenient and time consuming. The build
rate of the drilling motor is then able to be monitored without interrupting drilling. This is
particularly useful with high build rates since constant monitoring is required.
DRILLING BITS
The build section is drilled with insert bits. The shale is soft and could also be drilled with mill
tooth bits but the sand is abrasive and wears out a mill tooth bit quickly. An insert bit allows the
entire build section, which consists of both shale and sand, to be drilled with one bit.
Polycrystalline diamond (PDC) bits were tried in the build section , however hang up problems
were experienced and the build rate was affected.
The horizontal section is drilled entirely with flat profile PDC bits. Little to normal wear has been
seen on the face cutters although significant gauge damage usually occurs. Bit life is such that
the horizontal section is expected to be drilled with one bit is one run.
8
COMPLETION:
The completion technique is one of the major
concerns because sand control is necessary
and it was felt the chances of successfully
gravel packing a well was poor. All the original
wells are gravel packed to prevent sanding up
and prevent damage to the electrical
submersible pumps from sand production.
A reliable method is required to prevent sand
production in the horizontal wells. This rules
out the use of slotted liners and cemented
perforated casing and led to the choice of pre-
packed gravel pack liner as the method of
sand control. The pre-packed gravel pack is
not a new development but this was the first
time they were used in the horizontal wells
Completion methods of Horizontal Wells
i . Flexibility
The pre-pack liner needed to be flexible enough to pass through the high doglegs. To achieve
this the pre-pack liner is built in short, 3.05m (10 ft) sections. The 114mm (4 1/2") tubing body will
flex while the 168mm (6 5/8") prepack section will remain stiff.
ii. Ability to circulate through the bottom the liner
This is required for two reasons. First, if the liner needed to be washed to bottom, in case the liner
hung up and second, to clean up the well after the liner is in place. This is accomplished by
running a 60mm (2 3/8") tubing stinger through the pre-packed liner and stabbing into a seal sub
above a float shoe and float collar. The float shoe and float collar are used to prevent flow into the
liner when the polished stinger was pulled. In this way fluids can be circulated down the tubing
and around the end of the pre-packed liner. Without the tubing stinger the fluid would circulate
through the top of the pre-pack liner and never reach the end of the liner.
iii. Ability to rotate
It is necessary to rotate the liner to bottom. Both mechanical and hydraulic set liner hangers are
investigated. A mechanical left hand set liner is used initially to allow for right hand rotation of the
liner. The pre-pack liner is run in the sand interval and 114mm ( 4 1/2") tubing is run from the top
of the sand to the liner hanger which was set in the 244mm (9 5/8") casing. Once the liner is on
bottom the oil base mud is displaced with formation water and a pill of 1 percent surfactant, 0.1
percent citric acid is spotted across the sand. The surfactant breaks down and loosens the mud
cake while the citric acid slowly dissolves the calcium carbonate bridging agent. This pill is
circulated out and another pill is spotted prior to setting the lead seal liner hanger with left had
rotation. The liner hanger is then pressure tested against the cup seals in the liner.
9
DRAINAGE AREA OF HORIZONTAL WELL
Drainage area covered by vertical well Square shaped model covers 1320 ft
40 acre having radius 745 ft. side length KX = KY and xe / ye = 1
Square shaped model Semi-circle and rectangle model
10
Elliptical Model
Drainage area = π . a . b / 43560
a = half of the major axis of an ellipse (L/2) + 745
b = half minor axis of an ellipse = 745 ft.
Short Answer Questions

1. Name different types of Horizontal well profiles
2. What are the Single Build up and Double Build up Horizontal Wells?. Name different type
of Single Build up Horizontal well profiles?
3. What is difference between Ultra-short radius well and short radius well?
4. What is basic difference between Short radius well and Long radius well?
5. What is difference between Short radius well and Medium radius well?
6. Explain how the inclination though first and second Build up curvature is decided?
7. Explain how first KOP and second KOP are decided in Double Build up Horizontal Well?
8. What is the casing configuration of a horizontal well and how it differs than a Vertical
Well?
9. What are different well completion methods to complete a horizontal well?
10. What is the drill string configuration of a horizontal well an dhow it differs than that of a
Vertical well?
11. Why the drill collar cannot be positioned near to the bit in horizontal well?
12. Why HWDP is required in drill string of a horizontal well?
13. Explain the loading system of drill string used n different sections of a horizontal well?
14. What are different operations used during drilling a horizontal well
15. Name rotary system used in drilling the drain-hole of horizontal well?
11
TUTORIAL SHEET
Q.1: In a 40 acre lease size, what is the maximum length of a well located centrally in the
area that can be drilled using drilling techniques?
Q.2: What are length of a horizontal well that can be drilled using different drilling
techniques in 60 acre and 80 acre lease area.
Q.3: A 400 acre lease is to be developed using 10 vertical wells. An engineer suggested
drilling either 1000 ft. or 2000 ft. long horizontal wells. Calculate the possible number of
horizontal wells that will drain the lease effectively. Assume that a single vertical well
effectively drains 40 acre.
Q. 4: A 600 acre lease is to be developed by 10 vertical wells. Workout the development

options using 500 ft., 1000 ft. and 2000 ft. Horizontal wells.
Q. 5: A 360 acre lease is to be developed by 9 vertical wells. Workout the development

options using 500 ft., 1000 ft. and 2000 ft. Horizontal wells.
12

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Department of Petroleum Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad – 826004

HORIZONTAL WELL TECHNOLOGY

Horizontal Well in Thin seam Horizontal Well in Heterogeneous zones

Application of the Horizontal Wells:

In fractured permeable reservoirs

In channel point bars For recovery of heavy oils

a: Ultrashort radius b: Short radius c: Medium radius d: Long radius Wells

Drill String and Tubular Selection:

Model Drill String:

iv. Steerable Drain hole Motor

Square shaped model Semi-circle and rectangle model

Short Answer Questions

Q. 4: A 600 acre lease is to be developed by 10 vertical wells. Workout the development

Q. 5: A 360 acre lease is to be developed by 9 vertical wells. Workout the development

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