SPE 24381

Constant Curvature Method for Planning a 3-D Directional Well

Boyun Guo, Stefan Miska, and R.L. Lee, New Mexico Inst. of Mining & Technology
SPE Members

Copyright 1992, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Inc.

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting held in Casper, Wyoming, May 18-21, 1992.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author@).Contents of the paper,
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ABSTRACT Method was originally proposed by Wilson1 as an improved

A new method for planning 3-D directional wellpaths is
proposed in this paper. This method, which is referred
to as the Constant-Curvature Method, has several advan-
tages over the conventional Radius-of-Curvature Method
and Constant-Turn-Rate Method. The new method yields
constant curvature wellpath sections which are compatible
with the directional performance of deflection tools. In ad-
dition to this advantage, this method also yields less dog-
leg severity of well trajectories, and, consequently, less drag
and torque on the drill string. As a result, it is expected
that the directional drilling operation should be easier, safer,
and more economical if the wellpaths are planned using the
proposed method. Mathematically, the formulation of the
method involves integrals that do not have closed form solu-
tions and need to bg estimated numerically. To avoid the
numerical integrations, two alternative approximations to
the exact solution, namely Piecewise-Radius-of-Curvature
Method and Piecewise-Constant-Turn-Rate Method, are
presented. Sample computations show that the Piecewise-
Constan t-Turn-Rate Method gives better approximations
and the calculations can be carried out using a hand-held
calculator.
INTRODUCTION
At present, three methods are available for planning 3-
D directional wellpaths, namely, the Radius-of-Curvature,
Constant-Turn-Rate, and Turn-in-Plane Methods. A care-
ful comparison and analysis of these methods can be a sub-
ject of a separate paper. Here, we just briefly review the
basic concepts of these methods. The Radius-of-Curvature
References and illustrations at end of paper.
method for computing directional surveys. Rivero2 used the
equations involved in this method for the purpose of de-
termining the true vertical reservoir thickness. McMillian3
was the first to utilize the radius of curvature equations
for planning directional wellpaths. The second method, the
Constant-Turn-Rate Method, was presented by Planeix and
Fox4 to avoid the trial and error procedure associated with
the Radius-of-Curvature Method. The third method, the
Turn-in-Plane Method, was also presented by McMillian in
the form of matrix transformation. Brown5 employed this
method for wellpath planning in the form of coordinates
transformation. Sun6 made a comparison of these three
methods and recommended the third method be used for
future wellpath design because it gives the shortest simple
smooth path between two given points within a plane.
The major purpose of this paper is to provide drilling en-
gineers an efficient method of designing 3-D wellpaths with
which the number of BHA changes and adjustments are
minimized. In the course of wellpath planning for given ge-
ological conditions, the designer must consider a number
of factors, the most important being the directional per-
formance of the BHA and the strength limitations of the
drill string. It is self-evident that the s h a ~ eof the w e h a t h
should bgconsistent with the directionaftendencies o i the
BHA during actual drilling operations. Drilling holes with-
out consideration of BHA performance is costly and time
consuming due to the numerous tripping operations that are
required for BHA changes. Based upon field experiences, it
is a rather common belief that a given 'BHA at a constant
weight on bit, has a tendency to drill a hole with a fairly
constant curvature7-lo. Of course, varying downhole condi-
tions will influence this tendencv. This observation is also in
agreement with the following theoretically derived equation
2 CONSTANT-CURVATURE METHOD FOR PLANNING A 3-D DIRECTIONAL WELL 3PE 24381

that relates the tool face rotation angle (y), build rate (B) The system of coordinates, E, N , Z , and L i s illustrated in
and hole curvature (dogleg severity) (D): Fig. 1. As shown in the Appendix B, the wellpath curva-
ture (dogleg severity), D , can be expressed in, terms of the
build and turn rates ( B and T) as follows:

This indicates that a constant curvature wellbore will be

drilled with a given build rate (B) and tool face rotation an- where I is the inclination angle at the point under consider-
gle (y). Derivation of Eq.(l) is in Appendix A. The field ob- ation.
servations, as well as Eq.(l), suggest that constant curvature
wellpath sections should be planned in order to be drilled To maintain constant hole curvature (dogleg severity), D,
with one properly oriented deflection tool for each small sec- along the wellpath section, Eq.(3) indicates that the quanti-
tion. However, neither the Radius-of-Curvature Method ties B or T, or both, must vary along the section, because
nor the Constant-Turn-Rate Method yields a wellpath sec- the hole inclination angle I is changing. If we assume that
tion with a constant curvature. Consequently, planning well the build rate, B, and dogleg severity, D, are kept constant
trajectories using the above-mentioned conventional meth- over the section length, then, from Eq.(3) we can obtain the
ods requires continuous adjustments of the tool face angle corresponding value of the turn rate T:
and may result in frequent tripping operations in order to
drill along the desired wellpath. To improve this situation,
we propose a new method of planning a 3-D directional well-
path with constant curvature. Aligning well trajectories with
the directional tendency of the deflecting tools will simplify Under such conditions, the inclination I and azimuth A at
the drilling operation and reduce its cost. the section length L can be expressed as:
In this paper, a comparison of the proposed method with
the Radius-of-Curvature Method and the Constant-Turn-
I = I. + B(L - Lo) (5)
Rate Method is made. Besides a constant curvature, the
proposed method yields a wellpath with the least average
dogleg severity and results in less drag and torque of the
drillstring. Therefore, in an extreme case such as an attempt where the subscript '0' denotes the initial point of the section.
to avoid an underground obstruction (for example, another
wellbore), drilling the planned constant curvature wellpath The orthogonal coordinates El N , and Z for a point on a
wellpath can be calculated using the following equations:
will be safer and easier than following the wellpaths planned
by other methods.
The Constant-Curvature Method involves integrals that do
not have close form solutions and need to be solved nu-
merically. To avoid the numerical integrations, two alter-
native methods are presented as approximations; namely,
Piecewise-Radius-of-Curvature Method and Piecewise-
Constant-Turn-Rate Method. Comparison between them
shows that the Piecewise-Constant-Turn-Rate Method
gives a good approximation of constant curvature wellpath
and the calculations are straight-forward. Since the integrals in Eq.(7) and Eq.(8) can only be cal-
culated numerically, two approximations to the method are
developed for ease of use. These approximations are re-
MATHEMATICAL MODEL ferred to as Piecewise-Radius-of-Curvature Method and
FOR THE WELLPATH DESIGN Piecewise-Constant-Turn-Rate Method. With either of the
two methods, the build-while-turn section of a wellpath can
The mathematical formulation for the proposed Constant- be planned with a nearly constant overall-curvature.
Curvature Method of wellpath design is briefly summarized
here. Detailed derivations of the proposed method, as well as Piecewise-Radius-of-cur vature Method:
the Radius-of-Curvature Method and Constant-Turn-Rate
Method, are given in Appendix B . It can be shown that the relationship between the dogleg
severity D, build rate B , and turn rate in horizontal plane
The curvature (dogleg severity) of the wellpath, D (rad/ft), H , for a given hole inclination angle I, is
at a point with the cartesian coordinates E, N , Z is defined
as follows:

To keep the hole curvature (D) constant over the entire

build-while-turn section, the turn rate in horizontal plane
(H) can be obtained by solving Eq.(lO):
where E (ft) is the east coordinate, N (ft) is the north co-
ordinate, Z (ft) is the vertical depth coordinate, and L (ft)
is the length of wellpath to the point under consideration.
SPE 24381 B O W N GUO. STEFAN MISKA AND ROBERT L. LEE
According to the concept of the piecewise-radius-of-
curvature approximation, the whole planned section can be
sub-divided into a number of relatively small segments. In
each small segment of the planned section, the average turn
rate in horizontal plane, X, may be used as an approxima-
tion to the instantaneous value of H determined by Eq.(ll).
This average value of turn rate in the horizontal plane is
defined as
+
where I 2 = Il B(L2 - L1). Under such conditions, the cor-
responding segment of the planned section can be designed
using Radius-of-Curvature Method equations and horizon-
tal turn-rate ?5 defined by Eq.(12). The so-planned wellpath
section has a nearly constant overall curvature (D) and con-
stant radius of curvature in each segment. When the length
of each segment approaches zero, the wellpath section de-
signed using this approximation will be close to the one de-
signed using the exact formulae of the Constant-Curvature
Method as given by Eq.(7) through Eq.(9).
Piecewise-Constant-Turn-Rate Method:
Following similar reasoning as for the Piecewise-Radius-
of-Curvature Method, an approximation called Piecewise-
Constant-Turn-Rate
. .
Method is derived. From Eq.(3) we
obtain
Again, the entire designed section is sub-divided into small
segments.
- For each small segment, the average turn rate,
T, may be used as an approximation to T determined by
Eq.(13). The average magnitude of turn rate T is defined as:
- tan ($)
TE TdL = In -
B(L2 - LI) [tan (%) ] (I4)
+
where I 2 = I1 B(L2 - L1). In this case, the segments of the
whole section can be designed using Constant-Turn-Rate
Method equations with the turn-rate T as given by Eq.(14).
The resultant wellpath in the section has a nearly constant
overall curvature (D) and constant turn-rate in each seg-
ment. Again, when the length of each segment approaches
zero, the approximation will match closely with the one de-
signed using the exact formulae of the Constant-Curvature
Method.
PROCEDURE OF 3-D WELLPATH DESIGN
Without using the two proposed approximations, the inte-
grals in Eq.(7) and Eq.(8) must be calculated numerically.
A trial-and-error procedure has to be adopted in wellpath
planning and is summarized as the following steps.
1. Determine the initial and end points of the 3-D section
of the wellpath based on the geological data.
3
Estimate the inclination and azimuth at the end point
of the section based on the location, size and shape of
the underground obstruction.
Determine the dogleg severity based on the regional
directional drilling data.
Use trial-and-error scheme to search for the proper
build rate, section length, and inclination and azimuth
at the initial point based on Step 1, 2 and 3.
Calculate the coordinates of the 3-D wellpath section
using Eq.(7), Eq.(8) and Eq.(9).
Plot the horizontal projection of the wellpath section
designed in Step 5 and check the off set of the curve to
see if it meets design requirement to avoid the under-
ground obstruction satisfactorily.
Repeat Steps 3 through 6 to modify the design if nec-
essary.
EXAMPLES OF WELLPATH DESIGN
AND METHODS COMPARISON
Example 1, Design of A Wellpath for Avoiding
An Underground Obstruction (AUO 1
A 3-D wellpath section is planned using Radius-of-
Curvature Method, Constant-Turn-Rate Method, and
Constant-Curvature Method as an example of AUO de-
sign. In this example, the wellpath section is planned to be
drilled between two points to avoid an underground obstruc-
tion in a 3-D space. The given data used in the example
are as follows. The initial point of the 3-D section is at
E = 100ft,N = looft, Z = 1000ft. The end point of the
section is at E = 445ft,N = 205ft and Z = 1890ft. The
underground obstruction is assumed to be another wellbore.
To avert the existing wellbore safely, the planned wellpath
section should have an off set, say 90 feet, from the vertical
plane passing through the two given points. However, the
length of the section is limited to within 1000 feet to reduce
the cost of drilling.
Following the procedure summarized in the last section, the
build rate B, dogleg severity D, turn rate T and turn rate in
horizontal plane H were properly determined for the three
methods.
The results of computations (wellpath data) using the
Radius-of-Curvature, Constant-Turn-Rate, and Constant
-Curvature Methods are shown in Table 1, Table 2, and
Table 3, respectively. Comparison of data in those ta-
bles indicates that the Radius-of-Curvature Method yields
a wellpath section with the highest maximum-dogleg sever-
ity (11.14 degreelft), and the Constant-Curvature Method
yields one with the least dogleg severity (6.07 degreelft).
The Constant-Turn-Rate Method yields a wellpath with a
maximum-dogleg severity between the above two. All three
plans successfully meet the requirement of the AUO design.
Horizontal trajectory projections (top view from surface) of
wellpath sections obtained by the three methods are plotted
in Fig. 2. Examination of Fig. 2 shows that, in terms
of azimuth change (turn in horizontal plane), the wellpath
given by the Constant-Curvature Method turns fast in the
upper part of the section compared to the wellpaths given
by Radius-of-Curvature Method and Constant-Turn-Rate
Method. This is an advantage of using the Constant-
Curvature Method because, usually, with an increase in the
4 CONSTANT-CURVATURE METHOD FOR PLANNING A 3-D DIRECTIONAL WELL
inclination angle, the change in azimuth becomes more diffi-
cult. For the comparison of planned wellpaths in a vertical
spread plane, the three trajectories are shown in Fig. 3
which shows that there is not much difference among the
trajectories projected on such a vertical spread plane. This
is because the same value of build rate ( B = 4.13 degree
per 100 feet) has been used for the three methods. Fig-
ure 4 shows the measured depth versus dogleg severity of
the hole. Comparison of the three designs reveals that the
maximum dogleg severity of the wellpath section planned us-
ing Radius-of-Curvature Method is the highest and the one
using Constant-Curvature Method is the lowest. The rela-
tive difference between the two is up to 84%. Therefore, it
is expected that the wellpath planned using the Constant-
Curvature Method will result in less fatigue damage of the
drillstring elements as they pass through the curved segments
of the hole.
Example 2. Use of Proposed Approximations
As mentioned earlier the numerical integration involved
in trajectory planning using the Constant-Curvature
Method can be avoided by applying the Piecewise-Radius-
of-Curvature Method or Piecewise-Constant-Turn-Rate
Method. In the following example, the constant dogleg
severity obtained in Example 1 for the Constant-Curvature
Method (6.07 degree/100 feet) is taken as the overall-dogleg-
severity and the section of wellpath under consideration is
designed in a piecewise manner. The segment length of 50
feet is chosen in both of the two approximations. The aver-
age turn rate in horizontal plane H and average turn rate T
in segments are determined using Eq.(14) and Eq.(16), re-
spectively. The wellpath coordinates within segments for
the two approximations are calculated using equations of
the Radius-of-Curvature Method, Eqs.(B-19), (B-20), (B-
23), (B-24) and (B-25), and Constant-Turn-Rate Method,
Eqs.(B-lg), (B-21), (B-23), (B-26) and (B-27). The planned
wellpath parameters, using the two approximations, are
listed in Table 4 and Table 5.
The effect of segment length on the deviations of maximum-
doglegseverity and departure of the end-points of the sec-
tion from the values given by the exact Constant-Curvature
Method computations are shown in Table 6. For this exam-
ple, comparison of the results obtained by the two methods
indicates that, to reduce the difference in the dogleg sever-
ity to about lo%, the segment length should be less than
20 feet for Piecewise-Radius-of-Curvature Method and 40
feet for Piecewise-Constant-Turn-Rate Method. The end-
point departure obtained by the second approximation is
also smaller and less sensitive to the segment length than
that given by the first one. Consequently, it seems that the
Piecewise-Constant-Turn-Rate Method provides a more ef-
ficient approximation to the exact solution.
DRAG AND TORQUE CONSIDERATIONS
An important step in a 3-D wellpath design is to estimate the
drag and torque of the drillstring in the designed borehole.
If the drag and/or torque of the drillstring are too high for
the available tools and equipment, the wellpath should be
redesigned using less curvature (dogleg severity) until the
both drag and torque are within acceptable levels.
There are a number of causes of excessive drag and torque,
S P E 24381
such as sliding friction, tight hole, sloughing shale, keyseats
(dogleg severity), differential pressure sticking, and cuttings
build-up caused by poor hole cleaning. While an accurate
prediction of the dragltorque is very difficult (if not impossi-
ble) at the design stage of well development, an estimate can
be made for the drag and torque associated with the sliding
friction.
Sheppard et aL7 presented a partial differential equation to
determine the sliding friction drag of a drillstring in a 3-D
borehole. This equation is correct only if the shearing force
in the drillstring is nil. Fortunately, if the centerline of the
drillstring has a constant curvature, which is consistent with
the wellpath curvature, the bending moment in the string
is constant. Hence, the shearing force in the string is nil.
Introducing some simple assumptions, we solved the above
mentioned differential equation and found an approximate
closed form solution (Appendix C). The equations for the
effective tension F, and torque, Tk, are as follows:
F=~ + +
~ C1 ecos(Ib ~- Bl) ~ C2&(Ib
' - Bl), (15)
Cl
- -[sin(Ib - Bl) - sin(Ib)]
B
The quantities Co, Cl, and C2 in Eq.(15) and Eq.(16) are
defined in Appendix C.
While Eq.(15) and Eq.(16) are valid for strings with constant
curvature, we assume, at the present stage of the study, that
they can also be used piecewise for strings with variable cur-
vatures. In other words, we assume that the string behaves
(piecewise) like a rope for the purpose of dragltorque calcu-
lations.
Using Eq.(15) and Eq.(16), the following example is given to
compare the Radius-of-Curvature Method, Const ant-Turn-
Rate Method and Constant-Curvature Method.
Suppose the three 3-D wellpath sections designed, in Exam-
ple 1 using the three methods are drilled with a 5 OD, 19.5
lb/ft, drill string with a mud weight of 10 ppg. The coefficient
of friction between the wellbore and drill string is 0.3. The
effective tension and torque in the drill string at the bottom
of the 3-D section are 200,000 lbf and 15,000 lbf-ft, respec-
tively. The drag and torque in the drill string over the 3-
D sections designed using the Radius-of-Curvature Method
and Constant-Turn-Rate Method are obtained by repeated
applications of Eq.(15) and Eq.(16). To perform calculations
for the two methods, the wellpaths have been divided into 10
segments with piecewise constant curvature. Of course, the
required computations for the Constant-Curvature Method
involve direct application of Eq.(l5) and Eq.(16). The results
of calculations are summarized in the following table:
Method: Drag (lbf): Torque (lbf-ft):
Radius-of-Curvature 94,019 16,515
Constant-Turn-Rate 94,762 16,682
Constant-Curvature 91,995 16,105
SPE 24381 BOYUN GUO, STEFAN MISKA AND ROBERT L. LEE 5

