Diseño de Pozos

GEOTHERMAL DRILLING AND WELL DESIGN
(SE-830-DR2)
Geothermal Well Designs
Sverrir Thorhallsson
sverrir.thorhallsson@gmail.com
ISE Geothermal Drilling and Well Design March 2019 Sverrir Thorhallsson 1
WELL DESIGN OPTIONS
Further reading:
1. GEOTHERMAL WELL DESIGN – CASING AND WELLHEAD, Hagen Hole (2008), HERE
2. GEOTHERMAL WELL DESIGN USING THE NEW 2015 NEW ZEALAND STANDARD AND
1991 STANDARD: A CASE OF MW-20A IN MENENGAI, NAKURU COUNTY, KENYA,
Anthony Ng’ang’a Ngigi (UNUGTP 2015): HERE
3. HIGH-TEMPERATURE GEOTHERMAL WELL DESIGN, Hossein Hossein-Pourazad
(UNUGTP 2005): HERE
4. GEOTHERMAL WELL DESIGN, Abdirasak Omar Moumin (UNUGTP 2013): HERE
5. Sandia 1999. Procedures and Recommendations for Slimhole Drilling, J. Finger: HERE
6. Slim hole Drilling for Geothermal wells, René Persoon (2018) HERE
CASING STRING NAMES
•Conductor
•Surface Casing
•Intermediate Casing
(Anchor Casing)
•Production Casing
•Slotted Liner or
Holed Liner
MAIN DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
1. Resource: Target and depth of resource.

Impacts: Total depth of well, depth of production casing shoe, trajectory.
2. Output: Maximum expected flow.
Impacts: Diameter selection, casing program.
3. Flow stability: For high-temperature wells to self-flow, shoe >210˚C.
4. Safety: Well control issues.
Impacts: Number of casing strings and depth. The issue is to have casing
redundancy so leakage in the production casing is contained by the
anchor casing (intermediate casing). The casing shoe depth is to protect
surface aquifers and also to exclude unwanted fluid. Allow control of
underground blow-outs.
5. Well stability: Collapse zones or sloughing clays.
Impacts: Drilling fluid selection, requirements for a screen or slotted liner
6. Casing design loads: During drilling and later operation.
Impacts: Casing design, mainly selection of casing wall thickness and type
of steel. Wellhead pressure rating of BOPES and final wellhead.
Cementing due to high collapse pressures.
MAIN REASONS FOR CASING A WELL
•To seal out unwanted aquifers and to prevent fluid migration between
formations.
•To support the hole.
•To allow control of blow-outs and to anchor the wellhead.
•To provide a conduit for the well production.
MAIN DESIGN OPTIONS
TYPICAL CASING PROGRAMS FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE GEOTHERMAL WELLS
API CASING AND BIT PROGRAMS - COMBINATIONS
The figure shows possible Slimhole

combinations of API
casing and bit sizes that
can make up a casing
program. Regular
The red line show the
most common selection
for geothermal wells.
Blue line is for slimholes . Large
The figure shows possible
combinations of API
casing and bit sizes that
can make up a casing
program.
The legend shows the
liner size for different
programs.
MAIN TYPES OF HIGH TEMPERATURE WELLS
•Slimhole well profile:

Depth of well 1000-2000 m
Casing depth 500-1200 m
Production casing dia. 7” or Q series for coring.
•Regular well profile:

Production casing dia. 9 ⅝", liner 7"
•Large diameter well profile:

Production casing dia. 13 ⅜", liner 9 ⅝"
TWO BASIC CASING DESIGNS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE WELLS
Most high-temperature wells worldwide

are of the same two (2) basic designs.
1. Regular diameter wells with a production casing of 9 ⅝" and a slotted liner
7"
2. Large diameter wells with a casing of 13 ⅜" and a slotted liner 9 ⅝"
NOTE:
• The casing design is identical whether the well is drilled vertical or
directional.
• Depth of each casing point varies. Most important is the depth of the
production casing shoe, as the casing has to exclude unwanted aquifers
(not of high enough temperature).
• Long open hole sections (1000-1500 m) supported by a slotted liner.
MATERIAL USAGE FOR LARGE, REGULAR AND SLIM WELLS
Type Casings (ton) Cement (m3) Volume (m3)
Large (12 ¼") 200 84 278
Regular (8 ½") 135 55 143
Slim (6") 80 26 73
MAIN TYPES OF LOW TEMPERATURE WELLS
•Temperature gradient wells

