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Directional Drilling Technology
Directional drilling
(or slant drilling) is the practice of drilling
non-vertical wells. It can be broken down into three main
groups: Oilfield Directional Drilling, Utility Installation
Directional Drilling ( or H.D.D., Horizontal Directional
Drilling, Directional Boring) and in-seam directional drilling
(Coal-Bed methane).
Directional/Horizontal
Drilling
Directional/Horizontal wells are drilled for several purposes:
·
Increasing the exposed section length through the reservoir by
drilling through the reservoir at an angle
·
Drilling
into the reservoir/shale where vertical access is difficult or
not possible. For instance an oil/gas field under a town,
under a lake, or underneath a difficult to drill formation
·
Allowing
more wellheads to be grouped together on one surface location
can allow fewer rig moves, less surface area disturbance, and
make it easier and cheaper to complete and produce the wells.
For instance, on an oil platform or jacket offshore, up to
about 40 wells can be grouped together. The wells will fan out
from the platform into the reservoir below. This concept is
being applied to land wells, allowing multiple subsurface
locations to be reached from one pad (drill site), reducing
environmental impact.
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