Lecture 4 Casing

Casing design
Table of Contents

• Functions of Casing
• Types of Casing Strings
• Classification of Casing
• Mechanical Properties of Casing
• Casing Design Criteria
• Corrosion Design Considerations
Functions of Casing
• Maintain hole integrity
• Isolate abnormally pressured zones
• Protect shallow weak formations from heavier mud weights required
in the deeper portions of the hole
Prevent release of fluids from any stratum through the wellbore (directly or
indirectly) into the waters
Prevent communication between separate hydrocarbon-bearing strata
(except such strata approved for commingling) and between hydrocarbon and
water-bearing strata
Prevent contamination of freshwater-bearing strata
• Support unconsolidated sediments
• Provide a means of controlling formation pressures and fluids
Types of Casing Strings

• There are different types of casing for different functions and drilling
conditions.
• They are run to different depths and one or two of them may be omitted
depending on the drilling conditions. They are:
Cassion pipe (offshore)
Conductor pipe
Surface casing
Intermediate casing
Production casing
Liners
Cassion pipe (26 to 42 in. OD)

• For offshore drilling only.

• Driven into the sea bed.
• It is tied back to the conductor or surface casing and usually does not
carry any load.
• Prevents washouts of near-surface unconsolidated formations.
• Ensures the stability of the ground surface upon which the rig is
seated.
• Serves as a flow conduit for the drilling mud to the surface
Conductor pipe (7to 20in. OD)

• The outermost casing string.

• It is 40 to 500 ft in length for onshore and up to 1,000 ft for offshore.
• Generally, for shallow wells OD is 16 in. and 20 in. for deep wells.
Isolates very weak formations.
Prevents erosion of ground below rig.
Provides a mud return path.
Supports the weight of subsequent casing strings.
Surface casing (17-1/2 to 20 in. OD)

• The setting depths vary from 300 to 5,000 ft

• 10-3/4 in. and 13-3/8 in. being the most common sizes.
• Setting depth is often determined by government or company policy
and not selected due to technical reasoning.
Provides protection of fresh water sands.
Provides wellbore stabilization.
Intermediate casing (17-1/2 to 9-5/8 in. OD)

• Also called a protective casing, it is purely a technical casing.

• The length varies from 7,000 to 15,000 ft.
Provides isolation of potentially troublesome zones (abnormal
pressure formations, unstable shales, lost circulation zones and salt
sections).
Provides integrity to withstand the high mud weights necessary to
reach TD or next casing seat
Production casing (9-5/8 to 5 in. OD)

• It is set through the protective productive zone(s).

• It is designed to hold the maximal shut-in pressure of the producing
formations.
• It is designed to withstand stimulating pressures during completion
and workover operations.
• A 7-in. OD production casing is often used
Production casing (9-5/8 to 5 in. OD)

Provides zonal isolation (prevents migration of water to producing

zones, isolates different production zones).
Confines production to wellbore.
Provides the environment to install subsurface completion
equipment.
Provides protection for the environment in the event of tubing failure
during production operations and allows for the tubing to be repaired
and replaced.
Liners

• They are casings that do not reach the surface.

• They are mounted on liner hangers to the previous casing string.
• Usually, they are set to seal off troublesome sections of the well or
through the producing zones for economic reasons (i.e. to save costs).
• Pre-slotted liner
• Tie-back liner
Classification of Casing

Classifications to be considered are:

• Outside diameter (OD).
• Inside diameter (ID), wall thickness, drift diameter.
• Length (range)
• Connections
• Weight
• Grade
Outside diameter (OD)

• Casing manufacturers generally try to prevent the pipe from being

undersized to ensure adequate thread run-out when machining a
connection.
• Most casing pipes are found to be within ±0.75% of the tolerance and
are slightly oversized.
Inside Diameter (ID), Wall Thickness, Drift
Diameter
• The ID is specified in terms of wall thickness and drift diameter.
• The maximal ID is controlled by the combined tolerances for the OD and
the wall thickness.
• The minimal permissible pipe wall thickness is 87.5% of the nominal wall
thickness, which in turn has a tolerance of -12.5%.
• The minimal ID is controlled by the specified drift diameter.
• The drift diameter refers to the diameter of a cylindrical drift mandrel that
can pass freely through the casing with a reasonable exerted force
equivalent to the weight of the mandrel being used for the test.
• A bit of a size smaller than the drift diameter will pass through the pipe.
Drift mandrel size
Length (range)

