Directional Drilling Process and How it Works

A broad term that is used to describe boring that doesn’t go in a vertical straight line, the directional drilling process is used in the oil and gas industry. Even a vertical well, deviation might be needed to get around a geological formation or a pipe before returning to the planned path.

The driller might use sidetracking techniques, which is a kind of directional drilling. When it comes to conventional drilling for gas and oil, the drill string, drill bit, casing, and pipe all go down in a straight line. If the drill operator aims the equipment away from the 180-degree down angle, that would technically be directional drilling.

In this modern age with technological advances, there will most likely be a series of pre-planned directional changes throughout the drilling process. Directional drilling has been used for more than a century.

Technological Advances

Technological improvements during the last few decades have helped improve turns, angles, and underground distances that are covered more efficiently and effectively. Techniques such as extended reach drilling (ERD), horizontal drilling, and multilateral drilling are enhanced approaches that are used for oil recovery that increase the downhole yield significantly.

ERD specialists can drill at depths or distances that exceed 6.2 miles. When the drilling rig is imagined as the tree trunk, the directional possibilities of the roots or paths are endless. When you look at the branches of the roots as multilateral drilling, the options are countless.

What Makes Directional Drilling Valuable?

Multiple downholes can be drilled using the same rig, which can reduce the disturbance on the surface and limit the impact on the environment. This approach allows boreholes to reach as far as a mile down and as far as five miles at angles where they are shallow. If you are in an oilfield that has dispersed deposits, drillers can tap a large radius. In turn, this maximizes the rig asset.

Directional drill operators need specialized training, which can be attained at special training schools. Call Associated Training Schools today to learn about the directional drill training program. ATS offers heavy equipment training in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.