CHAPTER-3 HORIZONTAL DRILLING

Horizontal drilling has become one of the most valuable technologies ever introduced into the upstream oil business. Along with other advances over the last fifteen years such as massive fracturing and 3-D seismic, horizontal drilling has had a significant impact on oil and gas production. A considerable number of articles and papers have been written on horizontal drilling, but the focus has been on the hardware and drilling side of the technology. Relatively little has been published on the reserves that have been found. This lack of reserve and economic information is partly due to operators wanting to retain a competitive advantage in their drilling. But it is also due to the difficulty in applying traditional reserve estimation methods to a situation which petroleum engineers do not fully understand. Volumetric analysis is complicated because of a lack of knowledge on extent of the fracture systems. Pressure transient and reservoir simulation methods are made difficult by the same poor understanding of the reservoir character. Analogy has not been effective since there simply are none to this new technology. That leaves performance analysis as a reserve estimating tool. And it is only recently that enough history is available to reliably examine the reserve potential of horizontal wells.

HISTORY OF HORIZONTAL DRILLING

Little horizontal drilling occurred until the early 1980s, by which time improved down hole drilling motors and the invention of other necessary supporting equipment, materials, and technologies, particularly down hole telemetry equipment, had brought some kinds of applications within the imaginable realm of commercial viability. Tests indicating that commercial horizontal drilling success could be achieved in more than isolated instances were carried out between 1980 and 1983 by the French firm Elf Aquitaine in four horizontal wells drilled in three European fields. These included the Rospo Mare Oil Field, located offshore Italy in the Mediterranean Sea, where output was very considerably enhanced. Early horizontal production well drilling was subsequently undertaken by British Petroleum in Alaskas Prudhoe Bay Field, in a successful attempt to minimize unwanted water and gas intrusions. Horizontal drilling has since been undertaken with increasing frequency by many more operators. Domestic horizontal wells have now been planned and completed in at least 57 counties or offshore areas located in or off 20 States. They have been almost entirely focused on crude oil applications. In 1990, worldwide, more than 1,000 horizontal wells were drilled. Some 850 of them were targeted at Texas Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk Formation alone. Less than 1 percent of the domestic horizontal wells drilled were completed for gas, as compared to 45.3 percent of all successful wells (oil plus gas) drilled. Of the 54.7 percent of all successful wells that were completed for oil, 6.2 percent were horizontal wells. Market

penetration of the new technology has had a noticeable impact on the drilling market and on the production of crude oil in certain regions.

Chronological Order
First horizontal well 1929 Economic viability in 1980s o Rospo Mare Field (1982) o Prudhoe Bay (1984) o Bima and Arjuna Fields (1986 - 1987) o Austin Chalk (1985 - 1987) Through 2000 o 23,385 Horizontal Wells From 69 Countries United States 10,966 Canada 9,655 DEFINITION AND THEORY

To attain higher performances, the oil and gas companies are demanding greater drilling efficiency in conditions such as extended reach and horizontal drilling. The improved production and return on investment can be achieved from fewer wells, but better quality wells.

Figure 2 Theoretical vertical profile for a buildup rate of 1/10 m (3/100 ft) for a well reaching horizontal. (Courtesy Inst. Fr. du Petr.)

Figure 3 - Theoretical vertical profile for a buildup rate of 2/10 m (6/100 ft) for a well reaching horizontal. (Courtesy Inst. Fr. du Petr.)

Figure 1 and figure 2 show the theoretical vertical profile for a buildup to horizontal with respectively 1/10 m (3/100ft) and 2/10 m (6/100 ft). In the first case, the distance below kick-off point (KOP) to reach horizontal is 570 m (2870 ft) TVD, with a measured depth of 900 m (2952 ft). In the second case, the corresponding lengths are 290 m (951 ft) and 450 m (1,476 ft).

