All You Have To Know About Directional Drilling

What is directional drilling? Wells drilled for water, oil, natural gas, information, or other subsurface objectives are almost always vertical wells - that is, they are bored directly down into the earth. The use of an angle other than vertical while directional drilling a well can provide information about the well, hit targets, and stimulate reservoirs in ways that are not possible when digging a vertical well.

Why Drill Wells That Are Non-Vertical

This specific kind of drilling has been used to reach targets beneath adjacent lands, reduce the footprint of gas field development.

Directional drilling is used to extend the length of the "pay zone" in a well, and construct relief wells, and also to install utility service beneath lands where excavation is impossible or extremely expensive.

Directional drilling has also been used to access targets beneath adjacent lands, lower the footprint of gas field construction.  Expand the length of the "target formation" in a well, purposefully connect fractures, and construct relief wells, or other necessary structures.

Rock Units Benefit Most from directional Drilling

To drill around the rocky lands, it is essential to find the appropriate equipments. This drilling method helps to work around the rocky grounds to drill fast and easily.

In locations with limited permeability, fluids move very slowly through the rock and do not travel long distances to reach the well bore, which is the situation in some areas. As the wellbore is moved near the source of the fluid being drilled, directional drilling may be a viable option for increasing productivity in reduced rock formations.

Drilling Methodology

• Most directional wells begin directing at the vertical at the surface. Eventually, the drill bit will be a few hundred feet above the target rock unit when the directional drilling process is complete.

• Once the pipe has been removed from the well, a hydraulic motor is placed between the drill bit and the drill pipe to power the drill bit.

• The hydraulic motor is powered by a flow of directional drilling mud down the drill pipe into the motor housing. It allows you to rotate the drill bit without having to work manually. The drilling is carried out drilling the machinery to the surface with less use of manual strength. In this manner, it is possible for the bit to drill a path that is different from the orientation of the drill pipe.
• It is necessary to lower the bit and pipe back down the well once the motor has been installed so that they can man oeuvre the well bore from vertical to horizontal across a distance of a few hundred feet, after which the motor will be fitted.
• Directional drilling resumes when the well has been guided to the right angle, and the well continues to drill in a straight line until it hits the target rock unit.
• Maintaining the well in a thin rock unit necessitates meticulous navigation. To determine the azimuth and orientation of the drilling, downhole instruments are utilized. This information is utilized to guide the drill bit in the right direction.

Conclusion

Directional drilling is a time-consuming and expensive endeavor. When combined with hydraulic fracturing, wells can cost up to three times as much per foot as they would otherwise. It is making them more expensive than digging a vertical well. 

The increase in well production often more than compensates for the higher costs associated with well construction. It is possible to improve the amount of natural gas or oil that can be collected from a well using these procedures.