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Horizontal Drilling Techniques & Benefits

Horizontal wells are drilled at high angles to place long sections within oil and gas reservoirs. There are three types of horizontal wells based on radius of curvature: long radius wells with radii from 1000-3000 ft built at 2-6 degrees/100 ft; medium radius wells with radii from 160-1000 ft built at 6-35 degrees/100 ft; and short radius wells with radii from 20-40 ft built at 5-10 degrees/3 ft. Horizontal wells provide advantages like reduced water and gas coning, increased production rates, and larger drainage patterns compared to vertical wells.

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126 views2 pages

Horizontal Drilling Techniques & Benefits

Horizontal wells are drilled at high angles to place long sections within oil and gas reservoirs. There are three types of horizontal wells based on radius of curvature: long radius wells with radii from 1000-3000 ft built at 2-6 degrees/100 ft; medium radius wells with radii from 160-1000 ft built at 6-35 degrees/100 ft; and short radius wells with radii from 20-40 ft built at 5-10 degrees/3 ft. Horizontal wells provide advantages like reduced water and gas coning, increased production rates, and larger drainage patterns compared to vertical wells.

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HORIZENTAL DRILLING:

Horizontal wells are high-angle wells (with an inclination of generally greater than 85) drilled to enhance
reservoir performance by placing a long wellbore section within the reservoir.
LONG RADIUS HORIZENTAL WELL:
A long-radius horizontal well is characterized by build rates of 2 to 6/100 ft, which result in a radius of
3,000 to 1,000 ft. This profile is drilled with conventional directional-drilling tools, and lateral sections of up
to 8,000 ft have been drilled. This profile is well suited for applications in which a long, horizontal
displacement is required to reach the target entry point. The use of rotary-steerable systems (RSSs) may
be required to drill an extra-long lateral section because slide drilling may not be possible with the
conventional steerable motors.

Medium radius horizontal well:


Medium-radius horizontal wells have build rates of 6 to 35/100 ft, radii of 1,000 to 160 ft, and lateral
sections of up to 8,000 ft. These wells are drilled with specialized down hole mud motors and
conventional drill string components. Double-bend assemblies are designed to build angles at rates up to
35/100 ft. The lateral section is often drilled with conventional steerable motor assemblies.

Short radius horizontal wells


Short-radius horizontal wells have build rates of 5 to 10/3 ft (1.5 to 3/ft), which equates to radii of 40 to
20 ft. The length of the lateral section varies between 200 and 900 ft. Short-radius wells are drilled with
specialized drilling tools and techniques. This profile is most commonly drilled as a re-entry from any
existing well.

Advantages of horizontal wells


The advantages of horizontal wells include:
1. Reduced water and gas coning because of reduced drawdown in the reservoir for a given
production rate, thereby reducing the remedial work required in the future
2. Increased production rate because of the greater wellbore length exposed to the pay zone
3. Reduced pressure drop around the wellbore
4. Lower fluid velocities around the wellbore
5. A general reduction in sand production from a combination of Items 3 and 4

6. Larger and more efficient drainage pattern leading to increased overall reserves recovery

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