An Innovative Pipe Grade to Enhance Reach of Deeper Prospects in Sour Fields

Abstract

Moving into the next decade, wells in the Middle East are becoming more challenging as the deeper and more complex plays are exploited. This environment will be challenging from a torsional and tensile loading standpoint, and will be dynamically very active. This type of environment combined with high levels of H2S calls for a new high grade of sour service pipe. The Middle East is also opening up to the idea of high speed telemetry and wired pipe economics that call for a long lasting pipe product. When using sour service pipe that is traditionally limited to 105 KSI grades, even with an optimized string design, drillers sometimes have no other option than to sacrifice the margin of overpull, risking losing the well if fishing is unsuccessful. Alternatively, they can elect to use drill pipe, which is not suited for use in this corrosive environment, generally using API S135, with a risk of parting the string due to H2S embrittlement. To address these operational limitations, the pipe body, which is the drill pipe limiting member in tension, has to come with higher material strength and at the same time exhibit improved Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC) resistance compared to API S135 grade. A novel grade of drill pipe was developed over a period of two years that is the strongest sour service drill pipe the industry has to offer to date and gives drillers an extra 19% of tensile capacity with its 125 KSI material yield strength. This new grade has been ordered for use in various regions of the world and for numerous applications. At this time, it is being used for intervention and stimulation operations in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), and drilling long, extended reach (ER) wells with wired telemetry drill pipe in the Middle East. This paper presents the phases of the grade development and discusses testing requirements for the crossover between strength and SSC resistance. It also includes statistical data on the first full scale manufacturing tests. Finally, it outlines the products expectations for field applications.