Horizontal drilling evolving from art to science

Journal Article · Mon Jul 24 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Oil and Gas Journal; (USA)

OSTI ID:5719228

Gust, D ^[1]

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1. Esso Resources Canada Ltd., Calgary, AB (Canada). Research Dept.

Advances in technology have made horizontally drilled wells a viable option for field development. Horizontal drilling has matured to a more exact science although a number of hurdles are still left before this technology becomes widely used. Horizontal wells have become a valuable tool for effective reservoir management in reservoirs subject to water and gas coning, reservoirs with thin oil columns, reservoirs with vertical fractures, low productivity reservoirs, and heavy-oil reservoirs. Some other applications are for extended reach to access reservoirs under lakes and rivers, or on platforms to reduce the number of wells required to develop a field and thereby reduce the number of platforms required. Since Esso Resources Canada drilled its first horizontal wells in the late 1970s, drilling and completions technology has evolved to the point where the cost of a horizontal well completes with standard directional wells on a cost/meter basis.

• OSTI ID: 5719228
• Journal Information: Oil and Gas Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Oil and Gas Journal; (USA) Vol. 87:30; ISSN OIGJA; ISSN 0030-1388
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
020700 -- Petroleum-- Economics
Industrial
& Business Aspects
023000 -- Petroleum-- Properties & Composition
CANADA
CAPITALIZED COST
COST
DIRECTIONAL DRILLING
DRILLING
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
OIL FIELDS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PRODUCTIVITY
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
VISCOSITY
WELL COMPLETION