Deep Liner Cementing in the Delaware Basin

E. R. WEST* AND H. E. LINDSEY~

ABSTRACT
The Delaware Basin of West Texas currently holds
the records f o r the cleepest producing well and the
cleepest drilled well in the world. Design problems in
casing these wells have necessitated the use of linerssometinles u p to four in one well.
The casing design normally consists of 20-in. surface
e
a 10%-in. interpipe, a 13%-1n. ~ n t e r n ~ e d i a tstring,
mediate string, and then a series of liners set from the
bottom of intermediate casing to total depth. I n this
paper, concern is primarily with the methods of hanging
and cementing liners and the reasons they a r e run.
The first major consicleration in p l a m ~ i n ga well is
the formation to be drilled. The n e s t is how i t will be
cased. Drilling conditions f o r the Delaware Basin a r e
briefly cllscussed. Potential lost circulation and blowout
zones a r e mentioned. Likely casing points have been
picked.
A t any casing point below intermediate casing, a n
operator has a choice between a full string of pipe and
a liner. Consideration inust be given to several factors.
The four most important are:

1. Evaluation of hydraulics available with each caslng program.

2. Cost of casing, especially in wildcat areas.
3. Study of cementing inethods available with each
casing program.
4. Weight of casing string to be set.
Liner equipment is available to permit tying back a
full string of casing from the top of the liner to the
surface, should this be required. Many of the deeper
wells have drilling programs set up to use multiple
llner settings.
The ol~viousproblems of depth have been encountered
in running and setting liners. Some of these problems
and how they have been solvecl a r e cliscussed. Tools
have been developed to permit running liner hangers
and packers through previously set liners. The tools a r e
now used extensively.
A new cementing techniclue h a s been used with success to prevent failures resulting from high-pressure
gas migration causing honeycon~bingof cement. This
procedure is discussed and illustrated.

INTRODUCTION

To plan a casing prograin f o r a deep Delaware Basin

well one must know approximately what to expect. A
brief discussion of expected drilling conditions is presented.
Table 1 is presented to familiarize the reader with
formations to be drilled and the approximate formation
tops f o r a typical deep well. Table 2 gives the approsimate fracture gradients of the formations. By knowing
where high-pressure g a s is likely to occur, i t can readily
be seen where casing inust be set to eliminate lost
circulation.
Drilling problelns a r e not normally too severe while
drilling above the Wolfcamp. The Delaware sands can
usually be drilled with 10.0-ppg brine. The Cherry
Canyon and Brushy Canyon intervals of the Delaware
series have lost-circulation zones which llorrnally will
not hold more than 10.0-ppg fluid. The top of the Bone
Spring wlll usually support 10.7 to 10.9-ppg fluid,
sometinles less. The bottom of the Bone Spring will
probably hold 12.0 to 13.0-ppg mud.
The top of the Wolfcainp will usually support 13.0to 14.0-ppg fluid. The lower Wolfcamp, depending upon
the thickness of the zone, has been known to support
l7.0+-ppg mud. The Wolfcamp alnlost always yields
small quantities of "high-pressure -low-volume" g a s
requiring about 12.5- to 13.0-ppg mud to kill i t completely. I n areas where permeability develops, the Wolfcamp yields comnlercial quantities of gas. There a r e
cases where 16.6- to 17.0-ppg mud h a s been required to

The purpose of this paper is to outline a liner setting

and cementing program suitable f o r ultra-deep Delaware Basin wells. Included a r e typical installation procedures and types of liner equipment. Also covered a r e
some problenis which have occurred, some which might
occur, and, it is hoped, solne solutions to these problems.
The ultra-deep Delaware Basin is a n area in West
Texas extending from Loving and Winkler Counties
southeast\varcl through Ward, Reeves, and the western
portion of Pecos County. Wells discussecl in this paper
will be those deeper than 20,000 f t .
It is not impossible to drill very deep wells without
cementing one o r two liners ; but most operators drilling
in the Delaware Basin have found liner hanging alnlost
a necessity.
There a r e over 15 ultra-deep wells from which information f o r this paper was taken. These wells constitute
about 33 liner cementing jobs.

BRIEF DISCUSSION O F DRILLING CONDITIONS

Knowledge of drilling conditions in the Delaware
Basin is all-important in planning a casing program f o r
deep wells. A study of the Delaware Basin reveals t h a t
conditions a r e somewhat similar over t h e whole Basin.
"Union Oil Co: of Califo~nia.Mldland, Texas, since removed to Roden
011Company.
TMWL Tool and Supply Co., Midland. Texas.
$Presented a t the spring meeting of the Southwestern District, A P I
Dlv~sionof Production, March 1966.

