Thursday, May 5, 2016

How The Process Of Horizonal Drilling Occurs

By Amy Brown


Today, many techniques are applied in the drilling application relying on what application s being undertaken. Advances in technology have enabled the invention of safe, efficient, convenient, and environmentally friendly methods. Directional drilling is the process of drilling at an angle and horizontal drilling is one of the major types. The process encompasses both vertical and horizonal drilling. Vertical well have to be drilled first before horizontal ones can be drilled.

The well is turned horizontally to allow for the extraction of energy sources that are extending horizontally themselves. One common application of this technique is in the extraction of gas in Marcellus Shale Formation. The well has to be drilled vertically up to some point into the ground before it can be turned horizontally. The result of this kind of drilling is a well that is shaped like an exaggerated letter J.

An examination of horizontal and vertical wells reveals that the former method is capable of reaching a wider area of rock and the natural gas trapped there within. Thus, companies that employ this method are capable of gaining access to more energy resources using a smaller number of horizontal wells as opposed to if vertical wells are used. This makes this method very suitable in a number of situations.

The preference for horizontal wells by companies is often done for several reasons. First, with this method, the section length through reservoir is increased. That is achieved by making the wells at some angle into intended reservoirs. Secondly, this technique is comes in handy where other methods cannot be used. Such a scenario occurs where oilfields are located beneath a town.

To access oil under towns, wells have to get drilled at different locations where drilling can be done. Drilling starts vertically and then horizontally towards the oilfield. This process is also given preference when costs have to be kept low and the land disturbed to the minimum level possible. This can be achieved through grouping multiple wells in a single location before fanning them out underground to access oilfields in different locations.

A central location eliminates the need to have to use different equipment at multiple locations. Equipment can be shared to be used among various wells. Transport costs are also kept low while a lower level of manpower is required for the job. Environmental disturbance is also confined to a single spot. Minimizing environmental disturbance and pollution is one of the major goals in this industry.

This method is associated with a few shortcomings of its own. Formerly, drilling horizontal wells took much longer than vertical wells. The process had to get stopped regularly to carry out some lengthy surveys. The rate of penetration was also very low. However, there has been some significant improvements in the procedure following the invention of modern downhole motors and equipment.

Cost is another shortcoming in this process. It is comparatively more expensive to drill horizontal wells than vertical ones. The process is quite challenging when the well has to be drilled at an angle. Finally, before better equipment and planning existed, sand influx was a major problem.




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