Torque and Drag

TORQUE AND DRAG
Drag is the increase in string

weight when pulling out of the
hole or the reduction in string
weight while tripping in the hole
© 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Torque and Drag
Torque is the force required to
turn the drill string
In a perfectly vertical well, the
torque and drag in a well are
negligible
In directional wells, torque and
drag can be significant
In horizontal or extended reach
wells, torque and drag are
critical
2 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved
Torque and Drag
The magnitude of the torque and

drag is determined by the force
with which the pipe contacts the
hole wall and the friction
coefficient between the wall and
pipe
The contact force is called the
normal force

Torque and Drag
First, consider
simple friction
The force F
required to move
F
the block of weight
W (normal force) is
F = μW
Where μ is the W
friction coefficient

Torque and Drag
If the plane is
T inclined, the
normal force is a
function of the
cosine of θ
T=-W sin θ +
θ
μ W cos θ

Torque and Drag
At 0 degrees, the
normal force
equals the
weight of the
block
At 90 degrees,
θ the normal force
is zero

Torque and Drag
The same is true for a drill string

in the hole
However, inclination is measured
from the vertical rather than the
horizontal
If the inclination is zero, the normal
force is zero
If the inclination is 90o, the normal
force equals the weight of the pipe
Torque and Drag
Class problem:
Given the two blocks below
F1
F2
W = 100 lbs W = 100 lbs

Torque and Drag
Multiple choice – which is true

A. F1 = F2
B. F1 < F2
C. F1 > F2
D. None of the above

Torque and Drag
Pipe weight is not the only

source of drag
When hole curvature is
considered, an additional force
is added to the normal force
That force is a function of pipe
tension and dogleg severity

Torque and Drag
Most of the torque and drag in a

directional well comes from pipe
tension (or compression) in a
dogleg
Horizontal and other high angle
wells do have a significant drag
component from the pipe weight

Torque and Drag
The normal
force is a
function of
tension and
dogleg severity
Consider a pipe
segment bent
around a corner

Torque and Drag
Summing forces in the x and y

direction yields
Fx  T sin I W sin I avg 
Fy T sin A sin I avg 

Torque and Drag
The normal force is the vectorial

sum of the x and y forces
FN  T sin I W sin I     T sin A sin I   

avg
2
avg
2
Once the normal force is

calculated, the drag for the pipe
segment can be calculated

Torque and Drag
The drill string is
broken into
segments starting at
the bit where the
tension is known
The normal force is
calculated and the
tension at the top of
the segment is
calculated based on
drag and pipe weight

Torque and Drag
T2  T1  W cos I avg   FN
The tension at the top of the

segment becomes the tension at
the bottom of the next segment
The drag and pipe weight for that
segment are used to calculate
the tension at the top

Torque and Drag
The process is repeated until the

calculations reach the surface ,
which is the hook load
Tripping in the hole, the drag
acts in the opposite direction
T2  T1  W cos I avg   FN

Torque and Drag
While tripping in the hole, there

is an additional normal force that
can be imposed on the pipe
If there is sufficient
compression, the pipe can be
buckle
In a vertical well, the pipe
buckles almost immediately
Torque and Drag
In a directional well, it takes a

finite amount of compression to
cause buckling
A very simple buckling equation
is as follows:

Torque and Drag
EIAg sin I
Fcrit 2
r
The critical buckling load is a
function of the sine of the
inclination, the radial clearance
and the moment of inertia
At zero degrees, the pipe
buckles immediately

Torque and Drag
As the pipe gets stiffer (larger

OD and smaller ID), it takes more
force to cause buckling
As the hole gets bigger, the pipe
buckles easier
In oil field terms, the equation is
as follows

Torque and Drag
9.82  10 5 (OD 4  ID 4 )(Wt / ft ) B sin I

Fcrit 
( Dh  OD )
If the pipe is buckled, an

additional normal force is
applied according to the
following equation:
rFf 2
WN 
4E I

Torque and Drag
Note that the normal force

changes with the square of the
force that exceeds the buckling
load

Torque and Drag
Calculate the critical buckling load of

4 ½” OD (3.826” ID), 16.6#/ft (nominal)
drill pipe at 90o in an 8 ½” hole. The
mud weight is 10 ppg. The actual wt/ft
of the drill pipe is 18.3#/ft with tool
joints.
B  1  (0.015)( MW )
B  1  (0.015)(10)  0.85

