IADC/SPE

IADC/SPE 14777
Liner Cementing Techniques and Case Histories Offshore
Western Gulf of Mexico
by R.N. Hebert, Tenneco Oil Co. E&P
SPE Member

Copyright 1986, IADCISPE 1986 Drilling Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1986 IADCISPE Drilling Conference held in Dallas, TX, February 10-12, 1986.
This paper was selected for presentation by an IADCISPE Program Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the
author(s). Contents of the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers or International Association of Drilling
Contractors and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any posItIOn of the IADC or SPE, .'tS officers, or members. Papers presented at IADCISPE meetings are subject to publication by EditOrial Committees of the IADC and SPE. Permission to
copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment
of where and by whom the paper is presented. Write Publications Manager, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836. Telex, 730989
SPEDAL.

ABSTRACT

Liner cementing success in Tenneco Oil Company's

Western Gulf of Mexico Division increased from 44%
between 1979-1982 to near 80% for the period of
1983-1985. The improvement in cementi ng success can
be partially attributed to implementation of a planned
1i ner top squeeze after the bottom of the 1i ner has
been cemented conventionally. This is accomplished by
runni ng a retri evab 1e squeeze packer above the 1i ner
This method of liner cementing was
run-in tool.
pioneered and had been used successfully for over ten
years by Superior Oil Company. It was studied and
adapted by Tenneco with the emphasis placed on improving liner cementing success through the designation of
a liner cementing specialist.
Twenty-three liners
have been run using this technique. Case histories
with successes and failures wi 11 be revi ewed in thi s
paper.
INTRODUCTION

Why do 1i ner cement jobs fail? There are many

and varying reasons. Some pf the major causes of
liner cementing failures are:
1)

2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Close tolerances between pipe and hole sizes inability to use centralizers.
Inability to move pipe while cementing.
Restricted circulation rates - lost circulation.
Insufficient cement volumes.
Cement contamination.
Over retardation of cement - gas migration
through cement.

To improve 1iner cementing success, various

operators use different methods. The most popular are
rotating liner hangers, liner top packers, and planned
1i ner top squeezes. At Tenneco, ali ner cementi ng
specialist was designated to study, develop and
implement 1iner cementing techniques that would
References and Illustrations at end of paper.

maximize efficiency. The responsibilities of this

position were to monitor design and testing of
cement i ng s 1urri es, wi tness make-up and testi ng of
1i ner hanger assemb 1i es, and to supervi se the
running and cementing of the 1iner setting at the
well site.
Thi s paper wi 11 not di scuss in depth each of
the above problems and methods. These topi cs have
been previously addressed in other articles and
papers. Instead, a basic philosophy will be presented in this paper explaining why the planned
1i ner top squeeze method was chosen. The resu 1ts
wi 11 be analyzed exp 1a in i ng what was 1earned from
the failures that occurred.

Often when cementing ali ner sett i ng you are

trying to accomplish three objectives:
1)

2)
3)

Obtain a good shoe test in order to drill

ahead.
Cover any pay behind pipe with cement.
Effect a hydraulic seal in the liner overlap.

In most cases with tight clearance liners, it is too

much to ask for the same cement slurry to do all
three jobs at once. The slurry is usually designed
for high temperature bottom hole conditions. The
hole in most cases has just been drilled through a
trans it i on zone wi th temperature on bottom severa 1
degrees hotter than the previ ous cas i ng shoe. By
the time the cement is circulated down through the
drill pipe and casing and up the annulus, what
cement does get into the overlap may well be contaminated enough to never set. The additives that give
the cement the propert i es that are des i red for the
bottom of the 1i ner wi 11 usually work against you
when the cement gets into the over 1ap. The usual
response to this problem is to pump more cement, but
how much cement is enough? If enough cement is
pumped to leave 500 to 1000 feet of cement above the
liner top, a real well control problem could develoD
433

