US3610346A - Method for oriented emplacement of well casing to achieve directional drilling - Google Patents

Method for oriented emplacement of well casing to achieve directional drilling Download PDF

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Publication number
US3610346A
US3610346A US42188A US3610346DA US3610346A US 3610346 A US3610346 A US 3610346A US 42188 A US42188 A US 42188A US 3610346D A US3610346D A US 3610346DA US 3610346 A US3610346 A US 3610346A
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Prior art keywords
casing
guide passage
substratum
well
drilling
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Expired - Lifetime
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US42188A
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English (en)
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Johnnie J Ziober
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Texaco Inc
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Texaco Inc
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    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B7/00—Special methods or apparatus for drilling
    • E21B7/20—Driving or forcing casings or pipes into boreholes, e.g. sinking; Simultaneously drilling and casing boreholes
    • E21B7/208—Driving or forcing casings or pipes into boreholes, e.g. sinking; Simultaneously drilling and casing boreholes using down-hole drives
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B7/00—Special methods or apparatus for drilling
    • E21B7/04—Directional drilling
    • E21B7/043—Directional drilling for underwater installations

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method and apparatus for the emplacement of an oriented conductor casing at a desired angle preliminary to slant drilling of a well in the substratum of an offshore well site.
  • the method provides for the initial lowering of a well casing into the substratum. Thereafter the casing is forcefully urged downwardly whereby to bend and assume a curvature in a desired direction, as the casing advances along a preformed curved guide passage. The casing is progressively advanced until penetrating one or more competent subsurface formations,
  • a further application of slant and/or directional drilling is found in the instance of a well that has become uncontrollably wild due to excessive pressure within a tapped pocket.
  • slant drilling is resorted to whereby to afiord a safety valve for the pressure buildup by tapping into the field or gas pocket at an angle from the original well.
  • the guide tube system is of course obviated.
  • a floor comprised of an unconsolidated consistency such as a deltaic substratum
  • the consistency of the ocean floor renders it impossible to commence a well therethrough. Were such an attempt to be made, the walls of the formed well immediately collapse.
  • a tool entering at a predetermined angle would tend to gravitate toward a vertical disposition due to the weight of the drill string and collar, and inability of the substratum to maintain the string in a desired nonvertical direction.
  • a further object is to provide a drilling method for use in an offshore location characterized by a generally deltaic consistency beneath the ocean floor.
  • a still further object is to facilitate the drilling of a slant or directionally controlled hole into an unconsolidated substratum at an offshore site by the use of standard, vertically oriented drilling equipment normally provided on drilling barges and rigs.
  • DESCRlPTlON OF THE DRAWINGS HO. 1 illustrates in a partially diagrammatic view, the present method of providing a slant drilled well from a stationary platform embedded at the floor of a body of water.
  • FIG. 2 is a segmentary view on an enlarged scale illustrating the lower end of a partially embedded well casing together with the drill string forming a guide hole in advance of the casing.
  • FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in F K].
  • the invention in brief provides a method and apparatus to facilitate the slant or directional drilling of an offshore well in a substratum, when the upper portion of the latter is characterized by a basically unconsolidated consistency.
  • the method provides that initially, an elongated well casing be supportably lowered at a substantially vertical attitude into the substratum until the forward end transverses the unconsolidated or incompetent portion and enters a more consolidated strata. In such position, the suspended casing will be essentially supported at the upper end by the derrick, with the lower end embedded into a competent strata.
  • a guide passage is formed in the competent strata in advance of the casing lower end, into which guide passage the casing is forcefully urged.
  • the casing walls are strained to adapt to the curvature of the passage walls.
  • FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate in general an offshore well 10 being formed in a partially deltaic substratum.
  • the latter is characterized by a generally unconsolidated or incompetent strata U disposed immediately beneath the surface of the ocean floor. in the instance of an area such as the Gulf of Mexico, this upper strata can be present up to several hundred feet of depth.
  • An exemplary profile would consist of a series of horizontal layers made up of diverse soil compositions. These layers or strata can consist of varying gradations and proportions of sand, clay and other materials, In the aggregate, however, for several hundred feet of depth the layers will be incompetent to support a desired length of steel-walled casing.
  • a layer C comprised of stiffer clay or the like, which substratum is capable of supporting a well casing merely by contact with the outer walls of the latter.
  • well 10 is drilled from a fixedly positioned marine platform 11 comprising a plurality of upstanding legs 12 and 13. The upper ends of the respective legs terminate above the water's surface and support a work deck 14. Following normal practice, deck 14 is movably or fixedly spaced a sufficient distance beyond the water's surface to protect equipment from undue exposure to wind and water.
  • Deck 14 is shown carrying the usual equipment ancillary to a well drilling operation.
