Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas | Drilling and Well Engineering
Directional Drilling
Format and Duration:
2 days
4 sessions
This course provides a comprehensive treatment of the design, model, and practices with theoretical underpinnings for directional, horizontal, and multilateral wells. Participants will explore various methods that offer a more comprehensive view of trajectory designs for well construction. It also covers well engineering principles, enabling participants to understand the importance of different well designs.
Additionally, the curriculum includes concepts related to bottom hole assembly (BHA) design, drill-ahead techniques, and drillstring dynamics. An examination of the most recent well construction technologies will be conducted, focusing on the design of horizontal and multibranch wells. Specialized drilling strategies, including horizontal drilling, extended reach, geosteering, and the use of special downhole tools for complex and advanced wells, will also be discussed.
Business Impact: Participants will learn to design high-angle and complex wells that maximize reservoir contact, improve wellbore stability, and enhance drilling efficiency. By applying advanced trajectory planning, BHA optimization, and geosteering techniques, they’ll reduce drilling time, lower operational risks, and boost production outcomes across a variety of well construction projects.
The training includes a copy of the "Horizontal Drilling: Theory, Methods and Applications" textbook (400 pages) authored by Dr. Robello Samuel.
Schedule
Duration and Training Method
This is a classroom or virtual classroom course comprising a mixture of lectures, discussions, case studies, and practical exercises.
Course Overview
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn to:
- Synthesize the design principles for directional and horizontal wells.
- Comprehend various trajectory models used in well construction.
- Contextualize the application of various downhole tools in drilling operations.
- Demonstrate the importance of well engineering in relation to high-angle wells.
- Develop a broader knowledge base for the application of principles and methods in directional drilling.
Course Content
- General Introduction and History
- Basic Definitions
- Planning and Surveys
- Coordinate Systems
- Surveys
- Survey Tools
- Survey Tool Errors
- Wellpath Planning
- Horizontal Drilling Methods
- Considerations in the Selection of a Horizontal Drilling Method
- Wellpath Design
- 2D Design
- 3D design
- Catenary Design
- Profile Quantification
- Tortuosity
- Wellbore Torsion
- Uncertainty of Vertical Target Depth
- Wellpath Error Analysis
- Probability of Intersection
- Ranging Factor
- Level of Risks
- Minimum Fracture Separation Distance
- Multilateral wells, New Generation Horizontal Wells
- Complex Well Designs
- Designer Wells
- Horizontal ERD Wells
- Well Twinning
- Horizontal Interconnected Well
- Sidewinding or Serpentine Wells
- Horseshoe wells
- Fishhook Wells
- Pads and super pads
- Special Tools for horizontal drilling
- Bent Sub, Kick Pad, Eccentric Stabilizer, Double Bend Assembly
- Agitators
- Motor Assembly
- RSS assembly
- Ranging tools and other downhole tools
- Automation – surface and downhole
- Other special operations
- Sliding
- Rocking and sliding
- Torque and Drag
- Complexity of Friction
- Drag and Torque in Horizontal Well Drilling
- 2D & 3D Models of Down-hole Drag and Torque
- Hook Load Calculation for Directional Well
- Buckling in Horizontal Wells
- Broomstick plots
- Specific Energy – MSE & HMSE
- Hole cleaning and Borehole Stability
- Casing Wear
- Wear Estimation Models
- Casing Wear in Horizontal and ERD Wells
- Collapse Strength Calculation
- Numerical examples
- Detailed, step-by-step worked out examples and design are presented at appropriate places throughout the course.
- Case studies
- Few case histories are presented to demonstrate how the various designs are applied and team exercise to get participants can apply certain methods.
Who Should Attend and Prerequisites
This course is intended for drilling engineers, well operations personnel, rig supervisors, drilling supervisors, and pipe manufacturers who seek to gain a deeper understanding of directional well designs and their applications in drilling high-angle wells.
Instructors
Robello Samuel
Background
With 41 years of experience, he currently serves as a Senior Technology Fellow in Halliburton’s Drilling Division, where he leads research and engineering in well engineering, cyber-physical systems, artificial intelligence, and sustainability. Since 1998, he has advanced drilling technology, leveraging a multi-disciplinary background that includes operations, consulting, software development, and education. Prior to Halliburton, he worked for nine years as a field and drilling engineer at Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, significantly contributing to domestic and international oil and gas drilling and completion operations.
He is recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to drilling technologies and engineering practices, having received multiple prestigious awards, including the Gulf Coast SPE Drilling Engineering Award, the SPE International Drilling Engineering Award, the SPE Distinguished Membership Award, and the SPE Honorary Award—one of the highest honors presented by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), limited to only 0.1% of the organization’s membership. An educator for over two decades, he is also an adjunct professor at the University of Houston and the University of Southern California, and has published more than 264 technical papers while holding 114 U.S. patents.
As a Commissioner for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and a representative on the SPE Research and Development Advisory Board, his influence extends beyond academia. He has authored fifteen books on drilling engineering, blending extensive industry experience with academic rigor. His unique combination of practical field experience, research expertise, and educational leadership allows him to profoundly impact the industry, driving innovation and sustainable practices in drilling engineering.
Affiliations and Accreditation
PhD University of Tulsa - Petroleum Engineering
MSc University of Tulsa - Petroleum Engineering
MSc College of Engineering Guindy - Mechanical Engineering
BSc University of Madurai - Mechanical Engineering
Courses Taught
N738: Applied Drilling Engineering Optimization
N739: Horizontal Drilling & Extended Reach Drilling
N740: Introduction to HPHT Well Design
N741: Principles of Mud Motor
N742: Directional Drilling
N743: Drillstring Design Practices
N744: Well Engineering: Torque and Drag and Hydraulics
Accreditation and Certification
CEU: 1.4 Continuing Education Units
PDH: 14 Professional Development Hours
Certificate: Certificate Issued Upon Completion
RPS is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. We comply with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognised internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices.
We issue a Certificate of Attendance which verifies the number of training hours attended. Our courses are generally accepted by most professional licensing boards/associations towards continuing education credits. Please check with your licensing board to determine if the courses and certificate of attendance meet their specific criteria.