Lecture7:DIRECTIONALDRILLING

Downhole Deflection of Wellbore & BHA Selection in Directional Wells

Arun S Chandel Assistant Professor

aschandel@ddn.upes.ac.in

09997200339

Deflecting Tools & Techniques

There are several methods of deflecting a wellbore. By deflecting we mean changing the inclination and/or azimuth of a wellbore. The most common methods that have been used are:

1. Whipstocks 2. Jetting 3. Rotary Bottomhole Assemblies with Adjustable Stabilizers 4. Steerable Motors with Adjustable Stabilizers 5. Rotary y Steerable Assemblies

WhipStock
The whipstock was the main deflection tool from 1930-1950. A standard whipstock is seldom used nowadays, but it has not disappeared completely. Whipstocks are used in coiled tubing drilling for re-entry work. There are 3 types of whipstock used in conventional directional drilling:

1. Standard removable whipstock

Tool Design The Standard Removable Whipstock is mainly used to kick off wells, but can also be used for sidetracking. It consists of a long inverted steel wedge which is concave on one side to hold and guide the drilling assembly. It is also provided with a chisel point at the bottom to prevent the tool from turning, and a heavy collar at the top to withdraw the tool from the hole. It will usually be used with a drilling assembly consisting of a bit, a spiral stabilizer, and an orientation sub, b rigidly i idl attached tt h d to t the th whipstock hi t k by b means of f a shear h pin. i

Deflection technique The whipstock assembly is lowered to the bottom of the hole and orientated. Weight is applied to set the whipstock and shear the pin. The bit is then drilled down and forced to deflect to one side. A 12 to 16 foot rat rat hole hole is drilled below the toe of the whipstock and the assembly is then pulled out of hole, taking the whipstock with it. A hole opener is run to open the rat hole out to full gauge. The hole opener assembly is then tripped out and a rapid angle build assembly run in hole to follow upthe initial deflection. This whole procedure may have to be repeated several times in the kick kick-off. off. Major disadvantages are: 1. Number of trips involved. 2 Produces 2. P d a sudden dd sharp h d fl ti deflection so no control t l over dogleg j advantages g are: Major 1. Simple piece of equipment 2. Lesser maintenance and no temperature limitations.

The Circulating Whipstock is run, set and drilled like the standard whipstock. However, in this case the drilling mud initially flows through a passage to the bottom of the whipstock which permits more efficient cleaning of the bottom of the hole and ensures a clean seat for the tool. It is most efficient for washing out bottom hole fills.

2. Circulating whipstock

3 Permanent 3. P t casing i whipstock hi t k

The Permanent Casing Whipstock is designed to remain permanently in the well. It is used where a window is to be cut in casing for a sidetrack. The casing whipstock can be set using a Packer. A special stinger at the base of the whipstock slips into the packer assembly, and a stainless steel key within the packer locks the whipstock's anchor-seal and prohibits any circular movement d ing drilling. during d illing

Advantage 1. Lesser Operational time than other whipstocks Disadvantage Gives a sharp dogleg so not recommended if considerable distance is to be drilled below the sidetrack.

ProcedureforSideTrackingaCasingusingbottomtrip whipstock p
The majority of whipstocks used today are used to sidetrack out of casing. The whipstock is hard enough to allow milling a window in the casing rather than drilling out the whipstock. whipstock 1) Figure 7-2 is an illustration of a common whipstock. In this case, a cast iron bridge plug (CIBP) was set with a wireline five feet above a casing collar ll to t avoid id milling illi th casing the i collar ll while hil drilling d illi off ff the th whipstock. hi t k 2) A mule shoe sub is placed above the whipstock, and the assembly is run as shown to approximately 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 m) above the CIBP. 3) The face of the whipstock is oriented in the desired direction with a gyroscopic gy p survey y tool. If the inclination is above 5o, it can be oriented with an MWD. 4) Lower the drill string until the whipstock tags bottom (do not set slips). 5) Check the orientation of the whipstock again. If the orientation is OK, set the slips on the whipstock by applying weight.

7) After setting the slips, set down enough weight to shear the shear bolt. Pick up and rotate the pipe to ensure that the whipstock is set and the shear bolt has sheared. 8) Once the whipstock is set, it is time to drill off the whipstock. The starter mill is used to start cutting the window. The starter mill only drills a short distance (approximately 2 feet or 0.6 m) as illustrated in Figure i 7-3. 3 9) The starter mill is then pulled from the hole. A window mill along with a watermelon mill is run to actually cut the window in the casing as illustrated in Figure 7-4. 10)Once the well has been sidetracked and rathole drilled, the string is reamed through the window several times to clean it up. 11)When finished, it is a good idea to run the BHA through the window a few times without rotation to make sure that it is not going to hang up.