LINER CEMENTING TECHNIQUES AND CASE HISTORIES OFFSHORE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO

SPE 14777

hangers but one were mechani ca 1 ri ght hand set and

release.

when the cement starts to set and a microannulus forms

on the high side of the hole. If the well starts
flowing after a liner cement job, several days may be
spent attempt i ng to get out of the ho 1e in order to
trip back in with a squeeze packer. Often after this
gas migration occurs, a pump-in r!te cannot be estab1ished to re-cement the overlap.
The only alternative is to run a liner packer which will require
several more days.
Superior Oi 1 Company pioneered a method of
cement i ng 1i ners in wh i ch the 1i ner top is squeezed
i mmed i ate 1y after the bottom of the 1i ner has been
cemented conventionally. Tenneco has used this method
on 23 of 25 liner jobs since late 1983. The tool that
makes this method possible is a squeeze packer with a
left hand jay which sets by left hand rotation. This
allows the 1 i ner to be set and released by regul ar
right hand rotation without engaging the packer. When
using this method, it is not advisable to pump cement
into the dri 11 pipe annu 1us around the packer. The
preferred procedure is to circulate cement until the
ca 1cu 1ated top of the cement is above any potentia 1
pay zone and then close the annu 1ar preventer. Th is
will force cement into the formation at a weaker zone
wh i ch theoret i ca 11 y wi 11 be near the previ ous cas i ng
shoe as depicted in figure 2. The tool is then pulled
5 stands (+450 feet) above the liner top and the
over 1ap area is cemented (fi gure 3). If the zone that
originally broke down on the bottom job is close to
the previous casing shoe, the cement from the top job
should go into the same place and the two cement
columns wi 11 be joined. This has been verified by
cement bond logs on 1 i ners typi ca 11 y 1ess than 1000
feet in length.

Six failures occurred while employing this

method of liner cementing. Only 2 of 17 liners that
were drilled out failed to obtain a good shoe test.
One of these failures, the first liner cemented
using this method, was 900' of 7-5/8" drilling liner
run in 500' of open hole. Calculated open hole
volume was less than 7 barrels. Roughly 15 barrels
of cement was pumped for the bottom job which
subsequent 1y suffered a shoe test fa i 1ure. I twas
obviously not a sufficient amount of cement to avoid
contamination with drilling mud. After this failure
no 1ess than 40 to 50 barre 1s of cement has been
pumped on a bottom job. The on 1yother shoe test
failure was on a 9-5/8" liner that was set 20 feet
off bottom purpose 1y to evaluate a potentia 1 pay
sand.
There were 3 failures of top squeeze jobs, 2 on
9-5/8" 1 i ners and a 7-5/8" dri 11 i ng 1 i ner. Two of
these fail ures were cement re 1ated. The other was

attributed to lack of centralization in the overlap.

The sixth failure caused block squeeze work to
be performed on a 7-5/8" drilling liner. When the
liner was cemented, an insufficient amount of cement
was circulated around the float shoe before the
annular preventer was closed. A potential pay zone
was 1eft uncovered and had to be block squeezed
before drill stem testing began.

When dea 1i ng wi th longer 1i ners, 2000 feet in

length or longer, it will be more difficult to connect
the cement columns. The reasoning is that as you
dr ill deeper, the formati on pore pressures and fracture gradients move closer together. Fi gure 1 ill ustrates an example of a South Texas pore pressure plot.
At 11,000 feet the pore pressure is 12.5 lb./gal.
equivalent (ppg) and the calculated fracture pressure
is 17.8 ppg. At 16,000 feet the pore pressure and
fracture gradients are less than 1 ppg apart. If a
1i ner is run over the i nterva 1 in fi gure 1 between
13,000 and 15,000 feet, the difference between the
calculated fracture pressures at the 9-5/8" liner shoe
and the 7-5/8" liner shoe is roughly 0.3 ppg. When
performing the bottom cement job, the point where the
formation will break down could be much lower than the
9-5/8" cas i ng shoe.
However, exper i ence has shown
that the format i on does not break down on bottom.
Shoe tests results have been 100% successful when the
liners are run to bottom.

