How do directional drill bits work

A small area is needed to set up the equipment. This area can be strategically placed away from congestion and business activities. Before the drilling begins, the crew pre-plans the bore path to carefully avoid obstructions such as other underground utilities. The horizontal bore begins with the directional drill bit entering the entrance pit. The entrance pit is used to contain and manage the drilling fluids. The directional drilling crew are in radio communication with each other throughout the entire process.

The directional drill bit is tracked by a sonde, or radio detection device, housed within its extended connection to the directional drill pipe, the depth and pitch is sent to the surface and received by the walkover locating device. The locator then gathers and interprets the information and then gives directions to the directional drill operator on which way to steer the drill bit. An experienced directional drilling crew can navigate and steer the drill bit up, down, right, left, and a combination of varying degrees of each to drill the desired horizontal bore path.

How could anything go wrong? The description above represents how it works if everything goes smoothly. In May, drilling fluid from the Judy Way drill site started emerging in residential lawns and in the bed of Chester Creek. A future post will take a closer look at the problems that can arise from HDD. Hey, It is fascinating to see how someone can have so much information and expertise in some specific subject.

Seems like you could of handeled that project pretty easily as well. Thanks for the quick read! Like Like. Thank you for this quick summary! Very interesting. That is interesting that with horizontal drilling, only the tip of the drill rotates. I have always been curious how they can drill on one side of the road, and have the pipe come up on the other side of the road. It would be interesting to be involved in this process. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account.

You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Search for: Search. Date: July 4, Author: galex49 9 Comments. If the drill is found to be off course, the direction of drilling can be adjusted accordingly. Share this: Twitter Facebook. Like this: Like Loading A field guide.

Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Directional drilling is a technique used by oil-extraction companies in order to access oil in underground reserves. Directional drilling is also called directional boring. Most oil wells are positioned above the targeted reservoir, so accessing them involves drilling vertically from the surface through to the well below.

However, directional drilling is different because it involves drilling at a non-vertical angle. Directional drilling is used to describe any drilling that doesn't go straight down. The main benefit of directional drilling is that it enables companies to exploit multiple oil reservoirs with a single well, thereby reducing the total cost of drilling while also limiting the environmental impact of drilling. The practice of directional drilling has been used since the s throughout the oil and gas industry.

In its early years, directional drilling involved using the same basic equipment as vertical wells, except the drilling itself was done at a non-vertical angle. Modern directional drilling techniques have refined this process by using drill bits that can bend to better accommodate non-vertical angles. Additional technologies, such as the use of hydraulic jets that adjust and guide the drill direction, have further improved the efficiency and reliability of this process.

Today, drill operators can use computers to adjust the angle of the drill bit in real-time, and can even use GPS signals to pinpoint the exact location of an oil and gas field. Using advanced software programs, engineers can create 3-D models of the oil fields to determine the optimal location for the well, as well as the best possible entry point for directional drilling.

Furthermore, directional drilling can be much more cost-effective. Oil rigs and their staff sometimes have day rates that are upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. With directional drilling, one rig alone may be able to work up to five or ten square miles compared to having a dozen or more vertical rigs. Directional drilling can be especially useful in situations where the underground reservoir has an abnormal shape and vertical entry is considered impractical.

Directional drilling may also be preferable if there have been concerns expressed by residents living near the surface drill sites.

By limiting the number of surface wells used, directional drilling reduces soil disturbance and can make the oil extraction process less disruptive to nearby residents and other stakeholders in the vicinity. By reducing the fractures to existing rock formations, directional drilling also reduces the contamination of groundwater pollution, further protecting the ecosystem and adjacent areas.

Because directional drilling can permit a single location to be used to access multiple underground reservoirs, it can enable oil companies to explore smaller and less-proven reserves that would otherwise not be economical to access. Depending on the location, directional drilling can produce greater amounts of oil and gas. In addition to allowing companies to access reserves that might otherwise be inaccessible, directional drilling can also contribute to site safety.

By creating boreholes far in advance of the mine face in question, directional drilling can allow companies to reduce the risk of gas ruptures while developing a new well. On the other hand, directional drilling can make operating wells more complex, particularly if the well is dug at an inclination of 40 degrees or greater.

In addition, as with all construction equipment, directional drilling damages the existing ground although the impact can be minimized. Many directional drilling rigs are very heavy, run on tracks, and tend to damage the areas where they traverse and travel. Makes the oil extraction process less disruptive to nearby residents and other stakeholders in the vicinity.

As with all construction equipment, directional drilling damages the existing ground although the impact can be minimized. The maximum length and diameter of directional drilling are determined by the specific site where the drilling is taking place. However, some horizontal drilling rigs have an outside range of up to 9, feet.