Chapter 8 H ORIZONTAL D RILLING WITH

A IR
INTRODUCTION
Drilling horizontal wells with air as the circulating medium is not a common practice; however,
air has some distinct advantages over drilling mud. They are:
1. Penetration rates are significantly increased leading to shorter drilling time and lower
costs.
2. Elimination of lost circulation problems especially in areas of very low bottomhole
pressures.
3. Continual drill stem test of potential producing formations.
4. Minimal formation damage.
Unfortunately, there are some disadvantages to drilling with air.
1. Downhole motor life is shorter and less predictable than with fluid.
2. No MWD system is currently available that will work consistently in an air
environment.
3. Hole cleaning is a problem at inclinations above 50 with air and foam systems.
4. The horizontal section length is reduced because of the increased friction (drag)
between the drill string and borehole.
5. The types of lithologies and targets that can be drilled with air are limited.
Horizontal drilling with air and foam systems can, and has been successful.
planning, all of these problems can be minimized or eliminated.

With careful

Several horizontal wells have been successfully drilled with air or foam since 1986. Operators
are drilling, at a minimum, the horizontal section with air or foam to eliminate lost circulation
problems in low pressure (partially depleted reservoirs) and to reduce formation damage due to
drilling fluid invasion.
Problems have been encountered in drilling the horizontal wells. Not all these problems are
unique to air drilling but are sometimes exaggerated by the conditions in an air hole. By
changing the conventional method of operations in an air hole and anticipating potential
problems, air drilling can be cost competitive and even less expensive. The potential problems
will be enumerated along with the experience to date in solving the problems.

Copyright 2007 OGCI/PetroSkills. All rights reserved.

8-1

Copyright 2007 OGCI/PetroSkills. All rights reserved

8-1

Horizontal and Directional Drilling

Ch ap ter 8

Horizontal and Directional Drilling

Horizontal Drilling with Air

DOWNHOLE MOTORS
Medium and long radius horizontal wells are drilled using downhole motors to build inclination
and frequently to drill the horizontal section of the well. These positive displacement motors
(PDM) have been used in directional drilling since the 1960's. The motors are designed to be
run using drilling mud as the power source. Unfortunately, there are some significant
differences between drilling mud and air. Air is a compressible fluid and the flow rate changes
with pressure. Air also has a much lower lifting capacity than mud. The annular velocities must
be much greater for air. Unfortunately, the higher air volumes exceed the recommended flow
rates for the motors and they fail prematurely.
Typically, the air volume required to clean the hole is three times greater than the recommended
flow rate for the motor. There is a way to reduce the flow through the motor. Some of the air
can be diverted prior to passing through the motor section. This can be accomplished by
placing a jet sub above the motor which will allow some of the air to escape from the drill string
without passing through the motor. In the motors with a hollow rotor, the bypass valve can be
replaced by an orifice. In each case, the orifice would be of a predetermined size to divert the
necessary air to the annulus without the air passing through the motor section.
Jets should also be placed in the bit to provide adequate bottomhole cleaning and extra cooling
for the motor. The jets can be designed for bottomhole cleaning based upon the method
presented by Lyons; 1 though, a pressure drop of 200 to 300 psi (1,379 to 2,068 kPa) is usually
sufficient.
The expansion of the air through the bit nozzles provides the cooling. Friction between the rotor
and stator within the motor causes a buildup of heat. Cooling at the bottom of the hole helps
the motor run longer.
The motor also requires lubrication. In most cases, mist or foam is injected into the air stream
to provide the lubrication. When water (included in the mist or foam) is introduced in the
wellbore, sufficient quantity must be used to completely wet the borehole and the generated
cuttings. Otherwise, a mud ring will form and the drill string will become stuck. As a rule, a
3
minimum rate of 10 BPH (1.59 m per hour) is used even though the motor does not require 10
3
BPH (1.59 m per hour) for lubrication.
Injection of water into a wellbore sometimes causes shale stability problems and a dry hole may
be desirable. Injecting a small quantity of oil into the air stream can also provide effective motor
lubrication. Injection rates of 5 GPH (18.9 liters per hour) will provide ample lubrication. Too
much oil will cause the drill cuttings to become slightly wet which can stick the drill string.
Therefore, oil injection rates should be limited.
Recently, a positive displacement motor designed specifically for air has been developed.
Experience shows that the motor is reliable. The advantage of the air motor is that no
lubrication is required.