Depth 40-100 m (used in Iceland for exploration)
Well diameter 3-4”, plastic liner HDPE
•Production wells
Depth 400-2000 m
Casing sizes, mainly three diameters for production 14", 10 ¾" and 8 ⅝"
or 7 ⅝".
Casing depth to 250-800 m. Barefoot - no liner in open hole section
(for wells in Iceland).
WELL PRODUCTIVITY
EFFECT OF WELL DIAMETER
AND RESERVOIR TEMPERATURE
Ref.
1. IFC. Success of Geothermal Wells: A global study. HERE
2. Sveinbjornsson, B.M. 2014. Success of High Temperature Geothermal
Wells in Iceland. Report ÍSOR-2014/053, December 2014. HERE
3. Sveinbjörnsson, B.M. 2016. Medium Enthalpy Geothermal Systems in
Iceland. Thermal and Electric Potential. HERE
WORLD SURVEY OF WELL OUTPUTS
IFC report: Success of Geothermal Wells: A global study, link HERE
WELL DURING FLOW TESTING IN ICELAND
Weir
box
Separator/slilencer Lip pipe Flow line Wellhead enclosure
Source: Reykjavik Energy
SELECTED OUTPUT CURVES FOR WELLS IN ICELAND
Note:
13 ⅜" 1. Effect of
reservoir
temperature on
wellhead
pressure.
290ºC
2. “Flat curves”
for very high
enthalpy wells,
260ºC
indicating
choking out in
9 ⅝"
the formation.
240ºC 3. Effect of
casing diameter
of maximum
200ºC flow rate.
180ºC
WELL OUTPUT - AVERAGE ~5 MWE
Kamojang
average 5 MWe
Ref. Valgarður Stefánsson 1997
ICELANDIC „LEARNING CURVE“
Cumulative average capacity of production wells

as a function of the well sequence number in all fields.
Ref. B.M. Sveinbjörnsson

ÍSOR-2014/053
STEP-RATE INJECTION TEST TO DETERMINE INJECTIVITY INDEX
Step-rate injection test period | Fall-off test period
The duration of each flow step (15, 30, 43 and 57 L/s) is ~2 hr. The pressure
responce is logged just below the main loss zone. See next slide for II for calc.
DETERMINATION OF INJECTIVITY INDEX FROM STEP-RATE INJECTION TEST
The injectivity index (II) is the slope = 4.1 (L/s)/bar

INJECTIVITY INDEX AT END OF DRILLING VS. FUTURE FLOW RATE
Ref.M. Grant
The Injectivity (II) is determined by a step rate injection test at the end of drilling.
Maximum flow is obtained later by flow-test. Useful as a guide for predicting success.
HELLISHEIDI: TOTAL MASS FLOW OF WELLS VERSUS INJECTIVITY INDEX
Ref. Drilling performance,injectivity and productivity of geothermal wells (2014)

Bjorn Mar Sveinbjornsson, Sverrir Thorhallsson HERE
PRE DRILLING – LARGE DIAMETER WELL
FIVE CASING STINGS VISIBLE IN THE IDDP-1 WELL CELLAR
REGULAR VS. LARGE DIAMETER WELLS: PROS & CONS
Regular diameter wells Large diameter wells

