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    Directional Surveying Calculations (Minimum Curvature Method)

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    Linheris D.A Sitompul
    The document discusses directional surveying calculations using the minimum curvature method. It explains that surveys are taken at regular intervals to determine well coordinates, path, and heading. The minimum curvature method most accurately models the well path between surveys as a smoothed spherical arc. An example calculation is shown to determine inclination, azimuth, coordinates, closure distance, and vertical section from two given surveys. Key steps include calculating dogleg, ratio factor, changes in N/S, E/W, and TVD coordinates, and determining closure azimuth and distance.

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    Directional Surveying Calculations (Minimum Curvature Method)

    Uploaded by

    Linheris D.A Sitompul
    202 views9 pages
    The document discusses directional surveying calculations using the minimum curvature method. It explains that surveys are taken at regular intervals to determine well coordinates, path, and heading. The minimum curvature method most accurately models the well path between surveys as a smoothed spherical arc. An example calculation is shown to determine inclination, azimuth, coordinates, closure distance, and vertical section from two given surveys. Key steps include calculating dogleg, ratio factor, changes in N/S, E/W, and TVD coordinates, and determining closure azimuth and distance.

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    The document discusses directional surveying calculations using the minimum curvature method. It explains that surveys are taken at regular intervals to determine well coordinates, path, and heading. The minimum curvature method most accurately models the well path between surveys as a smoothed spherical arc. An example calculation is shown to determine inclination, azimuth, coordinates, closure distance, and vertical section from two given surveys. Key steps include calculating dogleg, ratio factor, changes in N/S, E/W, and TVD coordinates, and determining closure azimuth and distance.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    202 views9 pages

    Directional Surveying Calculations (Minimum Curvature Method)

    Uploaded by

    Linheris D.A Sitompul
    The document discusses directional surveying calculations using the minimum curvature method. It explains that surveys are taken at regular intervals to determine well coordinates, path, and heading. The minimum curvature method most accurately models the well path between surveys as a smoothed spherical arc. An example calculation is shown to determine inclination, azimuth, coordinates, closure distance, and vertical section from two given surveys. Key steps include calculating dogleg, ratio factor, changes in N/S, E/W, and TVD coordinates, and determining closure azimuth and distance.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 9

    Friday, 25 September 2015

    Directional Surveying Calculations


    (Minimum Curvature Method)
    Surveying is an inseparable part of directional drilling.
    Surveys are recorded at regular intervals while drilling.

    Reasons for Taking Surveys


    1. To allow accurate determination of well coordinates at
    a series of measured depths and determine the current
    location.
    2. To plot the well path over the measured depth.
    3. To measure the inclination and azimuth at the bottom
    of the hole and hence determine where the well is
    heading.
    4. To determine the orientation of tool face of deflection
    tools or steerable systems.
    5. To locate dog legs and allow calculation
    of dogleg severity values.

    Accurate Knowledge of the Course of a


    Borehole is Necessary:
    1. To hit geological target.
    2. To avoid collision with other near by wells.
    3. To define the target of a relief well in the event of
    a blowout.
    4. To provide a better definition of geological
    and reservoir data to allow for optimization of production.
    5. To fulfill the requirements of local legislation if any.
    For a directional driller, to successfully drill a well to the
    specified targets, all that's required is inclination and azimuth.
    Now a days, there  are many types of advanced tools used and
    those along with the directional survey, provides the required
    geophysical characteristics of the well.
    There are
    1. MWD (Measurement While Drilling) tools and 
    2. LWD (Logging While Drilling) tools. 
     As the name suggests, MWD tools mainly measures the
    values of inclination and azimuth while drilling whereas, LWD
    tools in addition to it measures geophysical characteristics of
    the formations encountered while drilling.
     LWD tools are more advance and sophisticated. Use of
    these tools eliminate the need of separate wireline logging;
    thereby saving rig time.
     Although hiring of LWD tools and engineers are costly as
    compared to MWD's.