To follow accurately the theoretical trajectory, MWD techniques must be used. When the borehole is near horizontal, logging or surveying tools cannot be lowered by gravity anymore. They must be pumped down the drill pipes for directional measurements. Conventional logging has to be carried out by conveying the logging sondes downhole at the tip of the drill string. The logging operation becomes long, expensive and dangerous. A much more efficient way is to survey the trajectory and record the logs while drilling. The logging data can be used to ascertain that the borehole is being drilled in the anticipated pay zone. If not, immediate remedial action is taken to steer the well towards the pay zone. The most advanced technique in use today is the geosteering technique. Geosteering is usually done with a mud motor. A mud motor with bent sub allows changing of orientation and inclination without pulling the drill string out. Steering is done by rotating it a small angle. In classical

geosteering the sensors for inclination, azimuth, drilling parameters, and

logging are located above the mud motor and the distances may be in the order. Although radial measurements can be performed to verify that the borehole is being drilled in the pay zone, it is often too late to make a correction and the borehole leaves the pay zone. The new geosteering system offers measurements at the bit (below the mud motor) of inclination, rpm, azimuthal gamma ray, azimuthal resistivity, and bit resistivity. The signals are transmitted

electromagnetically to the MWD sub located above the mud motor, then relayed to surface with the standard mud pressure transmission system. To summarize, the following is recorded just above the drill bit:

inclination revolution per minute azimuthal gamma ray azimuthal resistivity bit resistivity

Above the mud motor, the following is recorded:

weight-on-bit torque inclination azimuth tool face neutron density Pe

Other

parameters,

such

as

alternator

voltage

(for

flow

rate),

temperature and pressure, can also be monitored. An example of three horizontal wells drilled in a 2 m (6 ft) in the North Sea is shown in Figure 4. Well No. 1 was drilled with inclination and azimuth data only. The sensors were located above the mud motor. Only a short section (63 m; 207 ft) was drilled in the reservoir.

Figure 4 North Sea geosteering example. (Courtesy Anadrill .)

Well No. 2 was geologically steered by adding gamma ray and resistivity capability. Only a short section is out of the reservoir, making a total of 168 m (552 ft) in the reservoir. Well No. 3 was steered with the new geosteering system. A smooth trajectory was obtained with the whole interval in the reservoir. The last section was dipped intentionally to investigate the lower reservoir. We see that horizontal drilling can be carried out satisfactorily if the following is available: sophisticated MWD/LWD technology computer capability positive displacement motor 8

Suggestions have been made recently to drill horizontal brunches in the horizontal portion of the horizontal wells. If this technique is developed, the drainage capacity of horizontal wells will be even better.

Types of Horizontal Wells

Horizontal drilling is performed using long radius of curvature to reach horizontal: 1 to 2/10 m (3 to 60/100 ft). Attempts have been made for years to improve production with medium, short and ultra short radius of curvature. The sketch of Figure 5 shows the four types of curvatures.

Figure 5 Schematics of different types of wells or drains: (a) ultra short radius; (b) short radius; (c) medium radius; (d) long radius.

Table 1 gives the range of values of radius, angle change with depth, and usual horizontal lengths drilled in each case.

Table 1 Characteristics of Horizontal Wells

Ultra short radius wells are usually called drain holes. They are
drilled with special equipment and completed with 1 to 2 in. tubing. The tubing is perforated and severed where it reached the main vertical hole. No MWD or LWD operations are carried out in these drain holes.

Short radius wells are usually drilled from a cased or uncased vertical
well. Articulated drill collars are used to drill to 90 or beyond. A second stabilized assembly is used to drill the rest of the hole, usually in 4 or 6 in. diameter.

No MWD or LWD equipment exists to date to log these wells. However, service companies are developing equipment for MWD purpose in 40-ft (12-m) curvature radius or 1.5/ft (4.6/m). The equipment consists of articulated mud motors and inclination and azimuth sensors.

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Medium radius and long radius wells are drilled with conventional
oilfield tools. Both MWD and LWD are usable in these wells. Downhole motors are mostly used in medium radius wells to avoid fatigue of the BHA. Long radius wells have been drilled with both mud motors and rotary techniques.

Air drilling operations can also be utilized for directional drilling and
MWD/ LWD technologies. Due to the absence of reliable downhole pneumatic motors, this technology is not yet fully developed.

