Wellhead Design

Lunch & Learn

06-Feb-07
11:30hrs 13:30hrs

Presented by:

Gerry Bryant, P.Eng.

Integrated Services Mgr.
Dril-Quip Beijing RO
gerald_bryant@dril-quip.com

Agenda
Wellhead Equipment for Exploration and
Development
Conventional Wellhead Systems, Unitized Wellhead
Systems, and Horizontal Wellhead Systems
Engineering Design Requirements for Surface
Wellhead Equipment
Bohai Phase 2 Development Wellhead Design
Subsea Wellhead Equipment

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Typical Land
Based Oilwell

Reprinted from:
California Department of Conservation

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Typical Land
Based
Drilling Rig

Reprinted from:
California Department of Conservation

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Typical
Offshore
Platform

Reprinted from:
California Department of Conservation

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Wellhead Equipment for Exploration and

Development

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Conventional Wellheads used for Exploration

and Development Wells
Unitized Wellheads used for Development
Wells
Mudline Equipment used for Development
Wells, but generally run in Exploration Wells
as contingency
Production Equipment used for Development
Wells

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Exploration wells use

Conventional Wellheads
almost exclusively because
they can be stacked to
accommodate multiple casing
strings

ConocoPhillips used a
Cameron conventional
wellhead for the exploration
well PL25-8-1 in October 2006

Drilling depth is a major

criteria in determining casing
program because casing is
used to stabilize the up-hole
formations, so conventional
wellheads can accommodate
from one to five casing
strings

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Conventional Wellheads
require nippling-up and
nippling-down the BOP
stack to install each section,
which requires a lot of rigtime; rig-time is very
expensive

Typically low technology

design options

After use,
Convention
al Wellhead
spools can
be easily
separated,
repaired,
inspected,
and re-used

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Development wells can be

completed with the
conventional wellhead system
discussed earlier or using the
Unitized Wellhead System
shown here
Designed in the 1950s, the
major benefit of the Unitized
Wellhead System is reduced
rig-time removing the BOP
stack after running each
casing string, then having to
re-install it.
This is accomplished as the
Unitized Wellhead System
suspends multiple strings of
casing within the one
wellhead housing

Unitized Wellhead Systems

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

CoPC Bohai Phase 2

Unitized Wellhead will
receive the 9-5/8
casing hanger and the
4-1/2 tubing hanger

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Mudline Systems are used in

both exploration and
development wells and are
designed for temporary
abandonment and reconnect
at a later time
Used if exploration
campaigns are expected to
yield good shows of oil or if
development of the oilfield
may take several more
months or years
With the improved design of
todays Mudline Systems,
they are almost universally
used during exploratory
drilling

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Mudline
Hangers are
designed to nest
one inside the
other
Each Hanger
except the last
includes internal
profile to
suspend the
casing hanger
for the next
casing string

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Temporary Abandonment
(TA) Caps are installed
after drilling to isolate the
annuli and hole bore for
months or years until the
platform is installed
above
The upper-most TA Cap is
spaced out during drilling
to be a couple metres
above the mudline
Tie-back hangers have
seals to re-establish
integrity with each casing
string back to the
platform

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

see Mudline Equipment and Template Slideshow

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Once the drilling has reached its total depth and

production casing is in place, the operations that
prepare the well for production is referred to as
Completion.
Completion includes displacement of drilling mud
with completion fluid, perforating the casing, and
installation of the production tubing.
Finally, the Surface Production Equipment is
installed which will control the flow of oil from the
well during production.
This flow control equipment is an assembly of valves
known as the christmas tree.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

The christmas tree

can include
actuated valves (air
or hydraulic),
manual valves, and
production chokes
in order to the
control flow of oil.
Pneumatic Actuated Master Valve
Manual Master Valve
Production Choke
CoPC Bohai Wellhead
and Tree Assembly

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

There are numerous designs

and arrangements for the
production equipment.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Engineering Design
Requirements for
Surface Wellhead
Equipment

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

American Petroleum Institute (API)

established in 1919 when American oil companies worked

together to standardize oil field equipment in order to provide
more reliable supply to the country

maintain more than 500 standards and recommended practices

covering all segments of the oil and gas industry to promote
use of interchangeable equipment and sound engineering
practices

license facilities that produce products that meet API

standards, to monogram those products with the API logo

API Specification 6A covers the standardization of valves and

wellhead equipment and first appeared in 1961. The Nineteenth
Edition is the current reference for manufacture and use of
surface wellhead equipment.

Scope of API 6A includes criteria for performance, design,

material selection, testing, inspection, welding, marking,
handling, storage, shipping, and documentation of the wellhead
equipment.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

API Design.
Design Methodology for pressure containing equipment is as
described in ASME, Section VIII, Division 2, Appendix 4.
Design allowable stresses are limited by the following criteria:
St = 0.83 * Sy and Sm = 2/3 * Sy
where,
Sm = design stress intensity at W.P.
St = maximum allowable general primary
membrane stress intensity at T.P.
Sy = the matl specified min. yield strength
The theory of constant energy of distortion can also be used
for design calculations for pressure containing equipment.
Discontinuities and stress concentrations must be considered
where applicable.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Equipment Specifications
are detailed in the title block.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Equipment Specifications
are detailed in the title block.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Temperature Ratings equipment

must be designed to operate in one
or more of the specified
temperature ratings per API 6A.
The design must consider the
effects of differential thermal
expansion from temperature
gradients which the equipment
experiences in service.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Material Requirements are

determined by considering
factors such as H2S
concentration, CO2 partial
pressure, erosion effects,
etc. The numerical value
refers to maximum
allowable partial pressure
of H2S, in this case 1.5%.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Product Specification Level (PSL) defines five different levels of

technical quality requirements. PSL1, PSL2, PSL3, PSL3G,
PSL4.
The selection of PSL should be based on a quantitative risk
analysis of potential hazardous events if the equipment fails.
H2S concentration, radius of exposure to the public,
corrosivity of retained fluid are important factors to consider.
In general, the higher the Product Specification Level the more
inspection and testing will be required for the equipment.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Performance Requirement (PR) is specific and unique to the

product in the as-shipped condition. Two PR levels exist, PR1
and PR2.
These performance requirements must be verified by a testing
procedure performed on a prototype of a specific design, or by
a means which verifies the test requirements defined in API 6A,
Section 10.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Bohai Phase 2
Development
Wellhead
Equipment

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Design Objectives:

Standardize the wellhead and tree components to the greatest

extent practical considering the following factors:
a. interchangeability of components,
b. minimizing spare part inventory,
c. maintenance, and
d. cost effectiveness.

Minimize the aerial envelope of the wellhead and tree assembly

in order to maximize the working clearance between wellheads
and to ensure safe ingress/egress of the wellhead area.
(see 3D image of Wellhead decks)

Use a basic design philosophy in order to choose reliable and

well-proven equipment to reduce maintenance and workover
costs.

Wellheads must be Unitized type.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Production Well

Water Injection Well

Cuttings ReInjection Well

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

The CoPC Bohai Wellhead System was designed

with a unique horizontal production tree.
A horizontal production tree allows complete access
to the well bore without removing the tree. The well
is produced from the side of the tubing hanger and
flows horizontally through the master valve.
Horizontal production trees are ideal on wells where
frequent workovers are anticipated, such as Electric
Submersible Pump (ESP) applications.

Wellhead Design, Lunch & Learn, 06-Feb-07

Conventional
Wellhead and Tree
Assembly

Horizontal Wellhead
and Tree Assembly