IADC/SPE-178825-MS

Changing Drillstring Design to Allow Accurate Calculation of BHA SAG

Corrections
Sean Hinke, and Karim Kanji, Halliburton; Brian Mracek, Chris Slight, Robin Happy, and Lidia Zabcic, Brion
Energy; Diver Relph, formerly of Halliburton

Copyright 2016, IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition

This paper was prepared for presentation at the IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition held in Fort Worth, Texas, USA, 1–3 March 2016.

This paper was selected for presentation by an IADC/SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s).
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Abstract
Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) and cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) drilling environments in
Northern Alberta have some of the tightest geological control in the world. In many cases, there are
multiple stratigraphic wells along the length of the vertical section of the horizontal legs. This geological
control allows wells to be more accurately positioned with formation evaluation sensors than in most
areas, which often means that the resulting wellbore position from directional surveys, containing
compounding survey uncertainty, places the wells differently than expected from the geological wellbore
positioning. Through empirical testing in controlled environments and field validation trials, it was
determined that small changes in the bottomhole assembly (BHA) design can greatly reduce the deflection
of BHA components and the impact it has on the misalignment of the directional sensor, otherwise known
as BHA SAG. These small changes to the BHA allow the current industry modeling software to more
accurately predict the BHA deflection, providing the most accurate survey inclination corrections
possible.
Testing was performed comparing different combinations of hole size and tool size on assemblies that
contained external upsets to better determine the effects of SAG when using flex collars and stiffer slick
collars with a constant diameter. Through empirical testing, it was determined that flex collars deflect in
a manner which BHA modeling is unable to predict when external upsets are present. External upsets can
include stabilizers, wear bands, worn BHA components, crossover subs, and reducing OD on BHA
components. When modeling the flexure across the length of a flex collar or other complex BHA
components, it results in a reduction in accuracy when predicting deflection of the BHA in the vicinity
of survey instruments. Using collars with a constant diameter circumvents this issue; eliminating
variations in diameter across the length of a component allows modeling software to predict the deflection,
providing the most accurate results. The results of this study can provide the industry with a best practice
to manage and reduce this effect until the modelling has advanced sufficiently to account for the SAG
inaccuracy.
2 IADC/SPE-178825-MS

Introduction
In areas where logging sensors are less effective resulting from a lack of contrast in reservoir properties
between formations, or the logging sensors required for placement do not meet project economics,
wellbore placement often relies on basic formation evaluation tools, with the well placed mainly on
geometric measurements. Regardless of the formation evaluation tools being run, geometric measure-
ments (borehole surveys) are required for future geological mapping, reservoir development, and reserves
estimation; therefore, obtaining precise measurements is crucial for the success of current projects and
future phases.
Typical placement of a SAGD well pair involves conventional surveying and logging techniques on the
producer (lower) well followed by placement of the lateral (upper) well at a fixed distance away from the
producer – typically achieved by a relative survey measurement such as Magnetic Ranging. Magnetic
ranging surveys provide a relative measurement between lower and upper wells, or a point-to-point survey
method, meaning that no compounding error exists with ranging tools. The lower wells require the most
accurate survey possible to maintain tight spacing laterally between wells, and close tolerances with the
base of reservoir or oil water contact. For this reason, reducing uncertainty of well placement is crucial.
Corrections, such as in-field referencing (IFR), interpolated IFR, and multistation analysis (MSA) (Brooks
et al. 1998; Edvardsen et al. 2012; Maus and DeVerse 2015; Russell et al. 1995; Struder et al. 2006;
Thorogood 1989; Williamson et al. 1998) are used for azimuthal corrections.
Components within the BHA, such as stabilizers, wear bands, or upsets, or reducing OD of BHA
components can bias the directional sensor, resulting in measurements that are not reflective of the
borehole. To help mitigate these effects, corrections can be applied to account for the deflection of the
BHA. As with azimuthal corrections, the uncertainty of inclination corrections can be reduced through
applying SAG corrections to raw inclination values. The corrections for SAG use a bending beam model
fixed at the contact points based on the BHA geometry. Depending on the model used, the BHA is either
assumed to be a constant outer diameter (OD) and inner diameter (ID) to simplify the calculations being
processed at the field level, or a model that breaks down the BHA into components of differing OD and
ID measurements. In addition, secondary inclination measurement tools can be added to the string, which
reduces the ellipse of uncertainty by increasing the independent data points used for a statistical analysis
(Chen 2007; Lawrence et al. 2010, Williamson 1987).
BHA design should be optimized to help minimize the risk of obtaining poor survey quality. The goal
with any survey is to obtain one that requires no correction. To achieve this, care should be taken to ensure
that the correct length of nonmagnetic spacing is provided above and below the directional sensor based
on the geodetic location. BHA components placed around the directional sensor and their impact on the
inclination and azimuthal measurement should be considered when designing a BHA. Large stabilizers
placed near a directional sensor risk deflecting the drillstring in a manner that cannot be corrected by SAG
modeling software. Additionally, the risk of obtaining bad magnetic readings caused by stabilizers is
elevated even when nonmagnetic stabilizers are used.

