The Different Types of Directional Drilling in Roseville, CA

July 24, 2019 6:59 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Directional drilling is being used more frequently than ever in well drilling and development. Of course, there are multiple types of directional drilling, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages that determine when it is most effectively used.

Here’s a quick overview of some of these types of drilling, from our team of experienced drilling contractors in Roseville, CA.

Horizontal drilling

Horizontal drilling is the process of drilling a wellbore at 90 degrees from the vertical. This process allows for greater contact between the reservoir and well, improving the overall productivity.

Horizontal drilling is frequently used to overcome problems that exist with water and gas coning. The process can also be used to drill through reservoirs that are relatively thin that are vertically permeable, but that need to be accessed horizontally to be fully taken advantage of.

There are short, medium and long radius options for horizontal drilling, which (as their names suggest) feature different ranges of boring, allowing you to access deposits from significant distances away on a horizontal plane.

Multilateral drilling

Multilateral drilling involves the drilling of numerous branches of wellbores from a single wellbore known as the trunk. Picture a tree growing upside-down below the surface of the ground, branching off in different directions with one main “trunk” going straight down, and that’s essentially what multilateral drilling looks like.

This process carries a number of unique advantages. It significantly reduces the amount of surface equipment needed, as well as the overall cost of facilities at the surface. It cuts down on the surface disruption, and is a process that can be used in particularly tight reservoirs where there is low permeability. It allows teams to perform injection and production at the same well. It takes a bit of planning to make multilateral drilling as effective as possible, but it is one of the more efficient methods available, both in terms of space used and overall productivity.

Extended reach drilling

This type of drilling is exemplified by its depth ratio: the horizontal departure of the drilling divided by its vertical depth. If the ratio is greater than two, then the drilling process is categorized as extended reach drilling. This process can be challenging, because it requires specific equipment and a greater level of skill. But when performed well, this type of drilling significantly cuts down on environmental impact, allows for more oil to be recovered from a much larger area and maximizes the total productivity and drainage capability of the well being drilled.

These are just a few examples of the main types of directional drilling. For more information, we encourage you to contact the drilling contractors in Roseville, CA at Es7 Comm-2 U, Inc. today. We bring nearly two decades of industry experience to the table in our work for a wide variety of clients, including private landowners, communication and utility companies, and we’re proud to be fully licensed, bonded and insured. Reach out to us today to arrange a consultation—we look forward to working with you soon!

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