Directional Drilling Survey Calculations

Interim Data
Average Angle Exercise
CL = 155.00
= 19.80
MD
= 74.95
Inc
Az
TVD
VS
DLS
Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25 90.84 125.14 1.13

Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90
Step 1
Calculate the Course Length, Average Inclination, and
Average Azimuth (use vector averaging if necessary)
Course Length
Average Inclination
CL = MD 2 MD1
I =
I1+ I
2
Average Azimuth
A=
A1 + A 2
2
72 .00 + 77 .90
2
CL = 4942.00 4787.00 I = 19.30 + 20.30

2
A=
CL = 155.00'
A = 74.95
I = 19.80
16
2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Now from a different perspective . . .
North
East
North
106.25
East
90.84
Interim Data
CL = 155.00
= 19.80
MD
= 74.95
Inc
Az
TVD
VS
DLS
Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25 90.84 125.14 1.13
Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89

Step 2
Calculate the change in True Vertical Depth
()
TVD = CL cos I
TVD = 155' cos(19.80)
TVD = 155
' (0.9409)
CL
TVD
TVD = 145 .84 '
145.84
145.84
TVD11
TVD11 = TVD10 + TVD
4909.89
4909.89
TVD11 = 4764.05'+145.84'
TVD 11 = 4909 .89 '
Make a Triangle!
Interim Data
CL = 155.00
= 19.80
MD
= 74.95
Inc
Az
TVD
VS
DLS
Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25 90.84 125.14 1.13

Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89
Step 3
Calculate the Horizontal Deviation
()
HD = CL sin I
HD = 155' sin(19.80)
CL
HD = 155' (0.3387 )
HD = 52 .50 '
HD
52.50
52.50

Back to Horizontal Plane
North
106.25
HD
52.50
52.50
East
90.84
Interim Data
CL = 155.00
HD = 52.50
MD
= 74.95
Inc
Az
TVD
VS
DLS
Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25 90.84 125.14 1.13

Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89
Step 4
Calculate the change in rectangular coordinates (N, E)
N = HD cos( A)
Make another Triangle!

North
N = 52.50' cos(74.95)
N = 52.50'(0.2597)
North
N = 13.63'
106.25
E = HD sin( A)
E = 52.50' sin(74.95)
E = 52.50' (0.9657)
E 50.70
50.70
N
13.63
13.63
HD
East
90.84
E = 50.70'
21
10
Interim Data
CL = 155.00
N = 13.63
E = 50.70
MD
Inc
Az
TVD
Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89
Step 4 (Cont.)
Calculate the rectangular coordinates (Total)
From Tie In Survey:
N10 = 106.25
From Previous Calculation:
Add to obtain Survey 11 N
From Tie In Survey:

From Previous Calculation:
VS
DLS
Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25 90.84 125.14 1.13
13.63
119.88 141.54
North
119.88
119.88
E10 =
E =
90.84
50.70
Add to obtain Survey 11 E
50.70
50.70
13.63
13.63
141.54
141.54
East
22
Vertical Section
Sometimes called:
VSA = 83
Vertical Section Azimuth
Target Direction
Proposed Direction
Vertical Section Plane
Azimuth
North
Closure Distance
Target
Location
East
Total Vertical
Section
23
11

MD
Inc
Az
TVD
Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25
VS
DLS
90.84 125.14 1.13
Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89 119.88 141.54
Step 5
Calculate Closure Distance (calculated from last survey)
North
Closure Azimuth
Closure Distance
Closure Distance
CD = ( N ) 2 + ( E ) 2
CD = (119 .88) 2 + (141 .54 ) 2
CD = 185.49 ft
East
24
Be Careful with Closure Azimuth

CLOSURE AZIMUTH = DIRECTION OF
CLOSURE DISTANCE
North
1
1
4
2
East
3
2
3
E
CA = tan -1
N
30.0
CA = tan -1
40.0
36.87
36.87
CA = 36.87
25.0
CA = tan -1
30.0
180+(180+(-39.81)=
35.0
CA = tan -1
50.0
180+(34.99)=
CA = 39.81
140.19
140.19
CA = 34.99
214.99
214.99
50.0
CA = tan -1
20.0
360+(360+(-68.20)=
CA = 68.20
291.80
291.80
25
12

MD
Inc
Az
TVD
Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25
VS
DLS
90.84 125.14 1.13
Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89 119.88 141.54

