Basie Gulde to Geosteerlng Yersion 1.0 (Copyright free)
0 (Copyright free)
one Is down. on Ihis basis image Iogs or direcoonal LWD lools (upldown), pul inlo contexl wilh
Irajeclory data will enable you to steer.
Every drilllng Iocatlon Is unique and Ihus Ihe loolsllechniques , or combinations 01 toolsJ1echniques muSI
be tailored lo Ihe particular field or sutrlield. Somelimes lhere is also a budgelary considerallon. atlhough
often staying wilhin Ihe payzone for a greater horizcntal le ng l h will
ollsel Ihe cosl 01 any required 1001 or
lechnlque. Olten the cheapesl and mOSI eflective tool in geos leering is lo have the correcl personnel
whose anention lo delail enables Ihe corred sleering deci sion lo be made the major ily 01 Ihe time.
2.2 WELL PLANNING
Assuming the lield Is up and running and Ihe geosteering techniques, have been established, Ihe well
planning stages are essenlial lor individual wells.A llh ough Ihe operalions geology planni ng slde will have
(h opefu lly) been done monlhs ah ead Ihe wellsile geolO9isfs planning and data gathering wili be done
,
durin g the rig move (along wilh Ihe wrile-up and assessmenl 01 the previous well). Sorne clienls will save
on cost by only having Ihe geosteerers out at the lasl minute. This is oflen a compromise 10 save money.
bul can work il Ihe geosleer is experienced in the lield and Ihe ope rati ons geolO9isl has prepared Ihe
necessary ollsel dala and ensured Ihe plan is good.
This is a lisl 01 tasks carried OUI by
lhe geosleerer as he plans Ihe well. It is basically Ihe same as any
research project: 1) Galher data, 2) Research Ihe da la. 3) Execule Ihe plan - in this case successlully
drll Ihe well!
1) Galher dala. This ineludes (bul mighl nol be limiled lo):
a. The well pr09nosislprogramme. (Including seismic, slruclural and porosity modals).
b. The mosl recenl direcllonal survey plan tlhis oNen changes lasl minute).
c. Available dara Irom relevanl slratigraphic levels
lor ALL closely offset wells. Principally ooe is
alter a mlnlmum 01 a TVO 109, MO 109 a nd survey dala. The final/end 01 well report and
lilhological/mud Iog may be 01 high value also.
2) Analyse Ihe dala.
a. Idenlily any issuesJproblems in Ihe prognosis.
b. Is the directional survey plan acceplable? Is il a 9Ood, smo oth prolile? Is il achievable? Is Ihe
OO9leg Severily acceplable? Is I he well palh likely lo stay within the pr edic l ed posion 01 Ihe
target layer? Ooes il slay aboveibelow any hard cei li nglfl oor or tluld conlact? Is there a
collision rlsk (maybe Ihe directiona l company mis sed a nearby well !rom Ihe anli-collision
report) - nOI really your job, bul you will be lired il you don'l pick it upl
c. Re-pjck. or check Ihe layersfzones are consislenl belween wells. In most companies Ihe picks
are not consislenl as differenl people worked on differenl wells at differenl times. Consistency
lo a hlgh level i s essential. Wor1o; oul Ihe Ihickness 01 all the different layers, based o n your
new pick.s, and the TVO disl ance 01 Ihallayer to Ihe top 01 your largel layer. 11 you need more
layers, just add dislinct picks - il doesn', maner in drilling il it s A, B, e or X, Y. X, as you are
' The geosleerer mUSl, however, be willing lo wor1o; la hours a day and get up once or Iwice every nighl.
just interested in your consislenl slraligraphic posilion relative lo the large\. Is Ihe data good?
Was Ihe data Irom a devialed well wilh dipping slrala? - this may signicantly affecl Ihe
thicknesses. Work OUI aV6fages. or use only Ihe most reliable well(s). Are thick.nesses
variable or consistent - is Ihere a Iretld? Does Ihickness vary Irom the shoe 10 TO 01 Ihe
planned well? Oeeper wal6f sedimenls are Iypically less lalerally variable and make Ihings
easler! Mak.e a spreadsheel wilh Ihese dala and this is now the basls 01 your landing and
horizonlal drilling. Cross check dala - do nol blindly rely on a compuler modal which mighl be
basad on vanable qualtly ptdls - you Wt' qutckly learn it you can rely on Ihe compuler model
or nol.
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Basie Gulde to Geosteerlng Yersion 1.
d. If lhe compulerfseismic model is bad or lhe wellpalh has variable azimuth, lhen apparent dips
can be calculated between wells and as azimuth changes. From Ihese data you can manually
conslrucl your own sub-surlace map.
e. Review reports - idenlily problems in previous wells. Was Ihere laleral variation? Was
laulting encounlered? Maybe Ihere is a karstic topography which is more variable in lhe
drilling area? Maybe channelized deposs were encounlered? Maybe Ihe zonalion (fossils or
lilholO9Y) could be divided up lurther in this area or maybe il was less well defined? [Make
sure your reports include lhese kind 01 dala as Ihey will help you lo do a beller job in Ihe
luture].
3) Armed with Ihe relevanl dala and necessary pl ann ing, you are ready lo drill a successlul well. A
compromise in the clienl nOI giving Ihe conlractor conli den li al offset well data or in nol allowing Ihe
geosteerer sullicienl lime 10 plan prior lo drilling is jusI Ihal - a compromise. One can mililate againsl
Ihis by havin g correclly skilled slalf in Ihe operalions role, leecling accurate and high quality (pointed il
necessary) data as and when required.
SECTION 3 - DRILLlNG THE WELL
3.1 THE SETUP
ldeally a oeosleerer will be a wellsite geologisl wilh a speci aliza lion in geosleering. They Iherelore carry
oul all geological lasks on Ihe rg. The geosleerer stDukl have a nalural abilily. experence to suit the jobo
good oroanizallonal skills. awareness 01 the importance 01 consislency and have oreal allention 10 detan.
In sorne instances you may have a specialisl geosteerer such as a biosleerer. This person is oflen a
'sem"academic' industrial micfopalaeontologist specialized in geosteering and Iherelore an additlonal
wellsite geologist is also required to handle Ihe olher routine geological lasks on Ihe rg which lall oulside
the remi! oloeosleering'. Ideally, and is oflen lhe caie, I he geosleerer is lailored lo Ihe company's needs
and will act as a wellsile geolO9istl geosleerer (and maybe even a bi os teer) Ihus reducing personnel and
saving on cos\. Overal!. a oeosleer is cheap com;>ared to Ihe cost 01 drilling a well OUI 01 largel or
sidetracking. 11 lhe righl person is in Ihe job and Ihe correcl background research Is done. money can b e
saved by uslng Ihe correCI combinalion 01 loolsltechniques for Ihal specilic jobo 11 is Importanl l o keep
officewellslte communication/leedback goOO and lo review learning po in ts lor each well.
Usually lo geosleer a well, two geosleerers are required who each work 12 hour shillS. This is Ihe
standard as a well requlres conSlanl monil ori ng atld adJuslment. If on ly one geosleerer is available, Ihe
likelihood 01 exltlng the largel is very greatly increased, il not inev ita bl e in sorne cases. Also two heads
are often belter than one in inlerpreting complex problems. In some cases, particularly il drilling slowly
an d Ihe wellls short (say SO Itlhr or less lor 7-10 dEyS) Ihen one can get away with a single geosleerer.
This may coollicl with salely procedure and alter 7-10 days the geosleerer will be lired and may nOI
perlorm at hiSJller peak in decision making.
The riO setup will vary on Ihe geolO9icar lask involved and on available space. ldeally Ihe geologisl should
have a dedicaled oflice wilh two desk $paces. anho ug h iI is entirely possible to wor1o; Irom a very small
'half-desk' space. Usually Ihe sink, microscope and fluoroscope in the mudlogging unit are used. bu! iI
there is no muddlogging beinO carried OtJl lhen pro\;sion lor Ihese equipmenls musl be made. Typically
no specialisl equlpment Is required. allhough certain micropalaeonlological selups may require space lor
processing equlpmenl.
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Basic Guide to Geosteering Version 1.0 (Copyright free) Basic Guide to Geosteering Version 1.0 (Copyright free)

Remember. il using an exaggerated scale do not use a protractor to work out apparent bedding e) Losses data
inclinations - always do a calculation. Always be SJre to point out the exaggerated scale to the client. 1) ROP data
otherwise they may be horrilied at the appearance 01 the well path. which is in reality practically flat! 1I g) Micropalaeontological data il available.
drilling a well in which azimuth is constantly changing or changes signilicantly then it is recommended to h) Notes such as a general trend to drilt rightlleft up/down (may indicate harder/softer layer
plot TVD against Horizontal Length (HL) and not Vertical Section (VS). It is also recommended in this above/below). points where stopped drilling/POOH (as log values may change in this
case to also make a plot 01 the plan view (Easting:Northing). section). thoughts. etc.

The plan view plot - This is 01 variae importance. In many drilling operations. it is line to view the well Hard Layer
Irom a 2-dimensional perspective. just bearing in the back 01 your mind the 3-dimensional structure. 1I
time is a consideration. the plan view ot can be done away with in 'straight wells' so long as the leltlright
Drift to Left C==
offset Irom the an is monitored closely. In other cases, lailure to visualize the well Irom a 3-dimensional
perspective will lead to disaster! This is particularly the case where the well changes azimuth during the
Drlft to Rlght

landing or part way through the horizontal section. In coiled tube drilling, due to the lack 01 rotation 01 the
string, the well path necessarily 'snakes'. Azimuthal changes therelore become important in predicting the
change in dip. In stronger geological structures, azimuthal changes become increasingly importanl. tn a
perlectly Ilat structure, azimuth changes are not importan!.
Hard LaVer
FIGURE 2: If lhe well is driffing in a 'soft' 1argel ij may drift lo 1he lefl ff !here is a hard layer above, or lO !he righ1 il lhe hard layer is
below. 11 uncer1ain ff you are al 1he lop or bottom is wor1h di$ClISsing drift lendency wijh 1he dirOClional driller as il is anolher
possible line 01 evidence

The well cross section plot (and plan view, il required) is the local point on which all data is assimilated Anything else available - even a lemperature change may help you lo see il you've entered a
and viewed in context with. A geosteerer who does not produce a well cross section diagram might be new lormation/layer. Weight on bil and surlace RPM with relerence to ROP often give clues
acting as a general wellsite geologisl or supervisor, bul is not geosteering. This cross section must be to rock properties.
produced, but the means 01 producing it are open. From a personal point 01 view 1 lind the most elfective
These dala are not necessarily plotted on the cross section diagram ilsell, but are always relerenced lo il.
use 01 this tool is by hand plotting the section on graph paper. This is because in doing so. you are lorced
An LWD log, lor instance. is meaningless on its own - it could be Irom a vertical, deviated or horizontal
lo think about the data and view it survey by survey. 1 generale an identical cross section in an excel
well. The LWD log musl be put into context with the survey/trajeclory dala. It can then be inlerpreted; all
sheet and this enables me to make very rapid calculations. Specialist software is available and it is up to
other dala also lollows this rule. When all available data is merged a clear (or sometimes cloudy) piclure
the individual or company il it is used. OIten this soltware seems to improve presentation 01 data as
emerges. Delinite or possible bedding can then be drawn onto the cross section. In Ihis way a record is
oppose to improving the jobo In some cases it can even detract Irom the job by shifting locus on
kept 01 where the well has drilled. Often in a horizontal section. il you know where you were then you
producing a piece 01 'artwork' as oppose lo sleering the well. 1I specialisl software is used it must match
know where you are now (and you know where you're going), without this record it is easy to become
the requirements 01 the jobo
losl. The cross section then makes the final well wrile-up a breeze!
Some log matching soltware can be 01 use. It utilizes offset wells lo predict Ihe log pattern at various
3.4 CALCULATING BEDDING INCLlNATION
angles and it is then a case 01 matching the Iwo log patterns. This can be reproduced manually by the
geologist holding two logs and comparing them. or change the scale 01 one log and then compare them!
A geologist uses dip, whereas a directional driller uses inclination. In order thal the geologisl can
This type 01 soltware lalls down in laterally variable shallow waler sediments, where you have lo think
communicate elfectively wilh the directional driller lhe geologist should relrain lrom using dip and instead
laterally as well as vertically. Problems are also olten encountered when a lault is crossed - the operalors
adopt bedding inclination (apparent bedding inclination or true bedding inclination).
locus on the logs. when the answers are in the sample under the microscope. This type 01 software is
highly dependent on the operator - il Ihe operator is a poor geosteerer then il you leed rubsh in, you get 1 apparent up-dip becomes 91 apparent bedding inclination.
rubbish oul. Unlortunately it is often said thal the soltware does the work and then unqualilied or
inexperienced geosteerers are using il and it then simply does not work, and this is belore you throw a 2.4" apparent down-dip becomes 87.S"apparent bedding inclination.
lault in! Bottom Une is a piece 01 graph paper and experienced geosteerer works better than any software
alone, although a good geosteerer and good soltware can be a goOO pairing so long as the geosteerer Apparenl bedding inclination can be calculated or estimated in a number 01 ways.
does not heavily rely on the software. If all the power goes off and all the work is losl. he/she should still
1) Seeing the same log leature repeated - a mirror image. This is a very reliable method 01
be able to do Ihe jobo
calculating dip. Simply use a basic trigonometry lunction: Tan (Angle) Change in TVD/Change =

So, you use your cross section diagram to assimilate all your data, which includes: in VS. On a Casio calculator: Change in TVD/Change in VS SHIFT TAN On a Canon
= =.

.-:1
calculator 2 TAN (Change in TVD/Change in VS) A margin 01 error 01 say 0.3 degrees +/
=.

a) AII your LWD data. might be observed il repeat points are relalively close.
b) Detailed lithological data (the geosteerer MUST personally examine and describe samples, 2) If you know the thickness 01 your bedding you can calculate bedding inclination in the same way
keeping detailed records. Attention to subtle details is essenlial). as above. subtracting the thickness 01 the bed. Tan (Angle) (Change in TVD - bed thickness
=

c) Shows data X)/Change in VS. On a Casio calculator: (Change in TVD - bed thickness X)/Change in VS =

<><1
d) Gas data SHIFT TAN On a Canon calculalor 2 TAN ((Change in TVD - bed thickness X)/Change in
=.

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Basic Guide to Geosteering Version 1.0 (Copyright free) Basic Guide to Geosteering Version 1.0 (Copyright free)

VS) K.Note that bed thickness should strictly be perpendicular to bedding, but projecting directly .,.
up makes very little difference when bedding is dippng at just a lew degrees, as in most oil
lields. 1I bedding is very steep you can mEke a guess 01 the dip, apply a correction lactor and
project up. This is a bit 01 a circular argumenl, bul allows a quick calculation and is better than
nothing.

FIGURE 4: Using image logs 10 delermioo whelher lhe well is ailling up Or down straligraphy. The cenlre 01 lhe imaga 109 is lile
bollom 01 lhe hole and lile sides are !he 10p 01 lhe hole. A sad lace indicates lhe wefl is cutting down !hrough the stratigraphy whilsl
a smiley lace indicates the wefl is drilling up through the stratigrap'ly. Apparenl bedding inclir.ation can be calcufated "om the image
Iogs. bu! is olten not accurate enough lar precision goosteering in a horizontal section.

5) 1I you are changing azimuth Ihen il you have two apparent bedding inclinations on Iwo diflerent
azimuths you can calculate the Irue bedding inclination and apparent bedding inclination lor any
azimuth. This assumes no change in lrue dip, so you musl assess il this is likely or no!.

Tan (Angle)=Change in TVDjChange in VS

3'
\\9
011. c..sIo __ a...np inTW'Ctgnp inYS. UffTAN.

\,\'"
on.c..cn-.r. 2""TNtIa...np ininYSj.
1 deree lncl1natlon chane
per9 derees azlmuth change \
Tan (Angle)=(Change in TVO - bed thickness X)jChange in VS
0I0.c..sIo_linWl)-bf:d __ inYS.SHFT1AH.
0I0.e- ....... l"'1AH IIChonse inWI)-becI Xl 10-. in vs-
"" 90'

3-
___ _>ulc:tlrbelIOl:IedIkc.bull""ie<linIupm_ __sr1lnle
__ -.""'PIoinI just . .... .....--. .. in ....... ... -.
9
FIGURE 3: Two methods 01 calculating apparenl bedding inclination Imm assumed bed lhickness and by repeat crossing 01 the
:\ I
95' / 85'

same boundary

3) 1I you are drilling ahead at a lixed angle and nothing is changing Ihen this might be a sign that l00- 8O"
you are drilling horizontally. Obviously this depends on specilic circumstances, bul it is a goOO
sign that you are lollowing !he apparent bedding inclination. 1I in the reservoir it"s best lo not
louch in these circumstances as gaining a control point will probably mean exiting the largel.

4) Image logs. One can calculate Ihe dip 01 the strata using Ihe image log, taking into account the
angle 01 the hole. This is generally unreliabe lor horizontal drilling in my experience. The margin
01 error is in the range 01 +1- 1 lo 2 degrees, which is not uselul when changes 01 0.3 degrees
might be critical. Image logs are. however, extremely valuable in giving an impression whether
you are cutting up or down Ihrough bedding and whether you are doing this rapidly or gradually.
Image logs are simple to interprel. Play around with the scale lo optimize the image and then a
'smiley lace means youre going up and a 'sad lace means youre going down.
,
FIGURE 5: H the apparenl bedding inclir.ation is known on two azimufhs, lIlen the apparenl bedding inclir.ation can be calcufated
lor any azimuth. assuming no change in true bedding inclination.
6) You will likely have a seismic model and petrel or structural model. You should use this to
anticipate changes in bedding inclination. Aller a lew wells it will become apparent as to how
reliable the lield model is. Generally speaking. the model should be viewed in context with all
available real-time dala and then a decision made. in consultation with the operations geologist.
as to whether lo lollow the plan or deviale Irom il. Olten, il the well being drilled has closely
ollset wells the data will be more reliable. 1I Ihe well is deep with isolated offset wells Ihe dala
will be le55 reliable.