Example 1

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Dogleg Severity (Hole Curvature) Calculations

Currently there are several analytical methods for calculating dog-leg severity. These methods include: Tangential Radius of curvature Average angle Trapezoidal (average tangential) Minimum curvature

Example 2 (Tangential Method)

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Example 3 (Radius of Curvature Method)

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Example 4 (Vectorial Method)

Example 5 (Average Tangential Method)

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Brief Summary for Definition and Theory of Horizontal Drilling Wells

2,4

Petroleum engineers categorize horizontal wells according to the radius of the arc described by the well bore as it passes from the vertical to the horizontal. Wells with arcs of 3 to 40 foot radius are defined as short-radius horizontal wells. Medium-radius wells have arcs of 200 to 1,000 foot radius, while long-radius wells have arcs of 1,000 to 2,500 feet. The required horizontal displacement, the required length of the horizontal section, the position of the kickoff point (from the vertical), and completion constraints are generally considered when selecting a radius of curvature. Short-radius horizontal wells are commonly used when re-entering existing vertical wells in order to use them as the physical base for the drilling of add-on arc and horizontal hole sections. The steel casing (lining) of an old vertical well facilitates attainment of a higher departure (or "kick

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off") angle than can be had in an uncased hole, so that a short-radius profile can more quickly attain horizontality, and thereby rapidly reach or remain within a pay zone. The small displacement required to reach a nearhorizontal attitude favors the use of short-radius drilling in small lease blocks, while a need to avoid extended drilling in a difficult overlying formation may call for use of a short-radius well that kicks off near the bottom of, or below, the difficult formation. Short-radius horizontal drilling also has certain economic advantages over longer radius drilling. These include a lower capital cost, the fact that the suction head for downhole production pumps is smaller, and that use of an MWD system is frequently not required if long horizontal sections are not to be drilled. A current drawback to use of a short-radius horizontal well is that adequate tools do not yet exist to reliably do producing zone isolation, logging, remedial, or stimulation work in short-radius holes. Most therefore have to be completed open hole (no casing), and to allow this the reservoir rock must be physically competent, or serious production problems will result. Medium-radius horizontal wells allow the use of larger hole diameters, near-conventional bottom hole (production) assemblies, and more

sophisticated and complex completion methods. It is also possible to log the hole. Although the drilling of medium-radius horizontal wells does require the use of an MWD system, which increases drilling cost, medium-radius holes are perhaps the most popular current option. They can be drilled on leases as small as 20 acres. Long-radius holes can be drilled using either conventional drilling tools and methods, or the newer steerable systems. Long-radius wells, in the form of deviated wells (not, however, deviated to

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the horizontal), have existed for many years. They are not suited to leases of less than 160 acres due to their long lateral displacements before reaching the horizontal. The attainable horizontal displacement, particularly for medium- and long-radius wells, has grown significantly, as operators and the drilling and service contractors have devised, tested, and refined their procedures, and as improved equipment has been designed and used. Routinely achievable horizontal displacements have rapidly climbed from 400 to over 8,000 feet. EXAMPLE 1 A single build horizontal well is to be planned with the following data.At what depth is the KOP and at what depth does the horizontal section begin? Build Gradient:14 deg/100 ft to 90 deg TVD of the horizontal section:8000ft SOLUTION Build TVD = R =
18000 = 409.26ft 14

KOP = 8000 409.26 = 7590.7ft The Departure beginning of the horizontal section is 409.26 ft

EXAMPLE 2 A combination horizontal well with a tangent section is to be planned with the following data.At what depth is the KOP ? Upper Build:5deg/100 ft to 75 deg. Tangent Length:350 ft Lower Build:12deg/100 ft to 90 ft

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TVD of the horizontal section:7350 ft 1 = 75deg. 2 = 15deg. 3 = 90deg. Inclined TVD = R1 sin1 + Tcos1 + R2 (sin3 sin1 ) R1 = 100 18000 = = 1145.92ft BG 5 R2 = 18000 = 477.46ft 12

Inclined TVD = 1145sin(75) + 350cos(75) + 477.46[sin(90) sin(75)] Inclined TVD = 1213.7ft KOP = 7350 1213 = 6137ft

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