Drilling EngineeringDirectional Drilling
Horizontal Section Inclination from Bed Dip and Thickness Formula
Horizontal Section Inclination from Bed Dip and Thickness calculates required horizontal section inclination for directional drilling workflows in drilling engineering.
How engineers use this formula
Use this formula when the listed inputs (dip, h_res, L_h) are known and the assumptions behind the cited directional drilling relationship match the engineering case being checked.
Assumptions
- Input values are representative for the well, reservoir, fluid, or equipment case being evaluated.
- The declared units match the field-unit constants used in the formula.
- The cited formula applies to the selected petroleum engineering workflow.
Limitations
- The calculation does not replace a full engineering model or operating procedure.
- Accuracy depends on the source correlation, assumptions, input quality, and unit consistency.
Common mistakes
- Mixing unit systems without converting the inputs.
- Using default example values as field recommendations.
- Applying the formula outside the source assumptions.
Default example
Using the default inputs, I_h equals 83.567456 degree.
dipdegree
5
h_resft
50
L_hft
2000
Inputs
dip
degreeApparent Bed Dip in the Horizontal-Well Plane
h_res
ftReservoir Thickness Traversed
L_h
ftHorizontal Section Length
Outputs
I_h
degree
Required Horizontal Section Inclination
Source and review
reviewedDrilling Manual horizontal directional drilling calculations, bed-dip inclination example.
Source