Table 1
Formation Tops
Union # 1 W. C. Tyrrell
Depth, Ft
Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0
Rustler anhydrite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,683
Tansil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,763
Yates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,950
Delaware sand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,845
Brushy Canyon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,750
Bone Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,120
Wolfcamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,753
Pennsylvanian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14,920
Barnett shale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,596
Mississippian lime ......................... 16,048
Woodford shale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,611
Devonian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16,917
Silurian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17,180
Fusselman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17,313
Montoya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17,326
Simpson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,853
Ellenburger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,826
Cambrian sand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,458
Granite wash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,538
T D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21,603
kill the Wolfcanip. In these situations the Wolfcamp
g a s volunle has been too large to drill with a n y lighter
mud.
I n other words, if the Delaware series is open, a n
operator can expect to drill with 10.0-ppg fluid; if the
Delaware is cased, with t h e top of t h e Bone Spring
open, the weight will be increased to about 10.7 ppg.
If the top of the Bone Spring is cased, with the bottom
open, the hole should support 12.0-ppg mud. With casi n g set in the e x t r e ~ n etop of the Wolfcamp, t h e hole
should support 13.0 to 14.0-ppg inucl. 4 s casiug is sct
d c c p c ~into tltc Wolfcrcnlp, the ltole will szt11110~f~ 7 0 , r e
111.11d weigl~t. This can be estimated graphically from
Fig. 1. This graph was developed from field esperience
with lost circulation in the Wolfcamp.
The Pennsylvanian zone is a proved producing zone
i n the Delaware Basin. Usually it takes 16.0 to 17.0ppg mud to kill a Perm zone. The Pennsylvanian does
not always develop the porosity and permeability required to make a con~mercialreservoir, but the g a s is
nearly always present. Sometimes i t is "high-pressure
-low-volume" and can be drilled without actually
killing. The potential of t h e Penn section should be
kept in mind when casing and hole programs a r e designed.
Casing is usually set into the Mississippian lime
a f t e r drilling the high-pressure zones. This string, in
most cases, i s a liner. I t cases all high-pressure zones
and allows mud weight to be reduced. Mud weight used
below the Mississippian is usually 9.0 to 11.0 ppg, depending upon pressure encountered in the Devonian.
Mud weights of 9.2 to 9.4 ppg will usually hold the
Ellenburger.

Often a liner will be set from the base of the previous

liner to total 'depth. This requires t h a t a liner hanger
be r u n through another liner hanger. This operation
will be discussed in f u r t h e r detail later. When a well is
definitely proved, the usual procedure is to tie the liner,
covering the high-pressure g a s sections back t o t h e surface, providing a new section of casing not subjected to
drill pipe wear.
REASONS FOR SETTING LINERS
In many cases operators in the Delaware Basin elect
to set a liner rather than a full string of casing. Even
though liner installations can be hazardous, they often
allow versatility t h a t full strings do not. Listed a r e
some reasons f o r setting liners:
1. Isolation of lost-circulation zones.
2. Isolation of high-pressure g a s o r oil zones.
3. Case sloughing o r plastic shales.
4. Better drill-pipe hydraulics.
5. Decreased weight and grades of steel required to
case hole.
6. Reduced weight to be suspended from casingheacl.
7. Easier to repair poor primary cement job.
8. No weighted mud in annulus behind casing string.
9. To repair parted, damaged, or leaking intermedia t e casing.
10. Allows casing to he cemented to surface in stages
where stage tools will not run in intermediate
string.
11. Option of tying back casing to surface later.
12. Casing, equipment and, servicing costs.
By running liners in the two-section tie-back method,
a n operator can often reduce t h e weight and grades of
casing required to case a hole. The tension safety factor
can be high on both sections, even with lower grades of
steel. Since the upper section has less tensile load, collapse resistance of the steel will also he greater. The
weight suspended from the casinghead will be only t h a t
of the upper section. The lower section will be suspended
a t t h e liner hanger. Decrease in pipe weight may allow
the use of a smaller drilling rig. Most certainly, clerrick stresses will be lower than when running a fulllength casing string.