Step 6
Calculate Closure Azimuth (direction of closure distance)
North
Closure Distance
Closure Azimuth
Closure Azimuth
E
CA = tan-1
N
141.54
CA = tan -1
119.88
CA = 49.74
East
26
Interim Data
CD = 185.49
CA = 49.74
MD
VSA = 83.00
Inc
Az
TVD
Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25
VS
DLS
90.84 125.14 1.13
Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89 119.88 141.54

Step 7
Calculate Vertical Section (totalnot incremental)
DD = VSA CA
North
Closure Azimuth
Closure Distance
9
5.4
18
33.26
33.26
East
155.10
155.10
Target
Location
DD = 83 49.74
DD = 33.26
VS = CD cos(DD)
VS = 185.49' cos(33.26)
VS = 155.10'
Target Direction
27
13

Dogleg
The change in inclination and azimuth between two points
Measured in degrees
Dogleg Severity
The dogleg over a defined distance
Measured in degrees /100 ft
Severe dogleg severity may produce
Keyseats
Problems with running casing
Stuck pipe
Drill pipe wear
28

MD
Inc
Az
TVD
Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25
VS
DLS
90.84 125.14 1.13
Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89 119.88 141.54 155.10 1.44
Step 8
Calculate Dogleg and Dogleg Severity
Dogleg
DL = cos1[sin(I 1)sin(I 2 ) cos( A2 A1) + cos(I 1) cos(I 2 )]
DL = cos 1[sin( 19 .3) sin( 20 .3) cos( 77 .9 72 ) + cos(19 .3) cos( 20 .3)]
DL = cos 1[0.99924]
DL = 2.23
Dogleg Severity
DLS =
DLS =
DL Interval
CL
2.23 (100) ft
155'
DLS = 11.44
.44 / 100'
29
14
Survey Calculations
Dogleg and Dogleg Severity
Closure and Vertical Section
Objectives
The student will be able to

- demonstrate proficiency with their hand calculator.
- list the main types of survey calculation.
- perform average angle hand calculations.
- explain what is meant by the terms Dogleg and Dogleg Severity.
- hand calculate DL and DLS.
- describe what these calculations indicate re Directional Drilling .
- calculate closure.
- calculate vertical section.
- explain what the resulting calculation indicates.
- list the information available from a standard drilling plot.
Calculating The Wellbore Position
When we survey a wellbore, we typically have MD, Inc and Az

measurements at specific points along the wellbore
To plot/calculate the position of the wellbore, we need to somehow

join-the-dots
There are many different mathematical ways to join the dots
Each method makes assumptions about the path between the survey
stations
The most common survey calculation methods used in the drilling

industry are
Minimum curvature
Radius of curvature
Average angle
Survey Calculation Methods
Minimum curvature
Is generally recognised as the most appropriate survey calculation
method in most circumstances
Is the most commonly used survey calculation method
Most of our customers worldwide use this (and want us to use this)
Assumes the line joining any two successive survey stations is a 3D
curve (with curvature in 3 dimensions i.e. the wellpath lies on the
surface of a sphere)
Radius of curvature
Used to be more common than it is now
Rarely used nowadays in the drilling industry
Assumes the line joining any two successive survey stations is a 3D
curve (with curvature in 2 dimensions i.e. the wellpath lies on the
surface of a cylinder)
Survey Calculation Methods
Both minimum curvature and radius of curvature calculations are

computationally complex
They are therefore typically done only with the aid of a computer
program (e.g. WellArchitect, Advantage) or with a programmable
calculator (with appropriately validated program)
Average Angle is a calculation method which is less computationally

complex and can be hand calculated on a basic scientific calculator
The average angle method is adequate for field calculations, but would
only be used in situations where for some reason a minimum
curvature calculation is not available
Average Angle Survey Calculations
We know the MD, Inc, and Az values at each survey station
The average angle method assumes that the path between any two
survey stations is a straight line
This straight line will have an inclination and a direction
The inclination of the straight line is the average of the inclinations of

the survey stations at each end of the straight line
The direction of the straight line is the average of the directions of the
survey stations at each end of the straight line
The TVD, N and E coordinates can then be calculated using the

properties of the right-angled triangle and basic trigonometry
For the straight line joining any two survey stations

