Instituto Superior Tcnico

Universidade de Lisboa
Masters in Petroleum Engineering 2014-2015
Drilling Engineering Course

Jos Pedro Santos Baptista

Mining and Geological Engineering Msc.
Petroleum Engineering Msc.

Drilling Engineering Course

3. Well Profile Design
Directional Drilling
Why and how do we do it?
Well Planning
Isnt it just a line?
Uncertainty
A foot here, a foot there, whats the point?
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Concepts

To plan a well, mathematically, the drilling engineer only needs to obtain three variables:
Measured Depth (MD)
Length of the wellbore from the Reference point (tie-in point)

True Vertical Depth (TVD)

The vertical distance from a point in the well to a point at
the surface (reference point/tie-in)
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Concepts

To plan a well, mathematically, the drilling engineer only needs to obtain three variables:
Measured Depth
Inclination

90

Deviation from vertical(0), irrespective of compass direction

I

Initially measured with a pendulum mechanism, and confirmed

with MWD accelerometers or gyroscopes

0
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Concepts

To plan a well, mathematically, the drilling engineer only needs to obtain three variables:
Measured Depth
Inclination
Azimuth
Size of the angle measured from the north (0)
The compass direction of a directional survey or of the wellbore as
planned or measured by a directional survey. The azimuth is
usually specified in degrees with respect to the geographic or
magnetic north pole (Grid North or True North).
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Concepts

Measured Depth
Inclination
Azimuth

Each Set is referred to as Survey Station

These three sets of data define the well path, allowing the
calculation of the three local coordinates of every point in the
well Northing, Easting and TVD

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Concepts
In terms of terminology, there are specific points in the well profile
which are important to mention due to their significance to the
directional driller.

Kick Off Point (KOP)

Depth at which the well is deviated from

the vertical (or when a side-track begins, even if the
path is already deviated)

Build Section

Part of the wellbore where the drift angle

(inclination) is increasing

End Of Build (EOB)

Point of the wellbore after which the drift

angle (inclination variation) returns to zero
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Concepts
Tangent section

Part of the wellbore where the path is a

straight line which is tangent to the build
section, intersecting it in the EOB point

Drop off Section

Part of the wells trajectory where the drift

angle is decreasing (decreasing inclination)

End Of Drop (EOD)

Point of the wellbore, after the drop

section, after which the inclination remains
constant (the path becomes a tangent)

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

3. Well Profile Design

T arg e t

Directional Drilling Concepts

De p a rt u re

In 3D wells, there are a few other definitions that encompass the

complexity of the design
Turn Section

Part of the wellbore where the azimuth is changing,

usually in a build or drop sections

Departure

Distance measured perpendicularly to the North to

a particular survey station

Horizontal Displacement Also called closure distance, is the shortest

horizontal distance from a particular survey
station back to the reference point
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

S urface Re fe rence Point

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Concepts
Dog Leg Severity (DLS)

Parameter used to represent the change of

inclination and azimuth of the well path
(degrees/100ft, degrees/30m)

Dog Leg

Sharp localised bend in the wellbore

DLS = {cos-1 [(cos I1 x cos I2) + (sin I1 x sin I2) x cos (Az2 Az1)]} x (100 MD)

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Masters in Petroleum Engineering

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3. Well Profile Design

Well Planning
Iterative process Problem with numerous solutions

Casing
Design,
Completion
& Reservoir
Objectives

Lithology
Review

Well Profile
Iteration

Anticollision
Analysis

Target
Sizing

Torque &
Drag
Analysis

Hydraulics
Analysis

Well Plan
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Masters in Petroleum Engineering

11

3. Well Profile Design

Well Planning Iteration Steps
Casing Design, Completion & Reservoir Objectives
Casing Design (company policy for pore pressure and kick margin)
Completion Requirements
Reservoir Objectives
Geological Targets (description based on requirements)
The hole sizes, any tangents required for completions and maximum attainable/allowable DLS
ranges (due to casing, completion and tool specification limitations ,etc.) will be determined
Entry point into and profile in the reservoir is also established

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

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3. Well Profile Design

Well Planning Iteration Steps
Lithology Review
Revision of the expected lithology the well is to intersect

Soft/Unconsolidated Formations

DLS Capability and hole washout

Formations prone to drilling problems

Shales
Swelling
Mobility
Chalk
Time dependency
Salt
(compaction)
Depleted Zones

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

Stuck Pipe Prevention

13

3. Well Profile Design

Well Planning Iteration Steps
Lithology Review (cont.)
Revision of the expected lithology the well is to intersect

Hard Streaks

Drill Bit Strategy , Rate of penetration, etc.