Torque and Drag
9.82  10 5 (OD 4  ID 4 )(Wt / ft ) B sin I

Fcrit 
( Dh  OD )
9.82 105 (4.54  3.826 4 )(18.3)(0.85) sin 90

Fcrit 
(8.5  4.5)
Fcrit  27,343 lbs
It takes 27,343 lbs to buckle 4 ½” drill

pipe in an 8 ½” horizontal well

Torque and Drag
Class Problem
Calculate the critical buckling load for 1.5”
coiled tubing in an 8 ½” hole
1.5” OD by 1.31” ID
1.42 lbs per foot
Fluid is water at 8.34 ppg
Inclination is 90o
Answer 607 lbs

Torque and Drag
B  1  (0.015)( MW )
B  1  (0.015)(8.34)  0.87
9.82 105 (1.54  1.314 )(1.42)(0.87) sin 90

Fcrit 
(8.5  1.5)
Fcrit  607 lbs
In 4 ½” casing it takes 1012 lbs

In 2 7/8” tubing it takes 1652 lbs

Torque and Drag
Torque can be calculated in a

very similar manner
However, the drag is generally
ignored while calculating the
tension in a simplified torque
and drag model

Torque and Drag
Rotating Weight Hook Load Up
Hook Load Down
Martin Decker
Weight Indicator

Torque and Drag
Drag influence is alleviated when

the pipe is rotated so the tension
is simply
T2  T1  W cos I avg 
The normal force is calculated
based on the pipe weight and the
torque can be calculated from
the normal force
Torque and Drag
Torque is in foot-pounds
The normal force supplies the pounds
The radius of the pipe supplies the
moment arm or foot
M2  M1  FN R
The bit torque is entered and the
torque is summed up the hole
the same as the drag
Torque and Drag
Compare the drag from two

different wells
The average inclination is the same
in both wells
Case A has an average dogleg
severity of 4o/100’
Case B has an average dogleg
severity of 2o/100’

Torque and Drag
Also assume that each case has
50,000 lbs or 200,000 lbs tension
The tension would change depending
upon how much hole was drilled
below the dogleg
Case A Case B
MD I A DLS MD I A DLS
2000 40 135 4o/100 2000 43 135 2o/100

2100 44 135 4o/100 2100 45 135 2o/100
2200 48 135 4o/100 2200 47 135 2o/100
2300 52 135 4o/100 2300 49 135 2o/100

Torque and Drag
The air weight of the 4 1/2 inch

drill pipe is 18.1 lbs/ft including
tool joints (can be found in API
RP7G)
Calculate the buoyant weight per
100 feet
W   Length wt / ft  Bouyancy Factor 
W  100181 
.  1   0.01510 
Torque and Drag
W  153850
. lbs / 100'
The drag is equal to the normal

force times the friction
coefficient
T  FN
T   T sin I  W sin I avg    T sin A sin I avg  

2 2

Torque and Drag
Make the calculations at 100 foot

intervals
Case A: 50,000 pound tension
I avg   52  48 / 2  50
I  52  48  4
A  135  135  0
T  0.40 50000sin 4   1538.50sin 50  50000sin 0sin 50
2 2
T  923.71 lbs drag

Torque and Drag
In order to calculate the drag in

the next interval, the tension at
2,200 feet must be calculated.
From Equation 6:
T2  50000   1538.50 cos50  923.71
T2  51912. 64 lbs

Torque and Drag
The tension at 2,200 feet is

51,912.64 pounds. Now the drag
for the 100 foot interval between
2,100 feet and 2,200 feet can be
calculated
I avg   48  44 / 2  46
I  48  44  4
A  135  135  0
T  FN
Torque and Drag
T  0.40 51912.64sin 4   1538.50sin 46  51912.64sin 0sin 46

2 2
T  100582
. lbs drag
T2  51912.64   1538.50cos 46  1005.82

T2  53987.19 lbs
Now calculate the drag from

2,000 feet to 2,100 feet

Torque and Drag
I avg    44  40 / 2  42
I  44  40  4
A  135  135  0
T  FN
T  0.40 53987.19sin 4   1538.50sin 42  53987.19sin 0sin

2
T2  53987.19   1538.50cos 42  1094.60

T2  56225.12 lbs
Torque and Drag
Total drag for the 300 foot

interval in Case A with 50,000
pound tension is:
Drag  923. 71  1005.82  1094. 60
Drag  3024.13 lbs