Denote the average azimuth of this straight line by
Az
Denote the average inclination of this straight line by
Then, for the straight line between any two survey stations
Az = Az + Az
2
1
And
I = I + I
2
1
So we have, looking from the side
TVD
MD1, I1, Az1
TVD = CL CosI
CL
HD
HD = CL Sin I
MD2, I2, Az2
And looking from above
N
E
N = HD Cos Az
N
HD
E = HD Sin Az
Az
So we have the average angle formulae
TVD = CL CosI
HD = CL Sin I
N = HD Cos Az
E = HD Sin Az
Note that the calculated values of TVD, N and E are changes in

these parameters from one survey station to the next
Therefore each of these values needs to be added on to the

appropriate absolute values on the previous line
Thus the survey calculation is an incremental calculation and a

mistake in any line of the calculation will mean all subsequent
calculations of that parameter will also be incorrect
Clearly, to start off we need to have a tie-on line with the TVD, N, and E
coordinates specified this is usually, but not always, ultimately a tieon line at surface
Note that you can usually spot gross errors if you pay a little attention
to the numbers e.g. if the course length is 100 ft, then N cannot be
300 ft
The direction of the average azimuth will tell you whether

N and E should be increasing or decreasing
N should be bigger or smaller than the E
TVD may be a negative number

This means that the inclination is above 90
N and/or E may be a negative number

This means the wellbore is going south and/or west
Average Angle Calculation Exercise
Note that it is typically better to do the calculation by line rather than

by column
Typically, these calculated values are quoted to 2 decimal places
You can either store previous line values on your calculator, or handenter them as appropriate
Depending on which you do, over multiple lines youll get very slight
differences in your answers
Calculate TVD, N, and E for the first few lines on Exercise 1
Dogleg and Dogleg Severity
Dogleg
Dogleg (DL) is a measure of the 3 dimensional change in trajectory

(inclination and direction) of a bore-hole between two survey stations,
expressed as a 3D angle.
DL = Cos-1 [ Sin I1 Sin I2 Cos (A2 - A1) + Cos I1 Cos I2 ]
With the same change in inclination and azimuth between two survey
stations, the dogleg will be higher at higher inclinations.
The same amount of turn in the hole will produce a higher dogleg at
higher inclinations.
1 degree of inclination change will give a 1 degree dogleg. This is NOT

the case with azimuth change except for when the hole is horizontal.
Dogleg changing with inclination

Inclination
Azimuth
Dogleg
1
1
0
180
2.00
5
7
20
20
2.00
5
7
20
24
2.04
10
12
20
24
2.14
20
22
20
24
2.46
30
32
20
24
2.87
45
47
20
24
3.50
60
62
20
24
4.03
90
92
20
24
4.47
90
90
20
24
4.00
Dogleg Severity
The dogleg calculation is a function of inclination and azimuth values at

each of two survey points
As such, it has limited practical value
It is much more useful to have a measure which takes account of course

length (CL)
Dogleg severity is dogleg expressed over a particular interval (usually

100ft or 30m)
DLS = DL Interval
CL
Dogleg and Dogleg Severity are NOT the same thing although the terms
are often used interchangeably
A very short course length may give misleading DLS values
DLS Calculation Exercise
Once again, DLS values are usually quoted to 2 decimal places
Set your calculator to display 2 decimal places
What is Cos 1, Cos 2, Cos 3, Cos 4 (to 2 decimal places)?
This means if you are hand-entering intermediate values, you need to

record 6 decimal places
If you are storing intermediate values in your calculator, you will

automatically be using sufficient precision
Calculate DLS for the first few lines of the given survey in Exercise 1
Drilling Map
Drilling Map
What information might be displayed on a drilling map?

Location information
Well information
Slot information (particularly slot coordinates)
Target information
Surface information (north reference, spheroid model, depth offsets, depth
units)
Tie-on information
Logo
Wellplan
North arrow (correction to TN/GN, Dip, Bt)
Approval box
Plan view (wellpath map)
Etc.
10
Drilling Map
When we plot a survey on the plan view, what does that tell us?
It is a projection on a horizontal plane
It lets us know whether the drilled well is left or right of the plan (on the
projection)
It doesnt tell us how far off the line we are
It doesnt always tell us if we need to steer right or left we need more

information than just one survey tell us this
More on the drilling map later
Later on well talk about why we calculate VS and what it indicates
Well start by covering how to calculate Vertical Section