Comparison of the results obtained shows that, if the drill- If the well trajectory between two survey stations has a con-
string is modeled as a rope, the drag and torque of the string stant build rate B and constant turn rate T, then the average
for the wellpath designed using the Constant-Curvature dogleg severity of the hole, according to Eq.(B-18), can be
Method are slightly lower for the data under consideration. expressed as follows:
To make Eq.(15) and Eq.(16) easy to use, they are presented
graphically in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 in terms of drag and torque
increment per 100 feet of drill string. Sensitivity analysis in-
dicates that if the effective tension in the drill string is greater
than 10,000 lbj, the drag and torque are very insensitive to
the hole inclination angle and build rate. Although Fig. 5
and Fig. 6 are plotted using 45 degrees of hole inclination,
0.75 of B I D ratio, they give satisfactory results (with error Since Eq.(19) and Eq.(20) require numerical integrations, the
of less than 1%) if the hole inclination varies from 10 to 90 average value for the hole inclination angle I between the
degree and B I D ratio takes values between 0.1 and 1. successive survey stations is usually used without loss of ac-
curacy. In this case, Eq.(19) and Eq.(20) can be simplified
For an example of using Fig. 5, consider a 1000 feet drill as
pipe section right above the BHA. If the effective tension
at the bottom of the pipe section is 50,000 l b f (estimated
based on the drill collar size, mud weight, hole inclination,
etc.) and the hole curvature is 12 degree per 100.feet, the
drag (increment in effective tension) can be found from Fig.
5 as 5,000 l b f per 100 feet. Therefore, the effective tension and
at the top of this drill pipe section should be 100,000 l b f .