Formations with history of high ROPs

Clear Formation Markers
Aid in well placement and structural uncertainty (casing setting depths)

At the end of this stage the bulk of the well profile can be established
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

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3. Well Profile Design

Well Planning Iteration Steps
Well Profile Iteration
Preliminary Well Design is made to meet the established criteria from the previous steps

General Guide
Lines

DLS as low as possible

Tangent inclinations as low as possible (<45, if more, as short as possible)
Use gradually Build/Turn rates (1,5/30m > 2/30m > 3/30m > )
Avoid drop sections (if required increase DLS)
Keep inclination as low as possible and directional work at a minimum in:
Soft/Unconsolidated formations
Hard Streaks
Formations with past drilling Problems
In high ROP formations plan as long interval as possible
Hit the targets as initially required (subject to optimisation)
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

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3. Well Profile Design

Well Planning Iteration Steps
Anti-collision Iteration
Using the previous profile design, a thorough study of theoretical (planned) survey
uncertainty, resulting in the identification of possible collision problems

If necessary adjust the trajectory to cope with the new inputs

If the risk is too high go back to the previous step!

More details on survey uncertainty and anti-collision will be presented in the end of the lecture

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

16

3. Well Profile Design

Well Planning Iteration Steps
Target sizing Iteration
After the theoretical survey uncertainty is calculated and the ellipsoid of Uncertainty
(EOU) at target is known (with no less that 95% confidence level), answer:

Does it fall in an acceptable range?

Yes!
No!

Is it practical?
Yes!
Next Step
Improve Survey Program/redesign

Improvements solved the issue?

Yes!

Next Step

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

17

3. Well Profile Design

Well Planning Iteration Steps
Torque & Drag Analysis, Hydraulics Analysis
These two steps are the ones related to the practice of drilling. By performing these
calculations the drilling engineer will answer the most important question:

IS THE WELL DRILLABLE?

If yes

Next Step

If no

Redesign!

More on these two subjects on lecture 5 Drilling Operations

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Masters in Petroleum Engineering

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3. Well Profile Design

Well Planning
The well design is done and approved by all the
stakeholders. The well plan is used during the
drilling operations, by the directional driller, to
accurately drill the wellbore and reach the target(s).
To achieve this, the directional driller will be using
two major types of graphical aids:
Horizontal Plot
Vertical Section Plot

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Masters in Petroleum Engineering

19

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Well Planning

Plan View/Horizontal Plot/Projection

The path is projected onto the horizontal plane
A bird's eye view (looking from above)
Every point on the well path is defined by its North-South (X-axis) and
East-West (Y-axis) distance from the surface location (0,0).

Example:
The target is 3,400ft north and 800ft east of the surface location.
Coordinates of the target location: 3400ft N 800ft E.
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

20

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Well Planning
Vertical Section View/Plot
The path is projected onto a vertical plane
Lateral View (looking from a side)
The plane of proposal is defined by its angle from north (Vertical
Section Azimuth)
represents a theoretical vertical slice (plane) through the earth.