An examp 1e of the versatil i ty of th is method

was seen when a 7" production 1i ner was run and
total returns were lost when circulation was attempted. Seawater had to be pumped into the annulus
to attain a stabilized fluid level in the well. The
cement job was pumped with no returns throughout the
job. After the liner wiper plug bumped, the running
too 1 was pu 11 ed out of the 1i ner top and the seawater ci rcu 1ated out of the we 11 . The top cement
job was then performed and tested without any other
problems. Both the overlap and shoe were tested and
the we 11 dri 11 ed to tota 1 depth without addi tiona 1
squeeze work. Because of the lost circulation that
occurred during the primary cement job, the pay
sands in the 7" liner were later isolated by block
squeezing.
On the 46 separate cement jobs performed on the
23 liners in this report, the only equipment failure
that occurred was one squeeze too 1 that wou 1d not
set after the bottom job was performed. The too 1
was tr i pped for a con venti ona 1 ri ght-hand set
squeeze tool and the top job completed without incidence. No fishing jobs precipitated from any of the
liner jobs.

Taking the above information into consideration,

is very important to c i rcu 1ate cement above pay
sands before closing the blowout preventer and pumping
into the formation. A detailed procedure, along with
a list of special equipment, is provided at the end of
this paper.
it

RECOftfo1ENDATIONS
The following paragraphs deal with specific
types of equipment and cement blends used during the
period in which these liners were run.

RESULTS
Results of the 23 1i ners run in thi s survey are
summarized in Table 1. The sizes of casing run ranged
from 5-1/2" to 9-5/8". The length of the liners
ranged from 900 to 3600 feet. Of the 23 1i ners run,
14 were run in directional wells.
Only the 7" X
9-5/8" 1i ners were run wi th central i zers. All 1i ner
434

Liner equi pment used on 22 of 23 1i ners consisted of a mechanical set liner hanger with a
ri ght-hand set and release mechan ism. The 1i ner
hangers had honed ins ide diameters and doub 1ed as
polished bore receptacles for the retrievable
pack-off bushi ngs. A 10 foot long tieback sleeve
with right hand release setting collar was run with

SPE 14777

R. N. HEBERT

the liner hanger. This assembly comprised a simple,

easy to set and re 1ease system. I t was chosen over
hydraulic liner hangers for the following reasons:
1.

2.

2)

Mechani ca 1 1i ner hangers set and release without

having to drop balls and pressure up on the
hanger. Also, shearing pins in ball catcher subs
sometimes results in lost circulation due to the
sudden release of pressure.
Entire liner can be rotated to the right without
fear of releasing until hanger is set.

3.

High circulating pressures will not prematurely

set hanger. If hanger sets while tripping in
hole, straight pick up places it back in run-in
position.

4.

Because of inherent des i gn characteri st i cs,

mechanical hangers hav! a higher burst rating
than hydraulic hangers.

5.

Liner overlap (top job) - (recommended length 400 feet, minimum - 200 feet) - no less than 50
bbls. of cement for 5-1/2" and smaller liners,
70-80 bbls. for 7" to 7-5/8" liners and 80-90
bbls.for 9-5/8" liners.

It is very important to use a sufficient volume

of cement to prevent slurry contamination with mud.
Using excess cement is less expensive than performing remedial cement work on liner shoes and tops.
It is also highly recommended when cementing a
liner top to leave a 1000 psi underbalance of water
in the drill pipe at the end of the cement displacement. This prevents fluid migration through the
cement by keeping it in a static condition until it
sets. Recommended waiting on cement time is 8 hours
for liner top cement jobs.
CONCLUSION

Entire hanger assemb 1y can be pressure tested

before being sent to job.

