Making Non-Metallic Downhole Tubulars a Reality - Challenges &amp; Way Forward

Non-metallic tubing manufactured from fiberglass have been around for decades, and for good reason with multiple physical advantages over carbon steel tubing. However, this has also came with certain physical constraints such as the type of tubing connections and material brittleness with resultant low-pressure ratings. This has restricted a more widespread use of the material, particularly for downhole applications. In recent years, extensive research and development has evolved to manufacture 100% non-metallic composite tubulars with increased mechanical strength combined with high performance machined threads. The development of non-metallic composite tubulars have been in progress for many years, obstacles to the manufacturing process to deliver a material that was suitable for downhole conditions were numerous. The fully non-metallic fiberglass tubular is manufactured with aromatic amine cured epoxy resin, which not only provides the required strength but also an effective resistance to the harsh downhole conditions. Deep water supply wells that provide water injection are ideal candidates for this technology. The material is corrosion resistant, lightweight, zero maintenance, extremely durable with a superior hydraulic performance over carbon steel. The challenges of using carbon steel tubulars in harsh water environments are well known, and can lead to premature failure of the completion. Such failure can result in flow circulation across the electrical submersible pump (ESP) eventually leading to pump failure due to excessive heat in the motor. Fiberglass lined carbon steel protects the inner part of the tubing but still leaves the external side exposed to the harsh environment. The next step in the evolution for tubulars exposed to harsh conditions is 100% non-metallic manufactured tubulars. A custom designed resin system and manufacturing process with precise winding angle patterns delivered this high strength and chemically stable product. These properties allow for a maximum running depth of 12,000 ft, a maximum working pressure of 2500 psi and an expected life expectancy in the 10's of years. The tubing joints have API specification composite machined threads and are made up similar to traditional carbon steel tubing but requiring less torque. The successful deployment of 100% non-metallic composite tubulars in ESP powered water supply wells is another step towards increased utilization of this technology. A review has been completed of the manufacturing process, flow assurance, design integrity improvements and economic analysis of the 100% non-metallic fiberglass tubular. This completion design ensures well integrity & prolongs the lifetime of the assets and is in-line with the adoption of circular economy practices, simultaneously providing cost effective solutions and ensuring continuous improvement.

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Ensuring Effective Downhole Corrosion Control Management Through the Newly Integrated Corrosion Monitoring Surveillance System

Abdulghani,

Muailu,

Bukhamseen

et al. 2023

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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Corrosion challenges in production and injection wells are common in the oil and gas industry. The detrimental outcomes of corrosion affect the service life of a well. The necessity of dependable corrosion management solutions that can precisely measure corrosion rates is essential when taking into consideration the expense of maintenance and repair because of corrosion and material failures. In this paper, a successful deployment of a newly re-designed downhole corrosion monitoring tool with a custom-designed Downhole Coupon Holder Assembly (DCHA) is discussed. Electrical resistance (ER) corrosion probes are widely used in the petroleum industry for corrosion rate surveillance. To keep track of metal loss, the ER probes measure the electrical resistance, which rises as the size of the consumable test coupon reduces. The weight loss corrosion coupons, one of the oldest and most well-known corrosion monitoring techniques, are still widely used to this day. Examining the Mils-Per-Year (MPY) rate of corrosion on a used coupon can give an indication of the material's durability. The integrated innovation, the ER+ tool, was equipped with a specially configured resistivity probe to measure downhole temperature and metal loss data and hosted with a set of six metal coupons in a single coupon holder. It was deployed in a water supply well for a period of 83 days. After a successful retrieval of the tool, the downhole data was downloaded and the metal coupons were analyzed for metal loss profiling, surface profilometry, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imaging analysis. The results conclude that the ER+ tool offers an excellent platform allowing downhole screening of multiple tubing metallurgies for future tubing materials selection and design in a single deployment, i.e., shortening the overall well downtime. In addition, the ER+ tool enables the evaluation of corrosion inhibitor efficacy for different metallurgies. The results will be further used to design an effective and timely downhole inhibitor injection batch treatment schedule and doses for better downhole integrity maintenance. In the long run, the operational and maintenance costs are foreseen to be reduced significantly. The deployment of the integrated ER+ tool showed an excellent understanding of the recorded corrosion rate, and temperature data and establishes the effectiveness of corrosion inhibitor treatments with improved battery life for better surveillance monitoring.

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Making Non-Metallic Downhole Tubulars a Reality - Challenges & Way Forward

Cited by 9 publications

References 9 publications

Electric Submersible Progressive Cavity Pump Combined with Intelligent Composite Coiled Tubing, An Efficient Artificial Lift System for Platform Wells

Electric Submersible Progressive Cavity Pump Combined with Intelligent Composite Coiled Tubing, An Efficient Artificial Lift System for Platform Wells

The Evolutionary Journey of Completion Tubing to 100% Non-Metallic Composite Material

Ensuring Effective Downhole Corrosion Control Management Through the Newly Integrated Corrosion Monitoring Surveillance System

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