1.Have a 9 ⅝“ production casing. 1. Have a 13 ⅜“ production casing.
2. Have successfully been drilled as 2. Have the potential to double to output
exploration and production and per well relative to a regular well.
reinjection wells. Requires good permeability.
3. Can deliver up to 15 MWe – the world 3. One advantage of the design is that
average is 5 MWe per well. there is more room for scaling inside the
4. Are adequate when the reservoir casing and can also repaired with a larger
inflow limits the maximum flow. liner.
4. The large diameter wells take about
the same time to drill but cost ~30%
more.
5. No problem to drill this program as
directional wells.
6. Large diameter wells are preferred for
or EGS projects with down-hole pumps.
SVARTSENGI (IS) OUTPUT 1996-1997 WELL OUTPUT CURVES
Svartsengi 1996-97
60
55
50
45
40
35
Flow (kg/s)
30
“Lubricator” on the well and crane for down-hole logging
Actual output
25 Mar-Apr '97
Horizontal 20
separator
15 SG-7
• Crit. press Pc SG-8
• WHP Po 10 SG-9
SG-11
• Water flow 5 SG-12
• Steam flow
Horizontal separator 0
in chimney 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
WHP (bar-g)
STEAM/WATER RATIO – AVERAGE ENTHALPY IS DIFFERENT
IDDP-1 Inital flow
Source: Gudmundur O Fridleifsson
www.iddp.is
STEAM VELOCITY
CORRODED SLOTTED LINER
– The slotted liner (with drilled

holes) was retrieved from a
well.
– Catastrophic corrosion
occurs at the point of contact
between HCl gas from below
and water entering liner.
– Only the upper part of the

liner was retrieved.
SLIMHOLES
Ref.
1. Sandia 1999. Procedures and Recommendations for Slimhole Drilling. HERE
2. P. White, K. MacKenzie, K. Verghese, C. Hickson 2010.
Deep Slimhole Drilling for Geothermal Exploration. HERE
SLIMHOLES - CORING RIG (HANDBOOK HERE)
There is renewed interest in drilling slimholes, wells under 6” in diameter, as

exploration wells. Cost USD/m ~1000-1500.
1. Wells drilled with wireline coring rigs from the mineral exploration industry.
Diameter of 3-4”, HQ and NQ coring to 1500 m.
2. Wells drilled with rotary rigs of 60-100 t hook load capacity, having a final
diameter of ~6”. Casing program: 10 ¾”, 7” and a 4½” perforated liner to max
2000 m.
SLIMHOLE DESIGN: CORED EXPLORATION WELL TO 1200 M
SLIMHOLE DRILLING
• ROP
• Rotary drilling ~50-100 m/day
• Coring ~25-40 m/day
• Circulation
• Rotary ~15 L/s
• Coring ~3-5 L/s
• Drilling fluids
- Benotnite and viscosifiers, maintain high pH.
- In total loss: Water and hi-vis polymer pills every joint. Also pump water down
annulus to lubricate the string.
- Problem of bit cooling for such low cirulation rates.
• Drill bits
- Tri-cone bits with tunsten carbide incerts and PDC bits.
• Cementing
- No loss: Cementing through a cement head with plugs.
- In total loss: Cement up to the loss, then reverse.
Ref: J. Finger et.al. (2007) GRC Meeting. “Drilling and Completions Technology for
Geothermal Wells” (full screen capture of slide from presentation)
CORING ROD DEPTH CAPACITY (NQ, HQ), FOR DEEPER DRILLING NRQ AND HRQ
Source:Borat Longyear catalog
SLIMHOLE 6 ⅛"
This slimhole can be drilled

with rigs of 60 to 100 t hook
load cap.
Such rigs are truck mounted or

on a trailer and require a
substructure.
The wells may be flow tested.
The wells are drilled with

conventional tri-cone bits.
Such wells can be designed to

reach 2000 m.
SLIMHOLE RIG
Date: 14 March.
The rig has reached
1603.9 m and is
pulling out. Note hook
load is 56 t (blue line)
while pulling each
joint, else 50 t.
Bit diameter is 6⅛".
Source: Iceland Drilling Co

CORING RIG ON LOCATION, NOTE SUBBASE
MONSTERRAT SLIMHOLE
3⅞" (HQ)
Souce for the four (4) slides on

Monsterrat is the report: “Final
Report Geothermal Exploration
in Montserrat, Caribbean
By EGS Inc. Santa Rosa,
California (2010) and the
figures are from ThermaSource
Ref: Government of Montserrat
webpage, 2012
MONSTERRAT
BOP STACK
This is for a slimhole:

Final master valve is on the
well and then a double ram
and a annular preventer.
The expansion spool is on

the anchor casing and has
a pack-off seal in the
annulus.
There are four kill and

choke lines, the bottom
two used earlier but now
behind a pack-off, for
annulus only.
The configuration is the

same as for a large hole.
MONSTERRAT WELLHEAD - SLIMHOLE
SLIMHOLE
2¾" (NQ)
This well is drilled

with a coring rig, the
last two sections HQ
and NQ.
The coring rigs are

truck mounted and
typically have a hook
load of 20 t.
The rig requires a
substructure and a
cellar for the BOPES.
Cost ~ 1,500 USD/m.
BOP STACK FOR SLIMHOLE DRILLING
Each stage of drilling requires a new stack to suit the diameters and safety
requirements. On the last stage the final master valve has been installed.
The expansion spool is installed on the anchor casing. Below the BOPES there are two
side outlets, for killing the well and a choke line.
CASING PROGRAMS
46
EXAMPLE
The casing
program shown
(example only) is
for a 3000 m deep
production well
with a regular
diameter casing,
where the
production casing
shoe is at 1200 m.
KEY DOCUMENT ON GEOTHERMAL WELL DESIGN – NEW ZEALAND STD 2015
NEW ZEALAND STANDARD (1991) NOW SUPERSEDED (2015)
Code of Practice for DEEP GEOTHERMAL WELLS

Contents:
1. GENERAL
2. WELL DESIGN
3. WELL SITES
4. DRILLING EQUIP., TOOLS AND MATERIALS
5. DRILLING PRACTICES
6. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF WELLS
7. ABANDONMENT OF WELLS
ICELANDIC GEOTHERMAL WELLS
Low temperature
High temperature
LOW TEMPERATURE WELLS
1. Low temperature (LT) wells may have only two cemented casing strings
and many (all LT wells in Iceland) have no liner or screen. Some wells
require a screen or slotted liner if the formations unstable. More than
two casing strings may be required to protect surface aquifers, if there
are show of hydrocarbons, or for deep casing depths. T
2. The diameter selection is determined by the expected output and
diameter of pump to be installed. To allow large diameter pumps to be
installed the casing program may be „telescopic“ in order to have a
„pump chamber“. It is preferred to have the pump at depth inside the
casing.
3. The upper part of LT wells may be drilled by DTH air hammer and in
sedimentary formations the use of PDC bits is gaining popularity.
PUMP OUTPUT CURVES VS. DIAMETER (6“ AND 8“)
Pump model Max flow (L/s) Lift per stage(m) OD of pump

Floway 6JKH 15 12.2 5 ⅞“ – 150 mm
Floway 8KJKH 45 20 7 ¾“ – 197 mm
15 L/s @ 12,2 m
45 L/s @ 20 m
VERTICAL VS.
DIRECTIONAL
The casing programs

are virtually the
same.
The build-up starts
at the kick off point
(KOP) at 300-500 m.
Inclination of 30-40˚
is common in
geothermal wells.
DETERMINATION OF MINMUM
CASING DEPTHS
DETERMINATION OF MINIMUM DEPTH
NZ) The pressure inside the well at the casing shoe for each casing string shall not
exceed the overburden pressure. The well is assumed steam filled from
bottom (New Zealand standard).
IS) The pressure from a column of water or heavy mud inside the casing shall
exceed the pressure in the well at the casing shoe. Assuming a 2-phase
pressure profile in the well. This insures that the well can be killed in
underground blow-out situations (up-flow in the well). Icelandic criteria.
Special case for steam zone (vapour dominated)

For vapor dominated reservoirs the temperature is very often 240˚C and pressure
34 bar-g. Near isobaric conditions.
For reservoirs that have experienced large draw-downs a steam cap may have
developed that can make drilling difficult if the zone reaches near surface e.g.
250 m.
Two loss zones may result in steam entering the upper zone, even when pumping
water. The well may thus be quick to kick once the pumping stops.
CRITERIA FOR CASING DEPTH DETERMINATION
•For surface casing:

• Deep enough to support the BOP for drilling to the anchor casing depth.
Case off poorly consolidated soil and loose material.
•For anchor casing:
• Protect surface aquifers against contamination during drilling and to act as a
second pressure barrier during the lifetime of the well. Support of the BOP
and later the final production wellhead. The casing should also be deep
enough to allow the well to be killed while drilling to the production casing
depth.
•For production casing:
• Prevent any unwanted aquifers from entering the well, either because of too
low temperature or incompatible fluid. The minimum temperature criteria
(e.g. 220˚C) is set and the actual depth decided during drilling.
• Insure the safety of the well during drilling and later production. The casing
should be long enough to allow the well to be killed by water or heavy mud.
• The formation fracture pressure should be higher than any pressure inside the
well at the shoe.
re ser vo ir p re ssur e a nd we ll in ter na l p re ssu re ( bu rst)
0
PRESSURE: STATIC AND DYNAMIC
Max WHP measured
Watertable in in Iceland
20 0 stagnant well
Boiling point
depth curve
T & P criteria for design: 40 0
•Where there is no knowledge from Pressure due to accumulation

of gas in shut-in well
previous drilling – boiling point depth 60 0

Boiling starts
curve (BPD).
80 0
Actual measurements are used where Casing shoe
drilling has taken place. prod. casing
D ept h (m)
100 0 800-1100 m
•On the figure note: 120 0

Good inflow
-Static log – well close performance
-Dynamic log – well flowing 140 0

High dP, dry steam well
-dP – pressure drop from formation
to the well. Small – good well. 160 0
Boi ling point depth curve
S varts engi S G-7, flowi ng
Inflow dP
-Where boiling starts, BP Sv art sengi, res erv oir press ure
180 0 Nes jav elli r NJ -9, wel l c l os ed

Nesj av elli r NJ-9, before flowi ng
Nes jav elli r NJ -18, flowi ng
Ne sj avellir NJ -18, before flowi ng
K rafl a K G-12, flowi ng
200 0 K rafl a K G-12, c l os ed
SÞ 4 .4 .19 98
0 20 40 60 8 0 10 0 12 0 14 0 16 0 18 0 20 0
ISE Geothermal Drilling and Well Design

P ressure (bar-g)
March 2019 Sverrir Thorhallsson 59
TEMP. IN HIGH TEMPERATURE WELLS, ICELAND AND ITALY
Ref: Huang Hefu
TEMPERATURE NEAR A MAGMA BODY
Estimates for Reykjanes

Ref: W. Elders Ref. Huang Hefu
NZ STD. (1991) – MINIMUM CASING DEPTH
Extend the pressure profile from

well bottom of each section of well
and where it intersects the
overburden line – that is the
minimum casing depth for the
production casing (680 m).
Then repeat the same procedure
for the Anchor casing (220 m) and
Surface casing (40 m)
Start from bottom and work your
way up.
OLD METHOD
(NZS 2403:1991)
See next page
for the 2015 std.
NEW NZ STD. (2015) – CASING DEPTH CRITERIA
The minimum design

depths of each cemented
casing string or liner shall be
chosen so that formations
at each casing shoe have
sufficient Effective
Containment Pressure to
equal the Maximum Design
Pressure expected to be
encountered in the next
open-hole section.
The figure shows an

example of the minimum
casing shoe depth selection
method (NZS 2403:2015).
COMPARISON BETWEEN NZS STANDARDS FORM 1991 AND 2015
The standard from 1991 one can deduce the „rule of thumb“ that the casing
minimum shoe depth should be 1/3 of the next section of well to be drilled,
but the same rule for the 2015 standard the minimum depth should be
roughly 1/2 of the next section depth.
The greater casing depth of the updated standard exceeds the experience in
Iceland as being required. The 1991 standard had the criteria of overburden
pressure (caused by the rock density) but the new one is based on the
effective containment pressure for depth (fracture pressure).
PRESSURE PROFILES FOR CASING DEPTH DETERMINATIONS – FOR WATER QUENCH
„BACK OF ENVELOPE“ CASING DESIGN
See special lecture ISE 7 for detailed casing design
OBJECTIVES OF CASING DESIGN
Geothermal criteria (AUC standard):

The casing design should consider:
(a) Intended purpose;
(b) Design lifetime; and
(c) Ongoing operation and maintenance.
Oilwell criteria (Shell):