Most people do not find this a particularly easy calculation
As with most of the other survey calculations, it is very rarely done
manually
Before you can calculate VS, you first have to do a calculation to find
something we call closure
Calculating closure involves calculating two values
Closure distance
Closure direction
You need both of these values in order to calculate VS
Both closure and VS are calculated for a specific point on the wellbore,
usually every survey station
11
Closure
Is the distance and direction on a horizontal projection to a given

point P on an actual wellpath
Closure distance is typically measured from the slot (assume the
slot has coordinates (0,0)
Closure direction is typically given as an azimuth, which like all
azimuths is measured clockwise from N
N
P
1600
Cl o
Closure Direction
e
sur
t
Di s
ce
an
E
2250
Closure Distance
N
Closure Distance =
1600 2 + 2250 2 = 2760.89
1600
ce
an
t
s
i
eD
ur
s
lo
2250
12
Closure Direction
N
Closure Direction = tan -1
2250
= 54.58
1600
1600
2250
Closure Calculation
On a vertical well, there is no VS azimuth and hence no VS calculation
On a vertical well, therefore, closure parameters are typically of some

interest
Closure information is not typically that useful for practical purposes on

a directional well
It does not typically determine our future steering behaviour, for

example
It is however necessary for calculating vertical section, which may be

used to determine steering behaviour
13
Directional Difference
We have calculated the closure direction
We define the VS azimuth (more on this later)
In our example we define the VS azimuth to be 60
The difference between these two values is the Directional Difference (DD)
Thus, in our example, the DD = 60 54.58 = 5.42
N
Closure Direction = tan -1

VS Azimuth = 60
2250
= 54.58
1600
So the Directional Difference = 60 - 54.58 = 5.42

1600
VS Azimuth
Closure Direction
2250
14
Vertical Section
The VS at point P is the length of the green line

i.e. cos DD x closure distance
= cos 5.42 x 2760.89

= 0.996 x 2760.89
= 2749.85
1600
27
42
5.
60
9
.8
2250
Vertical Section
Mathematically, VS = Cos DD x Closure distance
VS is a distance
It is the distance drilled (from some defined VS origin) projected onto a

vertical plane oriented at a particular azimuth
The particular azimuth is called the VS azimuth (or plane, or direction)
Both the VS origin and the VS azimuth are defined (by a well-planner or
the customer) and will be found on the drilling plot
For any particular point on the wellpath, VS is plotted against TVD on

the section view of a drilling map
VS is used to give a visual indication of where a drilled wellpath is

compared to where it should be (above or below the line)
15
Drilling Map
So we can add some additional information to the list we saw previously

Location information
Well information
Slot information (particularly slot coordinates)
Target information
Surface information (north reference, spheroid model, depth offsets, depth
units)
Tie-on information
Logo
Wellplan
North arrow (correction to TN/GN, Dip, Bt)
Approval box
Plan view (wellpath map)
VS view (cross-section view)
VS azimuth
VS origin
Drilling Map
When we plot a survey on the section view, what does that tell us?
It is a projection on a vertical plane
This vertical plane is oriented at some azimuth (the vertical section azimuth)
It gives us an indication of whether the drilled well is above or below the

plan (on the projection)
Strictly speaking, this is only true if we are drilling in a direction close to the
VS azimuth
It doesnt tell us how far off the line we are
It doesnt always tell us if we need to steer up or down we need more

information than just one survey tell us this
16
Vertical Section Calculation (summary)
To calculate the VS at point P, you need to know

The VS azimuth (aka VS plane or VS direction)
The VS origin
The local N and E coordinates of point P
Calculate the closure of point P, both

The closure distance
The closure direction
Calculate the difference between the VS azimuth and the closure

direction (this is the directional difference, DD)
Calculate the VS for point P

VS = Cos DD x Closure distance
Vertical Section Calculation
If youre doing this calculation manually, its always good to draw a

diagram
If youre drilling in a direction other than N and E, the formulae will take
care of the different quadrants, as long as the directions are azimuths
measured clockwise from N
If youre using any right-angled triangles to calculate distances and