Problem Description
A SAGD operator required high survey accuracy while drilling the lateral sections of wells for the
MacKay River project, with an emphasis on true vertical depth (TVD) control and lateral well spacing.
After drilling the laterals on the first pad of the project consisting of six lower wells, it was noticed that
the wells appeared to be drifting down into the base of the pay toward the toe of the wells. The formation
base was tagged after the well had reached total depth (TD) to correlate survey depth to the surrounding
stratigraphic wells and seismic. The toe tags indicated that the measurement-while-drilling (MWD)
surveys resulted in a consistently higher TVD than geology was projecting by approximately 0.20°, or 3
to 4 m over the length of the lateral section (Fig. 1). An analysis of the surveys was performed in real-time
IADC/SPE-178825-MS 3

as well as a post well analysis, and the BHA was modeled for possible SAG corrections to help ensure
no outside sources of error were present.

Figure 1—MWD measurements from drilling vs. wireline gyro performed after liner was run

Thus, an investigation was begun into causes of TVD uncertainty and the steps necessary to provide
the tightest TVD control possible. From the outset it appeared that the issue was related to SAG in the
BHA causing a survey bias. Extensive iterations were performed to eliminate errors in the BHA geometry,
and bending beam analysis was used to determine SAG corrections with no apparent discrepancy.
Following the obvious cause, a deeper root cause analysis was initiated, including auditing the quality
assurance/quality control (QA/QC) processes for directional sensors pre and post well, and field proce-
dures to ensure sensors were not out of specification for use in the field. Ensuring proper survey practices
were being implemented in the field included pump off surveys, ensuring the drilling rig was sufficiently
cleaning the hole and working the torque out of the string, and placing the drilling string off bottom, in
tension, before the survey was performed. Wireline gyro surveys were performed at a high density to
determine if there was an issue related to sliding and rotating intervals not being captured adequately with
the survey instruments. Collar eccentricity, machine tolerances, and the internal makeup of the survey
instrument inside the collar were examined to determine if there was internal SAG occurring with the
survey instrument inside of the collars. The preceding sources of error were examined and nothing
systematic could be found throughout the testing.
The next stage was full-scale testing of different BHA components in the field, along with using a
secondary survey instrument mounted in a collar independent of the primary survey instrument in
conjunction with wireline gyro surveys. Initial results (Fig. 2) showed agreement between the secondary
survey instrument, wireline gyro, formation evaluation measurements, and stratigraphic wells, with
disagreement between all these measurements and the primary survey instrument. The secondary survey
instrument was run with several different BHA configurations, including with and without formation
evaluation logging tools, and with both mud pulse and electromagnetic telemetry systems. The only
configuration that showed disagreement was when the formation evaluation logging tools were used in
conjunction with electromagnetic telemetry. With the discrepancy reduced to one BHA combination,
empirical testing of this BHA was performed to better understand why different measurements were being
acquired with this particular BHA.
4 IADC/SPE-178825-MS

Figure 2—Agreement between wireline gyro and secondary directional sensor surveys and disagreement with the primary directional
sensor surveys

Empirical Testing
To ascertain the source of the measurement discrepancy, the BHA was assembled (Fig. 3 and Table 1)
and surveys were sampled in a controlled laboratory environment using known, measured and verified
inclinations at three positions along a flat surface. The surface inclination was measured using a survey
instrument with a resolution of 0.01° inclination and sampled repeatedly to ensure a valid benchmark. The
positions were then clearly marked to ensure repeatability with the BHA used for testing. The measure-
ments with the BHA were performed at the original position and again at 180° orientation relative to the
original surveys (Table 2).