Table 2
Approximate Fracture Gradients for
Delaware Basin Formations
Mud Weight
Fracture
Formation
Grdient,
Will Support,
Fornlatiori
Psi/ft
Lb/gal
Bell Canyon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..0.55
10.6
10.0
Cherry Canyon . . . . . . . . . . . . ..0.52
10.0
Brushy Canyon . . . . . . . . . . . . .0.52
Bone Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..0.57
10.9
Wolfcamp (Upper) . . . . . . . . . .0.68
13.1
Wolfcamp (Lower) . . . . . . . . ..0.88
17.0
Penn Morrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..0.91
17.5
16.7
Mississippian lime .......... .0.87
12.1
Devonian .................. .0.63
Ellenburger ................ .0.64
12.3

DEEP LINERCEMENTING
IN

THE

DELAWARE
BASIN

MUD WEIGHT- -PPG

Fig. 1 - Casing Setting Depths into Wolfcamp

35

I f a full-length string of casing is cemented and g a s

happens to channel behind the string, the conventional
cure i s t o perforate and squeeze the casing. This leaves
perforations which may l a t e r leak o r ulti~natelyresult
i n collapse of t h e weakenecl casing. A liner-cement job
can be repaired by squeezing from the top without
perforating t h e casing. The liner then can be tied back
to the surface a t a n y time, if a tie-back receptacle i s
installed on t h e liner hanger.
If a full-length casing s t r i n g i s r u n in the extremely
heavy mud required t o hold high-pressure gas, a n y mud
l e f t above t h e cement will be weighted. As the mud
weight inside the casing is reduced to drill deeper,
pressure from the column of heavy mud left behind the
casing will be a problem. The annular hydrostatic column will always be a potential collapse hazard unless
the casing design allows f o r t h e heavy mud. The liner
cementing method leaves ?LO annulus in which heavy
mud can accumulate. The inucl weight can be reduced
before t h e tie-back string is cemented, leaving lighter
mud behind t h e tle-back string. A tie-back s t r i n g of
lighter casing with light mud behind i t may actually
have a better collapse safety factor than a full-length
string of heavier casing, derated by axial tension stress,
with heavy mud behind it. The tie-back string often i s
circulated with cement back to the surface, leaving no
mud i n the annulus.
Delaware Basin drilling i s so uncertain t h a t often
casing will be installed in a n extremely close-fitting
hole. A n example is the installation of 10%-in. casing
in a 12-in. hole. Usually t h e formations to be cemented
a r e not competent f o r cement to be circulated t o t h e
surface. The intermediate casing string clearance will
not permit conventional cement stage tools. Installation
of a liner i s one answer. When the llner is properly
cemented, a tie-back s t r i n g can be cemented to t h e surface. Here, the casing is cemented to the surface i n two
stages \irithout using stage tools.
Drilling hyclraulics a r e improved where taperecl
strings of drill pipe can be used, a s where h e r s a r e
used instead of long intermediate casing strings. If the
contractor were drilling a 6%-in. hole under a full intermediate s t r i n g of 756-in. casing set a t 16,000 f t o r more,
he would normally be using 3%-in. drill pipe with 21%~in. bore. The pressure loss through this string a t 200
gpm with 10-ppg mud is 114 psi p e r 1,000 f t of drill
stem. Drill-pipe pressure loss a t 20,000 f t would be 2,280
psi. If 10,000 f t of 4%-in. drill pipe can be used, a s
above a liner, pressure loss through t h e larger drill
pipe a t 200 gpm with 10-ppg mud is only 17-20 psi per
1,000 f t . This i s a 45-percent reduction In pressure drop
by using t h e taperecl 20,000-ft drill-pipe string. A t the
extreme depths encountered in t h e Delaware Basin, hydraulics may demand t h a t liners be set, since t h e only
alternatives to setting liners a r e large full-length casing
strings. The cost of drilling l a r g e r hole and casing it
with full-length casing strings may be prohibitive.