  • This includes a derrick 16 comprising an open steel structure having crown block 17 together with the necessary rigging for suspending a drill string 18 as the latter is lowered into well 10.
  • Deck 14 further carries a draw works 19 which is connected to a rotary table 21, operably supported at the deck level whereby the drill string 18 can be rotated.
  • Platform ll is anchored at a predetermined offshore well site by piles 22 which are driven through the respective legs 12 and i3 and into the substratum. Normally, these piles are set sufficiently deep to afford the platform the degree of stability necessary to withstand adverse weather conditions while remaining in place at the well site. In accordance with present practice, the more incompetent or unconsolidated the consistency of the substratum, the greater will be the number of piles 22 required to satisfactorily and supportably anchor the platform.
  • the depth of the water at the well site can lie within the limits of a minimal 25-foot depth, up to several hundred feet.
  • the substratum U layer immediately underlying the water consists of a relatively unconsolidated material formed of mud and related compositions. Such substratum possesses minimal ability to maintain a heavy casing or other smooth walled body merely by a friction hold with the surface of the body.
  • relatively long casing strings have been lost in the Gulf of Mexico merely by sinking into the substratum due to their weight and to the inability of the latter to stabilize the casing.
  • Well casing 23 normally making up the outer wall of the well upper end, is formed of welded lengths of a heavy walled, steel cylindrical tubing. As the casing is progressively lowered into the substratum, incremental shorter casing lengths are welded to the upper end to provide a continuous open passage to 36 inches in diameter.
  • casing 23 is disposed at its upper end in a substantially vertical disposition with respect to the waters surface. This results since the steel casing is of sufficient bulk to embed itself by virtue of its own weight, through the water and the upper underconsolidated substratum U.
  • casing 23 is lowered progressively through the water. As the casing upper end is tightly clamped, incremental casing lengths are welded to the upper end at the deck. If necessary however, the casing is driven from the waters surface by a pile driver or similar apparatus carried on the platform or on an adjacently positioned barge. Further, where the substratum is relatively soft, the jetting process can be utilized whereby a downward passage is jetted vertically through the substratum thereby to facilitate embedment.
  • casing 23 is downwardly urged to assume a gradual curvature from a depth beyond the strata interface and shortly after entering the consolidated substratum C.
  • the curvature is maintained to the casing lower end until the latter reaches a desired depth.
  • the casing at this point is oriented to facilitate drilling out in a particular direction.
  • casing 23 lower end is comprised of a cylindrical member having a leading edge 24, and of sufficient wall thickness to lead the casing through a preformed guide passage 27.
  • a portion of the periphery of casing 23 lower section can be provided with an outwardly protruding shoe section 26 arranged on the side in opposite to the direction in which the casing is to be deflected or deviated.
  • Shoe section 26, as shown in FIG. 2 comprises in essence a tapered portion raised outwardly from a peripheral segment of the casing surface, to afford a backward drag on that side whereby the course of the casing will be deflected by the shoe 26.
  • the means for forming passage 27 includes a jetting bit 28 carried at the drill string 18 lower end.
  • a pressurized fluid such as water or drilling mud is pumped downwardly to, and out of the jetting bit, whereby to wash out a circular passage extending coaxially with the casing lower end.
  • Jetting bit 28 is provided with a laterally directed jet to urge the bit in a desired direction. The working pressure of fluid emitted from the bit can of course be varied in accordance with the substratum to most effectively achieve a desired guide passage curvature.
  • jetting bit In the normal operation of a jetting bit, the drill string and bit are lowered to the bottom of a hole to be drilled. The bit is so connected that only one or more jets remain unplugged as to urge the bit in a lateral direction. Without rotating the string, jetting fluid is pumped to the bit and discharged through said one or more open jets into the surrounding substratum. The pressurized liquid jetstreams loosen and erode the soil, to form a laterally exposed cavity. The bit is then advanced, the liquid pumping discontinued, and the drill string lower end follows the bit which gravitates toward a deviated course in the direction of the lateral cavity. The sequence of steps of jetting and drilling are thereafter continued to the desired depth.
  • casing 23 is first lowered vertically into the substratum a predetermined distance. This distance is such that the casing lower end will lie within the lower, more consolidated stratum denoted C.
  • the casing can be further advanced into the consolidated substratum as shown in FIG. I, or as shown in FIG. 2 the procedure for altering the casings direction can be commended immediately upon entering the consolidated layer.
  • drill string 18 can be inserted, having a drill bit or a jetting head 28 at the lower end thereof.
  • the well may now be further advanced in the usual manner by drilling or jetting as herein noted.
  • the direction at which the bit at this stage of the operation will advance to the substratum is dependent at least in part on the type of bit used as well as on the pressure applied to the drilling bit.
  • any further angle of deviation or direction at which the drill bit progresses can be readily controlled from the waters surface.
  • Method for the directional drilling of a subterranean well at an offshore location having a substratum characterized by an underconsolidated consistency at the ocean floor and a competent layer beneath said underconsolidated layer which method includes the steps of;