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Basic Guide to Geosteering Version 1.0 (Copyright free)
3.5 FAULTING
A horizonlal well should be designed lo avoid known laults where possible, unless Ihe obJeclive is lo drill
Ihrough Ihe laull inlo a 'new' block or Ihe laull is unavoidable. Faulting should be planned lor - seismic
dala should be reviewed and likely Ihrow direction and magnilude should be assessed.
There may be a number 01 clues lo whelher a lault is crossed. Olten samples offer Ihe lirsl indications.
Clear cryslalline calcile may (or may nol) be presenl in a carbonale largel (Nole: do nol conluse wilh
CaC03 addilive). Ollen you will observe a sudden and unexpecled change in lilhology. although Ihis is
dependenl on how dislincl differenl geological layers are. Once LWO sensors are over Ihe inlerval a
sharp break may be seen on logs. Resislivily values will olten show a peak or lrough cenlered on Ihe lault
(Nole: always cheek Ihal it"s nol a single bad dala poinl). Losses may or may nol be observed - il a lault
is suspecled Ihen check on losses.
When il is eslablished Ihal a laull has been crossed il can be worth slopping drilling and circulating a
sample up. Circulaling a sample up is generally only worlhwhile il your geo-Iayers are very readily
dislinguishable on samples. More usually you musl drill ahead lo gain dala, usually holding Ihe angle you
had prior lo Ihe lault. Alter 100 It or 200 It. somelimes more, you may gain sufficienl inlormalion lo allow
you lo decisively geosleer back lo Ihe larget. It is besl nol lo have a knee-jerk reaction. Take your lime.
gain conlidence in Ihe slraligraphic posilion and make Ihe correcl sleering decision firsl lime. II Ihe
deeision is laken premalurely you may sleer up, only lo lind you have lo sleer down - Ihis eals up more
vertical seclion Ihan il a neulral angle had been held longer and Ihen Ihe correel deeision made lirsl lime.
Faulting olten neeessilales a re-Ihink 01 Ihe well plan. Maybe a sidelrack oplion is Ihe way lorward, bul
ensure Ihal you know whal is happening al Ihe lault belore sidelracking. You may also wish lo consider
an altemale largel layer il Ihe lault is large or calling TO il Ihe largel is unattainable wilhin a reasonable
dislance.
3.6 COMMUNICATIONS
A big parl 01 Ihe geosleering lask is communication. Sleering decisions are usually joinlly made belween
Ihe wellsile geologisl (geosleerer) ancl operations geologisl. allhough Ihe degree 01 involvemenl 01 Ihe
operalions geologisl varies belween companies. Tically Ihe geosleerer will aulomalically make minor
adjuslmenls lo slay wilhin Ihe largel (inlorming Ihe operalions geologisl as per hisfher requiremenl).
Significanl plan adjuslmenls, largel exils 01 signih::anl slruclural changesflaulting always involve Ihe
operalions geologist. Major changes such as sidelrack oplionsfpremalure TO will usually go lo head 01
departmenl (via Ihe operations geologisl) and be discussed wilh Ihe drilling department. If in doubl Ihe
operalions geologisl should always be involved (day or nighl) and company man inlormed (day or nighl).
When any changes are made al wellsile Ihey musl obviously be communicaled lo Ihe direclional driller
(who will carry oul Ihe adjuslmenl), bul should al50 be communicaled lo Ihe company man, drilling
engineer il relevanl, and lo your back-Io-back. The mosl effective way lo communicale changes is in
wriling. It is gocel praclice lo lill in a lorm wilh well name, dale. time, currenl MO, geosleering inslruclions
given, observalionsfreasoning lor change and whelher discussed wilh operalions geologistlrig personnel.
geosleerers signalure (il necessary Ihe direclional drillers and company man's signalure - allhough avoid
Ihis il possible as il wasles time). A copy 01 Ihis lorm is Ihen dislribuled lo Ihe direclional driller, company
man and a copy kepl by Ihe geosleerer. The advanlage 01 Ihis syslem is Ihal everyone is inlormed and a
record is kepl il Ihere are subsequenl problems. A sequence 01 evenls can be eslablished il Ihere are
major problems such as loss 01 a 1001. Also Ihe direc:ional driller cannol lail lo perlorm and Ihen blame Ihe
geologisl (or visa-versa). The directional driller should receive Ihe documenl 01 change and il should be
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Basic Guide to Geosteering Version 1.0 (Copyright free)
uiscusseU ill persull. Discussiulls by pllurJe Uf pay er (;Cm cause cUll fu siull wllell uea lilly willl cr e w ul
differenl nalionalilies - lace lo lace discussion is essenlial. I would recommend Ihal Ihis procedure be
lollowed. bul al a minimum Ihen diary noles 01 charges should be made lo ensure Ihere is no conlusion
al shill change-over and a record is kepl il problems occur. A diary, does nOI, however, prevenl Ihe 'he
said. she said' scenario as a single copy diary can be lalsilied.
The wellsile geologistlgeosleerer should always keep a hard copy 01 key dala in a well organized file.
This allows Ihe geosleerer lo rapidly access pasl rporls. inlerprelalions, surveys, LWO dala and pasl
sleering decisions made. II somelhing happens dtxing drilling you need Ihe dala al your lingertips lo
solve Ihe problem rapidly and answer queslions. The hard copy also ensures good handover wilh your
back-Io-back. The hard copy is a greal backup in case you accidenlly lose solt copy dala. Al Ihe end 01
drilling Ihe well lolder should be kepl lo hand on Ihe rig as il allows lor rapd cross relerence 01 noles, Ihus
aiding lulure drilling.
On Ihe rig, daily meetings and meelings lo discuss major changes in plan should be held. In lerms 01
reporting lo Ihe operations geologisl. Ihis is dependenl on his/her requiremenls. I would recommend
Ihrice daily reporting and lelephone conversalion. wilh a main morning reporl and Iwo updales. The main
reporl should include a geological report, a cross section, survey dala, LWO dala (LAS and POF, MO and
TVO (TVO nol required when horizonlal), 1:200 and 1:1000 scale is normal. bul vary as necessary).
mudlog, gas dala and mud loss dala. This reporl should be delivered immedialely prior lo of!ice hours.
Updales should include LWO ancl survey dala and cross seclion as necessary. II Ihe operalions geologisl
has a real-time rig-link Ihen Ihe updales may nol be required, bul il is good lo discuss drilling progress lo
keep communicalions good.
SECTION 4 - CONCLUSIONS
To geosleer a well you musl lirsl land Ihe well al Ihe correcl slraligraphic level and al Ihe correcl angle.
This is usually a slraighHorward lask wilh Ihe correel planning. In Ihe horizonlal seclion you musl always
undersland (as besl as possible wilh available dala) Ihe slruclureltargel pos ilion where you have been
drilling, where you are now ancl Ihe mosl probable slruclure ahead in Ihe undrilled seelion. The mosl
powerlul 1001 lor assimilaling dala and assessing Ihe slruclure is Ihe cross section diagram. Every pieee
01 available dala should be utilized and very close a1lenlion paid lo samples. To projeel Ihe largel ahead
one can simply projecl ahead on Ihe cross seelion or combine Ihese dala wilh Ihe predicled slruclure
Irom offsel wells andfor seismic dala. The success 01 geosleering is usually directly relaled lo Ihe qualily
01 Ihe geosleerer. By adoplion 01 gocel slandard geosleering lechniques, however. any geosleering job
can be oplimized.
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Basic Guide to Geosteering Version 1.0 (Copyright free)

