Casing Flotation Technology

for ERD and Horizontal Well Applications

Halliburton BACE Collar
(Buoyancy Assisted Casing Equipment)
Product Review

Business Development & Sales

12/2010

Casing flotation technology aids operators in extending

the reach in tortuous and horizontal wells
First Developed by UNOCAL in the 1980s
BACE Collar assist running casing to the bottom of
highly deviated or horizontal well bores
Reduces drag force between the casing and the wellbore
by utilizing buoyancy
Technique utilizes specially designed casing equipment to
trap lightweight fluid or air in the lower section of the
casing string
Existing casing software placement programs combined
with specific tailored equipment designs for the proper
control of flotation
Engineered Casing Solutions

Innovative Designs + Computer Modeling + Tuned Cement Blends + Casing Equipment

= Life of the Well Cementing
2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

The BACE Collar Concept

A flotation collar placed in the
casing string at a distance
between the float collar and a
pre-determined engineered
point in the casing string that
can trap air or lighter weight
fluids in this isolated casing
section
Can be deactivated at any time
during running of casing
When deactivated by bursting
rupture disc, full circulation is
achieved, and the trapped air or
light weight fluids can be
circulated to surface
Standard cementing operations
can then be carried out as
normal

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

Casing Floatation Development

Previous solutions to help with extending horizontal lengths

Use of retrievable packers used in casing running procedures

Modified drilling fluids to reduce friction
Adjusting wellbore geometries
Adjusting radius curves during directional drilling
Modifying casing running procedures
Rotating casing while running in the hole
Use of torque rings
Use of torque shouldered casing connections

All of the above items helped,

but nothing has matched the effect of casing flotation!

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

Equipment Requirements
To help ensure the systems functional integrity, the
Halliburton BACE assembly must be used with a float shoe
and float collar which has a back pressure rating that exceeds
the true hydrostatic pressure and temperature at true depth
(TD).
The BACE Tool and the associated floating equipment should
be manufactured to the proper casing size, weight, grade and
thread type for the expected pressure and temperature at TD.
Halliburtons Super Seal II family of float shoe and collar
products are needed to match the BACE collar system.
Required Halliburton job modeling with use of Landmark
WELLPLAN Flotation software to optimize placement of
BACE collar and achieve maximum casing flotation

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

BACE Collar Design Specifications

Features of the Halliburton BACE assembly include;
The BACE Collar has a full bore case matched to the same grade,
weight, and threads as the casing itself
Hydrostatic rupture disk options of 3500, 5000, and 7500 psi
Full casing ID after release of internal section of BACE Collar
No internal upset

Thread type anchoring systems eliminate shear pins and casing holes
No holes in the BACE collar that could be a leak path over the life of the well

Operated with use of standard Halliburton bottom plug with rupture disk
Can incorporate the use of Halliburton NR Plugs (if casing size allows)

Less than 200 psi needed to deactivate floatation and displace the
internal assembly to the float collar
System is PDC drillable
Can also be used on liners and sub sea cementing applications as well
as with two stage cementing if placed below the stage cementing tool

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

Halliburton BACE Buoyancy Assisted

Casing Equipment
Planning by a multidiscipline team is key to
successful application of casing flotation
technology
Pre-job considerations:

Wellbore geometry (angle, azimuth & expected friction

coefficient)
Rig equipment
Fluid Returns
Casing collapse rating
Simulation results
Casing attachments (centralizers are critical to success)

Risks/considerations
Surge & swab (Transient)
Differential sticking
Surface equipment

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

BACE Collar Operations

Select proper BACE Collar with results from job design modeling
Match the BACE Collar with casing string design and the selected rupture disk rating needed
Install Super Seal II float shoe on the end of the casing and the float collar at top of shoe joint
track and both float valves will need to have auto fill tabs deactivated
Make sure to optimize use of casing centralization products
At this point run shoe track and predetermined casing length in hole with no fluid allowed in
casing, or using a lighter-weight fluid filled from surface
Install BACE Collar as per engineering model
Run remainder of casing into well bore while filling casing from surface from the
BACE Collar to surface with wellbore fluid
Circulation can be achieved at any time during the casing running procedure, but at that time
the flotation assist is eliminated from the casing running procedure
With casing at TD pressure up and function the rupture disk to allow the lighter weight fluid or
trapped air to circulate back to surface and circulate hole for cementing
The pumping and circulating of an optional bottom plug at this time can be utilized to land and
shear the brass pins in the BACE Collar and allow the entire internal mechanism to shift and be
displaced to the top of the float collar.
Normal cementing operations can take place. Another bottom plug can be used if desired
during this time
The entire shoe track can then be drilled out with PDC bits.

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

Halliburton BACE Buoyancy Assisted Casing

Equipment

While running casing, the air or lighter weight fluid trapped inside the casing is used for floatation in the
lower section of the pipe

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

Halliburton BACE Buoyancy Assisted Casing

Equipment
After TD is reached, disk is ruptured. Air or lighter weight fluids can
then be allowed to percolate to the surface or circulated into the
annulus

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

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Halliburton BACE Buoyancy Assisted Casing

Equipment
Once BACE Collar is deactivated,
conventional cementing job can be performed.

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

11

Halliburton BACE Buoyancy Assisted Casing

Equipment
Displacement is complete.
No internal casing restriction at BACE Collar placement

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

12

Halliburton BACE Buoyancy Assisted Casing

Equipment
Full bore ID
Full case integrity
Suitable for use with standard API
tubulars and exotic casings and threads
Variable deactivating pressures
Single trip system
Available with NR plugs option
PDC drillable
Low pressure releasing mechanism

Cased Well Integrity!

Engineered Casing Solutions

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

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Quality Halliburton Casing Equipment Products

that can individually and or simultaneously
help place casing and cement, utilizing;
-Halliburton Cementing Tools
-Casing Attachments
-Float Equipment
BACE animation.avi

2010 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.

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