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SPE-93833-MS (Type of Casing)
SPE-93833-MS (Type of Casing)
and failed at the uncemented and/or poor cemented sections. between casing and the cement would depend on the cement
Fig. 2 shows a collapsed 7” K55 production casing at about 40 and formation properties. For the uncemented or poor
ft depth in a thermal steam injection well, where the top of cemented sections, the casing may “freely” expand by this
cement (TOC) was at about 56 ft due to the fall-back of 0.019 inch in diameter as the casing is heated-up, and no
cement during cementing job. Fig. 3 shows a blockage of 7” additional contact pressure would be developed to the casing
K55 production casing at about 160 ft depth in a thermal sections (with ignoring annulus fluid pressure increase as the
steam injection well, where bad cement bond was detected casing expends radically).
though the top of cement (TOC) was at about 120 ft.
By resolving casing thermal elastic strain differential equation,
Figure 4 is a down-hole video picture of failed production the comprehensive casing triaxial stresses in steam injection
casing by collapse/restriction, after milling-out the restriction, wells can be expressed as (Appendix A):
from a thermal well in ChevronTexaco Indonesia operations.
Pb − Pa a 2 b 2 Pb b 2 − Pa a 2
σ = − (3)
b2 − a2 r2 b2 − a2
r
Casing Thermal Stress
P − Pa a b 2 2
Pb b 2 − Pa a 2
Based on the above discuss, we need to design casings in σθ = − 2b − (4)
steam injection wells to withstand not only axial tension but b − a2 r2 b2 − a2
also axial thermal compression, in order to reduce casing F
failure rate in steam injection wells. σ a
= + ∆σ a (5)
As
∆ Pb b 2 − ∆ P a a 2
Casing thermal stress is developed as high temperature steam Λσ = −2µ − αE∆T (6)
b2 − a2
a
is injected into the wells through tubing and/or production
casing, heating-up the casing to expand. However, when the
casing is restricted from expanding due to hole geometry and The casing external pressure (Pb) at steam injection will
friction, high compressive thermal stress will be developed depend on whether casing is cemented and how much cement
and may easily exceed the low-strength casing material yield is deformed, as discussed before. More complicated modeling
strength, causing a hot-yielding of the production casing in is needed to resolve the casing-cement contact pressure at
steam injection wells. steam injection if required. However, for engineering
applications, an assumption of zero increase of casing external
The casing thermal expansion and thermal stress is defined as: pressure can be used for poorly cemented or uncemented
sections which are always weak points regarding casing
ε = α ∆T (1) failures. The casing axial stress increase due to steam injection
can then be approximated as (by letting ∆Pa = 0 and ∆Pb = 0):
∆σ = −αE∆T (2)
Λσ a
= −α E∆T (7)
For a 1500 ft long of 7”, 32#, L-80 production casing string in
a vertical steam injection well, with an average temperature It is the same expression as the thermal axial compressive
increase of 400 deg.F, the intended thermal expansion of the stress in Eq. 2. We have known that this casing thermal axial
casing string (Fig. 5) in length (∆L) and diameter (∆D) can be compressive stress due to steam injection can be very large,
calculated as (if no geometrical restriction exists): and can cause casing hot-yield.
ε = 0.0000069*400 = 0.00276 The casing hot-yielding under the tri-axial stresses condition
can be determined through the equivalent von Mises stress
∆L = εL = 0.00276*1500 = 4.14 ft (σe), when it exceeds the casing material yield strength (σy):
steam injection well. The casing is restricted from expanding weight, which both are less than 10% of the P-110 grade
axially. Steam injection temperature is 550 deg. F and steam casing material yield strength.
injection rate is 2500 bbl/day, through a 3 1/2” tubing (tubing
packer at 1800 ft, 9 ppg packer fluid, perforations at 1900 ft). ChevronTexaco Cymric 1Y field experience of using high
The undisturbed formation temperature is 60 deg. F at surface strength casing in steam injection wells also supports the
with a gradient of 3.2 deg/100ft. Cement top is 100 ft below above analysis. Cymric 1Y field development of steam-
the wellhead due to cement fall-back . injection started in the 1980s. About 400 wells were
completed by 2002 using low strength casing (K-55, N/L-80),
The modeling result shows that the 7” 29# L-80 production and about 19% of the wells (69 wells) have seen production
casing temperature will increase up to more than 400 deg. F casing failures. The casing failure in these wells started as
after 3-days’ steam injection (the 7” casing is labeled as early as the 20th stream injection cycles, as shown in Fig. 9.