DOGLEG SEVERITY (DLS) CALCULATIONS

The dogleg severity is a standard way of expressing the over-
all angle change between two successive survey stations. The If the well trajectory between two survey stations has a con-
knowledge of dogleg severity is important for computing the stant build rate B and constant curvature (dogleg severity),
pipe curvature and subsequently the bending stress in the D, then, fortunately, the dogleg severity of the hole can be
pipe for a given tensile load. In 1954 Lubinski developed determined by solving Eq. (B-22) :
an equation for calculating the dogleg severity between two
successive directional survey stations in a form

D= "'I1+ bn
L2 - LI
Az - A1
r tan
t a n1112
y2ill

Assuming the directional survey data at two successive sur-

vey stations are given as, L1 = 1000 feet, I 1 = 17O, A1 = 40°,
While Eq.(17) is of general nature (no assumption is made L2 = 1120 feet, I2 = 22O, and A 2 = 58O, the hole dog-
regarding the shape of the hole between two survey stations), leg severities calculated using Eqs.(l7), (19), (20), (21), (22)
it is assumed that the change in the overall angle is a contin- and (23) are summarized as follows:
uous linear function of the length of the hole. For example,
if the overall angle change is 5 degrees on 100 feet of hole, Method: Eq. No.: DLS (Deg.1100 ft):
the expected angle change per 1foot is 0.05 degrees.
If the well trajectory between two succesive survey stations Lubinski's Method Eq. 6.47
has a constant build rate B and constant turn rate in hori- Radius-of-Curvature 6.55
zontal plane H, then the average dogleg severity of the hole Radius-of-Curvature 6.52
(B)between the two stations, according to Eq. (B-17), can Const ant-Turn-Rate 6.52
be expressed as below: Constant-Turn-Rate 6.51
Constant-Curvature 6.49