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Earth Drilling (AREA)
US42188A 1970-06-01 1970-06-01 Method for oriented emplacement of well casing to achieve directional drilling Expired - Lifetime US3610346A (en)

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US4218870A 1970-06-01 1970-06-01

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US (1) US3610346A (is)
BE (1) BE767935A (is)
CA (1) CA940825A (is)
DE (1) DE2126867A1 (is)
DK (1) DK130752B (is)
EG (1) EG10703A (is)
ES (1) ES391831A1 (is)
GB (1) GB1280965A (is)
IS (1) IS903B6 (is)
NL (1) NL7107459A (is)
NO (1) NO133634C (is)

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3899032A (en) * 1974-03-15 1975-08-12 Cities Service Oil Co Method and apparatus for deviating conductor casing
US4003440A (en) * 1974-09-17 1977-01-18 Tidril Corporation Apparatus and process for drilling underground arcuate paths utilizing directional drill and following liner
US4027734A (en) * 1975-12-11 1977-06-07 Hebert & Co., Inc. Gurtler Deviated conductor driving system
US4258800A (en) * 1979-05-03 1981-03-31 Petro-Drive, Inc. Hinged conductor casing for deviated driving and method therefor
US4276942A (en) * 1979-01-19 1981-07-07 Shell Oil Company Deviation device
DE3127337A1 (de) * 1980-07-17 1982-03-04 Dickinson Iii, Ben Wade Oakes Verfahren und vorrichtung zum bohren eines bohrlochs in einer unterirdischen formation
US5085283A (en) * 1990-09-07 1992-02-04 Seabourn Ed O Method and tool string for curving a vertical borehole horizontally
US20070012482A1 (en) * 2004-03-23 2007-01-18 Josef Mocivnik Method and device for producing pretensioned anchorings
GB2499723A (en) * 2012-02-23 2013-08-28 Wenande William C Apparatus for changing direction during driving of a tubular