“Casing 1” in the Fig. 6) and the axial compressive load There have been three types of production casing failures
reaches – 600,000 lb, causing the casing hot-yielding (the witnessed in Cymric 1Y steam injection wells where K55 or
casing body yield strength is 589,000 lb after temperature L80 grade production casing was used: (1)
derating). As shown in Fig. 6, the casing’s load line for Collapse/restriction/bending, (2) Parted, and (3) Holes.
“injection 3 days” goes out of the von Mises yield ellipse in
axial compression load, indicating hot-yield. The 7” casing After 2002, the filed switched to high strength P-110
also buckles on the top 100 ft section due to a lack of cement production casing which has been used on over 60 new wells
support, causing a big jump on the axial compressive load since. None of the new casing has failed on these new wells,
curve (labeled as “with bending”). Casing collapse and some of which have undergone more than 35 steam injection
connection leak in the top 100 ft of uncemented casing section cycles. Table 2 lists the well completion information of
will be a serious issue, as the casing is severely buckled under Cymric 1Y steam injection wells before and after 2002.
an unstable hot-yielded status.
Figure 7 models a 7” 29# P-110 casing instead of the 7” 29# Other Things to Consider
L-80 casing in the same well. The 7” 29# P-110 casing load Thermal Wellhead. New thermal wellhead allows production
line now stays within the von Mises yield ellipse, indicating casing to expand (Fig 10), and therefore can effectively avoid
no hot-yield, though the casing is still under the same axial casing thermal loading and prevent casing hot-yielding and
compressive load. This is samply because of the higher buckling of the uncemented casing section near wellhead due
material yield strength of the P-110 grade casing (the casing to cement fall-back.
body yield strength is now 810,000 lb after temperature
derating). The risk of casing collapse and connection leak Tubing Open-Annulus. When steam injection is through
undet hot-yield is reduced, by switching from L-80 grade tubing and a tubing packer is used on the bottom of tubing, an
casing to P-110 grade casing in this example, as the casing open tubing annulus, achieved by allowing the packer fluid to
now stays in a more stable elastic status. evaporate during steam injection, can effectively reduce the
heat transfer to the casing, and therefore reduce casing hot-
The use of high strength casing (P-110 or even Q-125) in yield. Fig. 11 shows the temperature of the 7” 29# L-80 casing
steam injection wells will not be affected by sour cracking, in the example well is reduced from above 400 deg. F to about
despite the possible introduction of high concentrations of H2S 350 deg. F, by use of tubing open-annulus during steam
into the wellbore. This is because (1) the casing temperature is injection operation. It reduces the 7” 29# L-80 casing hot-
usually higher than the sour cracking threadhold, and (2) the yield accordingly.
casing tensile stress level is usually low (on both axial tensile
stress and hoop tensile stress) in terms of percentage of casing Casing Centralizers. The use of casing centralizers helps
material yield strength, for typical steam injection wells (low reduce casing buckling in any poor cement sections, especially
internal pressure and shallow depth). casing buckling in the uncemeted casing top section due to
cement fall-back . Fig. 12 shows the 7” 29# L-80 casing in the
As we know, an industry-wide rule for P-110 and Q-125 grade example well will be no longer hot-yielded (casing load line
casings is that they may be used in sour service condition for stays inside casing von Mises yield ellipse), when casing
temperature above 175 °F and 225 °F respectively. Cymric 1Y centralizers (0.2 in. clearance between centralizer blade OD
field data have shown that the wellhead temperatures of their and 10 ¾” casing ID) are used on the top uncemented section,
steam injection wells are all above 200 deg. F even during the in addition to the use of the tubing open-annulus.
production or shut-in conditions. Fig. 8 shows that for up to
1% of H2S concentration and temperature at 75°F, no sour Casing Pre-tension Completion. Casing pre-tension
cracking would occur on P-110 or Q-125 casing if the casing completion is to pump quick-set cement slurry to the bottom
max. tensile stress is less than 40% of the casing material yield section of the production casing, and land the casing with a
strength. For the above 7” production casing set at 2000 ft in pulled tension at the casing top when the quick-set cement at
the example well, the maximum hoop tensile stress is about the bottom section of the casing can hold the amount of pulled
8100 psi under a 1000 psi injection pressure condition, and the tension. This approach can help achieve a lower casing axial
maximum axial tensile tress is about 6000 psi from the casing compressive load later in steam injection period and avoid hot-
4 SPE 93833
yielding of the casing. As shown in Fig. 13, when a 300,000 lb E: Casing material Young’s modulus, 30,000 ksi for steel.
pre-tension is applied to the 7”, 29#, L-80 production casing in F: Casing axial load before steam injection, lbf
the above example well, the casing axial compressive load Pa: Casing internal pressure at steam injection, psi
under steam injection condition will be reduced accordingly, Pb: Casing external pressure at steam injection, psi
and the 7”, 29#, L-80 production casing will not be hot- ∆Pa: Casing internal pressure increase at steam injection, psi
yielded (casing load line stays inside casing von Mises yield ∆Pb: Casing external pressure increase at steam injection, psi
ellipse).