angles, be careful to label accordingly and correct to azimuths as
appropriate
When calculating the DD, just subtract the smaller number from the
bigger for ease of calculation
17
Choice of Vertical Section Origin
The vertical section origin is usually, but not always, the slot
The customer may specify a point for VS origin that is not the slot
If the slot coordinates are not (0,0), you may have to correct
appropriately when calculating the closure distance i.e. subtract the N
and E of the slot coordinates from the coordinates of the point on the
wellpath
When drilling a sidetrack, the sidetrack point may be the VS origin, with
coordinates referenced to platform centre
Choice of Vertical Section Azimuth
The vertical section azimuth is typically chosen to give the most useful
view of the wellpath on the section view of the drilling plot
For a 2D wellplan, the vertical section azimuth will usually be the

direction of a straight line drawn from the slot to the end of the wellpath
This gives the most useful view of the drilled versus planned wellpaths
The least useful view would be a vertical section azimuth perpendicular

to this
For a 3D wellplan the choice of vertical section azimuth is a less

obvious process
18
Choice of Vertical Section Azimuth
The choice of vertical section azimuth will usually be up to us
Sometimes for a 3D plan it will be the same as for a 2D wellplan, i.e. the
direction of a straight line drawn from the slot to the end of the wellpath
Or it could be the direction of a straight line from the origin to the end of
the wellpath
Or it could be the direction of a straight line from any point on any

azimuth
Sometimes it will be chosen to give a better view of the more critical part
of the wellpath
Sometimes there will be multiple plots created, for different sections of

the well, each with different vertical section azimuths
Vertical Section Calculation
If the calculated VS is exactly the same as the closure distance, this

means the point lies on the VS azimuth i.e. precisely on the line (of the
plan view) for a simple 2D plan
If the calculated VS is 0, this means the point lies on a line

perpendicular to the VS azimuth (in the plan view)
If the calculated VS is negative, this means the drilled well has gone
backwards with respect to the VS azimuth and origin
This is fairly common in some types of hole
The plotted drilled versus proposed section view will only truly tell you
if youre above or below the line if youre drilling in a direction close to
the VS azimuth
19
Curtain Section
In the MWD world, there has historically been something called

Incremental Section
This is not the same as VS, is now history, and can safely be forgotten
about
There is however another type of cross section calculation referred to

as Curtain Section, in which a 3D wellpath is flattened out along a
straight plane
Both types of cross-section (VS and Curtain Section) can be generated

in WellArchitect
Curtain section may be useful for visualisation of wellpaths in relation to

earth models (formations)
VS Calculation Exercise
Calculate VS for a few lines of the given survey in Exercise 1
Note that the VS Origin is the slot with coordinates (0 N, 0 E)
Check your answers
20
Projecting Ahead
Objectives
The student will be able to
explain what is meant by Projecting Ahead
explain why we might project from the last survey to the bottom of the hole
do simple hand calculation projections to

Calculate Inc and Az at BOH for a given build & turn
Calculate TVD for a projected Inc at a specified BUR
Calculate BUR required for a given TVD
Projecting Ahead
Is the process of calculating, one way or another, where we think the

wellbore may be after a certain amount of drilling which we havent done yet
As such, it always involves some guesswork on our part as to what will

happen to the wellbore over this as yet undrilled section
For example, it may build or turn at a relatively predictable rate
And if it does, then we may be interested in calculating various things:

The current inclination and/or direction at the bottom of the hole
The bottom hole location after a specified additional MD has been drilled
What inclination we will have at a certain TVD
Whether we will hit a specified target
etc
Projecting Ahead
It is common for a DD to project ahead, often after every survey

To estimate where the wellbore will be compared to the plan
To monitor potential collision issues
To find out if he needs to take remedial action
Projecting ahead may be something the DD does as an integral part of his

own routine, or it may be laid down in procedures, either from INTEQ or
from the customer
Either way, it is a useful, and often necessary, thing to do
Sometimes multiple projections are done using different parameters, so

that the DD will have a good idea what he hopes to get in advance of the
survey being taken
In collision-critical situations, there may be a designated hand, either at

the rigsite or in town, dedicated to doing projection calculations
Projecting Ahead
For any specific BHA, the survey sensor is some fixed distance behind the
bit
Surveys are almost always taken with the BHA off bottom
Therefore we never have definitive surveys of the bottom of the wellbore

while drilling
It is usually good practice to project ahead from the last survey station to
the bottom of the hole, and then to do any further projection from the
bottom of the hole
Projecting Ahead
Simple projections can be done on a hand-calculator, but can also be

