Magnetometer Sensor Sensitivity When

Drilling Due North/South at High Inclination

 Review

• Apparent high dog-leg severities recorded in High Definition

(HD) survey file for Well X
• Review data and provide an explanation for these apparent
dog-leg severity measurements
 High Definition Surveys
Well X

HD Surveys TVD Control

Continuous inclination & azimuth measurements HD surveys describe well path in high-resolution
+ (GMAG-corrected) stationary surveys
 Earth’s Magnetic Field

TeleScope MWD tools use Earth’s magnetic

field as North azimuth reference
(and are subsequently corrected to True /
Grid North as required)
 MWD Tool Survey Sensors
HC
Horizontal component of
Earth’s magnetic field

Tool Axis Convention

X-axis: along tool collar

Earth’s Magnetic Field Btotal measured by 3 tri-axial magnetometer sensors:

Btotal = √(Bx2 + By2 + Bz2)

For continuous azimuth measurements:

> Bx variation is measured continuously
 Magnetometer Sensitivity

• Drilling on an East/West heading at high inclination

> Bx sensor is perpendicular to the horizontal component of Earth’s magnetic field vector
> e.g. 5 nT measurement variation equates to 5 Cos 89° = 0.087 nT difference in Btotal vector
> Relatively small difference in continuous azimuth

• Drilling on a North/South heading at high inclination

> Bx sensor is parallel to the horizontal component of Earth’s magnetic field vector
> e.g. 5 nT measurement variation equates to 5 Cos 178° = -4.997 nT difference in Btotal vector
> Relatively large difference in continuous azimuth
Observed Continuous Azimuth
Measurement Fluctuation
Well X

Due South ±5°

Continuous azimuth
Continuous azimuth
sensitive zone
fluctuation
(at high inclinations)
 Observed Continuous Azimuth
Measurement Fluctuation

Continuous azimuth
measurements
w/ fluctuations about
the mean azimuth

NORTH Mean SOUTH

azimuth

Resultant mean azimuth

matches stationary surveys
 Resultant Turn-Rate / DLS

Actual turn-rate (°/30m)

Continuous azimuth
measurements

Mean
NORTH SOUTH
azimuth

Micro turn-rate / dog-leg with

continuous azimuth fluctuation
 HD vs. Stationary Survey Files
Stationary (30 m) surveys

Low build rates Turn-rates (δ-azimuth) at Dog-leg severity at

(δ-inclination) respective hole depths respective hole depths
High Definition (3 m) surveys

Alternating +ve / -ve turn-rates

 Conclusions

• Continuous azimuth measurements produce some fluctuation

around the mean azimuth when drilling South (and at high
inclination) due to relative Bx magnetometer sensitivity
• Dog-leg severities recorded in HD survey file are due to high
turn-rates calculated from fluctuating continuous azimuth
measurements
• Stationary surveys and continuous inclination (and hence TVD
measurements) are unaffected by this phenomenon
• Actual Well X dog-leg severities are <5°/30m