T: Casing temperatute, deg. F
Casing Connection. High compression efficiency casing ∆T: Temperature change, deg. F
connection is needed in steam injection wells, because of the α: Casing thermal expansion coefficient, 0.0000069 /deg. F
severe well conditions of high temperature, extreme axial ε: Thermal strain
compressive load, and possible H2S envoirnment. Premium σa: Casing axial stress, psi
connection with torque shoulder and metal-seal will perform σr: Casing radial stress, psi
much better than the common API BTC and LTC connections, σθ: Csing hoop stress, psi
which are low cost on connection itself but may present high ∆σ: Casing thermal stress, psi
risk of conncetion failure. ∆σa: Casing axial stress increase at steam injection, psi
Conclusions Acknowledgments
Based on the above discussion and analysis, we need to The authors wish to thank ChevronTexaco for permission to
conduct casing design in steam injection wells not only by the publish this paper.
tensile stress failure design when the casing is cool, but also
by the compressive stress hot-yield design when the casing is Reference
heated-up. Such casing design will help reduce casing failures 1. Lepper, G.B.: “Production Casing Performance in a
in steam injection wells, as casing hot-yield is an unstable Thermal Field”, JCPT, Sept. 1998.
stauts where casing collapse and severe bucklig can easily 2. Maruyama, K. and et al: “An Experimental Study of
occur, especially when sufficient cement support is not Casing Performance under Thermal Cycling Conditions”,
present. The main approaches to reduce casing failures SPE Drilling, June 1990.
relating to hot-yielding of casing in steam injection wells 3. Bourgoyne Jr. A. T. and et al: “Applied Drilling
include: Engineering”, SPE Textbook Series, Vol. 2, 1986.
E 1 dΦ Eα∆T
σ r1 = − =− (A6)
1 + µ r dr 2(1 − µ )
dΦ 1+ µ P b
ur 1 = = α∆Tr (A7)
dr 2(1 − µ ) a
b
4. Find a common solution: P a
A
σθ 2 = − + 2C (A8)
r2
A
σ r2 = + 2C (A9)
r2
1− µ2 ⎡ µ A µ ⎤
ur 2 = ⎢ − (1 + ) + 2Cr (1 −
1 − µ ⎥⎦
)
E ⎣ 1− µ r Fig. A1 Casing Thermal Stress Modeling.
(A10)
Pb − Pa a 2b 2 Pbb 2 − Pa a 2
σθ = σθ1 + σθ 2 = − − (A11)
b2 − a 2 r 2 b2 − a2
Pb − Pa a 2b 2 Pbb 2 − Pa a 2
σ r = σ r1 + σ r 2 = − (A12)
b2 − a 2 r 2 b2 − a 2
F
σ a
= + ∆σ a
(A13)
As
∆Pbb2 − ∆Paa2
∆σ a = µ(∆σ r + ∆σθ ) − αE∆T = −2µ − αE∆T
b2 − a2
(A14)
6 SPE 93833
Fig. 2 Collapsed 7” K55 casing near top. Fig. 3 Deformed 7” K55 casing at poor cement.
SPE 93833 7
∆T
Fig. 4 Down-hole video picture of milled-out failed casing. Fig. 5 Casing thermal expansion illustration.
Fig. 8 Maximum safe stress level for various grades of casing and H2S concentrations at 75°F.3
SPE 93833 9
1Y Well Failures
30%
25%
20%
19%
Failure Rate
15%
10%
5%
0%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
# of Cycles
Fig. 12 Reduction of casing hot-yield and buckling by tubing open-annulus and casing centralizers.
SPE 93833 11
Fig. 13 Pre-tension production casing helps reduce casing hot-yield during steam injection.
12 SPE 93833
Year 1980-1882 1983-1987 1988-1995 1996 1997-1998 1999 2000-2001 2002-2003 2004
Size 16, 20 16 18
Conductor
Depth 40-90 80-85 90-95
Casing / Liner L C
Type Otis Otis, Guiberson ER-VI, WHI Guiberson G-16 Baker, G-16 WHI Guiberson G-16 Weatherford, Guiberson G-16
Packer
Distance Above
< 100' 200-300' 100-200' 0-100'
Top Perf
Expansion Joint
Packer Surf
@ Surf. Or