When mechani ca 1 1 i ner hangers were 1eft hand set

and right hand release they were not run in
directional holes for fear that the drill string
would be backed off while attempting to work left hand
torque down to the liner hanger. Now most liner
equipment companies have setting tools that will allow
right hand torque to be delivered to the setting
mechanism without releasing the liner. On occasion, a
liner is run to bottom in a directional hole and
becomes stuck. When this happens, it makes no difference whether the 1 i ner hanger is set or not because
the liner is stuck tight in the hole and can't be
moved up or down. The weight of a stuck liner becomes
supported by the low side of the hole. The 1 iner
sett i ng too 1 is then re 1eased and the 1i ner cemented
as planned.
Several types of cementing methods have been used
duri ng thi s study that are des i gned to prevent gas
migration after cementing. These methods include use
of gas-generating cement slurries, low fluid loss
cements, and decreasing the transition time at which
the cement reaches suffi ci ent ge 1 strength to res i st
annular gas migration.
The best method known to
decrease transition time is using thixotropic cement.
Thi xotropi c cement has been used on 90% of the
top cement jobs in this study and has now been incorpo rated into the program on bottom jobs also. I n a
recently published study, Conoco's Corpus Christi
division has used thixotropic cement to conventionally
cement 15 liners and obsfrved no gas migration through
any of the cement jobs.
Cement evaluation logs also
showed improved bondi ng in the 1 i ners where th i xotropic cement was used.
Recommended vo 1urnes of cement to pump on 1i ner
jobs are:
1)

Open hole section (bottom job) - no less than 50

bb 1s. of cement and at 1east 200% of the theoretical open hole volume. If a good caliper log
is availiible, use 25% in excess of calipered
volume.

435

As wi th any other aspect of our industry, the

better the planning the more successful the project.
The same th i ng can be said about 1 i ner cementi ng.
Reliability of liner equipment, float equipment,
centralizers, cementing equipment, and the personnel
that make the equi pment work all play key ro 1es in
the success or failure of a particular job.
Operators have invested a 1arge amount of time and
effort over the last three years to improve primary
cementing success. Job planning and analysis is
given much higher priority than in the "Boom" era.
Tenneco assigned a "specialist" to oversee liner
cementing. This has provided for better planning,
execution and consistency.
But even the most
thoroughly planned and executed job still falls prey
to the unexpected occurrence such as stuck pi pe or
lost circulation as can occur on a directional hole
wi th a ti ght clearance. When th is happens and the
1i ner is on bottom its too 1ate to change the game
plan, all that can be done is to muddle through the
process and hope for decent results.
Before the planned liner top squeeze method was
employed, other liner cementing methods such as
rotating liner hangers were considered.
Studies
have shown that rotating liner hanger jobs are most
successful in straight holes and not nearly as
successSul in directional wells with tight clearance
1i ners..
Therefore, the two step cement i ng approach was chosen for the following advantages:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Allows use of two spec i a 1 cement blends; one

designed for the open hole section and one
designed to cement the overlap.
Prevents gas mi grat i on by ho 1ding pressure on
cement column as cement sets.
Allows repeat squeeze of overlap without having
to trip packer.
Ability to continue with cement job as planned
even if total circulation is lost.
Allows overlap to be cemented with freshly
mixed cement without having to circulate large
amounts of cement into the drill pipe annulus.

The purpose of th is paper was to share i nformation and ideas with the industry. Other operators
and turn-key drilling contractors have been using
this method of liner cementing for years to save
time and money. Although this method has improved
liner cementing success, it has not been 100%
successful. Tenneco will continue to look at this

LINER CEMENTING TECHNIQUES AND CASE HISTORIES OFFSHORE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO

and other methods of 1 i ner cementing that wi 11 reduce

cementing problems and costs.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Extra equipment needed for this method are
below and illustrated in Figures 2 and 3:
1)

2)

3)

lis~ed

Bumper jars - 6-3/S" 0.0. X 3-1/S" I .0. with

drill pipe connections that make up directly into
1 iner setting tool without cross-overs, usually
4-1/2" IF. Jars with 4-3/4" 0.0. X 2" 1.D. are
run with 5-1/2" or smaller liner running tools.
Bumper jars will have 16-1S" of free travel.
This free travel wi 11 give positive indication
that the liner is set and when the liner is
released.
Oil jars - 6-3/4" 0.0. X 2-1/2" 1.0. with 5-1/2"
regu 1ar connecti ons needs to be crossed over to
dri 11 pi pe connecti ons. Oi 1 jars are run above
squeeze packer for safety.
Squeeze packer - has dri 11 pi pe connecti ons and
left hand jay setting cage with integral bypass.

