TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractSince the spectacular arrival of solid expandable tubulars four years ago, customers have embraced this technology as a revolutionary well construction and production solution. Through innovative technical development and equipment reliability, solid expandable tubulars continue to grow in acceptance and use.Solid expandable tubulars have been used successfully to reach required total depth (TD) with adequate completion size, slim the well construction process, and overcome abnormal pressures encountered down hole while drilling. In addition, this technology has been used to rejuvenate wellbores for well deepening, casing reinforcement for stimulation, as a solution for corrosion problems, and to cover leaks and perforations. As a result, the overall cost of drilling and production operations has been reduced.This expansion process requires the successful integration of the following conditions and equipment:• casing capable of surviving in-situ reforming • friction reduction between the expansion cone and the casing • expandable flush joint connection

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As the petroleum industry ages, remediation of mature wells using cost-effective solutions is critical. Restoration of a well's production or mechanical integrity, or accomplishing water shut-off in wells whose production is on the decline, is commonplace the world over both on land and offshore. Mature environments, such as West and South Texas, provide an appropriate arena for refurbishing older wells that still have potential hydrocarbon production remaining. Developing technology continues to address the challenges of well remediation while considering economic feasibility. One practical approach that is proving successful is a solid expandable tubular technology that consists of a new casedhole liner system. This liner system allows the customer todeploy more economical, standard oilfield tubulars and gas tight connections to make cased-hole repairs. On one particular remediation, this new cased-hole liner system was used to cover 66 ft of perforations that could not be sealed successfully using conventional squeeze cementing methods. This liner system made it possible for the customer to fracture (frac) a lower zone with the high rates and pressures needed to carry out the frac job. This paper will discuss the system design and testing of this innovative cased-hole liner system. The well preparation process, installation, and lessons learned from the application of the cased-hole liner technology will also be discussed. In conclusion, this paper will also include the liner system's potential impact on the restoration of older wells. Introduction Solid expandable tubular technology has been in existence for over four years and to date over 120 jobs have been run in cased-hole and openhole applications under various downhole conditions. The solid tubular expansion process hydraulically and/or mechanically drives a solid mandrel through a specialized liner, coupled with proprietary expandable connectors. As the pipe expands, elastomer seal sections vulcanized on the outside of the expandable liner are compressed and energized against the base casing inside diameter (ID) forming a robust seal while generating the hanging capacity needed to serve as the liner hanger and the seal for hydraulic isolation. The resultant ID of the liner can be up to 20% greater than the original (Fig. 1). System Design While the solid expandable tubular operating envelope continues to evolve, many special applications demand a stepout from current capacities, and unique solutions are required. The original development of the flexible cladding system was prompted by just such a requirement. The operator needed a system which could provide a reliable, low risk alternative to cement squeezing perforations in an existing wellbore. The operator needed a system with the following specifications:accommodate a 4-1/2 in. cased-hole applicationwithstand a high-temperature, high-pressure (HTHP) environmentprovide a gastight seal across a perforated depleted zonemaintain minimal loss of pass-through IDbe cost effectiveable to be delivered in three months A design review was conducted from the extensive engineering and operational knowledge base and the current basis of design criteria. By leveraging this information, designers concluded that existing systems could be modified for the temperature requirement.