Optimization of the technical integrity of the Quality Well during:
a) the drilling phase, to cope with anticipated pressures and
b) the total life cycle (usually equal to the field life), to minimize intervention
CASING SERVICE – GEOTHERMAL WELLS
According to AUC standard:

a) Prevent the collapsing, bursting, buckling, or other deformation of casing;
(b) Support drilling and permanent wellheads;
(c) Safely contain well fluids;
(d) Control contamination of subsurface aquifers;
(e) Counter circulation losses during drilling; and
(f) Protect the integrity of the well against corrosion, erosion, or fracturing.
THE WELL DESIGN PROCESS, STEP BY STEP (AUC STANDARD)
See special
lecture ISE 7
for details
BOILING POINT DEPTH CURVE (BPD)
In HT „green fields“ where the 0 50 100 150

Pressure (bar)
200 250 300 350 400
reservoir conditions are not known 0
it is common practice to assume

500
the „worst possible case“ in term of
how high the temperature or
1000
pressure is down-hole. This curve is
the saturation conditions (boiling) 1500
for the hydrostatic pressure at
Depth (m)
depth. 2000
The curve shows the BPD curves for

temperature and pressure vs. 2500
depth.
If the water level is at say 300 m 3000
below ground the curves shift

3500
downwards (starting point from 0 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Temperature (°C)
m to 300 m). BPD (pressure) BPD (temperature)
CASING DESIGN LOADS TO CONSIDER
STRESS INSTALLATION INJECTION PRODUCTION
Cement column Biaxial load. Trapped water in

Collapse outside and water uncemented sections
inside the casing. in the annulus.
Biaxial tensioning.
Surface pressure Injection pressure Wellhead pressure.

Burst to lift cementing. Gas accumulation
Gas accumulation. and depression of
water table.
Cooling load. Axial load due to Thermal expansion.

Tension/ Support of own cooling.
Compr. weight.
PRESSURE FORCES ACTING ON CASING
BURST COLLAPSE
COLLAPSE RESISTANCE VS. DIAMETER/THICKNESS RATIO
The diagram shows

the collapse
resistance of several
API steel grades as a
function of outside
diameter (D) over
thickness (t)
Note how little effect
the strength of the
steel plays.
Ref: Thyssen
BEYOND THE YIELD POINT BOTH IN HEATING UP AND COOLING
Stress due to restrained thermal expansion: Lt=E(K*dT)A
CASING SELECTION
Plese check special lecture (IES7) on

Casing Design by Gunnar Skúalson Kaldal
for detailed design
IFP DRILLING DATA HANDBOOK (GREEN BOOK)
CONTAINS USEFUL CASING DATA:

1. Geometric and mechanical characteristics
2. Effect of tensile load on collapse resistance
3. Tensile requirements (API Std. 5A)
4. Casing joints
The handbook also contains a wealth of practical information for the man on
the rig and others associated with the technical side of drilling.
Published by: Institute France de Petrole (IFP)
CASING DIAMETERS
Drilling people still refer to the diameter in inches (") rater than millimeters
(mm). This, however, is changing and new standards and handbooks do not
mention inches.
The diameter of casings always refers to the OUTSIDE DIAMETER of the pipe
body.
Other diameters to consider: a) outside diameter of couplings, b) drift
diameter of pipe (minimum inside diameter allowed).
The thicker the casing the smaller the inside diameter.
9 ⅝" CASING
Drilling Data
Handbook:
Geometic
data and
strength of
9 5/8" casing.
All standard
API
dimensions
are listed.
13 3/8" CASING
Drilling Data
Handbook:
Geometic data
and strenth of
13 3/8" casing.
Note effect of
casing
thickness and
of type of
steel.
API COLOR CODING OF CASING STEEL GRADES
API markings are stenciled on every pipe
•J-55 One bright green band

•K-55 Two bright green bands
•L-80 One red band and one brown band
•C-75 One blue band
•N-80 One red band
NOTE:
If the API monogram is missing from the stenciled markings, the casing may
be produced under the works specifications.
CASING CONNECTIONS
•Buttress threads are most commony used.