Oi 1 and bumper jars can be provi ded by 1i ner

hanger company and run by thei r servi ce supervi sor.
Squeeze packer run by squeeze tool company supervisor.

PROCEDURE
Picking Up and Running Liner:
1.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

S.

9.

Pullout of hole from wiper trip.

Pick up double of drill pipe.
Make up oil jars to bottom of double.
Make up left hand set squeeze packer to jars.
Make up bumper jars to squeeze packer and torque
to specs.
Stand entire assemb 1yin derri ck. Rig up to run
casing.
For drilling liners:
Pick up float shoe, 2
joints of casing, float collar, 4 joints of
casing, and landing collar.
Thread lock all
connections from the float shoe to the top of the
landing collar.
For production liners: Amount of rat hole below
producing interval may limit the number of joints
run between shoe and landing collar. Run a~ many
as possible leaving at least 150-200 feet between
the 1and i ng co 11 a r and the bottom of the pay
sand.
Note: Casing rams are not required. If the well
should start flowing while the pipe is being run,
the safety bushing assembly can be made up to the
cas i ng wi th a ba 11 type safety valve to secure
the ins i de of the cas i ng. If necessary, cas i ng
can be lowered into the hole on drill pipe and
pipe rams closed to secure the well.
Pick up remainder of liner, filling every joint
with mud while running. Stop every 10 joints and
insure liner is full. After last joint has been
picked up, change to drill pipe elevators.
Pi ck up 1i ner hanger assemb 1y and make up to
casing string. Check travel on hanger slips for
freedom of movement (mechani ca 1 set hangers
only). Change out casing spider for dri 11 pipe
slips.

436

SPE 14777

Latch stand with jars and squeeze packer and

makeup to 1iner hanger running tool. The oi 1
jars are in the cocked position and must be
bled off before the weight of the liner can be
pi cked up and lowered in the hole. Thi s wi 11
take rough 1y 15 mi nutes. The cas i ng crew can
be rigging down and the rig floor cleaned
Install drill pipe wiper
during this time.
rubber when tripping drill pipe into the hole.
11. Filling the drill pipe during the trip in the
ho 1e can be accomp 1 i shed by us i ng the cas i ng
fi 11 up 1 i ne. Some mud can be put in the pi pe
on every stand. In any case, you shou 1d not
run more than 15 stands before stopping to fill
drill pipe completely. This method will trap
less air in the drill pipe than picking up the
kelly and may be less time consuming.
12. Running speed will depend on the length of
liner and clearance between the casing strings.
Surge pressures should be calculated so as not
to exceed the previous casing shoe test. If in
doubt as to accuracy of surge pressure calculat ions, use a runn i ng speed of between 40-60
ft/min or 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per stand. (Note:
This is the time it takes the driller to lower
the stand into the hole after the connecti on
has been made.)
13. When 1i ner shoe reaches previ ous cas i ng shoe,
rig up plug dropping manifold on a single of
drill pipe and place in V-door for use as
landing joint. Fill drill pipe with mud and
continue in hole with liner.
14. Calculate spaceout so that casing will tag
bottom with landing joint. Attempt to break
circulation while working pipe. If circulation
cannot be estab 1i shed or if pi pe is tryi ng to
stick, leave casing as close to bottom as
possible and set hanger.
15. If good circulation is established and pipe
moves freely, circulate and work the pipe in
20' strokes. Monitor returns and pit volume
while increasing circulating rate 1 or 2 pump
strokes at a time until desired circulating
rate is reached. Cauti on shou 1d be taken not
to exceed an equivalent circulating density
that will cause a loss of mud to formation at
the previ ous cas i ng shoe.
Mud shou 1d be
circulated until all trip gas is out of the
wellbore, mud weight in is equal to mud weight
out, and viscosity out is within a few points
of viscosity in.
16. Shut pump off and set 1i ner hanger.
Loss of
liner weight will be noted on weight indicator,
then 2' of travel from oi 1 and bumper jars
before drill pipe weight is set on hanger.
Release setting tool from liner hanger and pick
up 2-3' after seeing jar travel to insure that
liner is released. Slack off drill pipe weight
on liner hanger and re-establish circulation.
Cementing the Liner:
17. Line up cementing unit to upper choke line and
ci rcu 1ate mud through choke 1 i ne into annu 1us
to insure lines are open.
Close blow-out
preventer and pump into annulus until formation
starts taking mud at 2 barrels per minute.
Note the pressure on choke manifold at which
formation breaks down. Theoretically, the mud
should be going into the weaker formations
close to the previous casing shoe.
IS. Pump cement spacer from mi xing tank with ri g
pump. Hook up cementing lines and test to 5000
psi.
10.

