Seminar report on

Detailed casing design

Submitted to
University of Pune
In partial fulfilment of ME-II curriculum

Submitted by:
Nikhil G Barshettiwar
ME-II (Third semester)
Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune

Certificate
This is to certify that, seminar report entitled Casing Grade Selection submitted by Mr.
Nikhil Barshettiwar, Exam Seat number:5086, ME-II Petroleum Engineering, is a record of
bonafide work carried out by him /her under my supervision, in partial fulfilment for ME
Second Year Course requirement of University of Pune, Pune

Prof Dr. P. B. Jadhav,

Head,
Department of Petroleum Engineering,
MAEERs Maharashtra Institute of Technology,
124, Paud Road, Pune -411038

Prof. Sanjay Joshi

Date: Jan 02, 2015
Seminar Supervisor

Acknowledgement
First and foremost would like to first thank Prof. Sanjay Joshi for guiding me through my
Masters. It is through his patience and teaching that I could reach here to present a seminar on
Casing Grade Selection.
I am extremely grateful to entire Petroleum Engineering faculty for their excellence in
guidance. I firmly believe that they have battered me as petroleum engineer and I will carry
with me the skills that they have given in future work.
Last but not least I would like to thank my parents for encouragement at important junctures
of studies.
Submitted By:
Nikhil G. Barshettiwar
ME-II (Semester III)
Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune

Contents
Contents
Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Chapter1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 6
Chapter2. Load Cases in Grade selection ............................................................................................... 7
Collapse loads during drilling ............................................................................................................. 8
Quality of cement ............................................................................................................................ 8
Annulus fluid column ..................................................................................................................... 8
Collapse loads during production phase ............................................................................................. 9
Burst load cases during drilling phase .............................................................................................. 10
Burst load cases during production phase ......................................................................................... 11
Axial loads ........................................................................................................................................ 12
Chapter3: Casing grade selection for Sour service ............................................................................... 13
Calculation of partial pressure: ......................................................................................................... 13
API Grades for sour service: ............................................................................................................. 13
Chapter4. Case Study ............................................................................................................................ 14

Summary
This study is mainly focused on detailed casing design. Detailed casing design includes
selection of appropriate weight and grade of the casing. Loads during drilling and production
operations are broadly classified into collapse and burst loads. All the discussed load
conditions in report are taken into account for solving case study. Report contains brief
paragraph on grade selection for sour service.

Chapter1. Introduction
Well engineer or casing designer is responsible for selection of most appropriate grades for a
well in order to;

Ensure mechanical integrity of well for anticipated loads

Minimum cost
Clear documentation of the design basis to operational personnel at wellsite.

With above given objectives one needs to design string without negotiating with safety.
Minimum cost concept ensures the lowest cost that can be achieved without using any
shortcuts in design.
Grade selection directly impacts the feasibility of project. Though lowest cost design is
obtained, well integrity can hamper the project. Hence selection of most suitable grades is
necessary.
Casing design method is widely divided into two phases i.e. preliminary design and detailed
design. Preliminary design includes data gathering from offset wells and its interpretation,
determination of casing shoe depths, selection of combination of hole and casing sizes, mud
weight and directional design.
Detailed design includes selection of pipe weights and grades for each section. The pipe
selection involves determination of maximum anticipated loads. Then these pipes with
specific grades with its rating compared with the calculated loads. If it achieves the design
factor according to company policy then pipe is selected. Otherwise whole procedure needs
to be carried out till pipe rating satisfies maximum allowable loads.

Chapter2. Load Cases in Grade selection

In order to select proper optimised grades, designer needs to obtain the burst and collapse
load in given situation. Initially one needs to calculate the internal pressure profile and
external pressure profile for a given load case. Burst pressure is defined as the difference
between internal pressure and external pressure at a specified depth. Similarly collapse
pressure is the difference between external pressure and internal pressure at specified depth.
Assuming best load cases during well planning key parameter in successful casing design.
When considering internal pressure profile (Bust or collapse), in drilling phase on mud losses
is taken into account. In production phase, a distinction must be made between internal
profile below and above the packer. When considering external pressure profile, quality of
cement behind casing and quality of fluid in the annulus above top of the cement are the
critical factors should be considered.
Various load cases are discussed below. Being a good designer, suitable case or worst case
needs to take into account for design purpose.

Drilling
ecacuation

External
Pressure
profile

Internal
Pressure
profile

Cement

Annulus Fluid

Good cement
column ?