    Survey Calculations
    Directional survey in terms of 'Inclination' & 'Azimuth' of a
    wellbore at certain 'Measured Depth' is taken. This information
    is then used to calculate the actual position of the wellbore
    relative to the surface location. When assuming an idealized
    well path between the two survey stations, many mathematical
    models can be used such as;
    1. Tangential method
    2. Balanced Tangential method
    3. Average Angle method
    4. Radius of Curvature method
    5. Minimum Curvature method

    Among above mathematical models, 


    Tangential method is the least accurate, it assumes a
    straight line well path taking into consideration the inclination
    and azimuth at upper survey station and lower station is not
    accounted.

    Balanced Tangential Method takes into account the


    upper and lower survey station and approximates well path by
    two  equal straight line segments. The upper line segment is
    defined by inclination and azimuth at upper survey station and
    the respective values at lower survey station.

    Average Angle Method assumes one straight line defined


    by averaging inclination and azimuth at both survey stations,
    intersects both upper and lower survey stations.

    Radius of Curvature Method assumes that well path is


    not a straight line but a circular arc tangential to inclination and
    azimuth at each survey station.

    Minimum Curvature Method is the most accurate, it


    further adds a Ratio Factor to smoothen the spherical arc formed
    by using radius of curvature method. This is practically used and
    accepted calculation method among all and deserve to be
    discussed in detail.
    Survey station is the measured depth at which survey is taken.
    Course length (CL) is the difference between two survey
    stations.

    Minimum Curvature Method


    The inclination and azimuth at each survey station define two
    vectors namely inclination vector (lying in the vertical plane)
    and azimuthal vector (lying in the horizontal plane); and both
    are tangential to the wellbore trajectory. The only other piece of
    information available from a survey is the course length
    (the difference in survey measured depths) between the two
    stations. Minimum Curvature Method most accurately
    creates idealized well path between the upper and lower
    stations. The accuracy of the final coordinates generated by
    it approximates the actual trajectory of the borehole.

    Let's explain the formula's used with an example. 

    Consider inclination and azimuth at these two survey stations.

    Azimuth of target is 316°.


    Determine next set of values?
    Sol'n:
    Upper Survey Station (MD ) is at 1914.75m
    1

    I  = 13.6°; A = 315.2°; TVD = 1827.53m; N/S  = 311.70m;


    1 1  1  1

    E/W = -299.27m; VS  = 432.11m; CD  = 432.11m; CA  =


    1  1 1 1

    316.17°

    Lower Survey Station (MD ) 2 is at 1940.30m


    I  =
    1 10.7°; A = 1  314°

    Course Length (CL) = Δ MD = MD  – MD 2 1

                                    = 1940.30 – 1914.75 = 25.55m

    Dog Leg = cos–1 [{sinI1 × sinI2 × cos(A2 – A1)} + {cosI1 ×


    cosI2}]
    = cos–1[{sin(13.6) × sin(10.7) × cos(314 – 315.2)}
    + {cos(13.6) × cos(10.7)}]
    = 2.91
    DLS = (DL × 30)/CL, when calculated per 30m.
    DLS = (DL × 100)/CL, when calculated per 100ft.
    DLS = (2.91 × 30)/25.55 = 3.42

    Ratio Factor (R.F) is simply a smoothing factor used in


    the following calculations. It has no other significance.
    RF = Tan(DL/2) × (180/π) × (2/DL)
          = Tan(2.91/2) × 180/π × (2/2.91)
          = 1

    “0” Dogleg Exception


    When the inclination and the direction do not change between
    two survey stations, the dogleg and dogleg severity are equal to
    0. When the dogleg is equal to 0, the formula for ratio factor
    (R.F.) is undefined. In this case, simply assign the ratio factor
    the value of 1.0.

    Change in N/S coordinate


    Δ N/S = [(sinI1 × cosA1) + (sinI2 × cosA2)] [R.F. × (ΔMD/2)]
    = [(sin(13.6) × cos(315.2)) + (sin(10.7) × cos(314))] [1 ×
    (25.55/2)]
    = 3.78
    Total N/S (or) (N/S)  = (N/S)1 + ΔN/S  
    2

                                       = 311.7 + 3.78
                                       = 315.48

    Change in E/W coordinate


    Δ E/W = [(sinI1 × sinA1) + (sinI2 × sinA2)] [R.F. × (ΔMD/2)]
    = [(sin(13.6) × sin(315.2)) + (sin(10.7) × sin(315))] [1 ×
    (25.55/2)]
    = –3.79
    Total E/W (or) (E/W)  = (E/W) + ΔE/W 
    2 1 

