Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Gold/Mining/Energy : KOB.TO - East Lost Hills & GSJB joint venture -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kerm Yerman who wrote (586)	12/7/1998 9:29:00 PM
From: Rocket Red	Respond to of 15703

Directional Drilling

To: Kerm Yerman who wrote (586)	12/7/1998 9:34:00 PM
From: Mr. Oil	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15703

I am not Rick but I have a friend who works with Hibernia....You know they are drilling the big oil field offshore Newfoundland. He is an engineer and wrote the 'how to operate' manual for the $6 billion rig. What he tells me applies to the technology being use in the drill rig offshore so I can't be certain it is the same as on land but... off shore they can drill a hole so accurately that if they put the drill down in my living room they could make the drill bit come up in my friends kitchen sink. Now I took his comment to be fairly accurate though the analogy was obviously a simple one. He is living about 5 km from me. Amazing! Highly sophisticated and state of the art technology. If they are up to date, hitting the well bore won't be a problem. Ray

To: Kerm Yerman who wrote (586)	12/7/1998 10:07:00 PM
From: Salt'n'Peppa	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15703

Directional drilling - a simplified explanation. Kerm, Directional drillers have very sophisticated software that interprets the surveys given to it, and spits back very accurate numbers telling them where the bit is in 3-space. Before I begin, my appologies to any directional drillers reading this (are you there Marc L. at Sperry-Sun?). This is not my area of expertise, but I've seen it done a thousand times - actually, more!!!) It's done like this. Surveys are generally taken at fairly short intervals, (every 10 feet, or every 10 metres, as the drilling program calls for. The survey instrument is usually several metres back from the bit, and gives information about it's "true vertical depth" (distance from instrument to a point at the surface directly above it), it's "measured depth" (distance along the borehole's path), the angle it is resting at in the borehole (measured against a horizontal line), and it's "azimuth" (imagine it as the needle on a compass dial). From this information, the software will tell the directional driller EXACTLY where the instrument is relative to the centre of the borehole at the surface, accurate to millimetres (sixteenth's of an inch, for you southerners!!!). It also gives an extrapolation for the position of the drill bit - don't forget it is several metres further along. They always take surveys whilst drilling wells, directional or not, so an accurate trajectory in 3-space for the existing blown-out well should be easy to plot. It is quite amazing really. It is very accurate and the principle is relatively simple. Hope this helps, Kerm and everyone. Rick.