Type of well

Good cement
column

Development
well

Exploration
well

Original
Annulus fluid

Original
Annulus fluid

Poor cement
column

SPECIAL CASES salt loading and formation

compaction

Mud loasses
to Pore
Pressure

SPECIAL CASES
Full evacuation after blowout,
Full evacuation for air and foam drilling

Decision Tree for Collapse Load cases during drilling phase

Collapse loads during drilling

Collapse load occurring during drilling are mainly because of borehole evacuation. Internal
pressure during drilling corresponds to loss situation. In loss situation, mud column in
borehole is balanced by the pore pressure at target depth. Height of mud column should be
always found using lowest possible pore pressure. This gives lowest evacuation level.
External pressure profile should be constructed on the basis on quality of cement column and
annulus fluid in the wellbore.

Quality of cement

Assuming that set cement behaves like porous matrix having least permeability with pore
fluid inside at a certain pressure. If cement column set across the high permeability
formation, the pressure in the cement will be equal to the pore pressure in the formation. If
cement column set across the low permeability formation, then pressure in the column will
depend upon the quality of it.
In good quality cement column, it acts as a effective seal between high permeability
formation and top of cement (TOC). Thus pore pressure across low permeability formation is
nothing but the gradient of line joining top of the high permeability formation to top of the
cement. It can be called as semi-static pressure profile.
In poor quality cement column, it does not act as effective seal between high permeability
formation and TOC. The cement pressure across the low permeability formation interval will
then be equal to the cement mixwater gradient.
Annulus fluid column

In case of a high quality cement column over a high-permeability formation, annulus fluid
pressure line extends downwards upto the TOC with its original gradient (generally its mud
in which casing is set). For low quality cement column across the high permeability
formation, the annulus fluid line extends upwards with same gradient from the pressure at the
TOC towards the wellhead.
If the cement column does not pass through any high-permeability, then quality of cement
doesnt matter. Annulus fluid pressure line should extend downward assuming zero wellhead
pressure upto the TOC.
For special cases;
Type of load (Activity)
Internal Pressure Profile
External Pressure Profile
Air, foam or aerated drilling
Full evacuation
Cement column and annulus
fluid
Salt loading
Partial evacuation
Cement column, annulus
fluid and additional step
change due to external
pressure at the top and
bottom of the salt formation.
Formation compaction
Partial evacuation
Formation compaction
Blowout
Full evacuation
Cement column and annulus
fluid

Production
evacuation

External
Pressure
profile

Internal
Pressure
profile

Cement

Annulus Fluid

Good cement
column ?

Type of well

Good cement
column

Poor cement
column

Development
well

Exploration
well

Deteriotion of
unstable
annulus fluid

Original
Annulus fluid

SPECIAL CASES salt loading and formation

compaction

Above packer

Below packer

Losses to Pore
pressure

Full evacution

SPECIAL CASES
Full evacuation after blowout,
Full evacuation for air and foam drilling

Decision tree for Collapse Load cases during production phase

Collapse loads during production phase

Collapse loads during production arise due to production evacuation from natural or induced
losses. Internal pressure profile is divided into two categories i.e. Below production packer
and above production packer. Casing below packer must be always designed to withstand full
internal evacuation. Generally during normal production operations casing doesnt subject to
critical collapse load. But during completion and workover, losses may lead to evacuation of
upper section of production casing. External profile should be considered same as for drilling.
Special cases during production phase;
Type of load
Artificial lift wells

Internal profile
Full evacuation

Salt loading

Partial evacuation

Blowout

Full evacuation

External Profile
Cement column and annulus
fluid
Cement column and annulus
fluid with effect of salt
loading
Cement column and annulus
fluid

Drilling Burst

Internal
Pressure
Profile

Displacement
to Gas/Oil

External
Pressure
Profile

Cement

Annulus fluid

Good cement
column?

Type of well

Good cement
column

SPECIAL CASES
Over Pressured acquifier

Poor cement
column

Development
well

Exploration
well

Original
Annulus fluid

Original
Annulus fluid

SPECIAL CASES salt loading assumed absent in salt

formation

Decision tree for burst load cases, drilling phase

Burst load cases during drilling phase

Generally in order to design to withstand with maximum loads, kick during drilling of next
section is assumed. In worst scenario, complete loss of primary control need to taken into
account. It means mud has been completely displaced by the gas kick, wellbore full of gas
and well is closed-in at surface. The difference between pore pressure and gas column will
give maximum anticipated surface pressure (MASP). This MASP is completely different
from MAASP which is margin at the shoe. The external pressure profile is assumed to be
same as in drilling phase.
Special cases;
Type of load
Internal Pressure Profile
Over-pressured aquifer in Full
displacement
of
borehole below casing
wellbore to water with well
closed at surface.
Salt loading
Displacement of casing to
HC or water.