• The lengths of pipe sections are specified in three major ranges:

• R1, R2 and R3.
Connections

• API provides specifications for four types of casing connectors:

• CSG –Short round threads and couplings –offer no pressure seal at internal
pressure, threaded surfaces get further separated.
• LCSG –Long round threads and couplings –same basic thread design as CSG
but offers greater strength and also greater joint efficiency (though less
than 100%). Often used because it is reliable, easy and cheap.
• BCSG –Buttress threads and couplings –offers a nearly 100% joint
efficiency. Not 100% leak proof.
• XCSG –Extreme line threads –design is an integral joint, i.e. the coupling
has both box and pin ends. Much more expensive.
• CSG and LCSG are also called API 8-Round threads because they have eight
threads per inch
• API Round Thread
Connector
• API Buttress Thread
Connector
• API Extreme-Line
Connector
Weight

• Pipe weight is usually expressed as weight per unit length in lb/ft. The
three types are:
• Nominal Weight
• Plain-end Weight
• Threaded and Coupled Weight or Average Weight
Nominal weight

• Based on theoretical weight per foot for a 20-ft length of threaded

and coupled casing joint.

• OD= outside diameter (in.)

• t= wall thickness (in.)
• The nominal weight is not the exact weight of the pipe, but rather it is
used for the purpose identification of casing types.
Plain-end weight

• The weight of the joint of casing without the threads and couplings.
Threaded and Coupled Weight or Average Weight
• The weight of a casing joint with threads on both ends and coupling
at one end when in the power tight position.
• The variation between nominal weight and average weight is
generally small, and most design calculations are performed with the
nominal weight.

• Lc= length of coupling (in.)

• J= distance between the end of the pipe and center of the coupling
(in.)
Grade

• The steel grade of the casing relates to the tensile strength of the
steel from which the casing is made.
• The steel grade is expressed as a code number which consists of a
letter and a number.
• The letter is arbitrary selected to provide a unique designation for
each grade of casing.
• The number designates the minimal yield strength of the steel in
thousands of psi. For example, K-55 has a yield strength of 55,000 psi
Mechanical Properties of Casing

• Casing is subjected to different loads during landing, cementing,

drilling, and production operations.
• The most important loads which it must withstand are tensile, burst
and collapse loads.
• Other important loads include wear, corrosion, vibration and
pounding by drillpipe, the effects of gun perforating and erosion
Tension

• Under axial tension, pipe body may suffer 2possible deformations:

• Elastic–the metallurgical properties of the steel in the pipe body
suffer no permanent damage and it regains its original form if the
load is withdrawn
• Plastic–the pipe body suffers a permanent deformation which often
results in the loss of strength
The strength of the casing string is expressed
as pipe body yield strength and joint strength
Pipe body strength
• Pipe body strength is the minimal force
required to cause permanent deformation of
the pipe.

• Fa= axial force to pull apart the pipe, lbf

• As= cross-sectional area of the pipe, in.2
• σy= minimum yield strength, psi
• do= pipe outer diameter, in
• di= pipe inner diameter, in
 Example 1

Compute the body-yield strength for 20’’, K-55 casing with a nominal wall

thickness of 0.635’’ and a nominal weight per foot of 133 lbf/ft.

 Example 1

Solution:

d = 20.00 – 2(0.635) = 18.73’’


Ften   yield d n2  d 2 
4


Ften 
4
 
55,000 202  18.732  2,125,000 lbf
Joint strength
• Joint strength is the minimal tensile force required to cause the joint to fail.
• For API round threads, joint strength is defined as the smaller of minimal
joint fracture force and minimal joint pullout force.

• For fracture force, joint strength:

• For pullout force, joint strength:

• σup= ultimate strength, psi

• Ajp= area under last perfect thread, in.2
• Let= length of engaged thread, in.
 Effects of Bending

In directional wells, the effect of wellbore curvature

and vertical deviation angle on axial stress in the
casing and couplings must be considered in the
casing design.