~S~PE~1~47~7~7____________________________~R~.~N~.rH~EB~E~RTL-________________________________~5

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

Mi x and pump cement for bottom job and re 1ease

drill pipe dart.
Follow dart with enough water
to give a 300 psi differential in hydrostatic
pressure into the 1 i ner (usua 11 y 25-35 bb 1s. ) .
The purpose of the differential is to insure that
the floats will close and to keep heavy mud from
swapping places with the cement in the shoe
joints or contaminating the cement at the liner
shoe. Follow water with mud.
Displace dart to wiper plug with cement unit and
shear out wiper plug. Displace cement at a rate
at least equal to previous circulating rate.
Slow pumps to 2 barrels per minute, 6 barrels
before the dart 1ands in the wi per plug. When
dart latches, shear out same with 1500-2000 psi,
but don I t be alarmed if it takes 4000 ps i to
shear plug. When plug re 1eases start from zero
on barrel count and displace the calculated
volume of the liner from the wiper plug to
landing collar. At the point where the leading
edge of the cement is above the pay sands, slow
pump down to 2-3 bbls/min and close blowout
preventer.
When previ ous i nj ect i on pressure is
estab 1 i shed, speed pumps up to normal di sp 1acement rates.
The cement shou 1d cont i nue up the
hole and go into the weaker formations near the
previous casing shoe. If not, enough cement will
have been circulated to cover the pay sands.
Fi n ish di sp 1acement and bump plug with .22
ps i /ft. TVD and hold pressure for 5 mi nutes to
insure that plug is holding.
Release pressure
and check floats for back flow.
Bleed off any pressure on casing annulus through
choke and open blowout preventer. Since mud and
cement were pumped away into the formation, mud
may flow back from the well for several minutes
but wi 11 eventua 11 y stop.
Th is does not mean
that a kick situation exists. Careful observati on wi 11 acknow1 edge that the returns from the
well will diminish and finally stop.
Break out 1and i ng j oi nt with plug droppi ng head
and place in mouse hole. Reverse out 1-1/2 times
the drill pipe volume. Pull five stands of drill
pipe.
If plug bumped on bottom job, go directly
to squeeze job.
If plug did not bump, wait on
cement 4-6 hours before squeezing liner top.
Install drill pipe wiper ball in plug dropping
head and make up 1and i ng joi nt to stri ng. Set
squeeze packer and test. Rig up squeeze manifold
and test lines to 5000 psi. Establish injection
rate.
Mi x and pump squeeze cement and kick out dri 11
pipe wiper ball.
Displace cement to within 15
barrels of squeeze tool, close tool and put 1000
psi on casing annulus, finish displacing cement
unt i 1 top of cement is 200 feet above 1 i ner top.
An increase in pump pressure (about 200 psi) will
be observed when the dri 11 pi pe wi per is di splaced through the end of the stinger be low the
squeeze tool.
Leave +1000 psi differential
underba1ance of water in drill pipe at end of
displacement (usually 30-40 bbls.). Shut in for
8 hours and wait on cement. Dri 11 pi pe pressure
should rise above initial 1000 psi shut in
pressure during 8 hours waiting on cement.
Reverse water out of drill pipe.
Test squeeze
job to 1000 psi above final injection pressure.
If cement job does not test, pu 11 two stands of
drill pipe and perform another cement job similar
to fi rst job but d i sp 1ace cement to 300 I above
the liner top.

