Multi-Station Analysis for Advanced Quality Control and Corrections of Rotary Continuous Survey While Drilling

Abstract Acquiring directional surveys is a critical process in the drilling industry, used to determine the precise path of a wellbore as it is drilled into the earth. Wellbore positioning workflows often necessitate advanced quality control and directional survey corrections such as multi-station analysis/correction (MSA/MSC). The advent of rotary continuous surveying (RCS) allows surveying while rotating/drilling and thus a reduction of non-productive time. As both fundamental and new dynamic error sources impact RCS measurements differently, a revised approach to error treatment is required. This paper outlines the necessary modelling principles, challenges, and presents three case studies demonstrating the application of MSA/MSC to RCS. A consider covariance method is introduced for continuous survey MSA/MSC, enabling robust systematic errors estimation and correction across dynamic survey data. Comparative analysis against standard MSA applied to static surveys demonstrates that consistent and reliable wellbore positioning can be achieved using either static or RCS modes, provided the appropriate correction methodology is employed. The results highlight that this not only extends the applicability of MSA to RCS but also ensures compatibility and consistency with traditional static survey workflows.