Torque and Drag
4o/100’ with 50,000 lbs
DEPTH TENSION INTERVAL
(feet) (pounds) DRAG
(pounds)
2300
2200
50,000.00
51,912.64 923.71
At 4o/100’
2100 53,987.19 1005.82
2000 56,225.12 1094.60 The
TOTAL 3024.13 tension is
4o/100’ with 200,000 lbs times 4
(feet) (pounds) DRAG The drag is
(pounds)
2300 200,000.00 times 5.3
2200 206,098.02 5109.09
2100 212,474.74 5307.99
2000 219,134.88 5516.81
TOTAL 15,933.89
Torque and Drag
2o/100’ with 50,000 lbs
(pounds)
2300
2200
50,000.00
51,270.12 240.66
At 2o/100’
2100 52,611.89 273.04
2000 54,025.55 306.96 The
TOTAL 820.66 tension is
2o/100’ with 200,000 lbs times 4
(pounds)
The drag is
2300 200,000.00 times 8.8
2200 203,364.09 2334.63
2100 206,829.06 2396.24
2000 210,395.56 2459.80
TOTAL 7190.67

Torque and Drag
4o/100’ with 50,000 lbs
(pounds)
2300
2200
50,000.00
51,912.64 923.71
At 50,000
2100
2000
53,987.19
56,225.12
1005.82
1094.60
lbs tension
TOTAL 3024.13 The dogleg
2o/100’ with 50,000 lbs severity is
DEPTH
(feet)
TENSION
(pounds)
INTERVAL
DRAG
times 2
(pounds)
2300 50,000.00 The drag is
2200 51,270.12 240.66
2100 52,611.89 273.04 times 3.7
2000 54,025.55 306.96
TOTAL 820.66

Torque and Drag
4o/100’ with 200,000 lbs
(pounds)
2300 200,000.00
At 200,000
2200
2100
206,098.02
212,474.74
5109.09
5307.99
lbs tension
2000 219,134.88 5516.81
TOTAL 15,933.89
The dogleg
severity is
2o/100’ with 200,000 lbs
DEPTH TENSION INTERVAL times 2
(pounds)
2300 200,000.00
The drag is
2200
2100
203,364.09
206,829.06
2334.63
2396.24
times 2.2
2000 210,395.56 2459.80
TOTAL 7190.67
Torque and Drag
Increasing both tension and

dogleg severity will increase the
torque and drag
However, for a 2o/100’ dogleg, it
takes twice as much hole to
achieve the same inclination as a
4o/100’ dogleg

Torque and Drag
Class Problem
The buoyant weight of a pipe segment is
-2000 lbs (100 foot long) and there is
100,000 lbs tension at the bottom of the
segment
The average inclination for the pipe
segment is 200 and the friction coefficient is
0.30
 Two cases:
Case 1 Case 2
ΔI = 00 ΔI = 00
ΔA = 00 ΔA = 180
What is the tension at the top of the pipe
segment
Torque and Drag
Case 1: 1000,000 pound tension

and no dogleg severity
I avg   20
I  0
A  0

2 2
T  0.30 100000 sin 0   2000 sin 202  100000 sin 0sin 202

Torque and Drag
Calculate the tension at the top

of the segment
T2  100000   2000 cos 20   205 .21
T2  102,084 .60 lbs

Torque and Drag
Case 2: 1000,000 pound tension

and a dogleg severity
I avg   20
I  0
A  18

2 2
T  0.30 100000 sin 0   2000 sin 202  100000 sin18 sin 202

Torque and Drag
Calculate the tension at the top

of the segment
T2  100000   2000 cos 20   3177 .33
T2  105,056 .72 lbs

Torque and Drag
Drilling torque increasing with

depth
45 PDC Torque
Erratic Torques Caused by Torsional Dynamics Trend
40
Torque, 1000 lbf-ft
35
30
Roller Cone Torque Trend
25
20 Increased Torque Caused by Cuttings

Buildup
15
10,000 10,500 11,000 11,500 12,000 12,500 13,000 13,500 14,000 14,500 15,000
Depth, ft

Torque and Drag
Three ways to change the drag in

a well
Change the friction coefficient
Change the directional profile
Change the string weight or tension

Torque and Drag
Reducing the friction coefficient

can have the most dramatic
affect on torque and drag
The friction coefficient can be
affected by mud type, bentonite
content, solids content and various
additives
Generally, oil base muds will have the
lowest friction coefficient but not
always
Torque and Drag
Friction coefficients will depend upon

the torque and drag model used
Below are some ranges for friction
coefficients from Sperry Sun
Drilling Fluid μ in Casing μ in Formation
Oil based 0.16 to 0.20 0.17 to 0.25
Water based 0.25 to 0.35 0.25 to 0.40
Brine 0.30 to 0.40 0.30 to 0.40