Comparison of the above results indicates that, in the sense

Since S 2 - S 1 = l/B[cos(Il) - cos(I2)], Eq.(18) can be rear-
ranged to the form of
of drilling practice, all the methods yield almost the same
dogleg severity. Computations conducted for several other
set of data have shown that this statement holds true. Con-
sequently, a recommendation is made that either Eq.(17) or
Eq.(23) be used for actural dogleg severity evaluations to
minimize the number of calculations involved.
6 CONSTANT-CURVATURE METHOD FOR PLANNING A 3-D DIRECTIONAL WELL
CONCLUSIONS
The currently used methods of designing a 3-D directional
well trajectory are based upon geometrical concepts and do
not consider drilling tendencies of the BHA. The proposed
method assumes constant wellpath curvature which is com-
patible with the directional performance of deflection tools.
The proposed Constant-Curvature Method is also consistent
with the geometrical relationship between the tool face ori-
entation angle (y), rate of build (B) and dogleg severity (D).
In addition, the Constant-Curvature Method yields a tra-
jectory with the lowest maximum dogleg severity, and lowest
drag, and lowest torque in the drill string, as compared to
the conventional Radius-of-Curvature and Constant-Turn-
Rate Methods. Furthermore, the equation for calculating
hole dogleg severity utilizing the information obtained from
the successive directional surveys has a closed form only if
the well trajectory assumes a constant curvature. To carry
out the required calculations for a 3-D wellpath design, ei-
ther the exact mathematical formulations or the proposed
a ~s~ r o x i m a t i o can
1
n s be used. While the exact solutions re-
quire numerical calculation of the integrals involved, the ap-
proximations are given in closed form equations and can be
programmed on a hand-held calculator.
NOMENCLATURE
A =
azimuth, Deg. [rad],
A. =
initial azimuth, Deg. [rad],
A1 =
azimuth at point 1, Deg. [rad],
A2 =
azimuth at point 2, Deg. [rad],
B =
build rate, Deg.1100f t [radlM],
D =
dogleg severity or hole curvature, Deg./lOOft
- [radlMl I
D = average dogleg severity, Deg.1100f t [radlM],
E = east coordinate, f t [MI,
Eo = east coordinate at initial point, f t [MI,
F = effective tension of drillstring or casing at top of the
wellbore section, lbf [N],
Fb = effective tension of drillstring at bottom of a wellbore
section, lbf [N],
H
- = horizontal turn rate, Deg./lOOft [radlM],
H = average horizontal turn rate, Deg.1100f t [radlM],
I = inclination, Deg. [rad],
lo = initial inclination, Deg. [rad],
Ib = hole inclination at the bottom of a curved hole section,
Deg. bad],
new Loleainclination, Deg. [rad],
inclination at point 1, Deg. [ra ,
inclination at poin-t 2, Deg. [ra , 4
measured length of wellpath, f t [MI,
initial curvilinear length of wellpath, f t [MI,
curvilinear length of wellpath at point 1, f t [MI,
curvilinear length of wellpath at point 2, f t [MI,
length of drillstring measured from the bottom of the
curved wellpath section, f t [MI,
N = north coordinate, f t [MI,
No = north coordinate at initial ooint, ft [MI.
N; = normal force acting on unit lehgt6 of 'drill string,
lbf- If .
, -t PJIM1,
r = outer-radius-if drillstring or casing, in. [MI,
S = horizontal curvilinear displacement, f t [MI,
S1 = horizontal curvilinear displacement at point 1,f t [MI,
SPE 24381
Sz = horizontal curvilinear displacement at point 2, f t [MI,
T
- = turn rate, Deg./lOOft [radlM],
T = average turn rate, Deg./lOOft [radlM],
Tk = torque of drillstring at top of the wellbore section,
lbf - f t [N - MI,
Tkb= torque of drillstring at bottom of the wellbore section,
lbf - f t [ N - M I ,
Z = vertical depth, f t [MI.
Zo = vertical depth at initial point, f t [MI.
d/3 = overall angle change, Deg. [rad],
y = tool face rotation from original course direction, Deg.
[radl,
p = coefficient of friction, dimensionless,
p = weight of drillstring in drilling fluid, lbml f t [NIM].
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank Frederick E. Beck, ARC0 Alaska
Inc., and Geir Hareland of New Mexico Tech for reviewing
the paper and for their comments.
REFERENCES
Wilson, G.J.: "An Improved Method for Computing Di-
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gust (1968).
Rivero, R.T.: "Use of the Curvature Method to Determine
True Vertical Reservoir Thickness," J. Pel. Tech., Vol.
23, 491-496, April (1971).
McMillian, W.H.: "Planning the Directional Well - A Cal-
culation Method," J. Pet. Tech., Vol. 33, 952-962, June,
(1981).
Planeix, M.Y., Fox, R.C.: "Use of An Exact Mathemat-
ical Formulation to Plan Three Dimensional Directional
Wells," paper S P E 8338 presented at the 54th Annual
Fall Technical Conference and Exhibition of the Society
of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, held in Las Vegas,
Nevada, September 23-26, 1979.
Brown, D.E.: "Programmed Math Keeps Directional
Drilling on Target," Oil & Gas J., Vol. 78,164-167, March
24 (1980).
Sun, H.W.: Mathematical Models and Their Compara-
tive Studies for Planning Three-Dimensional Directional
Wells, M S thesis, Montana Tech, Butte, Montana, 160 p.
May 1989.
Sheppard, M.C., Wick, C., and Burgess, T.: "Design-
ing Well Paths To Reduce Drag and Torque," paper SPE
15463presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference
and Exhibition held in New Orleans, Oct. 5-8, 1986.
Schuh, F.J.: "Horizontal Well Planning - Build Curve
Design," paper NMT 890008 presented at the Centennial
Symposium Petroleum Technology into the Second Cen-
tury at New Mexico Tech, Socorro, New Mexico, Oct.
16-19, 1989.
Lubinski, A.: Developments in Petroleum Engineering,
edited by Miska, S., Gulf Publishing Co., Vol. 1, (1987).
10. Karlsson, H., Brassfield, T., and Krueger, V.: "Perfor-
SPE 24381 BOYUN GUO, STEFAN MISKA AND ROBERT L. LEE 7