External Pressure Profile

Cement column and annulus
fluid.
Cement column and annulus
fluid. Salt loading assume to
be absent when calculating
external pressure profile.

Drilling Burst

External
Pressure
Profile

Internal
Pressure
Profile

Above Packer

Below Packer

Cement

Annulus fluid

Type of well

Type of well

Good cement
column?

Type of well

Production
well

Injection well

Production
well

Injection well

CITHP on
packer fluid

ITHP on packer
fluid

Displacement
to Gas/ Oil

Injection BHP

Good cement
column

SPECIAL CASES
Kick of process for gas lift wells

Poor cement
column

Exploration
well

Development
well

Original
Annulus fluid

Original
Annulus fluid

SPECIAL CASES
Salt loading assumed absent in salt formation

Decision tree for burst load cases, production phase

Burst load cases during production phase

Again load during production is divided as above and below packer. Burst load above
production packer is due to tubing failure. Maximum burst load can be expected when leak
occurred at surface in production/injection tubing or test string. This additional surface
pressure will act on column on packer fluid.
In case of production wells, assume casing full of gas column, the difference between pore
pressure at TD and gas column pressure gives maximum closed in tubing-head pressure.
Below packer, worst case scenario is full displacement of this section of casing to HC.
External pressure profile assumed to be same as drilling phase in collapse loads.
Special cases;
Type of load
Gas-Lift wells
Salt loading

Internal Pressure Profile

Kick-off
pressure
plus
column of packer fluid
Leak- pressure at the surface
plus column of packer fluid

External Pressure Profile

Cement column and annulus
fluid
Cement column and annulus
fluid. Salt loading assume to
be absent when calculating
external pressure profile.

Axial loads
Following loads are considered in axial load calculations;
1. Self-weight
Self-load is due to gravitational effect. The casing weight per feet decides the weight of
string.
2. Buoyant load
This is compressive load acting on the casing bottom when string is submerged in borehole.
Buoyant forces are function of mud weights.
3. Bending load
Bending loads are induced due to curved portion in the wellbore. These are mixed stresses.
Inner curved portion is subjected to compression forces while external curved portion is
subjected to the tensile forces.
4. Dynamic drag load
Dynamic drag loads are encountered when object is in motion. During casing running in hole,
friction induces due to contact between casing and wellbore. Drag load also depends on
quality of borehole. In-gauge hole gives less drag.

5. Shock load
Sudden obstruction during motion causes shock loads. Two shock waves are generated at the
point of contact i.e. upward travelling compression wave and downward travelling tension
wave.
6. Point load
Point loads are arises during operational activities such as pressure testing.

Chapter3: Casing grade selection for Sour service

Sour service indicates presence of high H2S content in reservoir fluid. Sour service is defined
as a threshold on partial pressure of H2S above 0.05 psi. Common casing grades cannot
sustain in sour service. Grades should have special chemical properties in order combat with
sour service.
Hydrogen sulphide is made up of combined atoms of sulphur and hydrogen. It forms due to
bacterial decomposition of organic matter in oxygen-poor environments. Generally its
associated with hydrocarbons. It has special attraction towards the metal like steel. Generally
well tubular are made up of steel hence it needs critical attention while selecting appropriate
grades.
According to ISO 8044, corrosion is a physiochemical interaction between a metal and its
environment that results in changes in properties of metal and which may lead to significant
impairment of the function of the metal, the environment, of which these form part.

ISO 15166/NACE MR0175-2009: partial pressure of H2S and pH are major

parameters (Vallourec oil and gas magazine)

Calculation of partial pressure:

PH2S = ppm/106 * BHP (psi)
Or
PH2S = mole %/ 100 * BHP (psi)

API Grades for sour service:

L80, C90, T95 and C110 is dedicated API grades suitable for sour service
environments. They comply with following requirements:
Chemical composition
Grain size finer tha ASTM 5
Hardness Limitation
MACE test methods A, B or D

Chapter4. Case Study

Data InputStep-1:

Step-2: Obtaining mud window.

Step-3: Once mud window is obtained, then seats need to be selected. Seat
selection includes criteria like kick tolerance, MAASP, Differential sticking etc.

Step-4: specifying production data

Step-5: specifying temperature data

Step-6: Parameters according to design safety

Similar procedure need to be carried for all remaining sections. Final results obtained are
given below for other casings.