MWD
EQUIPMENT
A typical MWD pulses the mud system in order to send information to the surface. Air is a
compressible fluid and cannot be easily pulsed. Therefore, mud pulse MWD technology does

not work in an air hole. An electromagnetic measurement while drilling (EMWD) system will
work in an air hole. The EMWD system sends information to the surface using radio waves
instead of pulsing the standpipe.
EMWD systems have been used in air holes with mixed results. Signals do get back to the
surface and the information is correct. Reliability is the problem with the EMWD. Frequent
failures have been experienced on air holes. Drilling conditions in an air hole are rougher than
that experienced in a mud filled hole. There is no fluid in the hole to dampen vibration. The
EMWD is not yet durable enough to work consistently in an air hole; but with experience and
improvements, the EMWD should work well.
Currently, the motors are oriented with a steering tool that sends information to the surface
using a single conductor wireline. Some steering tools have the same problem as the EMWD.
Vibrations in the well cause frequent failures. In fact, all steering tools will experience more
failures in an air hole. Selection of the right steering tool is essential. Placing jets in the bit also
reduces the vibration experienced by the steering tool.
A side entry sub is required along with a latch in assembly for the steering tool. Above an
inclination of 70, the steering tool will no longer fall in the hole and cannot be pumped down
with air. Unlike mud, the air passing by the steering tool does not generate enough drag to
carry a heavy tool down the hole. The steering tool must be installed through a side entry sub
above 70 and tripped to bottom with the drill string.
The horizontal section of the well is surveyed with a single-shot or the steering tool as a singleshot instrument. Neither instrument can be pumped down the pipe for reasons given previously.
For this reason, a reliable MWD system would be extremely advantageous.
There are two methods that have been used to survey the horizontal section. Both involve
tripping the drill string. The first method uses an electric line with the side entry sub. The drill
string is pulled from the hole until the bit is at an inclination of 70. A side entry sub is installed
and the survey tool (single-shot or steering tool) is run to the bit on an electric line. Then, the
drill string is tripped back to bottom with the remainder of the wire on the outside of the drill
string. After reaching TD, a survey is taken and the drill string is tripped back out of the hole to
the side entry sub. The survey tool is removed and the drill string is run back to bottom to
continue drilling. As should be evident by now, surveying the horizontal section is time
consuming and expensive.
An alternative method has been used to reduce the time and associated costs for surveying.
Tripping the drill pipe to 70 is still required; but an electric line and side entry sub are not used.
The single-shot (steering tool can not be used) is run on a slick line with a releasing overshot.
When the single-shot enters the monel collars, a monel sensor activates the releasing overshot,
disconnecting the single-shot from the slick line. The slick line is removed from the hole and the
drill string tripped to bottom. The survey is taken and the pipe tripped back to 70. The singleshot is retrieved by using a standard overshot on the slick line. Costs are reduced because
tripping is much quicker without an electric line on the outside of the pipe, and the cost of the
electric line is eliminated. The cost of the releasing overshot is only a fraction of the electric line
costs.
Without an MWD system for air holes, it is much more difficult to use a steerable system in the
horizontal section. The steerable system has to be oriented by a steering tool, and the drill
string must be tripped to 70 in order to install the steering tool. The cost savings associated

with steerable systems are derived from reducing the amount of tripping necessary to drill the
well. In an air hole, tripping is required anyway, so steerable systems are frequently not cost
effective especially since motor life is shorter and less predictable. Ordinarily, rotary assemblies
are used to drill the horizontal sections using motor corrections as necessary.

HOLE
CLEANING
Like mud drilling, hole cleaning in an air hole is a problem. At inclinations above 50, cuttings
will no longer fall back to bottom and will lay on the low side of the hole. The problem is more
pronounced when using mist or foam. Even when dry air is used, the volume needed to clean
the hole is more than a vertical well. As a rule, the volume should be twice the volumes
recommended by Angel. 2
Even more volume is required when drilling with mist or foam. The exact volume is unknown
2
but it is generally assumed to be at least 2.5 times the volumes recommended by Angel. . For
this reason, it is desirable to run downhole motors using oil as a lubricant.
Drill pipe rotation aids hole cleaning in an air hole. Experience has shown that the same
volume of air will clean the hole while drilling with a rotary assembly, but will not clean the hole
while drilling with a downhole motor (no drill string rotation). The cuttings are agitated and
ground finer by the rotation of the drill pipe allowing the air to carry them out of the hole.