done with WA (Projection To Bit)
More complicated projections are usually done with WA (Project Ahead)
We will do some of the simpler hand-calculations now
We will do projections using WA later
Projecting Ahead
There are various formulae that can be used when projecting ahead
These formulae are typically developed from the geometry of the circle
and of the right-angled triangle
For most people, the derivation of these formulae is not a great matter
of interest
What is important is how to use them to get the information you want
However, if you are interested
Derivation of formulae
Any curved section in the wellbore can be regarded as an arc of a

circle with a specific radius, rc, the radius of curvature
The circumference, C, of this circle is 2rc
Since there is no exact value of , any calculations using will depend

on the precision with which it is defined
If doing manual calculations, use the button on your calculator
There is a fixed ratio between any arc length (AL) and the angle angle
(AA) by that arc
Lets assume were drilling in feet, so a typical arc length would be 100
So AL/AA = 100/BUR
Arc Length and Arc Angle
Arc angle
Arc length
Derivation of formulae
In the limiting case of the entire circle the expression above would
equal C/360
So 100/BUR = 2rc/360
Rearranging this gives

rc = 360 x 100 / (2 x BUR) = 5729.58/BUR
If were using metres, the BUR is usually expressed in /30 m
So the expression becomes

rc = 360 x 30 / (2 x BUR) = 1718.87/BUR
So if youre using these formulae, the first thing you need to check is
whether the BUR is expressed per 100, per 30, or whatever
Projecting Ahead
Some of the abbreviations used are
I
CL
MD
TVD
Az
VS
BUR
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
rc
TF
DL
DLS
BOH
LSS
=
=
=
=
=
=
inclination (degrees)
course length (feet or metres)
measured depth (feet or metres)
true vertical depth (feet or metres)
azimuth (hole direction) (degrees)
vertical section (feet or metres)
build up rate (/interval) e.g. a BUR of 12/100ft would
be input into the formulas as 12
radius of curvature (feet or metres)
toolface (degrees from highside)
dogleg (degrees)
dogleg severity (degrees/100 ft or degrees/30m)
bottom of hole
last survey station
Calculating Inc and Az at BOH for given build & turn
Assume we have taken two successive surveys at different depths
If we assume that the hole curvature between these two surveys

continues to the bottom of the hole, then we can easily calculate first
the BUR, then the inc and az at the bottom of the hole
Remember that the interval (for BUR) is typically 100 if using feet, and
30 for m
To determine the inclination and direction at the bottom of the hole:

Formulae
BUR = (
I 2 - I1
MD 2 - MD1
I BOH = ( CL LSS -BOH
) Interval
BUR
) + I2
Interval
Turn Rate = (
Az 2 - Az1
) Interval
MD 2 - MD1
Az BOH = ( CL LSS -BOH
Turn Rate
Interval
) + Az 2

Example
The following are the last two surveys a directional driller obtained (depths in
ft):
MD
Inc
Az
TVD
4653
30
15
4643.99
4713
39
18
4693.38
The bit to sensor distance is 33 ft and surveys are taken 5 ft off of bottom
Assume the curvature between the last two survey stations will accurately
reflect the build rate to the bottom of the hole
What is the projected inclination and direction at the bottom of the hole?
We first need to calculate the build rate and turn rate achieved between the last
two survey stations using the appropriate formula
Then we need to project the inclination and direction at the bottom of the hole
based on the calculated build rate and the distance from the survey sensor to
the bottom of the hole

Example
BUR = (
I 2 - I1
) Interval
MD 2 - MD1
Turn Rate = (
BUR = (
39 - 30
) 100
4713 - 4653
Turn Rate = (
BUR = 15 /100ft
BUR
) + I2
Interval
I BOH = (CL
I BOH = (38
15
) + 39
100
I BOH = 44.70
Az 2 - Az 1
) Interval
MD 2 - MD1
18 - 15
) 100
4713 - 4653
Turn Rate = 5/100 ft
Az BOH = (CL
Az BOH = (38
Turn Rate
) + Az 2
Interval
5
) + 18
100
Az BOH = 19.9
Exercise
Do Ex 1 to find the inclination and direction at the bottom of the

hole given the last two surveys
Calculating TVD for a projected Inc at a specified BUR
Assume that the DD now wants to know what the TVD will be (at a given
inc) if he continues to build at the rate defined by the last two surveys
rc
I1
TVD1
TVD2
TVD
I2
TVD1 = rc sinI 1
TVD 2 = rc sinI 2
So TVD = TVD 2 TVD1
= rcsinI 2 rcsinI 1
= rc (sinI 2 sinI 1 )
Calculating TVD for a projected Inc at a specified BUR

