REASONS FOR CHOOSING MINIMUM CURVATURE

METHOD
(i)
It is balanced Tangential Method
(ii) Suitable for computer operation
(iii) Inclinations & Azimuths are changed to Radians before
input to computer
(iv) Considered to be most accurate survey method
Other Survey Methods include:
I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

TANGENTIAL: Uses only the lower survey point and is the

least accurate survey method. Assures the wellbore course is
a straight line tangent to the lower inclination orazimution.
BALANCED TANGENTIAL: Assures the wellbore course is
two straight lines with half the wellbore course tangent to
the upper survey point and the other half to the lower
survey, accurate method but seldom used.
AVERAGE ANGLE: Assures the wellbore course is a straight
line tangent to the average angle. Accurate as long as
survey points are not too far apart and no large change in
Azimuths actual well course.
RADIUS OF CURVATURE: Assures the wellbore course is an
Arc of a circle used for planning but not for final survey.
Assumed and actual well course has problem when
inclination and Azimuths are equal because ROC is infinite
MINIMUM CURVATURE: It is balanced tangent method but
the straight lines are smoothed into an Arc by a correction
factor. Suitable for computer operation, inclinations and
Azimuths are changed to radius before input to computer to
be most accurate survey method.

VERTICAL SECTION: Horizontal length of a projection of the

borehole into a specific vertical plane and scaled with the vertical
depth.

DOGLEG SEVERITY: Measure of the amount of change in the

inclination and/or Azimuths of a borehole, expressed in deg/100'
or deg/30m. course length.
PROBLEMS CAUSED BY DOGLEGS
1. Torque and drag
2. Keyseats and casting wear
3. Fatigue

TORQUE AND DRAG: Caused by friction between drill pipe and

hole-wall. Higher tension and doglegs result in higher Torque and
drag.
KEYSEATS AND CASTING WEAR: caused by drill pipe being
rotated in a dogleg with higher tension
FATIGUE: caused by rotating drill pipe in a bend. Cyclic stresses
cause fatigue
The whole essence of well planning is to avoid or minimize above
problems in order to reduce costs and Drin productive hole
DRAG: Increase in drill string weight when Pulling Out Of Hole or
reduction while Running In Hole
TORQUE: Force reqd. to turn the drill string
TORQUE & DRAG: Negligible in vertical wells, but significant in
direction wells.

TENSION (T2) = (T1-WcosIavrg);

M2 = (M1+uFnR)

DRAG (T) =uFn =u{[Tsin(deltaI) +Wsin(Iavrg)]2 ++[T

sin(delta A) sin (Iavrg)]2}1/2
T2 =T1-Wcos(Iavrg) +uFn

DRAG =T =uFn =Normal Force(Fn) x Friction Coefficient(u)

Fn ={[Tsin(delta I) +Wsin(Iavrg)]2 +.+[Tsin(delta A) sin
(Iavrg)]2}1/2
Where: Iavrg =Average Angle of Inclination; delta I =small
increment of Inclination Angle
And delta A =small increment of Azimuth Angle
DOGLEG SEVERITY (DLS) =
=[100/delta MD] cos-1{[sinI1 x sinI2][(sinB1 x sinB2) +(cosB1 x
cosB2)] +(cosI1 x cosI2)}
Where: I =Inclination Angle, and B=Angle of Direction in the
Vertical Section