When a casing is forced to bend, the axial tension on

the convex side of the bend can increase greatly.

On the other hand, in relatively straight sections of

hole with a significant vertical deviation angle, the
axial stress caused by the weight of the pipe is
reduced.
The maximum increase in axial stress, b, on the convex side of the pipe is
given by Crandall and Dahl (1995)

b = ± 0.5EdnK.

In oil field units, where dogleg severity, K, is expressed as the change in

angle in degrees per 100 ft; E (lbf/in2) = stress/strain is elastic modulus.

b = ± 218dnK.

In terms of an equivalent axial force

Fab = ± 218dnKAs.

In terms of weight per foot of pipe

Fab = ± 64dnKwp.
Example: Determine the maximum axial stress for 7.625-in, 39-lbf/ft, N-80
casing if the casing is subjected to a 400,000 lbf axial tension load in a
portion of a directional wellbore having a dogleg severity of 40/100ft.
Assuming uniform contact between the casing and the borehole wall.

Note that, the definition for the pipe body yield strength:
 Casing Design
Effects of Bending
 Casing Design
Effects of Bending

Solution: Nominal API pipe body yield strength for this casing is 895,000 lbf,
and the ID is 6.625. The cross sectional area of steel in the pipe body is

A = /4(7.6252 – 6.6252) = 11.192 in2.

The axial stress without bending: 400,000/11.192 = 35,740 psi

The additional axial stress on the convex side of the pipe due to the bending

b = ± 218dnK = 218(7.625)(4) = 6,649 psi

The total axial stress = 35,740 + 6,649 = 42,389 psi

Other tensional forces
• Other tensional forces include:
• Shock load (the vibrational load when running casing and the slips are
suddenly set at the surface)
• Drag force (frictional force between the casing and the borehole
walls)
Burst pressure
• Minimum expected internal pressureat which permanent pipe
deformation could take place, if the pipe is subjected to no external
pressure or axial loads.
• The API burst rating is given as:
 Example 2

Compute the burst-pressure rating for 20’’, K-55 casing with a nominal wall
thickness of 0.635’’ and a nominal weight per foot of 133 lbf/ft
 Example 2

Compute the burst-pressure rating for 20’’, K-55 casing with a nominal wall
thickness of 0.635’’ and a nominal weight per foot of 133 lbf/ft

Solution:
2 yield t
Pbr  0.875
dn
2(55,000)(0.635)
Pbr  0.875  3,056 psi
(20)

Rounded to the nearest 10 psi:

Pbr  3,060 psi

Collapse pressure
• Minimum expected external pressureat which the pipe would
collapse if the pipe were subjected to no internal pressure or axial
loads.
Different types of collapse pressure
• There are different types of collapse pressure rating depending on the
do/t ratio:
• Yield strength
• Plastic
• Transition
• Elastic
Ranges of do/t when axial stress is zero
• Yield Strength Collapse Pressure

• Plastic Collapse Pressure

• Transition Collapse Pressure

• Elastic Collapse Pressure

 Example 3

Compute the collapse pressure rating for 20’’, K-55 casing with a
nominal wall thickness of 0.635’’ and a nominal weight per foot of 133
lbf/ft.
 Example 3

Solution:

dn/t = 20/0.635 = 31.49

This is the transition collapse

 F 
pT   Y  4  F5 
 dn / t 

 1.989 
pT  55,000  0.036  1,493 psi
 31.49 
 Combined stresses
• The performance of casing is examined in the presence of other
forces.

σz= axial stress, psi(+ve for tension, -ve for

compression)
Pi= internal pressure, psi
σy,eff= effective yield strength, psi
Web Site for Casing Specifications:
• http://premiumconnectiondata.tenaris.com/tsh_index.php or install
Halliburton Redbook mobile application
Casing Design Criteria

• Casing costs is one of the largest cost items of a drilling project.