•VAM threads are sometimes used. Latest model VAM 21.
•Big Omega are sometime used on large casings 14" - 26".
•Tenaris Blue. Special “proprietary” or “premium” connections (e.g. Hydril,
now Tenaris) are at times used for improved strength/sealing or to reduce
clearance between casing OD and well ID e.g. for slotted liners.
•GeoConn is a Buttress type thread which has superior strength as there is no
gap between the casing ends.
•Surface casings of a large diameter are sometimes butt welded. In Iceland
also the anchor casing to ~350 m is also welded. Requires certified welders.
•Welding (slip on welding – SOW) is often used for casing heads. Requires
heating and post weld treatment. Note: Most high-grade casing steels can
not be welded >K55.
Standards:
API 5CT, API 5. ISO 13679 and API 5C5 CAL IV testing standards. Connections are tested
at high temperatures according to the Thermal Well Casing Connection Evaluation
Protocol (TWCCEP, ISO 12835).
API REG AND BUTTRESS
BUTTRESS VS. GEOCONN
Same API Buttress threads.

Different coupling and end
finish of casing pipe.
Ref.: Metal One catalog
SLOTTED LINERS OR HOLED LINERS
Liners are installed in the open hole

section of a geothermal well to keep it
open should the walls collapse. It also
block entry of large stones but because
of the rather large slots it does not act
as a sand screen. The holes are
elongated slots or circular. The
elongared holes are either milled or
flame cut whereas the circular ones are
drilled. The flame cutting is often
performed in the field but is not very
common nowadays as the job is
performed with semi-automatic
equipment in shops.
SLOTTED LINER - SLOT SHAPES
Square slots
-cut or milled
or
Rounded slots
-torch cut
Square slots-angled
-cut or milled
Round holes
-drilled, perf., jet
INSTALLING A CASING IN A WELL
1. Inspect well casing in stock:

Color band coding reveals steel grade. Most common API K55, C75 and L80.
Higher grades may not be suitable due to inadequate H2S resistance, e.g. N80.
Stenciled markings show diameter (“) and weight (fb/ft), grade of steel,
connection, length.
Loosen thread protector and inspect.
Re-grease each casing thread before joining with Kopr-Kote Geothermal
(thermal grade) compound or equivalent.
Run ID gauge to drift diameter through the casing to check.
Measure the exact length of each casing – prepare casing tally.
2. Install casing hardware:
Float shoe on bottom + two centralizers. (Float = Float valve = check valve)
Float collar at second joint + centralizers installed every three joints.
3. Apply “Baker-Lock” (thread glue) on lowest three joints or tag weld
to prevent unscrewing.
WEIGHT IN WATER
The diagram shows how

deep a particular rig can go,
based on its hook load
capacity (t) and dia of drill
pipes.
The weight of casings is

shown as dotted lines.
NQ and HQ are light weight

coring drilling rods.
Examples for small rigs of

100 t and 50 t hook load are
shown for reference, with a
safety factor (SF) of 1.33.
NOTES ON CASING PROGRAMS
•Geothermal casing programs are quite similar worldwide.

•Usually 3-4 cemented casing strings are called for in the design of HT wells.
•One “rule of thumb” says: The casing shall overlap 1/3 of the depth of well
section to be drilled, e.g. 2100 m TD, 900 m prod.,
300 m anchor, and a 100 m surface casing.
•The higher compressive loads are near the casing shoe from the weight of the
cement slurry column when inner-string cementing is used.
•The highest burst loads are:
• in the cold well when the water level is depressed to the casing shoe from rising
gas bubbles when the well is shut-in.
• In the hot condition when the well is suddenly closed.
•High temperature and steam-enthalpy wells can have very high closing
pressure >100 bar.
• For high temperature wells down to ~1000 m ANSI 600 pressure class wellhead
is commonly used, down to ~2000 m ANSI 900 and to ~3000 m ANSI 1500.
•Drilling can be quite different once draw-down becomes marked, e.g. due to
the creation of a steam zone.
GEOTHERMAL WELLHEADS
Ref.
H. Hole. GEOTHERMAL WELL DESIGN – CASING AND WELLHEAD HERE
TIX-IKS Geothermal Wellhead Product Description HERE
Cameron Compact Geothermal Wellhead System HERE
Foster Conventional Geothermal Wellhead System HERE
WELLHEAD EVOLUTION IN ICELAND
HT WELLHEAD EXPANSION SPOOLS
Master valve
Expansion spool
Wellhead Kill line
12” x ANSI 900
Casing head
WELLHEAD WITH EXPANSION SPOOL
LEAKAGE ON FLANGES: INSURE CORRECT BOLT TORQUE AND PRESSURE CLASS
Steam leak
on flange
WELLHEAD EVOLUTION IN MEXICO
PRESSURE RATING OF WELLHEAD
COMPABILITY OF API AND ANSI FLANGES
API flanges come with