H. E.' LINDSEY
LINER HANGER EQUIPMENT
Liner hangers can be universally classified by t h e
method of setting or wedging their slips against t h e
casing wall. The hanger may be: 1, mechanical-set; o r
2, hydraulic-set. The mechanical-set liner hanger (Fig.
2) i s set by turning the drill pipe to disengage t h e Jhook and then slacking off the liner and engaging t h e
slips. A liner swivel (Fig. 2) i s sometimes used below
the hanger to permit left-hand rotation of the setting
string without t u r n i n g t h e liner itself. The swivel h a s
a clutch which holds or engages against right-hand
torque, permitting release of the setting tool in case t h e
liner is stuck.
Other mechanical-set liner hangers have vertical o r
reciprocal operation of their working parts. The slips
a r e held away from the cone while going in t h e hole by
a set of steel fingers which a r e latched ullcler a shoulder.
When the movement of the s t r i n g is downward, t h e
fingers keep the slips from setting. When the string IS
picked u p a specified distance, usually about 2 f t , a n
actuating sleeve 1s moved u p beneath the fingers pushing
them out over this sleeve. Lowering the string allo\vs
t h e sleeve to c a r r y these slip-cage retaining fingers
over the shoulder setttng the slips on the cone. A s t h e
liner i s r u n care must be taken t o limit the distance
picked u p while removing the rotary slips or premature
settlng can occur. This hanger may be placed back i n
t h e running o r unset position by picking u p less t h a n
the recomn~endedtravel necessary t o set the slips.
Some mechanical-set liner hangers have inore than
one cone f o r wedging the slips against t h e casing. The
theory here i s t h a t two cones, some vertical distance
a p a r t , will divide the support of the liner evenly a t
different areas of the casing wall. These multiple-cone
hangers usually have water-course a r e a s f o r movement
of the circulating media. The single-cone h a n g e r also
may be fluted f o r g r e a t e r bypass area.
Other mechanical-set liner hangers have "kelly-type"
setting tools which permit rotation of t h e liner while
cementing. The "kelly" portion of t h e setting tool i s
engaged while rotating ancl a clutch prevents premature
release from t h e liner. A f t e r setting t h e h a n g e r ancl
disengaging the clutch, f u r t h e r rotation to t h e right
releases the setting tool from the liner.
The hydraulic-set liner hanger (Fig. 3) h a s no wiper
springs against the casing and requires no rotation to
set. The slips a r e forced upward against t h e cone by
the differential circulating pressure between t h e inside
of t h e liner opposite t h e actuating piston ancl t h e linercasing annulus a t t h e same place. Usually t h e differential setting pressure i s pre-determined by t h e amount of
spring tension holding t h e actuating piston do\\-n o r by
a shear pin, o r sometimes both a r e used. On t h e springtension type hydraulic-set liner hanger pictured (Fig.
3 ) , t h e liner slips may be placed in unset position, a f t e r
setting, by picking u p t h e liner and allowing t h e slips
to s n a p back into the running-in position. Hydraulic-set

Fig.

(left) - Mechanical-set
Liner Hanger

Fig.

(right) - Hydraulic-set
Liner Hanger

packers can be used in many safe and demanding situations. However, a deep well with high formation pressures may not be a proper application f o r liner packers.
More will be said about this later.
The rubber pump-down drill-pipe and liner wiper
plugs and the landing collar a r e shown in Fig. 6 and 7.
Cementing manifolds a r e used to contain the pumpdown driI1-pipe wiper plug until all the cement h a s
been mixed and pumped. The cementing manifold should
be stronger than the drill pipe for proper safety, unless
the elevators are latched below the manifold.
Anyone responsible for ordering liner hanger equipment should consider hole straightness, depth, clearance,
and other liners through which a new installation must
pass, in choosing which type of setting mechanism to
use.

LINER SETTING PROCEDURE

liner hangers eliminate the problems presented by rotation or reciprocation. The cone on this type hanger may
be fluted f o r additional bypass area.
The tie-back receptacle (Fig. 4) is designed to r u n on
top of the liner, to permit i t to be extended to the
surface a t a future date. It has a polished bore which
may be dressed out with a mill or reamer prior to
running a sealing nipple (Fig. 5 ) . A fill-up type float
collar should be run above the sealing nipple to prevent
hydraulic locking a s seals enter the receptacle sealing
bore.
Liner packers are used a t the top of the liner, primarily to allow the operator to reverse excess cement
out of the hole without exerting pressure on the formations below the top of the liner. Packers a r e sometimes
used to hold cement from falling into lost-circulation
zones behind the liner. They take hydrostatic head off
of these formations. Liner packers f o r use in the latter
case a r e recommended and help make a better linercement job. But, because of the difficulty in gas-cutting
of cement, the use of liner packers in Delaware Basin
Wolfcamp and Pennsylvanian sections has been limited
and users are cautioned in the use of packers on the
ultra-deep liner jobs.
A liner packer could leave the impression everything
was in order and give a false sense of security. The
packer could actually turn loose days later, causing
trapped gas to blow to the surface. I t is believed liner

Liner installation procedures and good operating

practices a r e particularly important. These suggestions
should hold t r u e f o r most deep liner installations.
Check all connections on the float shoe and collar,
plug landing collar and liner hanger. Make sure all nonA P I thread forms a r e f o r the proper weight and size
liner. This should be done several days before running
the equipment.
Before the liner is ever run the hole should be in good
shape with no fill on bottom. The mud should have good
properties, preferably with no lost-circulation material.
The bottom joints of casing and float equipment a r e
usually installed with thread-locking compound. When
the float equipment is in the hole, circulation should be
established f o r a few minutes to check f o r foreign
material t h a t might plug the floats.
Before the liner hanger is made up, be sure the liner
is full of mud. With the liner hanger made up, latch
the elevators on the setting-tool extension, weigh the
liner on the rig weight indicator and record f o r f u t u r e
reference.
As the liner is run, check the drill pipe periodically
to make certain i t is filling. If the drill pipe fails to
fill, it should be filled from the surface every few stands.

