What Does
Azimuth Mean?
Azimuth is one of the angles used to describe the position of a well bore tangent relative to the North, projected on a horizontal plane. Trenchless construction methods such as horizontal direction drilling (HDD) require drilling below the ground and depend on data transmitted from survey tools located in the drill head.
Actual bore path of a well bore needs to be closely monitored to prevent excess deviation from planned bore path.
Trenchlesspedia Explains Azimuth
During the HDD process, continuous readings from the probe inserted in the drill collar near the drill bit give the inclination and azimuth of the drill head. It is measured on the horizontal plane in the clockwise direction and is measured form 0 North to 360° and also be expressed in the quadrant system from 0 to 90°. As per industry practice, 0° azimuth coincides with North, 90° with East, 180° with South and 270° with West.
The azimuthal readings are taken relative to the Earth's magnetic field and are prone to interference from drill pipe, down-hole tools and magnetic fields created by surrounding structures. To prevent this, the probe is inserted into a non-magnetic collar to isolate it from their influence.