Example
Using the same data as in the previous example, lets assume that the
build rate between the last two survey stations is continued to the BOH
So, we can calculate what the TVD will be at the bottom of the hole
BUR = 15 /100 ft.
rc =
5729.58
BUR
5729.58
15
= 381.97 ft
TVD LSS -BOH = rc (sinI BOH sinI LSS ) = 381.97 (sin 44.7 sin 39) = 28.29
TVD BOH = TVD LSS + TVD BOH -LSS = 4693.38 + 28.29 = 4721.67 ft
Exercise
Do Ex 2 to find the TVD at a projected inclination
Calculating BUR required for a given TVD
We may wish to do the previous calculation the other way round for a
given TVD (e.g. target TVD) and inclination, what is the required BUR?
From a previous slide, we have
TVD = rc (sin I 2 sinI 1 )

So rc =
(TVD2 TVD1 )
(sin I 2 sinI 1 ) (sin I 2 sinI 1 )
TVD
Since BUR =
5729.58
rc
Then BURRequired = 5729.58
(sin I 2 sinI 1 )
(TVD2 TVD1 )
So if we wish to calculate the BUR from the BOH to the target, then
BURRequired = 5729.58
(sin I 2 sin I1 )
(TVD 2 TVD1 )
becomes
(sin I
(TVD
target
target
sin I BOH )
TVDBOH )
10
So, again using the same example data, if we wish to calculate the
BUR from the BOH to the target, then
(sin I
(TVD
target
target
sin I BOH )
TVD BOH )
becomes
(sin 89 sin 44.7)

(4930 4721.67 )
= 8.15/100 ft
This 8.15/100 ft BUR can then be compared against the calculated

BUR when the next survey is taken
Exercise
Do Ex 3 to find the BUR required to hit a particular TVD at a given

inclination
11
Miscellaneous
Remember if the units are metres, use 1718.87 instead of 5729.58
These calculations have been concentrating on projections in the build

plane i.e. inclinations
Similar formulae can be derived and applied to the turn plane i.e.
azimuths
In practice, once the calculations become moderately complex, it is rare

to do them by hand
Typically, WA is used if calculations are required to estimate

whats required to hit the target (build, turn, front, back, top, bottom)
whats required to get back on the line (profile, DLS, by a given TVD) at a
given inc and az
etc.
12

Directional Drilling Survey Calculations

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Interim Data

Average Angle Exercise

Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25 90.84 125.14 1.13

CL = 4942.00 4787.00 I = 19.30 + 20.30

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Average Angle Exercise

Average Angle Exercise

Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25 90.84 125.14 1.13

Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89

TVD = 155' cos(19.80)

TVD = 145 .84 '

TVD11 = TVD10 + TVD

Average Angle Exercise

Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25 90.84 125.14 1.13

Average Angle Exercise

Average Angle Exercise

Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25 90.84 125.14 1.13

Make another Triangle!

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Average Angle Exercise

Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89

From Previous Calculation:

Add to obtain Survey 11 N

From Tie In Survey:

Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25 90.84 125.14 1.13

Add to obtain Survey 11 E

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Average Angle Exercise

Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25

90.84 125.14 1.13

Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89 119.88 141.54

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Be Careful with Closure Azimuth

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Average Angle Exercise

Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25

90.84 125.14 1.13

Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89 119.88 141.54

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Average Angle Exercise

Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25

90.84 125.14 1.13

Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89 119.88 141.54

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Average Angle Exercise

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Average Angle Exercise

Survey 10 4787.00 19.30 72.00 4764.05 106.25

90.84 125.14 1.13

Survey 11 4942.00 20.30 77.90 4909.89 119.88 141.54 155.10 1.44

DL = cos1[sin(I 1)sin(I 2 ) cos( A2 A1) + cos(I 1) cos(I 2 )]

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

The student will be able to

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Calculating The Wellbore Position

When we survey a wellbore, we typically have MD, Inc and Az

To plot/calculate the position of the wellbore, we need to somehow

There are many different mathematical ways to join the dots

The most common survey calculation methods used in the drilling

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Survey Calculation Methods

2008 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Survey Calculation Methods