Modern Well Design

Second Edition

Modern Well Design

Second Edition

Bernt S. Aadny
University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway

CRC Press/Balkema is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,

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2010 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Aadny, Bernt Sigve.
Modern well design / Bernt S. Aadny. 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-415-88467-9 (hard cover : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-203-83613-2 (e-book)
1. Oil well drilling. I. Title.
TN871.2.A13 2010
622.3381dc22
2010027606
Published by: CRC Press/Balkema
P.O. Box 447, 2300 AK Leiden,The Netherlands
e-mail: Pub.NL@taylorandfrancis.com
www.crcpress.com www.taylorandfrancis.co.uk www.balkema.nl
ISBN: 978-0-415-88467-9 (Hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-83613-2 (eBook)

Contents

Preface
Symbols and units

vii
ix

1 Introduction to the well design process

2 Drilling design

2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4

Selection of optimal mud weight

Mud losses during drilling
Hole cleaning
Hydraulic optimisation

3 Geomechanical evaluation
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6

Data normalisation and correction

Interpretation of field data
Fracturing pressures for shallow penetration
Field evaluation of borehole collapse
Drillability evaluation
A general fracturing model

4 Well design premises

4.1
4.2
4.3

Well integrity
Casing sizes and setting depth
Completion and production requirements

5 Casing design
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4

Design criteria
Casing test pressure
Casing design example
Three-dimensional tubular design

6 Design of a HPHT well

6.1
6.2

Introduction
Design premises

3
17
25
28
47
47
51
70
74
88
94
101
101
108
119
129
129
145
154
177
183
183
184

vi

Contents

6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
7

Geomechanical design
Design of the mud weight schedule
Production casing considerations
Design of shallow casing strings
Design of the 14 in. intermediate casing string
Design of the production casing string

188
199
209
214
220
224

Drilling operations and well issues

235

7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5

235
236
242
252
262

Platform and well types

Sequences of a drilling operation
Torque and drag in wellbores
Analysis of stuck pipe in deviated wellbores
Well integrity

Appendix A: A system for experience transfer

Appendix B: Evaluation of ballooning in deep wells
References
Subject index

271
285
295
301