One in ten wells are off by more than 150 feet, and in the directional drilling world, the little things can lead to significant challenges.
Here are four ways to improve your Wellbore's accuracy.
- Gross Errors
Gross Errors, like inputting the wrong declination or referencing the wrong north, can have profound consequences.
Also, declination values can change as you drill the well, which can throw off the accuracy of your well bore. Using IFR, or infield reference values, gives you a more accurate survey.
- Non-Magnetic spacing
Your non-mag spacing can seem sufficient, but having a hot collar down hole can cause significant azimuth errors. This can lead to three things. Lease line issues, anti-collision issues, or even having to trip.
Using a survey management company can keep you making hole accurately.
- True Vertical Depth Matters
Gravity can cause major issues with the inclination sensor down hole.
This is called SAG. This can give you significant true vertical depth, or TVD errors while drilling. An automatic SAG service can keep you in the TVD you expect.
- Tool Misalignment
This comes in two forms, single sensor misalignment and sensor package misalignment. Single sensor misalignment, this is where one of the X, Y, or Z sensors is not aligned correctly.
This can introduce significant azimuth errors. Sensor package misalignment, like when the accelerometer is not aligned with the magnetometer down hole. These are other pitfalls that can be avoided, and multi-station analysis is a diagnostic check down hole in real time that can correct these errors.
With a survey management service, you can accurately hit your targets, stay on schedule, and more importantly, keep making hole. And remember, your wellbore is only as good as your surveys. Visit H&P for more information on our survey management services.