Torque and Drag
With a top drive, pipe can be run

in the hole even if it will not fall
by its own weight because
rotation reduces the drag

Torque and Drag
V = Circumferential
C Velocity Component Direction of Downward
Friction Drag Travel
V A = Axial Velocity
Component
V = Resultant Velocity Component

R
Resultant Drag = μFN = Constant

VC Rotation
Axial Drag
Circumferential Drag VR
Axial
Drag
VA
FN = Normal Force
Axial drag is reduced when rotational speed is increased.
© 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Torque and Drag
Changing the directional profile

can affect the torque and drag
Consider a well with a target TVD
of 15,500 feet and departure of
8,800 feet
There are any number of
directional profiles that can be
used to hit the target
Torque and Drag

Torque and Drag

Torque and Drag

Torque and Drag
The directional profile does not

make a significant difference
Getting from point A to point B
takes a certain amount of drag
Generally, lower dogleg
severities will yield slightly lower
drag values

Torque and Drag
When drilling a directional well,

the actual dogleg severity will be
greater than the planned dogleg
severity; therefore, the actual
drag values will be greater than
the calculated values
To compensate, you can use a
slightly higher friction coefficient
when planning

Torque and Drag
Reducing the pipe weight will

reduce the tension and therefore
drag values
Replace drill collars with HWDP
and drill pipe
Drill pipe can be run in
compression in a directional well
if required but should not exceed
the critical buckling load
Torque and Drag

Torque and Drag
In horizontal wells, the drill pipe

will not fall in the hole under its
own weight
The pipe must be pushed into
the hole using the weight of the
pipe above the critical inclination

Torque and Drag
The critical inclination is were

the drag equals the weight
component along the axis of the
hole
The critical inclination can be
calculated based on the friction
coefficient
11
I  tan  

Torque and Drag
Anything above the critical

inclination must be pushed
Keep the pipe in the horizontal
section as light as possible
Drill collars require more weight
to push them along the wellbore

Torque and Drag
The pipe in the horizontal

section should be as light as
practical so limit the BHA
HWDP is used in and above the
curve
Drill collars may or may not be
required in the vertical portion
above the HWDP

Torque and Drag
Typical drill string design for
horizontal well
2000
4000 Premium Drillpipe
6000
Depth, ft
HWDP
MWD/LWD
8000
Non-mag
10,000 Higher Weight Steerable Motor
Compressive
or Standard Service Pipe
12,000 Drillpipe
14,000
Bit
16,000
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
Departure, ft

Torque and Drag

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Torque and Drag

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TORQUE AND DRAG

Drag is the increase in string

© 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

The magnitude of the torque and

3 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

4 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

5 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

6 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

The same is true for a drill string

W = 100 lbs W = 100 lbs

8 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Multiple choice – which is true

D. None of the above

9 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Pipe weight is not the only

10 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Most of the torque and drag in a

11 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

12 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Summing forces in the x and y

Fx  T sin I W sin I avg 

Fy T sin A sin I avg 

13 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

The normal force is the vectorial

FN  T sin I W sin I     T sin A sin I   

Once the normal force is

14 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

15 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

The tension at the top of the

16 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

The process is repeated until the

T2  T1  W cos I avg   FN

17 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

While tripping in the hole, there

In a directional well, it takes a

19 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

20 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

As the pipe gets stiffer (larger

21 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

9.82  10 5 (OD 4  ID 4 )(Wt / ft ) B sin I

If the pipe is buckled, an

22 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Note that the normal force

23 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Calculate the critical buckling load of

24 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

9.82  10 5 (OD 4  ID 4 )(Wt / ft ) B sin I

9.82 105 (4.54  3.826 4 )(18.3)(0.85) sin 90

It takes 27,343 lbs to buckle 4 ½” drill

25 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

26 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

9.82 105 (1.54  1.314 )(1.42)(0.87) sin 90

In 4 ½” casing it takes 1012 lbs

27 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Torque can be calculated in a

28 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Rotating Weight Hook Load Up

Hook Load Down

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Drag influence is alleviated when

Compare the drag from two

32 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved

2000 40 135 4o/100 2000 43 135 2o/100

33 © 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved