A directional well is drilled by steering a bit along a planned path within a tolerance. The plan is a smooth curve; the actual hole is a series of small corrections around it, and the quality of the result depends on how tightly the driller can hold the trajectory without creating doglegs and ledges that cause trouble later.

Dogleg severity is the key design constraint. Doglegs load the drillstring in bending, which drives fatigue and casing wear, and they generate torque and drag that eventually limit how far the well can be drilled. A well that reaches its target through a tortuous path may be a worse well than one that misses by a few metres on a smooth one.

Surveying is how everyone knows where the hole is. Measurements are taken at intervals and the path between them is calculated, usually by the minimum curvature method, with uncertainty that grows with depth. Understanding that the surveyed position is an estimate with an error ellipse, not a fact, is central to directional work and to anti-collision in particular.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Explain the reasons for drilling directional wells and the common profiles.
• Design well trajectories to reach targets within tolerance.
• Calculate build, turn and dogleg severity and apply limits.
• Compare deflection methods and steering tools.
• Explain bottomhole assembly behaviour for build, hold and drop.
• Apply tool face control and steering practice.
• Describe survey tools and calculate survey results.
• Assess torque and drag at a fundamental level.
• Plan and supervise directional drilling operations.
• Recognise and respond to common directional drilling problems.

The course is instructor-led and introductory. Trajectory and survey calculations are worked through by hand before any software is discussed, so the arithmetic is understood. Steering and bottomhole assembly behaviour are taught through field data and directional driller reports. Participants are encouraged to bring their own well plans for discussion.

Organisations sending participants to this training will:

• Build directional drilling understanding across the drilling team.
• Improve trajectory design and hole quality.
• Reduce dogleg severity problems and their downstream consequences.
• Improve supervision of directional drilling contractors.
• Prepare staff for advanced directional and geosteering training.

Participants will:

• Understand how directional wells are planned and drilled.
• Be able to design a trajectory and calculate dogleg severity.
• Be able to calculate surveys and understand their uncertainty.
• Understand steering tools and bottomhole assembly behaviour.
• Be able to supervise directional operations at the rig.

• Drilling engineers
• Rig site supervisors and company representatives
• Well planners and geoscientists
• Drillers and senior rig crew
• Service company engineers new to directional work
• Graduate engineers in drilling roles

Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.

Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.