Fig. 4 - Tie-back
Sealing Nipple

Fig. 5 - Liner
Tie-back Receptacle

Each stand of drill pipe and all subs should be drifted

a s picked up, to assure t h a t the drill-pipe wiper plug
will clear.
As the liner nears bottonl, circulation should be established to wash clown and also to remove a n y foreign
material t h a t might be in the liner hanger slips. This.
operation should take only a few minutes.
When bottom is reached, the liner is picked u p to the
desired setting point and circulation discontinued. The
liner is hung and the liner setting tool rotated loose
from the hanger. The drill pipe is picked u p to check
f o r free travel. The length of the packer cup extension
allows this travel without pulling t h e seals out of the
liner.
If the drill pipe is free, adequate weight should be
placed back on the liner while circulating and cementing. The rig weight indicator i s observed a t all times
to allow the operator to compensate f o r any loss of
weight on the liner.
Usually, when a liner is landed, t r i p g a s will have
accumulated on bottom and must be circulated out to
give a good cement job. This operation is peiformed
before a n y cementing is done. Where t r i p g a s is no
problem, the volunle of the drill pipe and liner is always
circulated to insure t h a t foreign matter does not plug
the floats during the cement job.
When the circulating operation is complete, the actual
cement job begins. The cement is mixed and pumped.
The drill-pipe wiper plug is then released behind the
cement. Displacement is pumped behind the drill-pipe
wiper plug. As the plug nears the bottom of the drill
pipe, the circulating rate should be substantially reduced. When the drill-pipe wiper plug reaches the liner
setting tool, i t latches into the liner wiper plug. The
pins holding the liner wiper plug a r e sheared and the
two plugs move down t h e liner behind t h e cement a s a
single unit. Surface pressure may vary from zero to
3,000 o r 4,000 psi. The volume of t h e liner is pumped
behind the liner wlper plug. Nornlally it will take about
3 percent excess mud to make the plugs latch into the
landing collar located directly above t h e casing float
collar. Caution should be used if surface pressure is
not observed a s the liner wiper plug shears loose, o r if
too large a n excess of mud is required to latch the liner
wiper plug. Continued pumping could leave mud around
the shoe, instead of cement, if the liner wiper plug fails
to seal.
It is a good practice to pull back to a neutral point
and rotate the pipe four o r five t u r n s to the right before
coming out of the hole with t h e drill pipe and setting
tool. The setting tool is supposed to be free of the
hanger, but there have been cases in which it has partially re-engaged while cementing.
Unless a liner packer has been used, there may be
danger of losing circulation if excess cement is reversed
off the top of the liner. So, a s the setting tool is pulled
out of the liner hanger, excess cement will immediately

flow back into the drill pipe from the annulus. It is

considered good operating practice to allow this flowback a few seconds on top of the liner before pulling
the drill pipe. This operation can leave solid cement on
top of the liner with no mud contan~ination.
Normally, the top joint of drill pipe containing the
cementing manifold is set in the mouse hole. The drill
pipe is retrieved in stands with a s llttle delay a s possible. There is no reason to leave drill pipe in the hole
with green cement a n y longer than is absolutely necessary.
F o r a better liner cement job, constant hydrostatic
pressure should be held on gas-producing fornlations.
To do this, the hole nt.ztst be kept full while coming out
with the setting tool. Gas migration can ruin a good
cement job if the fluid level in the annulus is allowed
to drop.
TYPICAL LINER INSTALLATIONS
A liner installation becoming popular in the Delaware
Basin is a 10%-in. liner inside 1336-in. intermediate
casing. The reason f o r this unlikely combination is t h a t
upper formations r u n deeper in certain parts of the
Delaware Basin. The 13%-in. casing is set a s deep a s
practical, usually into the Bone Spring a t about 9,500
ft. The 10%-in. liner cases the rest of the Bone Spring
and the upper portion of the Wolfcamp to about 13,000
ft. I n areas of the Delaware Basin where the upper
formations r u n high, shorter 13%-in. strings a r e set, or
completely eliminated, and 10%-in. full-length casing
strings a r e set to a conlparable depth into the Wolfcamp.
Another popular installation is 7%-in. liner inside
10%-in. (Fig. 6A). This installation is almost a necessity for proper hydraulics in the lower p a r t of the hole.
The liner will be tied back to the surface a f t e r reaching
total depth (Fig. 6C).
A t total depth, a 5-in. liner is usually installed inside
the 7%-in. The 5-in. liner may be r u n before the 7%-in.
is tied back (Fig. 6B) o r a f t e r the tie-back string is
installed, depending upon the quality of t h e well. If the
tie-back string is r u n first, a bridge plug must be set in
the 7%-in. liner to prevent breakdown of t h e open hole
while cementing the tie-back string. If the 5-in. liner is
installed first, the bridge plug operation is eliminated.
I n trouble areas, sonietimes a n 8%-in. liner will be
r u n in 10%-in. casing. Then a 6%-in. liner can be run
inside the 8%-in. pipe. This combination is not standard
but i t can often allow a n extra string of pipe to be set
if a well gets in trouble.
Another combination is a 7%-in. liner r u n in 9%-in.
casing. All of the combinations mentioned here a r e f o r
problem areas and a r e integral-joint liners generally
used i n cases of emergency. They have only been mentioned to give the reader a n idea of liners t h a t may
possibly be installed in emergency situations.