From inception, solid expandable tubular technology has been touted as a game-changing technology. The logical end result of the technology, a single-diameter well, consists of a casing string with the same diameter at the top of the well as at total depth (TD). However, many drilling operators were reluctant to embrace even the basic solid expandable tubular concept without any track record, coupled with what they saw as the inherent risks. Now, after five years of commercial installations, solid expandable tubular technology has proven to be a viable and economically feasible alternative to conventional drilling technology. In the majority of these installations, solid expandable tubulars have been deployed as a contingency to save a well when conventional technology failed. While this type of application is appropriate, operators do not reap the full advantage of all the benefits solid expandable tubular technology offers when integrated as part of the well plan. A crucial step in the acceptance of expandable tubulars as a viable well construction method is to plan the system into the initial well design. In order for the tubulars to be planned into the original well design, operators must understand the compelling economic business cases for the application as well as accept the level of risk. The proven track record has helped mitigate the risk level for many operators, who are now focusing on the value proposition this technology provides. Operators must be comfortable with solid expandable technology in order to make the necessary leap of faith to the single-diameter well. This paper will present the progress of monobore technology up to the present. It will discuss the stages achieved and those that still must be overcome to make this technology feasible. The paper will demonstrate that with solid expandable tubular and monobore technology, operators in general and deepwater operators in particular, will be able to maximize reservoir potential and lower drilling costs when using this value-added technology. Process check A useful tool in helping delineate any new concept is a technology roadmap. In its generic form, a roadmap shows a starting point, a route, points of interest along the way, mileage, and a final destination. For the single-diameter well, the technology roadmap uses variants of the same elements. Beginning with the destination in mind, which is the ultimate high-end evolution of the technology, a series of building blocks progressively arrayed along a timeline illustrate the transition of the technology from its current state to the final product. Milestones earmark advancement positioned at key junctions. In most cases independent, yet parallel, progressions may be necessary to realize the final iteration of a technology. Elements generally considered in this mapping process include the following:Where is the final destination?Is there a solid fundamental value proposition or business case to progress the technology?What is the status of the existing technology?Are ancillary technologies needed?Where are there existing gaps?What are the influencers, enablers, blockers?What are the risk factors? Once compiled, this information can be disseminated for communicating to others strategic intent, identifying problem areas, gauging overall progress, and maintaining overall development focus. Progressing this technology requires that the industry recognizes a cohesive plan that demonstrates with credibility that achievement is possible. While the dynamics within our industry are multiple and complex, a technology roadmap provides a starting point and common ground for discussion. Openly communicating the plan and providing updates with milestone progress encourages active and constructive challenges between all perspective peer groups. This open exchange encourages a broader understanding of the core issues that impact application evaluation, design configuration, and accelerate uptake times. As a whole, a better understood, more broadly-based solution emerges.

Proposal During development, the potential of solid expandable tubular technology promised to revolutionize the design, construction, and remediation of wells through conservation of hole size and maximization of pass-through and flow area. The increased use of this technology and value-based applications by major and independent operators is making this promise a reality. One installation after another, operators are realizing significant value creation in new well construction and increased production from remediated wells. Initially, the envelope of well criteria in which solid expandable tubular systems were qualified was limited to relatively straight holes. However, the full application potential of this technology can only be realized by a continual broadening of the expandable operational envelope. Ongoing testing and actual field installations continue to reduce the limitations of using solid expandable tubular systems in candidate wells. Currently, the performance of solid expandable tubular systems is proven for use in high-angle and horizontal wells, deepwater wells, multiple installations in the same well, situations that require a relatively long expandable casing string, various cementing scenarios, among others. One application of solid expandable tubular systems that was not qualified in the past was a sidetrack through a milled window. However, recent testing and successful field applications proves the viability of using solid expandable tubular systems in these circumstances. This paper discusses factors that potentially threaten the reliable installation of solid expandable tubular systems through a milled casing window into a sidetrack or lateral wellbore, the steps taken to mitigate these factors, the procedures used to test and qualify the performance in this situation, and the results of surface and field testing. The current limitations of using solid expandable tubular systems in this application are also presented. Introduction The developers of solid expandable tubulars were pioneers of the technology to change the basic foundation of how wells are designed and constructed. Solid expandable tubular technology was developed originally to meet the following challenges facing the oil industry:drilling in high pressure zonesdrilling in deepwater environmentsdrilling in troublesome sub-salt playsrepairing and mechanically enhancing casing strings already in placeenhancing existing well Solid expandable tubulars are an enabling technology, allowing operators to access reserves that cannot be reached economically with conventional technology. It is apparent that the technology can facilitate far-reaching, untapped applications to solve future drilling and development problems which cannot be overcome by conventional means. As the technology of solid expandable tubulars matures, new applications are continually being discovered and implemented as a natural progression in the maturation of this innovative technology. During its development, the economic impact of using solid expandable tubulars to save a well threatened of not reaching the objective has been repeatedly documented.