Horizontal Water-Well Intercept Pilot

Oklahoma, USA · 2023

A pilot horizontal water well intercepting a vertical production well to multiply aquifer exposure

The challenge

→Vertical water wells expose only tens of feet of aquifer; demand needs far more.
→Urban growth limits suitable surface locations for new vertical wells.
→Connect a horizontal drain to a cased vertical production well to open thousands of feet of aquifer.

Our solution

From an offset well ~300 ft away, coiled-tubing directional drilling builds ~21°/100 ft to a near-horizontal landing, with Gunnar magnetic ranging steering a precise intercept of the 16" cased production well, turning a vertical well into a long horizontal drain.

Horizontal drain, potential for ~100× the aquifer exposure of a vertical well

The result

~100×

aquifer exposure, horizontal drain vs. a vertical water well

·Engineered the offset-to-vertical-well intercept (well plan, ranging, steering)
·Coiled-tubing directional drilling at ~21°/100 ft to a near-horizontal landing
·Magnetic ranging steered the as-drilled path onto the production well
·Proved the concept that scaled into a later six-well program

Ranging

AMR + PMR

Deployment

BHA While Drilling

Re-entry

Yes

Location

Oklahoma, USA

Year

2023

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