The current well planning practice is usually done section by section with limited help of some knowledge-based tools. This thesis presents an integrated approach and a software prototype developed for well planning. It considers the geological input, i.e. pore pressure, over burden etc., to generate a step by step interactive drilling plan. The implemented well planning stages include the casing setting depth, casing and hole size determination, casing selection and then drill string design and modeling. The system is integrated with a Computer Aided Design (CAD) system for generating three-dimensional parametric model. The conceptual design and CAD modeling system are integrated in such a way that any changes in the design will be reflected to the CAD model. Such intelligent CAD design practice is new in the drilling industry. An Operational Parameters module is also attached with the system to predict the drilling coefficients by using offset well data and determine the optimum weight on bit, and the drill string rotation that minimizes drilling cost per foot for a single bit run. Based on this approach, an integrated well planning system can be fully developed and it will be very useful for the decision making of drilling companies.

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