groves for stainless steel
ring gaskets but ANSI
flanges need to be
specified with a ring
tool joint (RTJ) to be
compatible.
Source:
CFP Industies
HT WELLHEAD IN ICELAND
Design features:
•Extra thick walled casing on
top most 13 3/8” casing joint.
•Weld neck casing head flange
•Expansion spool wiht guide,
but no sealing rings.
•No kill line below master valve.
•Kill line between Master valve
and second valve (el. operated).
GEOTHERMAL WELLHEAD ASSEMBLY
Ref.: Daniel Valve Co.
X-mas tree Expansion spool Expanding gate valve
EXPANDING GATE MASTER VALVE
This type of a valve is found as the

Master valve (main shut-off valve)
on many HT wells.
A big advantage is that the seats
are always protected and thus no
scale build-up on the sealing
surfaces in open or closed
position.
The split gate allows easy
movement for opening to closing.
Sometimes the gate is made from

a single piece and is then called
“slab gate” valve. That design also
protects the seats at all times and
is only for open/closed operation
(not throttling).
WELLHEADS IN INDONESIA – TWO TYPES
Below:
Without expansion spool
Right:
With expansion spool

Diseño de Pozos

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Diseño de Pozos

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Diseño de Pozos

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

GEOTHERMAL DRILLING AND WELL DESIGN

Geothermal Well Designs

1. Resource: Target and depth of resource.

•To support the hole.

•To allow control of blow-outs and to anchor the wellhead.

•To provide a conduit for the well production.

The figure shows possible Slimhole

•Slimhole well profile:

•Regular well profile:

•Large diameter well profile:

Most high-temperature wells worldwide

Type Casings (ton) Cement (m3) Volume (m3)

Large (12 ¼") 200 84 278

Regular (8 ½") 135 55 143

•Temperature gradient wells

IFC report: Success of Geothermal Wells: A global study, link HERE

Source: Reykjavik Energy

Ref. Valgarður Stefánsson 1997

Cumulative average capacity of production wells

Ref. B.M. Sveinbjörnsson

Step-rate injection test period | Fall-off test period

The injectivity index (II) is the slope = 4.1 (L/s)/bar

Ref. Drilling performance,injectivity and productivity of geothermal wells (2014)

Regular diameter wells Large diameter wells

– The slotted liner (with drilled

– Only the upper part of the

There is renewed interest in drilling slimholes, wells under 6” in diameter, as

Source:Borat Longyear catalog

This slimhole can be drilled

Such rigs are truck mounted or

The wells may be flow tested.

The wells are drilled with

Such wells can be designed to

Source: Iceland Drilling Co

Souce for the four (4) slides on

This is for a slimhole:

The expansion spool is on

There are four kill and

The configuration is the

This well is drilled

The coring rigs are

Code of Practice for DEEP GEOTHERMAL WELLS

Pump model Max flow (L/s) Lift per stage(m) OD of pump

The casing programs

Special case for steam zone (vapour dominated)

•For surface casing:

•Where there is no knowledge from Pressure due to accumulation

previous drilling – boiling point depth 60 0

•On the figure note: 120 0

-Dynamic log – well flowing 140 0

180 0 Nes jav elli r NJ -9, wel l c l os ed

ISE Geothermal Drilling and Well Design

Ref: Huang Hefu

Estimates for Reykjanes

Extend the pressure profile from

The minimum design

The figure shows an