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1900163A (en) * 1931-05-02 1933-03-07 Dana Drexler Method and apparatus for drilling oil wells
US2565794A (en) * 1945-10-02 1951-08-28 Signal Oil & Gas Co Directional drilling of deviated boreholes
US2873092A (en) * 1957-11-14 1959-02-10 Roy P Dwyer Jet deflection method of deviating a bore hole
US2891770A (en) * 1955-01-13 1959-06-23 Shell Oil Co Anchoring method and apparatus
US3004612A (en) * 1956-11-05 1961-10-17 Richfield Oil Corp Submerged elevated well head structure
US3115755A (en) * 1960-09-26 1963-12-31 Shell Oil Co Method of anchoring offshore structures
US3426844A (en) * 1966-12-20 1969-02-11 Texaco Inc Method of drilling underwater wells

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1900163A (en) * 1931-05-02 1933-03-07 Dana Drexler Method and apparatus for drilling oil wells
US2565794A (en) * 1945-10-02 1951-08-28 Signal Oil & Gas Co Directional drilling of deviated boreholes
US2891770A (en) * 1955-01-13 1959-06-23 Shell Oil Co Anchoring method and apparatus
US3004612A (en) * 1956-11-05 1961-10-17 Richfield Oil Corp Submerged elevated well head structure
US2873092A (en) * 1957-11-14 1959-02-10 Roy P Dwyer Jet deflection method of deviating a bore hole
US3115755A (en) * 1960-09-26 1963-12-31 Shell Oil Co Method of anchoring offshore structures
US3426844A (en) * 1966-12-20 1969-02-11 Texaco Inc Method of drilling underwater wells

Cited By (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3899032A (en) * 1974-03-15 1975-08-12 Cities Service Oil Co Method and apparatus for deviating conductor casing
US4003440A (en) * 1974-09-17 1977-01-18 Tidril Corporation Apparatus and process for drilling underground arcuate paths utilizing directional drill and following liner
US4027734A (en) * 1975-12-11 1977-06-07 Hebert & Co., Inc. Gurtler Deviated conductor driving system
USRE29929E (en) * 1975-12-11 1979-03-13 Gurtler, Hebert & Co., Inc. Deviated conductor driving system
US4276942A (en) * 1979-01-19 1981-07-07 Shell Oil Company Deviation device
US4258800A (en) * 1979-05-03 1981-03-31 Petro-Drive, Inc. Hinged conductor casing for deviated driving and method therefor
DE3127337A1 (de) * 1980-07-17 1982-03-04 Dickinson Iii, Ben Wade Oakes Verfahren und vorrichtung zum bohren eines bohrlochs in einer unterirdischen formation
US5085283A (en) * 1990-09-07 1992-02-04 Seabourn Ed O Method and tool string for curving a vertical borehole horizontally
US20070012482A1 (en) * 2004-03-23 2007-01-18 Josef Mocivnik Method and device for producing pretensioned anchorings
US7320371B2 (en) * 2004-03-23 2008-01-22 “ALWAG” Tunnelausbau Gesellschaft m.b.H. Method and device for producing pretensioned anchorings
GB2499723A (en) * 2012-02-23 2013-08-28 Wenande William C Apparatus for changing direction during driving of a tubular
GB2499723B (en) * 2012-02-23 2018-12-12 Charles Wenande William Apparatus for use in establishing a wellhead

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NO133634C (is) 1976-06-02
IS2004A7 (is) 1971-12-02
EG10703A (en) 1976-04-30
GB1280965A (en) 1972-07-12
CA940825A (en) 1974-01-29
NL7107459A (is) 1971-12-03
IS903B6 (is) 1975-02-21
DK130752C (is) 1975-09-08
DK130752B (da) 1975-04-07
DE2126867A1 (de) 1971-12-16
NO133634B (is) 1976-02-23
BE767935A (fr) 1971-12-01
ES391831A1 (es) 1973-06-16

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