In directional and horizontal drilling, drill collars play an essential role in providing the "push" and control needed to steer the drill bit.
Function of drill collar
1. Provide weight on bit (WOB) – its heavy weight, typically 100-200 KN, pushes the drill bit into the formation with force for optimal penetration rate. This improves drilling efficiency.
2. Stabilize bottom hole assembly (BHA) – its thick walls and high stiffness, resisting lateral and axial forces, keep the BHA stabilized. This allows directional tools to properly steer the bit.
3. Enable operation of directional tools - The stabilized BHA provided by drill collars allows mud motors and rotary steerable systems to effectively orient and point the drill bit in the desired trajectory.
4. Counter act lifting force of drilling fluid - The upward circulation of drilling fluid can lift the drill string off the bottom. The high weight counters this uplift.
5. Maintain tool face orientation - The stabilization resists rotation of the BHA, enabling the desired tool face angle to be maintained for optimal directional control.
6. Resist dogleg severity (DLS) – its stiffness minimizes unwanted deviations in the wellbore path while directionally drilling. This keeps the hole trajectory consistent.
7. Positioned above drill bit - In a typical BHA, multiple drill collars are positioned end-to-end directly above the drill bit and mud motor.
8. Number and position customized - More or longer may be used in high-angle wellbores or interbedded formations to provide greater directional control.
9. Enable precise trajectory control – its stabilization and weight allow accurate steering of the wellbore to stay within plan.
10. Essential for deviated and horizontal wells – its directional force and stability are necessary to drill non-vertical well paths.
11. Critical for complex good geometries - it enables precise directional performance needed in intricate multi-lateral or extended reach wells.
Global Applications：
Directional Drilling Drill Collars play an indispensable role in directional drilling operations around the world.
◆In the Middle East, it has been crucial for efficiently developing tight gas reservoirs. Multiple horizontal wells are drilled from centralized pads, requiring smooth tangent sections extending over 10,000 feet to tap these narrow fracture systems. Heavy drill collars provide excellent directional control to gently curve the wellbores and drill laterals within just a few feet of geosteering targets.
◆Drilling rigs in North America rely on Directional Drilling Drill Collars for precise steering down to sub-seismic resolution targets. In the Permian Basin, hundreds of feet of massive stabilize slim-hole rotary steerable assemblies to drill miles-long horizontal wells. This enables each well to maximize contact within narrow oil-rich shale layers just 10 to 20 feet thick.
◆Offshore South America, has unlocked complex deepwater drilling capabilities. Sections of over 30 provide weight and stabilization to maintain verticality when drilling 20,000-foot wells through thick salt layers. This is followed by accurately kicking off and landing long horizontal sections within smaller-cost reservoirs beneath the salt.
◆In Europe, the Directional Drilling Drill Collar enabled the drilling of highly deviated wells from onshore rigs out under the Ocean. Impressive extended reach wells over 12 kilometers long were drilled building angle using a heavy drill collar above the rotary steerable BHA. This provided economical access to offshore reservoirs from shore.
They also shine in geothermal drilling applications. High-temperature geothermal wells often curve to intersect inclined rock fractures. The stabilization of heavy collars allows smooth directional profiles to be drilled even with high-velocity steam flow trying to push the drill string around.
New innovations like rotary steerable systems have worked hand-in-hand with it to revolutionize directional drilling. Using sophisticated algorithms, these closed-loop automated tools guide direction by commands to the drill collar stabilized BHA. This pushes directional performance to new levels.
At our company, we are proud to provide Directional Drilling Drill Collar and specialized directional drilling products to customers across the globe. Our manufacturing and service capabilities allow us to support complex drilling operations worldwide. please contact us at: info@vigorpetroleum.com