mance Drilling Optimization," paper SPE 13474 pre- Accordingly, we have

sented at the SPE/IADC Drilling conference, New Or-
leans, March 6-8, 1985.
11. Millheim, K.K., Gubler, F.H., and Zaremba, H.B.: "Eval-
uating and Planning Directional Wells Utilizing Post
Analysis Techniques and Three Dimensional Bottomhole
Assembly Program," paper SPE 8339 presented at the
SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Las
Vegas, Sept. 23-26, 1979.
Differentiating Eqs.(B-8), (B-9), and (B-10) gives
APPENDIX A
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TOOL FACE ROTATION
ANGbE, BUILD RATE, AND DOGLEG SEVERITY

Millheim et al.ll have shown that the following geometrical

relationship between the tool dogleg dp, tool face rotation
angle y, original hole inclination angle I, and new hole incli-
nation angle INholds true:
for Radius-of-Curvature Method ( B and H are constant),
or
Solving the above equation for the tool face rotation angle y
we obtain:

Considering the differential element as depicted in Fig. 1

we assume that cos(dp) x 1, sin(dp) % dp, IN - I = d l and
cos(dI) x 1. Hence, after expansion of cos(IN) and some
arrangements, Eq.(A-2) takes form of
for Constant-Turn-Rate Method (B and T are constant).
Eqs.(B-11) through (B-16) are valid for Constant-Curvature
Method with H and T are functions of L. The build rate B
is assumed to be constant in all the methods considered.
Eq.(A-3) indicates that if the tool face angle y and build rate
Substitutions of Eqs.(B-ll), (B-12) and (B-13) into Eq.(2)
B are constant, the wellpath has a constant curvature D. gives the curvature of the wellpath as follow:
APPENDIX B
WELL TRAJECTORY EQUATIONS

Consider an infinitesimal element of a wellpath as depicted for Radius-of-Curvature Method; and substitutions of
in Fig. 1. Let us define the following relationships of the Eqs.(B-14), (B-15) and (B-16) into Eq.(2) yields the well-
build rate, B, horizontal turn rate, H , and turn rate, T: path curvature:

for Constant-nrn-Rate Method. Eqs.(B-17) and (B-18)

have also been derived by Wilson (1968), and Planeix and
Fox (1979), respectively.
Since the build rate is assumed to be constant in all the three
methods, the inclination I can be calculated as follow:
For the infinitesimal element in Fig. 1we can also write the
following trigonometrical relationships: I = Io+B(L - Lo). (B - 19)
According to Eq.(B-2) and Eq.(B-6), the azimuth for
Radius-of-Curvature Method can be calculated from the
expression of:
8 CONSTANT-CURVATURE METHOD FOR PLANNING A 3-D DIRECTIONAL WELL SPE 24381

For the Constant-Turn-Rate Method, according to Eq.(B- APPENDIX C

-
3), the azimuth is calculated as below:
To calculate the azimuth for the Constant-Curvature
Method, we substitute Eq.(B-18) into Eq.(B-3):
DRAG AND TORQUE OF A DRILLSTRING IN A
3-D BOREHOLE WITH A CONSTANT CURVATURE
Sheppard et aL7 presented a partial differential equation to
determine the friction-caused drag of drillstring in a 3-D
bore hole as written below

dB2,
dA =
sin (I)
Integration of Eq. (B-10) yields the wellpath coordinate Z
for all the three methods as follows:
If the quantities B and H are constant, integration of Eqs.(B-
8) and (B-9) give the wellpath coordinates E and N for the
Radius-of-Curvature Method as below:
( C - 1)
This equation is correct only if the shearing force in the drill-
string is nil. In other words, we assume that the drill string
behaviours as a belt. Acturally, this assumption seems to be
very reasonable for the case of a hole with constant curva-
ture.
In terms of build and turn rates, Eq.(C-1) can be written as
below:
-. -
( C - 2)
If the drillstring is under high tension, it is anticipated that
the term p/Fsin(I) is much less than B and can be neglected.
Hence, Eq.(C-2) takes form as follows
Applying Eq.(B-18), Eq.(C-3) can be written in a form of

Solving Eq.(C-4) yields:

If the quantities B and T are constant, then integration of
Eqs.(B-8) and (B-9) yield the wellpath coordinates E and N
for Constant-Turn-Rate Method as follows:
+
F = CoepD' + Cl cos(11,- Bl) C2 sin(& - Bl), (C - 5)
where the quantities Co, CI and C2 are

The normal force, Nf , acting on the unit length of drillstring

at 1 is as follows:

Eqs.(B-26), (B-27) and (B-23) have the same form as given Nf = J[FX
ar psin(1)1 2 [F-adlA sin(l)l.2
+ + ( C - 9)
by Planeix and Fox (1979).
which can be simplified to the form:
Unfortunately, the close-form solutions could not be ob-
tained for the Constant-Curvature Method by integration Nf = D F (C - 10)
of Eqs.(B-8) and (B-9). Therefore, the equations for calcu- The torque at the top of the 3-D borehole, Tk, can be ob-
lating the wellpath coordinates E and N remain in form of tained from the following equation:
integrals as written below:
Tk = Tkb + I' prNf dl = Tkb +
1' p r D F dl.

Substituting Eq.(C-5) into Eq.(C-11) and integrating we ob-

( C - 11)

t ain

where the inclination angle I and azimuth A are determined

by Eqs.(B-19) and (B-22).
SPE 24381 BOYUN GUO, STEFAN MISKA AND ROBERT L. LEE 9

-
Table 1, A Wellpath Section Designed Using Radius-of-Curvature nethod
B 4.13 Deg./100 Zt, H - 20.80 deg./100 ft

L I A S E N 2 D T Y
(ft) (Deg.) (Deg.) (ft) (ft) (ft) (ft) (Deg./lOOft) (Deq.)

-
Table 2, A Wellpath Section Designed Using Constant-Turn-Rate nethod
B - 4.13 Deg./lOO ft, T 11.02 Deg./100 ft

L I A S E N Z D H Y
(ft) (Deg.) (Deg.) (ft) (ft) (ft) (ft) (Deg./lOOft) (Deg.)

-
Table 3, A Wellpath Section Designed Using Constant-Curvature nethod

B 4.13 Deg./loO ft, D - 6.07 Deg./100 ft

L I A S E N Z H T Y
(ft) (Deg.) (Deg.) (ft) (ft) (ft) (ft) (Deg./100ft) (-9.)
10 CONSTANT-CURVATURE METHOD FOR PLANNING A 3-D DIRECTIONAL WELL SPE 24381

Table 4, A Wellpath Section Designed Using Piecewise-Radius-of-Curvature Method

Table 5, A Wellpath'section Designed Using Constant-Turn-Rate Method

8 - 4.13 Deg./100 ft,
,,.,,D - 6.07 Deg./lOO ft

L I A E N Z D H T T
(ft) (kg.) (Deg.) (ft) (ft) (ft) (Deg./lOOft) (Dee.

Table 6, Comparison of the Exact and Approximate Solutions

Approach 1 -
Constant-Curvature Method (Exact Solution).

Approach 3 -
Approach 2 = Piecewise-Radius-of-Curvature Method (Approximate Solution)
Piecewise-Constant-Turn-Rate Method (Approximate Solution).

Segment Maximum Dogleg Severity (Dm), Deg./100 ft Off-Set at End Point, ft

Length,
ft Approach 1 Approach 2 Approach 3 Approach 2 Approach 3

Dm - D Dm (Dm-D)/D,* Dm (Dm-D)/D,C
SPE 24381 B O W N GUO, STEFAN MISKA AND ROBERT L. LEE 11

N. feet
250 r 4

50
50 100 150 200
,
250
I,
+

300
Constant-Turn-Ram
Constant Curvature

350 400 450 500

E, feet

Fig. 1 - Geometrical parameters of a 3-D wellpath

Fig. 2 - Comparison of horizontal
projections of wellpaths

0. Deg.1100 I t
12

Radluo-01-Curvature

-20001 I
140 190 240 290 340 390 440 490 540 590 a 0 0 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1800 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100
S, feet L, feet
Fig, 3 - Comparison of wellpaths Fig. 4 - Comparison of dogleg
in a vertical spread plane severities of wellpaths

Drag. 1000 l b f n 0 0 I 1 Torque. 1000 lbl-ft1100 I t 1

-
Mud Welght 10 PPQ
OD 01 Plpe 5 In.
Pipe Weight 19. Plpe Weight 19.5 I b l l t
Frlctlon Coeff. - Frlctbn Coalf. 0.3

0 2 4 8 6 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 28 28 30 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 l4 16 18 20 22 24 28 28 30
D, DegA00 I t D. Deg./100 f t
Fig. 5 - Drag of drillstring in a Fig. 6 - Torque of drillstring in a
constant-curvature-hole
constant-curvature-hole