HORIZONTAL
LENGTH

SECTION

The length of horizontal hole that can be drilled with air will be less than that with mud. At some
point, drag will prevent the drill string or casing from falling in the hole. The drag is a function of
the friction coefficient between the pipe and the wall of the hole. In a mud filled hole, the friction
coefficient is affected by the lubricity of the mud which can be controlled with additives.
There are no friction reducing additives that can easily be added to air. Foam or mist can
increase lubricity, but the attendant hole cleaning problems nullify the effect. The cuttings will
create additional drag.
A typical friction coefficient for an air hole is between 0.40 and 0.50. Mud filled holes range
from 0.15 to 0.40 depending upon the type of mud. Figure 8-1 is a plot of hook load versus
horizontal hole length for 5 inch, 20 lb/ft (14.0 cm, 2.77 kg/m) casing at 2,600 feet (792 m)
TVD with various friction coefficients. When the hook load falls below zero, the pipe will no
longer fall into the hole by itself limiting the amount of horizontal hole section that can be drilled.

LITHOLOGY
CONSTRAINTS

AND

TARGET

The types of lithologies that can be drilled with air are limited. Generally, older, consolidated
rocks are applicable to air drilling. There are no fluid pressure forces to support the borehole
wall and softer rocks will have a tendency to slough.

Horizontal Section Length vs Hook

Load
Build Rate 10
/100'
5.5 inch Pipe, 9.0
ppg

70000

Hook Load, lbs

60000

Friction Coefficient =0.2

Friction Coefficient =0.3
Friction Coefficient =0.4
Friction Coefficient =0.5

50000

40000

30000

20000

10000

0
0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500
5000

3000

3500

4000

4500

Horizontal Section Length,

feet
Figure 8-1. Horizontal Section Length vs Hook
Load

The amount of water that can be accommodated in an air hole is limited. If the formations
above the target reservoir produce an abundance of water, that portion of the well would have to
be drilled on fluid. The horizontal section can still be drilled on air if casing is set through the
water producing strata. A cost analysis would have to be performed in order to determine if an
extra casing string will be economical.
Air drilling cannot be continued when excessive oil and/or gas rates are realized from the
producing formation. The gas presents a fire hazard while tripping. Normally, up to 5,000
MCFD (141,584 SCMD) can be kept off the rig floor through the blooie line with proper jetting
configurations. Large quantities of oil are a problem because the oil must be picked up from the
pit, stored in tanks, cleaned and sold.

With the lack of a steerable system for an air hole, thin reservoirs cannot be drilled efficiently. A
target thickness of 50 feet (15.2m) or more is required when using rotary assemblies. The build
and drop tendencies of rotary hold assemblies are difficult to maintain below 0.25/100 feet
(0.25 /30.48m). In thin targets, too many motor correction runs would be required to make air
drilling cost effective in most instances.

CONCLUSION
S

Air drilling horizontal wells can be a cost effective alternative. The operator needs to be aware
of the limitations and advantages of air drilling in order to optimize drilling operations. Some of
the standard practices used in drilling vertical air holes have to be modified. As with any
horizontal drilling operation, careful planning is one of the keys to a successful well.
In an air hole, motor life is shorter and motor operating procedures need special attention.
Surveying the horizontal section is difficult and time consuming. A reliable electromagnetic
MWD system would greatly simplify survey programs and would make a steerable system cost
effective. Horizontal drilling with air is more effective in thicker target intervals because of the
limitations with steerable systems. Hole cleaning is more difficult above inclinations of 50 and
is complicated even further when mist or foam is used. The formations that are applicable to air
drilling are older, consolidated formations that do not produce excessive amounts of gas, oil,
and water.

REFERENCES
1

Lyons, W.C.: Air and Gas Drilling Manual, Chapter 4, Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, TX,
1984, pp. 46-52.
th
2
Angels, R.R.: Volume Requirements for Air and Gas Drilling, 4 printing, Gulf Publishing
Company, Houston, TX, July 1985.