Why Is Gyro Steering Replacing Traditional Magnetic Steering in High-Stakes Projects?

 

Precise directional measurement is the core technology for ensuring the wellbore follows the planned trajectory, effectively avoiding adjacent wellbores, and ultimately accurately hitting the subsurface target.

Magnetic guidance technology has long been the mainstream solution for directional measurement. However, with the increasing complexity and precision requirements of projects, gyroscopic guidance technology has gradually become the new industry standard for demanding projects.

Limitations of Traditional Magnetic Guidance Technology

Magnetic guidance technology is mature and relatively low-cost, but its accuracy is limited by a series of environmental factors that cannot be completely avoided.

Magnetic Interference - A Fatal Weakness

Any ferromagnetic material or external magnetic field will affect geomagnetic field measurement data, resulting in significant errors in azimuth calculations. Interference sources are ubiquitous:

Downhole interference: The drill string itself, drill pipe, casing, etc. are all significant ferromagnetic sources. Even with the use of "non-magnetic drill collars" for isolation, their effectiveness is often compromised by factors such as drilling fluid properties and formation variations.

Formation interference: Some formation rocks are highly magnetic, generating localized magnetic fields that distort geomagnetic field signals. Magnetic declination error
Magnetic North and true geographic North do not coincide, resulting in an angle called magnetic declination. This angle varies with geographic location and time.
Near the Earth's magnetic poles (at high latitudes), the horizontal component of the Earth's magnetic field decreases dramatically, reaching near zero.
Gyro-orientation technology: the optimal solution for demanding projects
The core advantage of gyro-orientation technology lies in its independence from Earth's magnetic field, measuring the Earth's rotational angle to determine true north. Through a strapdown integration of gyroscopes and accelerometers, azimuth, well inclination, and toolface angle are calculated. The ER-Gyro-19 builds on this technology with the key feature of fluxgate compatibility, making it the preferred solution for demanding projects. Eliminates magnetic interference, enabling in-situ replacement without modification costs.

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The ER-Gyro-19 does not rely on any magnetic sensors, maintaining exceptionally high azimuth accuracy in strong magnetic environments such as cased wells and densely populated drill pipe areas. Its electrical interface and mechanical structure are fully compatible with existing fluxgate nipples—no need to replace probes, adjust toolstring layouts, or reconfigure control systems. It can be installed and used in-situ.
Specific accuracy is demonstrated by rapid alignment in 30 seconds, achieving an azimuth accuracy of ±1°; precise alignment in 90 seconds, achieving an azimuth accuracy of ±0.5°. Hole inclination measurement is as low as 0.1°, and the gyro toolface angle accuracy reaches 1°/secL.

Overcoming blind spots in low well inclinations
The ER-Gyro-19 utilizes an optimized algorithm to stably output azimuth and toolface angles at well inclinations above 0°. Azimuth accuracy is maintained within 3° for well inclinations up to 2°, and optimized to within 2° for well inclinations between 2° and 5°. This completely eliminates the "invalid data" issue with traditional magnetic guidance and some gyro tools in shallow well inclinations.

Multi-mode Measurement + Miniaturized Integration
Multiple measurement modes: Supports measurement while drilling (real-time trajectory control), spot measurement (fixed-point calibration), and continuous measurement (long-distance trajectory recording). With a data update rate of 100Hz, it rapidly acquires drilling data and reduces non-productive time.

Ultimate Miniaturization: With a compact design measuring 136.8mm x 20.3mm x 19mm and weighing ≤150g, it easily fits into confined spaces like probes, offering far greater adaptability than traditional gyro and some fluxgate devices. Overcoming Extreme Environments
High-Temperature Adaptability: Conventional models support operating temperatures between 5°C and 85°C, while the ER-Gyro-19H model can operate stably in high-temperature environments between 5°C and 125°C, meeting the needs of diverse regions.
Vibration and Shock Resistance: Featuring an all-solid-state design (no moving parts) and a built-in internal stage, it can stably output measurement data in environments with random vibrations, meeting the stringent requirements of tripping and impact in deep drilling.
Gyroscopic guidance is gradually replacing traditional magnetic guidance. This is essentially a perfect match between the "upgraded requirements" of demanding projects and the "technical adaptability" of the ER-Gyro-19. It not only overcomes the accuracy limitations of magnetic guidance, but also lowers the application barrier through its compatible design, achieving superior performance in terms of accuracy, cost, and efficiency.