27.

Pullout of hole.
Dri 11 cement to 1 i ner top
and test.
Dri 11 out cement plugs and test
shoe.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dennis
Hebert, former employee of Brown Oil Tools Inc., who
spent 27 years of his life serving the oil industry
in the liner business.
He is sadly missed by
family, friends, and colleagues.
The author wi shes to extend speci a 1 thanks to
Jerry Anderson of Mobil Oi 1 Company for his advi ce
and he 1p when thi s method of 1 i ner cement i ng was
undertaken by the Western Gulf Division of Tenneco.

METRIC CONVERSIONS
1 inch (in.) = 2.54 E-02 meter (m)
1 foot (ft.) = 3.048 E-01 m
1 ft./min = 5.080 E-03 m/s
2
1 1b./in. (psi) = 6.894 757 E+03 pascal (Pa)
1 1bfgal. jppg) = 1.198 264 E+02 kilogram
meter (kg/m)
3
1 barrel (bbl.) = 1.589 873 E-01 m

per

REFERENCES
1Lindsey, H.E. and Bateman, S.J., "Improve Cementing
of Drilling Liners in Deep Wells", World Oil,
October 1983.
2Agnew, J.W. and Klein, R.S., "The Leaking Liner
Top", SPE 12614, SPE Deep Dri 11 i ng and Production Symposium, Amarillo, Texas, April 1984.
3Lindsey, H.E., "Liner Cementing Equipment and
Techniques", 24th Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Petroleum Short Course, Texas Tech
University, Lubbock, Texas, April 1977.
4Steh1e, D.E., Sabins, F., Gibson, J., Theis, K.,
Venoitto, J.J., "Conoco Stops Annular Gas Flow
with Special Cement", Petroleum Engineer, April
1985.
5Lindsey, H.E. and Durham, K.S., "Field Results of
Liner Rotation During Cementing", SPE 13047,
59th Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, Texas, September 1984.

437

SPE

TABLE 1 - SUI't1ARY OF LINER JOBS

LINER SIZE
(IN.)

...ill.,l

MUSTANG ISLAND

9-5/8 X 11-7/8

2500

AREA

LENGTH

DEVIATION
(DEGREES)

DRLG. OR
PROD. LNR

TOP
TEST

SHOE
TEST

20

Drl g.

Yes

Yes

BOND LOG
RESULTS

REMARKS

N/A

HIGH ISLAND

9-5/8 X 11-7/8

2000

25

Drlg.

Yes

No

N/A

Lost circ. at 9-5/8" shoe.

MUSTANG ISLAND

9-5/8 X 11-7/8

2400

20

Drlg.

No

Yes

N/A

Re-squeeze I iner top.

WEST CAMERON

9-5/8 X 11-7/8

1100

16

Drlg.

Yes

Yes

N/A

MUSTANG ISLAND

9-5/8 X 11-7/8

2400

SH

Drl g.

Ves

Ves

N/A

HIGH ISLAND

9-5/8 X 11-7/8

2200

SH

Drlg.

Yes

Yes

N/A

MUSTANG ISLAND

9-5/8 X 11-7/8

3000

40

Drlg.

