Drilling in the Permian Basin remains steady, based on figures from the latest Baker Hughes rig count. The report showed 303 oil and gas rigs were active in the basin of West Texas and southeast New Mexico. It was the highest count in all of the nation’s various shale plays.
[pdf] Wells are drilled directionally for several purposes: • Increasing the exposed section length through the reservoir by drilling through the reservoir at an angle.• Drilling into the reservoir where vertical access is difficult or not possible. For instance an oilfield under a town, under a lake, or underneath a difficult-to-drill formation.
[pdf] Directional drilling (or slant drilling) is the practice of drilling non-vertical . It can be broken down into four main groups: directional drilling, utility installation directional drilling, (horizontal directional drilling - HDD), and surface in seam (SIS), which horizontally intersects a vertical bore target to extract . Horizontal directional drilling bores underneath obstacles with a guided bit. The operator steers the bore head utilizing an angled pipe, pressurized fluids, and a steering tool that provides depth and positioning feedback.
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