What is kick off point?

The kickoff point (KOP) is the location in a vertical wellbore or inclined section of a slant well where directional drilling operations commence in order to build the wellbore to the design orientation. The KOP defines the beginning of the build curve.

What are the major types of wellbore trajectories?

There are two basic types of wellbore trajectories:

• Vertical or straight.
• Directional, including both deviated and horizontal wellbore trajectories.

What is azimuth and inclination?

Azimuth is typically measured clockwise from north. The inclination is the deviation of the wellbore from the vertical. The azimuth and inclination define the coordinates of the wellbore along its length, usually relative to the location of the wellhead. Tool face quantifies the direction in which the tool is pointing.

What is azimuth in well drilling?

The compass direction of a directional survey or of the wellbore as planned or measured by a directional survey. The azimuth is usually specified in degree with respect to North Pole. For example, a well that goes east has an azimuth of 90 degrees.

What is dogleg severity in drilling?

Dogleg severity is a measure of the change in direction of a well bore over a defined length, normally measured in degrees per 100 feet of length. The more severe a dogleg is, the more potential difficulties arise due to the drill string passing through a curved well trajectory.

What is vertical well?

A vertical well is a technique for accessing an underground reserve of oil or natural gas that involves drilling vertically into the ground. Drilling wells vertically is a traditional method of oil extraction, as compared to their more modern counterpart, directional drilling.

What is well trajectory?

The well trajectory is the direction in which the well is drilled. In the past, wells were drilled vertically into the ground, and the well trajectory was essentially a straight, vertical line.

Is bearing and azimuth the same?

A bearing is an angle less than 90° within a quadrant defined by the cardinal directions. An azimuth is an angle between 0° and 360° measured clockwise from North. “South 45° East” and “135°” are the same direction expressed as a bearing and as an azimuth.

What is inclination in directional drilling?

1. n. [Drilling] The deviation from vertical, irrespective of compass direction, expressed in degrees.

What is sidetracking in drilling?

Sidetracking is the drilling of a new lateral from an existing well that has poor or no productivity due to mechanical damage to the well or depleted hydrocarbons at that particular site.

What is petroleum dogleg?

1. n. [Drilling] A particularly crooked place in a wellbore where the trajectory of the wellbore in three-dimensional space changes rapidly.