Jetting (or badgering) is a technique used to deviate wellbores in soft formations. The technique was developed in the mid 1950s and superseded the use of whipstocks as the primary deflection technique. A special jet bit may be used, but it is also common practice to use a standard t d d soft ft formation f ti t i tri-cone bit with bit, ith one very large l nozzle l and d two smaller ones.

Jetting

Requirements for jetting The formations must be soft enough to be eroded by the mud exiting iti th large the l nozzle. l As A a rough h rule l of f thumb, th b if formations f ti cannot be drilled at penetration rates of greater than 80 ft/hr using normal drilling parameters, they are not suitable for jetting. Jetting g is most effective in soft, , sandy y formations, , and its effectiveness is reduced as depth increases, since the formations become more compacted. Adequate rig hydraulic horsepower must be available. For jetting to be successful there must be adequate hydraulic energy available at the bit to erode the formation. A rule of thumb for jetting is that mud velocity through the large jet should be at least 500 ft/sec. Jetting Assemblies A typical jetting assembly used to drill a 121/4pilot hole is: 1) 12-1/4 12-1/4jet jet bit bit, 2) extension sub, 3) 12-1/4stabilizer, 4) UBHO sub, 5) 3 x 8" Drill Collars, 6) Drill Collar, HWDP as required.

Procedure for jetting 1. The assembly will be run to bottom, a survey is taken and the l large j t nozzle jet l (the (th tool t l face) f ) is i orientated i t t d in i the th required i d direction. 2. Maximum circulation is established ( (e.g. g 800 gp gpm in 12-1/4 / hole) and a controlled washout is effected. The drill string may be spudded up and down periodically, but not rotated, until several feet of hole have been made and the bit and near bit stabilizer have been forced into the washed out pocket. pocket The technique is to lift the string 5 to 10 feet off bottom and then let it fall, catching it with the brake so that the stretch of the string causes it to spud on bottom rather than the full weight of the string. Another technique which may improve the effectiveness of jetting involves turning the rotary table a few degrees (15) right and left while jetting. jetting 3. Having jetted 3 to 8 feet of hole drilling is started. The circulation rate is now reduced to about 50%. Hole cleaning considerations are ignored while drilling the next 10 feet or so.

4. High weight on bit (40 - 45 Klb) and low rotary speed (60 70 RPM) should be used to bend the assembly and force it to follow th through h the th trend t d established t bli h d while hil jetting. j tti P Progress may be b difficult at first because of interference between the stabilizer and the irregularly shaped jetted hole. 5. After approximately 10 feet of hole has been drilled, the pump rate can be increased to perhaps 60% - 70% of the rate originally used while jetting. High WOB and low RPM should be maintained. maintained The hole is drilled down to the next survey point. 6. A survey is taken to evaluate progress. If the dogleg is too severe the section should be reamed and another survey taken.

Advantages of Jetting It is a simple and cheap method of deflecting well bores in soft f formations. ti N special No i l equipment i t is i needed. d d Dogleg severity can be partly controlled from surface by varying the number of feet jetted each time. The survey y tool is not far behind the bit, , so survey y depths p are not much less than the corresponding bit depths. Orientation of tool face is fairly easy. The same assembly can be used for normal rotary drilling. Disadvantages of Jetting 1. The technique only works in soft formation and therefore at shallow depths. For this reason, jetting is mainly used to kick wells off at shallow depths. 2. In jetting, high dogleg severities are often produced. For this reason, it is normal practice to jet an undergauge hole and then open it out to full gauge, gauge which smooths off the worst of the doglegs.

PositiveDisplacement p Motor (PDM)

Enables a bit to be turned by using the hydraulic y power p of the mud rather than the top drive (or kelly) This reduces the amount of work to be performed by the drill pipe Enables a well to be directionally drilled Enables faster rotation of the bit

Downhole motor and bent sub

A common method of deflecting wellbores is to use a downhole motor and a bent sub. The bent sub is placed directly above the motor and the bent sub which makes this a deflection assembly. Its lower thread ( (on th pin) the i ) is i inclined i li d 1 - 3 from f th axis the i of f the th sub b body. b d The bent sub acts as the pivot of a lever and the bit is pushed sideways as well as downwards. This sideways component of force at the bit gives the motor a tendency to drill a curved path, provided there is no rotation of the drill string. The degree of curvature (dogleg severity) depends on the bent sub angle and the OD of the motor, motor bent sub and drill collars in relation to the diameter of the hole. It also depends on the length of the motor. Usually y there would be no stabilizers for at least 90 feet above the bent sub. In fact, it is not uncommon for the entire BHA to be slick when a motor and bent sub is used for kicking off at shallow depths.

