TriData Observatory
Cross-domain data product theses, mined nightly from EU industry intersections

Wellbore Survey Calculator — Minimum Curvature

Industry-standard minimum curvature method · TVD, N/S, E/W, closure, dogleg severity

Paste survey stations as MD inclination azimuth (one per line, depth in your chosen unit, angles in degrees) and get TVD, northing/easting, closure and dogleg severity per station.

The method, exactly

Minimum curvature, the industry-standard survey calculation: dogleg cos β = cos I₁ cos I₂ + sin I₁ sin I₂ cos(A₂−A₁); ratio factor RF = (2/β)·tan(β/2); ΔTVD = (ΔMD/2)(cos I₁+cos I₂)·RF, and likewise for northing (sin I cos A) and easting (sin I sin A). Dogleg severity is β normalised per 30 m or 100 ft. As published in Sawaryn & Thorogood, SPE 84246.

Planning and QC aid; definitive trajectories come from your directional survey provider's corrected data.

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