Casing and tubing

Casing and tubing strings are the main parts of the well construction. All wells drilled for the purpose
of oil or gas production (or injecting materials into underground formations) must be cased with
material with sufficient strength and functionality.

Contents
[hide]

Casing
1.1 Casing strings

1.1.1 Conductor casing

1.1.2 Surface casing

1.1.3 Intermediate casing

1.1.4 Production casing

1.1.5 Liner

1.1.6 Tieback string

Tubing
2.1 Properties of casing and tubing

2.1.1 Pipe strength

API connection ratings

o

3.1 Coupling internal yield pressure

3.2 Round-thread casing-joint strength

3.3 Buttress casing joint strength

3.4 Extreme-line casing-joint strength

Proprietary connections

Connection failures

Connection design limits

Nomenclature

References

See also

0 Noteworthy papers in OnePetro

1 External links

2 General references

Casing
Casing is the major structural component of a well. Casing is needed to:

Maintain borehole stability

Prevent contamination of water sands

Isolate water from producing formations

Control well pressures during drilling, production, and workover operations

Casing provides locations for the installation of:

Blowout preventers

Wellhead equipment

Production packers

Production tubing

The cost of casing is a major part of the overall well cost, so selection of casing size, grade,
connectors, and setting depth is a primary engineering and economic consideration.

Casing strings
There are six basic types of casing strings:

Conductor Casing

Surface Casing

Intermediate Casing

Production Casing

Liner

Conductor casing
Conductor casing is the first string set below the structural casing (i.e., drive pipe or marine conductor
run to protect loose near-surface formations and to enable circulation of drilling fluid). The conductor
isolates unconsolidated formations and water sands and protects against shallow gas. This is usually
the string onto which the casing head is installed. A diverter or a blowout prevention (BOP) stack may
be installed onto this string. When cemented, this string is typically cemented to the surface or to the
mudline in offshore wells.

Surface casing
Surface casing is set to provide blowout protection, isolate water sands, and prevent lost circulation. It
also often provides adequate shoe strength to drill into high-pressure transition zones. In deviated
wells, the surface casing may cover the build section to prevent keyseating of the formation during
deeper drilling. This string is typically cemented to the surface or to the mudline in offshore wells.

Intermediate casing
Intermediate casing is set to isolate:

Unstable hole sections

Lost-circulation zones

Low-pressure zones

Production zones

It is often set in the transition zone from normal to abnormal pressure. The casing cement top must
isolate any hydrocarbon zones. Some wells require multiple intermediate strings. Some intermediate
strings may also be production strings if a liner is run beneath them.

Production casing
Production casing is used to isolate production zones and contain formation pressures in the event of
a tubing leak. It may also be exposed to:

Injection pressures from fracture jobs

Downcasing, gas lift

The injection of inhibitor oil

A good primary cement job is very critical for this string.

Liner
Liner is a casing string that does not extend back to the wellhead, but is hung from another casing
string. Liners are used instead of full casing strings to:

Reduce cost

Improve hydraulic performance when drilling deeper

Allow the use of larger tubing above the liner top

Not represent a tension limitation for a rig

Liners can be either an intermediate or a production string. Liners are typically cemented over their
entire length.

Tieback string
Tieback string is a casing string that provides additional pressure integrity from the liner top to the
wellhead. An intermediate tieback is used to isolate a casing string that cannot withstand possible
pressure loads if drilling is continued (usually because of excessive wear or higher than anticipated
pressures). Similarly, a production tieback isolates an intermediate string from production loads.
Tiebacks can be uncemented or partially cemented. An example of a typical casing program that
illustrates each of the specified casing string types is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1Typical casing program.

Cementing operations
Cement is used to hold casing in place and to prevent fluid migration between subsurface formations.
Cementing operations can be divided into two broad categories: primary cementing and remedial
cementing.

Contents
[hide]

Primary cementing
o

1.1 Zonal isolation

Remedial cementing

Cement placement procedures

Well parameters
o

4.1 Depth

4.2 Wellbore geometry

4.3 Temperature

4.4 Formation pressures

4.5 Formation characteristics

References

Noteworthy papers in OnePetro

Online multimedia

External links

See also

Primary cementing
The objective of primary cementing is to provide zonal isolation. Cementing is the process of mixing a
slurry of cement, cement additives and water and pumping it down through casing to critical points in
the annulus around the casing or in the open hole below the casing string. The two principal functions
of the cementing process are:

To restrict fluid movement between the formations

To bond and support the casing

If this is achieved effectively, other requirements imposed during the life of the well will be met,
including:

Economic

Liability

Safety

Government regulations

Zonal isolation
Zonal isolation is not directly related to production; however, this necessary task must be performed
effectively to allow production or stimulation operations to be conducted. The success of a well
depends on this primary operation. In addition to isolating oil-, gas-, and water-producing zones,
cement also aids in

Protecting the casing from corrosion

Preventing blowouts by quickly forming a seal

Protecting the casing from shock loads in deeper drilling

Sealing off zones of lost circulation or thief zones

Remedial cementing
Remedial cementing is usually done to correct problems associated with the primary cement job. The
most successful and economical approach to remedial cementing is to avoid it by thoroughly planning,

designing, and executing all drilling, primary cementing, and completion operations. The need for
remedial cementing to restore a wells operation indicates that primary operational planning and
execution were ineffective, resulting in costly repair operations. Remedial cementing operations
consist of two broad categories:

Squeeze cementing

Plug cementing

Cement placement procedures

In general, there are five steps required to obtain successful cement placement and meet the
objectives previously outlined.
1. Analyze the well parameters; define the needs of the well, and then design placement
techniques and fluids to meet the needs for the life of the well. Fluid properties, fluid
mechanics, and chemistry influence the design used for a well.
2. Calculate fluid (slurry) composition and perform laboratory tests on the fluids designed
in Step 1 to see that they meet the needs.
3. Use necessary hardware to implement the design in Step 1; calculate volume of fluids (slurry)
to be pumped; and blend, mix, and pump fluids into the annulus.
4. Monitor the treatment in real time; compare with Step 1 and make changes as necessary.
5. Evaluate the results; compare with the design in Step 1 and make changes as necessary for
future jobs.

Well parameters
Along with supporting the casing in the wellbore, the cement is designed to isolate zones, meaning
that it keeps each of the penetrated zones and their fluids from communicating with other zones. To
keep the zones isolated, it is critical to consider the wellbore and its properties when designing a
cement job.

Depth
The depth of the well affects the cement slurry design because it influences the following factors:
Amount of wellbore fluids involved Volume of wellbore fluids Friction pressures Hydrostatic pressures
Temperature
Wellbore depth also controls hole size and casing size. Extremely deep wells have their own distinct
design challenges because of:

High temperatures

High pressures

Corrosive fluids