Example:
The azimuthal plane of proposal passes through the surface location
and the target at a 52 angle from north.
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

21

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Well Planning
Vertical Section View/Plot (cont.)
Every point on the well path is defined by its true vertical depth, on
the Y-axis (TVD) against its vertical section departure, on the X-axis
(distance between the surface location (0,0) and a point on the well
path projected onto the plane of proposal at 90 )
On rare occasions, the vertical section may be referenced to another
point, for example, the platform reference point.
Example:
TVD of the target is 7,800ft and the vertical section departure is
3,800ft.
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

22

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Well Planning
In 3D wells, both plots need to be viewed closely
together and the DD may require more than one
Vertical Section plot (view from different angles)

There is nothing insignificant in the world. It all

depends on the point of view.
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

23

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Reasons to Deviate
First recorded deliberately deviated well was drilled in 1930 in
Huntington Beach California to target offshore oil sands

Typical applications of directional wells

Multi-Well Platform
Inaccessible Locations
Salt Dome Drilling

Fault Drilling
Side-Tracking and Straightening
Relief Wells

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

24

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Typical Well Trajectories
Almost all the well shapes fit into these
four categories
Vertical
J Type Directional
S Type Directional
Horizontal

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3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Typical Well Trajectories
Vertical Wells
Exploratory
Land wells
No special restrictions
Cheap
Low producers
Injectors

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

26

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Typical Well Trajectories
J Type Directional
Curve- Tangent (Build Hold)

Unable to get directly over target

Increase reservoir exposure
Offshore
Fault Drilling

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

27

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Typical Well Trajectories
S Type Directional
Curve Tangent Curve Tangent (Build Hold Drop)

As J type
For wells to be fracced
Instability issues in the reservoir
Relief Well

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

28

3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Typical Well Trajectories
Horizontal Type Directional
Curve- Tangent (Build Hold)
Curve Tangent Curve Tangent (Build Hold Build Hold)
Increase reservoir exposure
Thin zones
Naturally fractured areas

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

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3. Well Profile Design

Directional Drilling Typical Well Trajectories
ExxonMobil Sakhalin Island
12,700m MD, 2,344m TVD
11,732m departure, 73 days
Maersk Qatar
36,768ft (11,207m) departure, 36 days
BP UK
35,197ft departure, 5370ft TVD

Total Patagonia
34,728ft departure, 5434ft TVD
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

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3. Well Profile Design

Uncertainty Surveying
In the planning stage, the well planner is responsible for the definition of the Survey Program

Selection of Tools that measure the 3 components of the well trajectory

Depth, Inclination and Azimuth
The wellbore surveying tools can be divided into two broad categories
MWD and Gyro

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

31

3. Well Profile Design

Uncertainty Surveying
The measurements have errors that must be accounted for in order to reach the wells objective(s)

Magnetic field uncertainties

Magnetic compass errors
Gyrocompass errors
Tool misalignment errors
Along-hole depth errors

These errors are the cause positioning uncertainty that needs to be

modelled
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Masters in Petroleum Engineering

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3. Well Profile Design

Uncertainty Error Models

Cone Model
Assumes that the error is the same in all directions
(horizontally)
Uncertainty is a circle that increases in diameter with
depth (cumulative effect)
Visually creates a cone shape around the planned
well path.
Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

33

3. Well Profile Design

Uncertainty Error Models

Ellipsoid Model
Initially created by Wolff and de Wardt (Systematic Error Model)
Recognises that the error is different in the x, y and z axis
The uncertainty is then an ellipsoid of increasing size with depth
Currently the Industry Standard is set by ISCWSA (Industry
Steering Committee on Wellbore Survey Accuracy)
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Masters in Petroleum Engineering

34

3. Well Profile Design

Uncertainty Applications
Anti-collision monitoring purposes
Separation Factor

Centre to Centre separation from the

generic well to the check well(s)

Position uncertainties of both generic and check well(s)

Target Intersection
Reservoir Targets
Relief Wells
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Masters in Petroleum Engineering

35

3. Well Profile Design

Conclusion Good Well Design
Lowest possible DDI (Directional Difficulty Index)

Collision risk managed (application of standards and procedures)

Planned hole sections delivered (casing design and directional plan integrated)
Targets Intersected

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Masters in Petroleum Engineering

36

3. Well Profile Design

End of Well Profile Design
Next Chapter: 4. Drilling Equipment

Questions?

Drilling Engineering Course 2014-2015

Masters in Petroleum Engineering

37