CASING HIGH-PRESSURE GAS ZONES

WITH A LINER
I n most deep Delaware Basin wells when a highpressure zone is drilled, the gas is never conlpletely
contained. Trip g a s IS usually present. If the mud
weight is raised sufficiently to eliminate all trace of gas,
lost circulation is almost certain. High-pressure gas
zones a r e often cased with liners.
The presence of gas complicates a liner cement job.
Gas-cut cement a t the top of a liner is the usual result
when gas is present in the mud. In many cases operators
a r e reluctant to use heavy cement f o r f e a r of losing
circulation, and they shy from fast-set cement. Normal
procedure has been to use slow-set cement to insure
against "flash set". But several recent successful cement
jobs have been performed In deep Delaware Basin wells
by using densified cement with faster setting time.
Union Oil Company of Cal~fornia (formerly The Pure
Oil Company) has performed three jobs, and Shell Oil
Company a t least one, a s of this writing.
A typical deep-well cementing s ~ t u a t i o nis illustrated
schematically in Fig. 7. The use of fast-setting densified
ceinent is described. A high-pressure gas zone has been
drilled with 16.0-ppg mud; this weight allows trip g a s
to accumulate. A mud density of 16.5 ppg is calculated
to hold the gas. A lost-circulation zone exists a t approximately 11,000 f t which will only hold 16.2-ppg mud.
Casing is set a t 10,600 ft. The g a s is entering the hole
a t approximately 15,000 f t and the bottom of the liner
is a t 16,000 ft. The problem is to ceinent over the g a s
zone without allowing the gas to migrate u p the hole
and honeycomb the cement.
The solution, obviously, lies in adding just enough
hydrostatic pressure to the g a s zone and using a cement
which will set before the gas has time to migrate upward. Mud weight cannot be raised without creating
lost circulation. Densified cement can be circulated
above the g a s zone to apply additional hydrostatic pressure. If the densified cement does not extend above the
weak loss zone, lost circulation will not occur.
The example illustrated in Fig. 7 shows t h a t 17.0-ppg
cement is circulated to 12,000 f t and 16.4-ppg cement
is placed above this to approximately 8,000 ft. The mud
weight above 8,000 f t is 16.0 ppg. The lost-circulation
zone a t 11,000 f t feels the equivalent of 16.1-ppg mud ;
thus, circulation is still maintained a t the end of the
cement job. The g a s zone a t 15,000 f t feels the effect of
a 16.3-ppg fluid column. The Mississippian lime on botton1 feels the equivalent of about 16.4 ppg. This condition approaches that required to contain the g a s zone
without actually creating lost circulation a t 11,000 f t
o r a t the bottom of the liner a t 16,000 ft. The type
cement which h a s proved successful will begin to gel
almost immediately when pumping stops. This gel will
hold potential migrating g a s until the cement h a s actually set.