No

Yes

N/A

MUSTANG ISLAND

7-5/8 X 9-5/8

3500

25

Drlg.

Yes

Yes

N/A

MUSTANG ISLAND

7-5/8 X 9-5/8

2500

20

Drlg.

Yes

Yes

N/A

HIGH ISLAND

7-3/4 X 9-5/8

1000

25

Drlg.

Yes

Yes

N/A

MUSTANG ISLAND

7-5/8 X 9-5/8

3100

30

Drlg.

No

Yes

N/A

WEST CAMERON

7-5/8 X 9-5/8

2800

16

Prod.

Ves

N/A

Good

MUSTANG ISLAND

7-5/8 X 9-5/8

3000

SH

Drlg.

Yes

Yes

No

HIGH ISLAND

7-5/8 X 9-5/8

1300

SH

Drlg.

Ves

Yes

N/A

MUSTANG ISLAND

7-5/8 X 9-5/8

3400

SH

Orlg.

Ves

Yes

N/A

WEST CAMERON

7-5/8 X 9-5/8

900

SH

Both

Ves

Yes

Good

Re-squeeze liner top.

Cement failure.
Block squeeze I iner for DST.

SABINE PASS

7-5/8 X 9-5/8

900

SH

Drlg.

Yes

No

N/A

I nsuf. vo I. pumped.

MUSTANG ISLAND

7" X 9-5/8

3600

25

Prod.

Ves

N/A

N/R

Waiting on completion.

MUSTANG ISLAND

7" X 9-5/8

2000

40

Both

Yes

Ves

No

Lost circulation.

HIGH ISLAND

7" X 9-5/8

1500

50

Prod.

Ves

N/A

N/R

Waiting on completion.

MUSTANG ISLAND

5-1/2 X 7-5/8

2200

SH

Prod.

Ves

N/A

Good

HIGH ISLAND

5-1/2 X 7-5/8

1900

SH

Prod.

Ves

N/A

N/R

Waiting on comp let i on .

MUSTANG ISLAND

5-1/2 X 7-5/8

2100

25

Prod.

Ves

N/A

N/R

Waiting on completion.

14 7Z 7

SPE

TENNECD PRESSURE PLDT

" 1'\

2DDD-

------------ Pora Press

Mud /ft.
_ . _ . - Fract Grad

3DDD4DDD-

Ji

"\

16-

"-j

\\

5DDD-

Blk//f.,ll No Muatang laland

\\

",

1DDDD-

~
""', "-

:.

11DDD-

L --

'\

\.\

~~

'~
-- -.

9-518- Liner

\'\ ---

-~
,

7-5/8- Liner

\,

,"'\

14DDD-

.....

--~

11-7/8-

16DDD-

LJB

\\
I

15DDD-

e50
BY

I
I
I
I

9DDD-

13DDD-

5/e4/85

DATE

\\

BDDD-

12DDD-

leO

ElQv//fO

7DDD-

'-

Development

Saurc.,

6DDD-

CASING PDINT

,,

\\

\
ii

\\ !

5-1/2- Liner

17DDD1BDDD
19DDD
2DDDD- 8

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

L85.ICAL.
SURF. CSC. -TO

MINIMUM 2DD psi DVERBALANCE

Fig. 1-Typical offshore Texas pore-pressure plot.

ECD

19

20

___ DRILL PIPE

___ LEFT HAND SET SQUEEZE PACKER

LEFT HAND SET SQUEEZE PACKER

LINER SETTING TOOL

:!: 400' OVERLAP

TIE-BACK SLEEVE

:!:450'

COMBINATION LINER HANGER & PBR

.'.
"

T ---

TOP OF CEMENT (TOP JOB)

:!: 200'

,:

~ ___ TOP OF LINER

PREVIOUS CASING SHOE

ZONE

>

'A,'
. ' , ' '<.-

--A:

Fig. 3-Liner equipment configuration while cementing overlap.

Fig. 2-Liner equipment configuration while cementing bottom of liner.