Buoyancy Technology Used Effectively in Casing-Running Operations to Extend Lateral Step-Out: Multiple Case Histories Detail Application Risks, Successes, and Improved Operation Procedures

Rogers, Henry Eugene; Ryen, Daniel; Sparks, Dale E.

doi:10.2118/149206-ms

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

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Buoyancy Technology Used Effectively in Casing Running Operations to Extend Lateral Stepout: Two Case Histories Detail Application Risks and Successes

et al. 2011

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Operators today face an ever-increasing demand for locating commercial reserves and producing those reserves with attention to exploration and development costs. In addition to basic financial pressures, operators also strive to reduce the environmental impact of well construction and production operations. Extended-reach drilling technology allows operators to reach recoverable reserves that, in the past, were unreachable. Specifically, extended-reach drilling from a multipad wellsite allows significant portions of the well-construction costs to be distributed amongst multiple wells, rather than being carried by an individual wellbore. Also, the capability to drill multiple wells from a single pad reduces the environmental impact of the drilling operation. Extending wellbore reach from a given pad depends on the location of the target formation. Depth, horizontal distance, and production type significantly affect the type of drilling program as well as the casing running operation. Casing flotation is a proven technology that has been deployed in fields around the world to extend the attainable lateral reach of the casing running operation. In many wells, the buckling limits of the casing being run, rather than insufficient hook load, prevent successful casing running operations from pushing the casing into the lateral section. In some cases, slack-off loads with small casing strings cause helical buckling and lock-up of the casing before reaching total depth. This paper documents the use of flotation technology in several wells where casing lock-up caused by buckling limits was averted to allow successful casing running operations to be performed without the requirement of costly premium torque-shouldered connections. Detailed prejob planning and computer simulations are provided to demonstrate the limits without casing flotation and the step out achieved with it.

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Buoyancy Technology Used Effectively in Casing Running Operations to Extend Lateral Stepout: Two Case Histories Detail Application Risks and Successes

et al. 2011

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Long Horizontal Well Completion via a New Flotation Technique

Shan

Lü

Jiang

et al. 2021

SPE/IATMI Asia Pacific Oil &Amp; Gas Conference and Exhibition

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The objective of the paper is to introduce a new technology which secures long horizontal casing deployment by a reliable casing flotation technology. It is common nowadays to drill a slim hole and extends to long horizontal extension to pay zones in condensate and shale oil and gas reservoir. To assure a successful casing deployment into the horizontal section, a flotation collar is often installed to float the casing in horizontal to mitigate the friction and Torque & Drag. However, slim casing may encounter difficulty in circulation and subsequent cementing even after the collar is broken. A new proprietary technique proposed in this paper solved above contingencies and secured 100% success in casing deployment, This technique secures smoothly circulation and cementing by flotating air in horizontal casing interval and purging air out of hole to overcome Spring Effect before circulation and cementing. Often, the flotation collar is made of proprietary material that can break or explodes under certain hydraulic pressure. After breaking, the whole collar becomes a portion of casing with exact the same ID of casing or a very small difference that does not have any negative effect to subsequent Plug & Perf, frac, tools running through and fluid movement. For long horizontal length of small open hole and casing sizes, casing deployment may be difficult if the Torque & Drag and friction through the low sides can not be mitigated. This paper proposes a new technique to fill air full of horizontal interval along inside the casing and ensure a sufficient of air purging to overcome Spring Effect before circulation and cementing. So far twelve (12) wells have been successfully completed including Asian longest horizontal gas well with 7,388.18m measured depth and 4,118.18m horizontal length. All jobs are 100% successful and there is no difficulty in mud circulation and cementing. Even for the longest 4,118.18m horizontal length casing deployment, the hook weight on surface when casing reached the total depth still remained 20 MT. Before this technique was applied, operators were unable to deploy 4 ½" casing through a 6" bit hole beyond 1500m horizontal length. Most often the hook weight at surface were zero when casing extended to almost 1500m in horizontal length. This new technique brings a great value to operators to complete longer horizontal well to yield more production with less investment.

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Single Trip Deployment of Multi-Stage Completion Liners Through the Used of Interventionless Flotation Collars

Tait

Munawar

2021

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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Due to challenging market conditions, the drilling and completion industry has needed to put forth innovative deployment strategies in horizontal multi-stage completions. In difficult wellbores, the traditional method for deploying liners was to run drill pipe. The case studies discussed in this paper detail an alternative method to deploy liners in a single trip on the tieback string so the operator can reduce the overall costs of deployment. Previously, this was not practical because the tieback string weight could not overcome the wellbore friction in horizontal applications. In each case, a flotation collar is required to ensure there is enough hook load for deployment of the liner system. The flotation collars used are an interventionless design, utilizing a tempered glass barrier that shatters at a pre-determined applied pressure. The glass debris can be easily circulated through the well without damaging downhole components. This is done commonly on cemented liner and cemented monobore installations, but more rarely with open hole multi-stage completions. For open hole multi-stage completions, the initial installation typically requires an activation tool at the bottom of the well to set the hydraulically activated equipment above. Multiple validation tests were completed prior to installation by using an activation tool and flotation collar to ensure the debris could be safely circulated through the internals without closing the activation tool. These activation tools have relatively limited flow area and could cause an issue if the glass debris were to accumulate and shift it closed prematurely. Premature closing of the tool would leave expensive drilling fluids in contact with the reservoir, potentially harming production. For the test, the flotation collar was placed only two pup joints away from the activation tool, resulting in a worst-case scenario where a large amount of debris could potentially encounter the internals of the activation tool at one time. In a downhole environment the flotation collar is typically installed near the build or heel of the well, depending on wellbore geometry. The testing was successfully completed, and the activation tool showed no signs of loading. This resulted in a full-scale trial in the field where a 52 stage, open hole (OH) multi-stage fracturing (MSF) liner was deployed using this technology. Through close collaboration with the operator, an acceptable procedure was established to safely circulate the glass debris and further limit the risk of prematurely closing the activation tool. This paper discusses the OH and cemented MSF deployment challenges, detailed lab testing, and field qualification trials for the single trip deployed system. It also highlights operational procedures and best practices when deploying the system in this fashion. A method to calibrate a torque and drag model will also be explored as part of this discussion.

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Buoyancy Technology Used Effectively in Casing-Running Operations to Extend Lateral Step-Out: Multiple Case Histories Detail Application Risks, Successes, and Improved Operation Procedures

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

Buoyancy Technology Used Effectively in Casing Running Operations to Extend Lateral Stepout: Two Case Histories Detail Application Risks and Successes

Buoyancy Technology Used Effectively in Casing Running Operations to Extend Lateral Stepout: Two Case Histories Detail Application Risks and Successes

Long Horizontal Well Completion via a New Flotation Technique

Single Trip Deployment of Multi-Stage Completion Liners Through the Used of Interventionless Flotation Collars

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