                                         = –299.27 + –8.04

                                         = –303.06

    Change in TVD
    Δ TVD = [cosI  + cosI ] [R.F. × (Δ MD/2)]
    1 2

                 = [cos(13.6) + cos(10.7)] [1 × (25.55/2)]


                 = 24.97
    Total TVD (or) TVD  = TVD + ΔTVD
    2 1 

                                        = 1827.53 + 24.97


                                        = 1852.50

    Closure Distance
    CD = [(N/S)2Total + (E/W)2Total]1/2
          =  [(315.48)2 + (–303.06)2]1/2
          =  437.46

    Closure Azimuth
    –1
    CA = Tan [(E/W) Total / (N/S) Total]
           = Tan [–303.06
    –1
    / 315.48]
           = –43.84°
           = 360°– 43.84°
           = 316.16°

    Note:
    If the given target azimuth lies in b/w 
    –1
    0° to 90°, then CA = Tan [(E/W) Total / (N/S) Total]
    90° to 180°, then CA = 180° –  Tan–1[(E/W) Total / (N/S) Total]
    180° to 270°, then CA = 180° + Tan–1[(E/W) Total / (N/S) Total]
    270° to 360°, then CA = 360° – Tan–1[(E/W) Total / (N/S) Total]

    Directional Difference (DD) is the angle between target azimuth


    and closure azimuth.
    DD = Azimuthtarget – CA
           = 316° – 316.6°
               = –0.16°
    VS = CD × cos(DD)
          = 437.46 × cos(–0.16°)
          = 437.46 

    Hence,

    Note:
    The calculation for dogleg and dogleg severity, closure and
    vertical section do not change when different survey methods
    are used.

    To summarize:
    *Course Length (CL) = Δ MD = MD2 – MD1

    *Dog Leg = cos–1 [{sinI1 × sinI2 × cos(A2 – A1)} + {cosI1 × cosI2}]


      DLS = (DL × 30)/CL, when calculated per 30m.
      DLS = (DL × 100)/CL, when calculated per 100ft.

    *RF = Tan(DL/2) × (180/π) × (2/DL)

    *Δ N/S = [(sinI1 × cosA1) + (sinI2 × cosA2)] [R.F. × (ΔMD/2)]


      Total N/S (or) (N/S)2 = (N/S)1 + ΔN/S  

    *Δ E/W = [(sinI1 × sinA1) + (sinI2 × sinA2)] [R.F. × (ΔMD/2)]


      Total E/W (or) (E/W)2 = (E/W)1 + ΔE/W 

    *Δ TVD = [cosI1 + cosI2] [R.F. × (Δ MD/2)]


      Total TVD (or) TVD2 = TVD1 + ΔTVD
    *CD = [(N/S)2Total + (E/W)2Total]1/2

    *CA = Tan–1[(E/W) Total / (N/S) Total]


      If the given target azimuth lies in b/w 
       0° to 90°, then CA = Tan–1[(E/W) Total / (N/S) Total]
       90° to 180°, then CA = 180° – Tan–1[(E/W) Total / (N/S) Total]
       180° to 270°, then CA = 180° + Tan–1[(E/W) Total / (N/S) Total]
    –1
       270° to 360°, then CA = 360° – Tan [(E/W) Total / (N/S) Total]

    *DD = Azimuthtarget – CA
      VS = CD × cos(DD)

    These days Directional Drillers need not perform manual


    calculations instead, many high-end software are used for well
    planing such as COMPASS, WELL PATH, WIN SERVE, etc.
    But, remembering these formulas is useful in the due course.

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    Posted by Sunny at 7:23 pm 
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    Labels: Closure Azimuth, Closure Distance, Directional Difference, DLS, Dog leg, E/W, Minimum curvature method, N/S, Vertical Section

    2 comments:
    1.

    Cloggy29/08/2016, 00:23

    Closure Length (CL) = Δ MD = MD2 – MD1

    That would be "Course Lengthe"..


    "Closure" is distance between surface locations....

    Reply

    2.

    Sunny07/09/2016, 05:53
    Aye, thanks for correction.
    Reply

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