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CASING DESIGN
What will be covered in this chapter
Standard strength calculations for a casing string
1. The Design of casing and tubing strings
The basic philosophy in the design of a casing or tubing string is that nowhere yield should
take place. Detailed stress-analyses for each casing are not usually performed. A series of
tables containing the strength characteristics of available casing types are published and
regularly updated by the API in their API bulletin 5C2. An example is given in Table 1
Factors we have to take into account when designing strings are:
collapse
burst
tension (of both pipe and couplings)
compression
Many other factors are also important, such as bending stresses, corrosion, damage (during
transport, making connections), fatigue, wear, buckling, chemical environment. Although
these factors must be taken into account, they are of secondary importance.
Due to the factors mentioned above, the load- and stress conditions for a casing are highly
complex, poorly known, or unknown. It is therefore common practice to use a set of standard
design rules that are applied to a simplified casing string model. For this model a general
picture of the load and stress conditions (depth, rock type, mud weights, etc.) is sufficient.
In view of unknowns that cannot be evaluated properly, it is customary to introduce a number
of design factors. These design factors take into account:
the probability that the assumed load and stress conditions are being surpassed
the reliability of the casing-material and the manufacturing process
uncertainties with respect to corrosion, wear and damages
the consequences (financially, morally, etc.) if a casing should fail
past experience
Design factors are in principle different from safety factors; the latter assume that load and
stress conditions are exactly known and that a specific safety-margin is being built in. In the
design of a casing or tubing one should therefore not use the term safety factor but only the
term design factor.
Page 1
Casing Design
72.760
Weight
per foot
(lbs)
Inside
diameter
(in)
36.00
40.00
43.50
47.00
53.50
Nominal
weight
lbs/ft
36.00
40.00
43.50
47.00
53.50
36.00
40.00
43.50
47.00
53.50
36.00
40.00
43.50
47.00
53.50
36.00
Wall
thickness
(in)
8.921
8.835
8.755
8.681
8.535
Inside
crosssection
area
(sq.in)
62.502
61.308
60.201
59.188
57.216
0.352
0.395
0.435
0.472
0.545
Metal
cross
section
area
(sq.in)
10.258
11.452
12.559
13.572
15.544
K55
C-75
N-80
P-110
2980
3750
4630
6380
3090
3810
4750
6620
4430
5310
7930
5390
5930
6440
7430
5750
6330
6870
7930
8700
9440
10900
975
975
1032
1173
1027
1027
1086
1235
1283
1358
1544
694
776
852
999
737
825
905
1062
1106
1213
1422
1088
1193
1289
1477
1145
1256
1357
1555
1533
1656
1897
2020
2570
3520
3950
975
489
40.00
43.50
47.00
53.50
36.00
561
40.00
43.50
47.00
53.50
36.00
1076
Page 2
963
564
Casing Design
1000 psi
40.00
43.50
47.00
53.50
36.00
40.00
43.50
47.00
53.50
630
859
942
1018
1166
916
1005
1086
1244
1381
1493
1710
4900
5400
5900
6800
5300
5800
6300
7200
8000
8600
9700
3000
3000
Page 3
Casing Design
Tension
The axial force experienced at a given point of the casing is assumed to be equal to the
weight (in air) of the casing hanging below this point.
The casing must be able to withstand pressure testing. The allowable test pressure takes
into account the buoyancy of the casing (in mud).
Design factors
Design factors and design rules are fully dependable; a design is not acceptable if the design
factors have not been applied. Design factors which are frequently used by operators are:
Collapse:
1.0 and 1.125
Burst:
1.0 and 1.1
Tension:
1.6 and 1.8
Compression:
1.0
These design factors may look high, particularly those for tension. However, one should not
forget that the string is not designed only for its landed position. The string should be able to
withstand the running (or sticking and subsequent jarring) while running in.
3.
Page 4
Casing Design
Question 2
In a given field, hydrocarbons are found over the interval 7000' - 10800'. All reservoirs are
hydrostatically pressured (the pressure gradient in water is 0.4335 psi/ft). The bottom reservoir
is a gas reservoir occupying 9800' -10800', with GWC at 10800'. A gas well is producing from
this reservoir. The gas has specific gravity 0.6.
The completion details are:
Tubulars
Stovepipe
diameter
22"
Conductor
Surface casing
Production casing
Production tubing
18 5/8"
10 3/4"
7"
3 "
driven
depth
50'
cemented to surface
cemented to surface
cemented to surface
in packer
250'
4000'
10500'
8000'
Page 5
Casing Design
Fluids
Drilling mud used
Completion fluid
Cement
Specific gravity
1.05
1.06
1.20
1.05
1.65
1.88
1.00
depth
0' - 4000'
4000'-9500'
below 9500'
Pozmix
Class E
0' - 4000'
4000'-10500'
Nominal
weight
lbs/ft
20.00
23.00
26.00
29.00
32.00
35.00
38.00
20.00
23.00
26.00
29.00
32.00
35.00
38.00
20.00
23.00
26.00
29.00
32.00
35.00
38.00
Page 6
K55
2270
3270
4320
3740
4360
4980
632
641
C-75
N-80
P-110
3770
5250
6760
8230
9710
10680
3830
5410
7020
8600
10180
11390
6210
8510
10760
13010
15110
5940
6790
7650
8490
9340
10120
6340
7240
8160
9060
9960
10800
9960
11220
12460
13700
14850
632
641
685
761
850
917
666
675
721
801
895
965
844
902
1002
1118
1207
Casing Design
Question 3
In the Tambaredjo field in Suriname, the reservoir is about 1000 deep. The casing program is
as follows
2 joints of 14 conductor pipe driven to about 36
Surface hole drilled to 210 and cased with 6 joints of 8-5/8 24lb/ft K-55 casing
7-7/8 hole drilled to TD (5 below the base of oil sand) and cased with 4 9lb/ft K55
casings, with maximum collapse pressure 3320 psi, burst pressure 4380 psi and tensile
load 264 1000lbs force.
Mudweight are typically 9.9 10ppg during surface hole drilling and 8.8 9.2 ppg thereafter
(1ppg = 1 pounds/US gallon = 119.8 kg/m3)
Class C construction cement is used, with density 16.48 ppg
Draw the completion. Check the design of the 4 casing
Page 7