• It is imperative to plan for proper selection of casing strings and their
setting depths to realise an optimal and safe well at minimal costs.
Casing points selection

• Initial selection of casing setting depths is based on the pore pressure

and fracture pressure gradients for the well.
• Information on pore pressure and fracture pressure gradients is
usually available from offset well data.
• This information should be contained in the geotechnical information
provided for planning the well.
 Pore Pressure and Fracture Pressure Plot
• Initial selection of casing setting depths
is based on the pore pressure and
fracture pressure gradients for the well.
• Pore pressure - the pressure of fluids
within the pores of a reservoir, usually
hydrostatic pressure
• Fracture pressure - the pressure required
to induce fractures in rock at a given
depth.
• The solid lines in the chart are not
accounted for safety factor. Safety factor
value may depends on where you work
and how much confident in your data.
 Pore Pressure and Fracture Pressure Plot
with Safety Margin
Additional Info:
Allow a 0.5 PPG Trip Margin and a
0.5 PPG Kick Margin when making
the casing seat depth selection.
(shown by the dashed lines)
Initial selection of casing setting

•
 Initial selection of casing setting

1. 7” csg requires an 8.625” hole. An 8.625” bit will drift inside 9.625” casing.
2. 9.625” csg requires a 12.25” hole. A 12.25” bit will drift inside 13.325” casing.
3. 13.325” csg require a 17.5” hole (not shown in Drift Table). A 17.5” bit will drift inside 20” casing
CLASS EXERSIZE (PART 1)
• A well is to be drilled and completed at 12,000’
using 6.625” OD production casing. Given the
following pore-pressure and fracture-pressure
data, design a complete casing program for this
well.
Objective:
• Determine the number of casings strings
required to reach this depth objective safely.
Use the pore-pressure and fracture-pressure
data to select casing setting depths.
• Then for each casing string, select a size, grade,
weight and coupling that will satisfy the severe
loading conditions
Worst Possible Conditions
1. For Collapse design, assume that the casing is empty on the inside (p = 0
psig)

2. For Burst design, assume no “backup” fluid on the outside of the casing (p = 0
psig)

3. For Tension design, assume no buoyancy effect

4. For Collapse design, assume no buoyancy effect

The casing string must be designed to stand up to the expected conditions in

burst, collapse and tension.
Above conditions are quite conservative. They are also simplified for easier
understanding of the basic concepts.
Production Casing (7” OD) – SEVERE Burst
Condition
• Pore Pressure = 12,000’ x 10.4 PPG x
0.052 = 6,489 psi
• Pwh = Pp / (1+D/100,000)
• Pwh = 6,489 / (1.12)
• Pwh = 5,794 psi
• Design factor is in red
• Using this equation, Severe Burst
Condition = 5,794 psi
• The whole casing string must be
capable of withstanding this internal
pressure without failing in burst.
Production Casing (7” OD) – SEVERE Collapse
Condition
Applicable when the well is depleted.
Maximum external pressure (at
surface and at depth) occurs when
the reservoir is evacuated.
Mud Weight Pressure = 12,000’ x 10.4
PPG x 0.052 = 6,489 psi
Adjusted Collapse = 6,489 / 1.125 =
5,768 psi
Pb=5,794 psi and Pc =5,371 psi
• Wn=29 lb/ft, Grade L-80.
• Weight=12,000 ft* 29lb/ft=348,000 lb
• Body Yield and Joint strength is in Tenaris.com
•
Adjusted Minimum Body and Joint
Yield
Adjusted Minimum Body Yield =
676,000 #/ 1.25 = 540,800 lb

Adjusted Minimum Joint Yield =

676,000 #/ 1.25 =540,800 lb
Your final casing plan
 th
HW2 Well Completion. Deadline is 26
HW of June, Monday
1 Deadline is 22th of January @ 11.50 am

1. Calculate the body-yield strength for 20’’, H-40 casing with a nominal wall thickness of 0.438’’ and a
nominal weight per foot of 94 lbf/ft.

2. Compute the burst-pressure rating for 20’’, H-40 casing with a nominal wall thickness of 0.438’’ and a
nominal weight per foot of 94 lbf/ft.

3. Calculate the collapse pressure rating for 20’’, H-40 casing with a nominal wall thickness of 0.438’’ and
a nominal weight per foot of 94 lbf/ft.3.

4. Calculate the maximum axial stress for 7-in, 23-lbf/ft, C-75 casing if the casing is subjected to a
500,000 lbf axial tension load in a portion of a directional wellbore having a dogleg severity of 40/100ft.
Assuming uniform contact between the casing and the borehole wall.

5.