I
I

The 16.4-ppg cement circulated above t h e liner is

retarded f o r approximately 4 hours pumping time. Drill
pipe can be retrieved without much danger of the
cement "flash-setting". The 17.0-ppg cement left across
the g a s zone is designed f o r about 3 hours pumping
time. Normally it will require about 2 hours to place the
cement.
Cement used f o r this application is usually Class "E"
o r Class "B". I t is densified by reducing the amount of
mixing water. Friction reducers a r e added to make the
slurry pumpable. Fluid-loss additives a r e used to prevent loss of water froin the slurry. Both slurries a r e
mixed from the same cement mixture. The weights a r e
raised on the heavier ceinent merely by reducing the
mixing water. This method eliminates the possibility of
mixing the wrong slurry first. These cements were
laboratory-tested f o r approximately 2 months before a
satisfactory cement fornlulation was established.
Where slow-set cement was used on some of Union's
first deep liners, gas-cutting of the cement was a bad
problem. Use of the faster setting densified cement h a s
eliminated g a s migration behind the liner. Three liner
jobs performed within a two-month period yielded no g a s
a t the top of the liners. Two previous liners using
lighter slow-set cement did have g a s migration t o the
top of the liners. A liner job performed later by the
Shell Oil Company on the Price Estate No. 1 using this
densified fast-set cement method also eliminated g a s
migration.
On two of the three Union jobs, tops of the liners
were sclueezed. Even though no g a s was detected, mud
could be pumped behind the two liners. The third job
was completely successful. The Shell job also did n o t
require a n y remedial squeeze work.
Mud contamination of cement near the top of t h e
foregoing two Union liner jobs was the probable cause
f o r cement failures. Washed-out shale sections a r e usually present near the liner tops. These wash-outs a r e
apparently not filled by the small excess cement volume
used (15 percent). When a liner is cemented, i t is
usually not practical to r u n enough excess cement to
completely flush out the larger sections of the open
hole. The 15 percent excess cement, in some cases, has
resulted in more than 2,000 f t of cement above the top
of the liner. The slurry fill above the liner becomes
greater a s the cement weight approaches the niud
weight. In such cases little can be done about the
cement-mud weight differential. 1.t is desirable to have
the cement- a t least 2.0 ppg heavier than the mucl.
LINER PACKER APPLICATIONS
The liner packer (Fig. 8) is used mainly in a n a r e a
of severe lost circulation. Cenlent is circulated into
place leaving excess cement above the liner. The packer
is then set. This seals off t h e liner-open-hole annulus
and isolates hydrostatic pressure. Excess cement then
can be reverse-circulated out of the hole.

I N THE

DELAWARE
BASIN

41
-

An open-hole inflatable packer is available which can

be run down hole on the liner. If clearance and strength
problems can be solved, i t may be an aid in control of
gas migration. The inflatable packer would be positioned above the gas zone in a gage portion of the hole.
When the plugs a r e bumped, the packer would be inflated, isolating gas below the packer while cement
above the packer sets. The problem a t present is building a tool a s strong a s the casing which will fit the hole
being drilled. Use of a weakened version of this tool
may create \verse problems than gas migration.

Fig. 8

- Liner

Extreme care must be taken in selecting and installing liners which niust run through another liner already
cemented in the well. Early field experience with this
type of liner installation on the Union ( P u r e ) #1 W. C.
Tyrrell pointed out the urgency of this problem. While
attempting to r u n a 5-in. liner to the 21,603-ft total
depth, the liner hanger accidentally set in the top of
the 7%-in. liner a t 10,202 f t and had to be pulled and
re-run.
The conventional J-hook hanger, Fig. 2, is not easy
to re-jay if i t accidentally goes into the set position
while running inside of larger casing; so an auton~atic
jay-setting device is available for use on this same
hanger body. The automatic jay feature permits relatching by picking the liner hanger up. Recommended
procedure is to ease the hanger a few inches into the
top of the larger liner, then pick up until the friction
springs come out of the larger liner. The liner hanger
is then lowered on through, carefully. By watching the
weight indicator as this is done, safe entrance through
the other liner without setting the slips is possible.
The reciprocal-set type liner hanger is difficult to
place back into the unset position since the friction d r a g
springs which actuate the setting mechanism may not
touch the larger intermediate casing through which the
hanger must be run. Exact vertical movement is recluirecl to retract the slips and allow the reciprocal-set
hanger to ease through a larger liner.
A hydraulic-set liner hanger is the safest type of tool
to use f o r passage through another liner hanger, because no friction d r a g springs a r e used on the tool.
There can be no accidental setting until fluid circulation
is established. The hydraulic-set liner hanger is a relatively new tool and fewer of these have been run. In
time hydraulic-set hangers will, perhaps, become the
standard f o r this type of operation.

Packer

The use of a liner packer to control the migration of

high-pressure gas i s not recommended. There a r e instances in which packers have been used with highpressure gas present behind the liner. The liner packer
can seal the liner-open-hole annulus and give indications of a perfect cement job. Actually the cement job
could be a complete failure. High-pressure gas may have
migrated through green cement to the top of the liner
and left a channel behind the pipe. This high-pressure
gas could remain under the packer f o r weeks with no
indication of a bad cement job. Mud weights probably
would be reduced after setting the liner. The reduction
could be a s much as 7 or 8 ppg. Again, refer to Fig. 7.
Gas requiring 16.5-ppg mud to contain it a t 15,000 f t
has now migrated to approximately 10,000 f t . The gas
is trapped behind the liner packer. Visualize the hazard
and chain of events t h a t might possibly occur if the
liner packer were to suddenly fail with the drill pipe
out of the hole. Pressure in the range of 7,000 psi could
be seen a t the surface upon closing the blo~vout preventers, if lost circulation did not occur down hole. The
annulus gas volume might be too small to cause much
damage itself, but i t could trigger other high-volume
producing zones open a t the time.
In any event, i t is believed unwise to depend upon a
liner packer when high-pressure gas is being cased. A
better way would be to cement the liner and then test
the top. If the top of a liner fails to hold pressure, or
attempts to flow on release of pressure, i t should be
squeeze-cemented. Immediate repair of a poor primary
cement job will minimize the chance of a future blowout.

