Drill Pipes in Horizontal

Wells

By Ashita Hiregoudar
Roll No: 311006
TE Petroleum

Contents
Introduction
DrillString Problems
T&D
Buckling
Bending

Case Study
Conclusion
References

Introduction
Horizontal
Long Radius
Well
Vertical
Section

Medium
Radius
Build Up
Section

Short Radius

Type of Radii
Well
(ft)

What
2 They
6/100
are ft
high

angle wells
drilled to
improve
reservoir
performance
by
8 50/100
ft
placing a long
wellbore section
1.5 inside
3/ft the
Horizontal
reservoir.
Section

Why

Horizo
ntal
Interva
Types
l (ft)

Radius
Fluid Flow
LRW
3000- Long
2000problems1000 Wells
5000
Heterogeneo
us Reservoirs
MRW
700EOR

125

SRW

40-20

Medium Radius
Wells
1500Short
Radius
2000
Wells

300400

DrillString Problems
Major tehcnical difficulties in Horizontal Wells:
Increased frictional resistance
Solid settling
Difficulty in controlling direction and applying
WOB

Drillpipe failure due to

Twistof
Parting
Burst and collapse
Fatigue

Torque and Drag

TORQUE

In Vertical

The
frictional
Section
force
which
resists
the
Drag
result
rotation of the
of
minor
drillstring.

DRAG

In Build Up
The
Sectionforce

HORIZONTAL

frictional
SECTION
which
resists the pull
Increased
or push of the
drillstring. area of

Drag is
higher
contact
Sliding
Downward travel Cutting beds
Drilling
Compression
Vc= Circumferential Velocity compone
while
Va= Axial Velocity
Component
Vr = Resultant Drilling.
Velocity Component

doglegs and
tension inRotation
the drill
string.
Torque is
Vc
higherVthan
r
Axial Drag
drag and
contributes
Va
N = Wall contact forces
to the
frictional

Buckling
Critical Buckling Load is given by:
Fc = (4EIWm
sin)
Locked
(12r)
Up
Moment of
Helical
Buoyant
Property
of
Radial
Inclination ()
Inertia
(I)
Weight (Wm)
Material( E)
Clearance (r)
Bucklin
Image Source: Roberto Aguilera- Horizontal
Helps decide
IncreasesWells
Remains
Vertical Well
Increases
the
g
the max
with size of
same for all
with depth
As
Sinusoi
hole size for
drillpipe.
as tubulars
increases, FcThe 4.5
OD 41 lb/ft drillpipes.
drillpipe is giving
better
stability
a particular
More stability
are dal
increases.
than increased
5 OD 25.6 lb/ft drilllpipe but at the cost of
drillpipe
Bucklin
increased
T&D.
g

Bending
Cyclic

Stress is given by:

Build-Up
Section

Also

Cyclic
Loading

Cyclic
Stress

5
19.50
lb/ft

4
16.6
0
lb/ft

13.
3
lb/f
t

FATIGUE

Case Study
Efect on Buckling ?

How to SELECT A DRILLPIPE

Conclusion

Image Source: J.E. Smith, Grant TFW Inc- SPE Paper 23990

Larger Hole Size lesser stability

Weight of tubular improves Buckling Strength
Higher Hole Angle better buckling strength

Case Study(cont.)
Efect on Bending Stress ?
Efect of Tensile Load on the
Bending Stress:

Efect of Build Angle on Bending

Stress:

Image Source: J.E. Smith, Grant TFW Inc- SPE Paper 23990

Conclusion
Build Up Rate High
Low
T&D- highest in BUR
the horizontal
BUR
section
More
Lesser
stable wrt
T&D
Buckling & Bending- WhichBuckling
type of
tubular
?
BucklingLesser
Longer
BucklingCost and
Horizontal
Bendinghigh
well timeBendinglarger
Interval
angle
small
build
smaller
OD
Reduced
Conventio
rate
TVD
OD nal Tools
Variation

References
Roberto Aguilera et al, Horizontal Wells,
Contributions in Petroleum and Engineering, Gulf
Publishing Company, Houston, Texas- 1991.
J.E. Smith, Grant TFW Inc:Drillpipe for Horizontal
Well SPE Paper 23990- Presented at the 1992
SPE Permian Basin Oil and Gas Recovery
Conference held in Midland, Texas.
Dawson, R. and Paslay, P.R.: Drill Pipe Buckling in
Inclined Holes Journal of Petroleum Technology,
October 1984