Wells are drilled for the purpose of penetrating the rock

at some definite subsurface location.In most instances

this is accomplished by drilling a reasonably straight &
reasonably vertical hole.

Three concepts for directional progress of a hole.

A vertical hole is one that is maintained within
few degrees, usually 30 to 50, of the vertical,and
usually no attention is paid to the directions of
the deviation. It may contain a number of sharp
bends, which would cause problem in the
subsequent drilling & production of the well.
A straight hole is one that contains no sharp
curvature, it is restricted to either vertical holes
or holes which maintain a constant deviation
from the vertical.
A directionally drilled well is one which is
deviated from the vertical & whose direction is
controlled so that it follows a predetermined
course.

DIRECTIONAL DRILLING
Directional drilling is defined as an art and science
involving deflection of a well bore in a specified
direction in order to reach a predetermined object
below the surface of the earth.

APPLICATIONS OF DIRECTIONAL DRILLING

1. Multiple wells from single location.
2. Inaccessible locations.
3. Drilling to avoid geological problems.
Fault drilling.
Salt dome drilling.
4. Side tracking and straightening.
5. Relief well drilling.
6. ERD well.
7. Horizontal well.
8. Multilateral drilling.

NON PETROLEUM APPLICATIONS

Mining industry.
Construction industry.
Geo thermal engineering.

MULTIPLE WELLS FROM SINGLE LOCATION

Optimum number of wells can be drilled from a single
platform or artificial island. This greatly simplifies
gathering systems and production techniques .

INACCESSIBLE LOCATIONS
If reservoir located under river beds, mountains,
cities etc, this technique of directional drilling is
used .

DRILLING TO AVOID GEOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

A. FAULT DRILLING:
This eliminates the hazard of drilling a vertical well through
steeply inclined fault plane which could slip and shear the
casing.

B. SALT DOME DRILLING

To reach the producing formation which often lie underneath
the over hanging cap of the dome, the well is first drilled at
one side of the dome and is then deviated to producing zone
to avoid drilling problems such as large washouts, lost
circulation and corrosion .

SOURCE: T.A.INGLIS

SIDE TRACKING AND STRAIGHTENING

It is used as remedial operation either to side track
obstruction by deviating the well bore away from
obstruction by deviating the well bore back to vertical
by straightening out crooked holes.

RELIEF WELL DRILLING

The technique is applied to the drilling of relief wells so
that mud may be pumped into the reservoir of the
uncontrolled well.

HORIZONTAL WELL
Horizontal well may be defined as an extension of highly deviated wells,
drilled in order to situate a drain of considerable length at a precise depth
in a reservoir with an angle of inclination approaching 90o from vertical.
Advantages:
1.Increasing the drainage area.
2.Prevention of gas coning or water coning problems.
3.Increased penetration of the producing formation.
4.Increasing the efficiency of enhanced oil recovery ( EOR ).
5.Improving productivity in fractured reservoirs by intersecting a numbers
of vertical fractures.

ERD WELL
In these well departure of the well is twice or more of TVD.
This separates it from conventional directional
wells.Advantages:
Increased horizontal displacement from central platform.
1. Increased penetration length of reservoir.
2. Require less number of wells to develop a field.
3. Require less number of platforms to develop a field in
offshore.

Multilateral Drilling
Multilateral well has been defined as a well that has
more than one horizontal or near horizontal laterals
drilled from single site and connected back to a single
well bore.
Applications:
. Greater reservoir exposure.
Drain more than one reservoir.
Exploit irregular reservoirs efficiently.
Speed up reservoir drainage.
Reduction in drilling cost per unit length of the
well bore contacting, the reservoir rock.
Ability to obtain a given length of horizontal well
bore in reservoir where drag would perhaps limit
the length of single horizontal well bore.
Reduction in number of slots and thus the
number of production platforms.

NON PETROLEUM APPLICATIONS

A. MINING INDUSTRY
- Directional wells are used to produce methane gas that is
contained in coal seams.
- Methane presents a safety hazard and must be drained off
before mining operations can begin.
- In deep coal seams that are beyond the reach of
conventional mining techniques, directional wells can be
drilled for in situ gasification projects.

B. CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
A small diameter pilot hole is drilled in a smooth arc
beneath the river until it immerges on the other side.
This acts as a guide for the large diameter pipe
forming the conduit.
The hole is drilled through soft sediments about 40
below the river bed. This techniques has been used
to cross rivers up to 200 wide.

C.GEO THERMAL ENGINEERING

High geothermal gradient found in some rocks( e.g.
granite) can be harnessed to provide energy.
Extracting the heat from this rocks requires the drilling
of injection and production wells.

TYPES OF WELL PROFILES

a. L- TYPE
b. S- TYPE
c. J- TYPE

TYPE I (BUILD AND

HOLD OR L TYPE)

This is the most common and

simplest profile for a
directional well.
The well is drilled down
vertically to KOP, where the
well is deviated to required
inclination and further
maintained to target.
Shallow KOP is selected to
reduce the inclination.
This profile can be applied
where large displacements are
required at relatively shallow
target depths.
Under the normal condition
inclination should be 15 to 55.

TYPE II (BUILD HOLD AND

DROP OR S TYPE)
This profile is similar to type-I up to
tangential section. After that profile
enters in a drop of section where
inclination is reduced and in some
cases becomes vertical as it reaches
the target.
More torque and drag can be
expected due to the additional bend.
Used where target is deep but
horizontal displacement is relatively
small.
It has also application when
completing a well that intersect
multiple producing zones.
Drilling of relief well where it is
necessary to run parallel to wild well.
Lease or target limitations.

TYPE III (DEEP KICK OFF

AND BUILD J TYPE)
Initial deflection is started well

below the surface and angle is

built up to bottom.
It is used in particular
situations like salt dome drilling,
fault drilling and side- tracking or
repositioning of target.
Disadvantages:
Formation may be harder &
less responsive to
deflection.
More tripping time to
change BHA while
deflecting.
BUR is more difficult to
control.

HIGHLY DEVIATED AND HORIZONTAL WELLS

HIGHLY DEVIATED WELLS
HIGHLY DEVIATED WELLS MAY BE DEFINED AS THOSE WELLS FOR
WHICH ANGLE OF INCLINATION EXCEEDS 600 FOR MOST OF THEIR
LENGTH.
EXTENDED REACH DRILLING
ERD WELLS ARE THOSE HIGHLY DEVIATED WELLS FOR WHICH:
MD / TVD

2
HD / TVD

1
IN THE PRESENT WORLD WIDE SCENARIO WHEN HORIZONTAL
DEPARTURE HAS CROSSED THE BARRIER OF 10 KMS. (10,728 M),
MD 11,278 M AT TVD OF 1,637 M ONLY THE DEFINITIONS ARE
REDEFINED AS BELOW:
REACH / TVD

<

CONVENTIONAL DIRECTIONAL
DRILLING (NON ERD)
REACH / TVD
= 2 3 EXTENDED REACH DRILLING
REACH / TVD
> 3
SEVERE EXTENDED REACH
DRILLING

ADVANTAGES OF ERD WELLS

INCREASED
HORIZONTAL
REACH
FROM
CENTRAL PLATFORM (LESS NO. OF PLATFORMS
)
INCREASED LENGTH OF THE COMPLETION
ZONE THROUGH THE RESERVOIR.
IN SOME RESERVOIRS SMALLER NO. OF ERD
WELLS CAN DRAIN THE RESERVOIR MORE
EFFICIENTLY THAN A GREATER NO. OF
CONVENTIONAL WELLS.

LENGTH OF PENETRATION vs. HOLE ANGLE

2000(600 M)
BUR: 2o/30M

80o
60

70o

10000(3050 M)
10000
INLINATION
(degree)

20000

(3050 M)
(5020 M)
HORIZONTAL REACH
(m)

30000
(9150 M)
DRAINGE AREA
(km2

60

3050

5.31

70

5020

11.9

80

9150

44.26

DRAINAGE AREA vs HOLE ANGLE

2000(600 M)
BUR: 2o/30M

200

10000(3050 M)
A

C
PENETRATION THEOUGH PAY
ZONE (TRUE VERTICAL
THICKNESS = 60 m/200)

CURVE

INLINATION
(degree)

60

120 m/400

70

180 m/585

80

352 m/1151