MEASUREMENTS ANO ABBREVIATIONS USEO:

CROSS SECTION

I GL

- Mean Sea Level

..
'"
'"
, PLANVIEW

::-
o
o Sumce Location
... ::

'"
o
::
TO
HL
- TD
MD or MD-RKB

FIGURE 6: Sorne 01 the basic measuremenls usad in drilling. AbbrevialiOos c an be 10uOO below.

ABBREVIATIONS:

BU Bonoms up.
BUS. BuildUp Section.
CTD,. Coilad Tube Drilling.
DD .. Directional oriller.
oLS .. Dog Lag Severity.
GL,. Ground Level.
HL .. H!Xizontal Length.
LCM,. Lost Circulalion Malerial.
LWD,. Lag Whilst orilling.
MD Measured oepth.
MWD _ Measure Whilst Drilling.
PWD ,. Pressure Whilst Drilling.
RKB _ Rotary Kelly Bushing.
ROP ,. Rata 01 Pooetration.
RPM,. Revolutions Per Minute.
To _ TOIal oeplh.
TVD _ Trua Vertical Depth.
TVDRKB. True Vertical Depth from Ihe Rotary Kely B ushing.
TVDRT. Trua Vertical Deplh from lhe Rotary Table.
TVoSS Trua Vertical Depth from mean Sea level (Geol ogists must always use TVoSS 10 cOll1pare with ollset wells).
VS Vertical Section.
WOB,. Weight On Bit.

Aubrey Whymark www.geosteering.co.uk Page 12