Research Proposal by Eze Simeon

HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONAL
DRILLING(HDD)
A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
PROPOSED SUPERVISOR
PROFESSOR SHIGEMI NAGANAWA
Researcher EZE SIMEON OKECHUKWU
Research Akita University, Akita, Japan
Location
Project Type Academic Research (MSc.)
Research Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) involves the
Project application of techniques and equipment that are used in
Background horizontal oil well drilling [and conventional road boring]
to install pipelines underground, especially in sensitive
areas. This is achieved in three (3) stages: drilling of a pilot
hole from an entry point to an exit point, reaming of the
pilot-hole to achieve the desired hole diameter, and the
installation of the pipeline into the hole via pulling back.
Although there are other methods of crossing pipelines
through obstacles, HDD has proven to be the most
efficient, reliable and of minimal environmental impact as
compared to others. The future of HDD depends so much
on researches and developments in oil well directional
drilling. This project shall examine the HDD process and its
feasibility assessment. It shall also use a case study to
make comparison between HDD and the conventional
open earth method and then discuss their applicability.
The project shall examine the various issues and
challenges facing the use of HDD in Japan. It shall also
identify and propose a number of areas where the use of
HDD can be improved through a more realistic
consideration of drilling fluid properties, and better
designing of drill path and the use of protective casing to
overcome frac-out (hydraulic fracturing of the formation
by drilling mud) potentials especially in the Niigata
Prefecture where soils usually have high vertical
permeability.
Technical The purpose of the work includes:
Objectives
 To give a general overview of HDD with emphasis on drill
path design.
 To make comparison between HDD and open-trench
pipeline installation methods in terms of economics and
environmental impact assessment.
 To identify the various challenges facing the use of HDD
in Japan.
 To study the various factors that contributes to the
hydraulic fracturing of the soil, the areas where it is likely
to occur and the environmental implications.
 To examine the drilling fluid considerations in designing
of engineered HDD installations.
 To study the soil-pipeline interaction and capstan effect
due to the degree of curvature of hole, during the pull-
back stage of an HDD project.
Expected It is expected that at the end of the project, we would be

Outcome able to:
 Know what HDD is and what it entails; from pre-site
planning to installation.
 Know the limitations and advantages of HDD over the
open-trench method.
 Know the various factors that contributes to frac-out
during HDD project implementation.
 Know how to design drill path to reduce the potential for
frac-out.
 Know how protective casing can be used to reduce the
possibility of frac-out occurrence, and also to ensure mud
returns.
 Know how annular pressure curve can be constructed
from existing records for prediction of frac-out.
 Understand the drilling mud formulation and rheological
property that can guarantee a successful engineered HDD
installation.
 Know how frac-out can be contained in case it occurs.
 Know how inadvertent mud release can be prevented,
detected, contained and remedied.
Methodology The research method to be used shall include field data

gathering, imputation & analysis [including the use of in
rock drilling software] and review of relevant literature for
investigation. The field data in the work shall include but
is not limited to:
 Diameter of pipeline
 Length of crossing
 Entry and exit angles
 Radius of curvature of hole
 Depth of cover o Diameter of Hole
 Diameter of drill pipe
 Diameter of reamers
 Drilling mud rheological properties and composition
 Soil type.
Data Required Raw field data shall be obtained from several HDD projects
carried out in Japan by an HDD company, and others from
already published articles. These data shall include daily
drilling report, annular pressure readings, geo-steering
data, equipment data, etc.

Research Proposal by Eze Simeon

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HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONAL

Expected It is expected that at the end of the project, we would be

Methodology The research method to be used shall include field data

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