Figure 3—BHA assembly

IADC/SPE-178825-MS 5

Table 1—Survey instrument /formation evaluation BHA assembled in controlled environment to model response vs. a known
inclination

Table 2—Results from controlled environment indicate that discrepancy on deflection occurred near the first upset in the flex collar
near where the directional sensor was positioned
Assembly Inc Location 1 Inc Location 2 Inc Location 3 Inc Location 4 Inc Location 5 Inc Location 6

Known Inclination 90.22 90.04 89.97 89.96 90.04 90.11

Res⫹Processor⫹Slick 90.31 90.22 90.12 90.17 90.23 90.3
Delta -0.09 -0.18 -0.15 -0.21 -0.19 -0.19

Results from the field BHA tested in the laboratory indicated the survey inclinations acquired were
consistently reading an average of 0.17° higher than the inclination obtained from measuring the known
inclination. Over a lateral length of 850 m, this would equate to a TVD bias of 2.5 m. The assembly was
modeled using a simple bending beam SAG analysis, as well as a finite element analysis (FEA) SAG
analysis, and the corrections were applied to the measurements recorded in the laboratory. However, the
correction modeled was only ⫺0.07°, meaning an additional ⫺0.10° of residual bias was unaccounted for
by the SAG modeling software with both the simple bending beam and FEA analysis.
Given the tight TVD tolerances required for this project, a residual of ⫺0.10° bias left uncorrected was
deemed unacceptable. Modifications to the assembly were trialed using the same test apparatus to reduce
the level of residual bias. It was observed through the initial tests that the majority of deflection occurred
near the connections and first upset on the flex collar where the tool size stepped down to a smaller OD.
A hypothesis was formed that if the collar was a continuous diameter (slick collar) and therefore
continuous area of moment inertia, a more uniform deflection would exist across the length of the collar,
resulting in less deflection in the tool carrier and a more accurate result from the SAG modeling software.
A BHA was assembled (Fig. 4 and Table 3) in the laboratory with a slick collar in place of the flex
collar used in the previous tests, and the procedure was repeated at the same measurement positions.
Results from the test (Table 4) indicated that across all three survey stations, there was an average
difference ⫺0.03° bias, with two of three stations showing zero difference between the known inclination
and the surveys obtained from the test apparatus.
6 IADC/SPE-178825-MS

Figure 4 —BHA assembly using slick collar

Table 3—Survey instrument/formation evaluation BHA assembled with a slick collar replacing the flex monel drill collar

Table 4 —Results from the laboratory testing in Nisku, Alberta, showing very minimal differences between the known inclination
and values obtained through the directional sensor in the same locations
Assembly Inc Location 1 Inc Location 2 Inc Location 3

Known Inclination 90.04 89.96 89.87

Res⫹Processor⫹Slick 90.04 89.96 89.96
Delta 0 0 ⫺0.09

Based on the results acquired from the laboratory tests, confidence was high that the learnings could
be applied to the BHA used in the field to provide similar results.

Field Verification
With the results obtained from the laboratory, verification runs (Fig. 5) were performed in downhole
environments to prove the solution was viable for this application. Slick drill collars were used in place
of flex monel drill collars for the survey instrument carrier, and a secondary survey instrument was again
IADC/SPE-178825-MS 7

used for verification. Over the course of two months, eight runs were performed using the slick collar
solution.

Figure 5—Results from verification runs

Results from all eight wells showed a difference of less than 0.1° difference along the length of the
lateral section of the well, which related to a TVD variance of less than 1.5 m. When SAG correction was
applied to these assemblies, the inclination variance reduced to less than 0.05° inclination, which equated
to a TVD variance of 0.75 m, with multiple wells having a TVD variance of less than 0.15 m at TD.
Based on the Industry Steering Committee on Wellbore Survey Accuracy (ISCWSA) tool code applied
to these wells (IFR⫹MSA⫹SAG), the TVD ellipse for these wells was ⫾4 m TVD. When the toe tags
were performed on these wells, the survey instrument readings were within centimeters of what was
expected when correlated to the surrounding stratigraphic wells and seismic.

Conclusion
BHA modeling software is a powerful tool that allows several characteristics of potential BHAs to be
simulated to result in greater well bore accuracy. However, caution should be exercised during interpre-
tation of the results. Through the testing documented in this paper, it was determined that modeling of flex
collars can provide improper deflection results and therefore inaccurate inclination corrections. Using
stiffer or slick assemblies achieved better results that more closely represent the theoretical values from
the modeling software, correlated to the tight TVD control this application provided from the geological
offset dataѠ However, if compounding geometric errors will adversely affect well positioning, logging-
while-drilling (LWD) tools to place the well geologically rather than geometrically through surveys
should strongly be considered, as there are no compounding errors to mitigate.

Acknowledgements
The authors thank Halliburton and Brion Energy for permission to publish this work. They also thank
Billy Hendricks and David Lyle for their contribution.
8 IADC/SPE-178825-MS

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