Running Procedures 1. The motor is inspected and tested using standard procedures. 2. Before drilling can begin with a motor and bent sub assembly, the bent sub (tool face) must be orientated in the desired direction. 3 The 3. Th pipe i i worked is k d until til string t i t torque i eliminated. is li i t d 4. Make a reference mark on the kelly bushings, lock the rotary table and take a survey to determine tool face orientation. 5. Turn the pipe to achieve the desired tool face orientation. This orientation should include an allowance for the anticipated reactive torque. A rough rule of thumb is to allow 10 /1000' for lower torque motors (Mach 2) and 20 /1000' for higher torque motors (Mach 1). 6. When orienting, turn the pipe to the right unless the turn is less than 90 left of the p present setting. g Work the string g up p and down so that the turn reaches the bottomhole assembly. 7. Lock the rotary table before beginning to drill.

Example p ofamodernday yRotary y Steerable DrillingSystem

Enables wells to be drilled with automatic directional control This ensures greater g trajectory accuracy Smoother boreholes Greater mud flow capacity

AdvancementsinDirectionalDrilling g

BHASELECTION In VerticalWells (OnlyDrillCollars)

BuoyancyFactorMethod
Research and field experience proved that buckling will not occur if weight on bit is maintained i t i d below b l th buoyed the b d weight i ht of f the th collars. In practice weight on bit should not exceed 85% of the buoyed weight on the collars.

ProcedureforselectingDrillCollars
Step 1: Determine the buoyancy factor for the mud weight in use by:

MW BF = 1 65.5
BF=Buoyancy Factor, dimensionless MW=Mud weight in use, ppg 65.5=Weight of a gallon of steel, ppg Step 2: Calculate the required collar length to achieve the desired weight on bit: WOB = air weight of drillcollars x BF x 0.85 = DC
length

x Wdc x BF x 0.85

WOB DCl ength = 0.85 BF Wdc

WOB=Desired weight on bit, lbf (x 1000) BF =Buoyancy Factor, dimensionless Wdc =Drill collar weight in air, lb/ft 0.85 =safety factor

Calculationofweight/ftofdrillcollars
Considering the drill collars are made of steel (density = 489.5 lbm/ft), the weight/ft of drill collars can be calculated by: lbm/ft = cross section area x 1 ft x density of steel

(lbm/ft)drill collars= {/4 x (OD2 ID2) x 1 x 489.5}/144 Buoyancy factor

PROBLEM1
Find the number of drill collars required from the following well data: Weight-on-bit (WOB) = 65,000 lbs Hole deviation = 00 M d density Mud d it = 12 ppg 5-1/2 x 2-1/2 Drill Collars Each drill collar is 31 ft long.

BHASELECTION In DirectionalWells (DrillCollars+HWDPs)

RequiredDrillCollarlength
The 0.85 safety factor ensures that only 85% of the buoyant weight of the drillcollars is used as weight on bit. Hence the neutral point remains within the collars when unforeseen forces (bounce, minor deviation and hole friction) cause fluctuations on the WOB. For directional wells:

LDC
=well inclination

LDCvertical = cos

RequiredHWDPlength
For directional wells:

(WOB)(DFBHA ) 1 ( LDCWDC ) LHWDP = (BF )(cos ) WHWDP

=well inclination DFBHA = 0.85 0 85 in normal cases

Example
Drilling 17.5-inch hole with a roller cone bit, we want to use 45,000 lbs WOB in the tangent section at 30 inclination. a) What air weight of BHA is required to avoid running any drill pipe in compression? The mud density is 10 ppg. Use a 10% safety margin. b) Suppose we have 180 180' of 9.5-inch 9 5-inch drill collars weighing 220 lbs/ft, a 9.5-inch MWD tool weighing 3,400 lbs and 90 ft of 8-inch drill collars weighing 154 lbs/ft. lbs/ft How many joints of 5-inch 5 inch HWDP would be required to meet the criteria in Example 1 (a)? Weight of one 30 ft joint of 5-inch 5 inch HWDP = 1,480 1 480 lbs

Solution a)

b)

(45,000)(1.1) (45 000)(1 1) 1 LHWDP = ( 56,860) (0.847)(cos30) 1,480