ENTRY O F LINER THROUGH ANOTHER LINER

MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

With the number of liners installed in the Delaware
Basin, problems have naturally been encountered. A
few of the more serious problems a r e mentioned here.
An operator is naturally concerned about liner setting
tool cups holding during a cement job. Failure of cups
has not been common-only one failure has been known

N THE DELAWARE
BASIN

to the writers. This one occurrence proved t o be estremely espenslve when the seals failed during the
5-in. liner job set In the Moore #1 in the Goinez Field.
Cement was circulated u p around the drill pipe rather
than around the liner. The liner required several squeeze
jobs to repair the s~tuation.Since this failure, a higher
durometer nitrile elastomer type seal has been used f o r
high-temperature and high-pressure applications.
A 5-in. hydraulic-set Ilner hanger r u n through a 756in. liner in a deep Gomez Field well failed to set. The
liner hanger was retrieved and inspected by the manufacturer. Fine mud solids had settled and stuck the
actuating piston sleeve. A mechanical-set autolnatic jay
hanger was run back in the well. The hydraulic-set
hanger h a s since been modified by a nlodification in
placement of oil seals within the hanger-setting mechanism.
Three liner swivel failures have occurred. The ball
bearings in the swivel cracked when applying the liner
load. The swivel failures have apparently been eliminated by using a very hard alloy chrome steel ball bearing. The failures have all occurred on the surface before
the liners were lowered i n the well. No liners have been
dropped by swivel failures.
As mentioned earlier, the drill pipe and all crossover
subs should be drifted. There h a s been a t least one
known job where a drill-pipe wiper plug hung in a
a
crossover sub. The drill p ~ p ehad been drifted-but
crossover sub in a tapered string was changed and not
drifted.
Sometinles tapered drill-pipe strings have been used
to set liners. This should present no problem. A drillpipe wiper plug is available to wipe both drill-pipe
sizes. Drill-pipe tensile limitation sometimes becomes a
problem when setting a long heavy liner. Usually drill
pipe is selected t h a t permits a t least 100,000 lb of pull
above the combined weight of the liner and drill pipe.
Problems a r e many and varied when liners a r e installed a t the depths referred to in this paper. The hole
sizes, more often than not, a r e extremely close fitting.
The hole temperature is high. The nlucl may be heavy.
Any number of conditions nlay be present to cause
problems. The problenls referred to here a r e some we
believe could cause a n operator grief and cost him

money. Liner-hanger lnechanical proble~ns have been

relatively few and tool manufacturers have been prompt
and cooperative in design modifications.
SUMMARY
I t is the intent of this paper to explain liner setting
and cementing to those concerned with deep-well operations. Included is a discussion of Delaware, Basin
drilling conditions, equipment, procedures, typical liner
installations, and n~iscellaneousproblems.
One of the foremost problems faced in deep Delaware
Basin liner cement~ngh a s been gas-cutting of cement.
Thousands of dollars have been spent to correct these
bad cement jobs. The use of densified fast-set cement
may be a solution. I t s application and recent successes
have been presented herein.
Liners a r e a n estrelnely important p a r t of a deepwell drilling program. F u t u r e significant liner equipment and liner-cementing methods a r e predicted. This
paper has been prepared a s a n aid in improving linersetting technology.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fish, George E : Drilling and Completing the World's
,
(1964).
Deepest Producer, Petrolezi.?i~E n g ~ .Jan.
Kastrop, J. E : Liner Hanging Cuts Deep-well Casing
Engr., Jan. (1962).
Costs, Petrolez~n~
Massey, James F. and Scott, John: World's Deepest
Producer: Drilling/Con~pletion Landmark, P e t ~ o l e ? ~ ? ) ~
E ~ L ~Aug.
T . , (1965).
Murphy, Lowell A: How P u r e Cuts Costs of Ultra-Deep
Wells, Pet~oleztinEngr., J u l y (1965).
Anon: Nation's hottest drilling play has 30 rigs working below 20,000 feet, World Oil, Dec. (1965).
Odom, Charles B. and Hobbs, Mel: How P u r e Drilled
the World's Deepest Producing Well, World Oil,
March (1964).
Porter, E . W : Review of Surface and Intermediate Casing Practices, IYorld Oil (adaptation, title: Reduce
Surface-intermediate Pipe Cementing Failures), J u n e
(1964).
West, E. R : Casing, Cementing Are Keys to Successful
Drilling, Oil Gas J., May 24 (1965).