Section 1

Volume and Height for

Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and
Drill Pipe/Hole

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................................1-3
Terms You Need to Know for this Section................................................................................................1-3
Calculating Volume between Tubing and Hole .........................................................................................1-6
Calculating Volume for Wells with Multiple Tubing Strings ................................................................1-8
Calculating the Total Amount of Annular Fill Material.........................................................................1-8
Calculating the Volume between Casing and Hole................................................................................1-9
Calculating the Volume between Drill Pipe and Hole ...........................................................................1-9
Check Your Knowledge .........................................................................................................................1-9
Calculating Annular Volume without the Red Book ...............................................................................1-10
Calculating the Area of a Circle ...........................................................................................................1-10
Example: Determine the Volume of an Annulus .................................................................................1-11
1. Calculate Cross-Sectional Area of Annulus .................................................................................1-11
2. Calculate the Volume between the Tubing and the Hole .............................................................1-12
3. Calculate the Gallons of Material Required to Fill 1 ft of Annulus..............................................1-12
4. Calculate the Number of Feet in Height that 1 Gallon of Material will Fill.................................1-13
5. Calculate the Barrels of Material Required to Fill 1 ft of Annulus...............................................1-13
6. Calculate the Number of Feet in Height that 1 Barrel of Material will Fill..................................1-13
7. Calculate the Cubic Feet of Material Required to Fill 1 ft of Annulus.........................................1-13
8. Calculate the Number of Feet in Height that 1 Cubic Foot of Material will Fill..........................1-14
Converting Inches to Feet.....................................................................................................................1-14
Linear Inches to Feet ........................................................................................................................1-14
Square Inches to Square Feet............................................................................................................1-14
Check Your Knowledge .......................................................................................................................1-15
Answers to Check Your Knowledge........................................................................................................1-17

11 Essential Red Book

Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

12 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

Introduction
The Red Books Section 122 can help you determine the amount of material (cement
slurry, drilling mud, etc.) you will need to pump to fill up the volume in a well that has
pipes in it. The tables in this section provide calculated annular volumes for the following
annulus types:
Annulus between a tubing string and an uncased hole
Annulus between casing and an uncased hole
Annulus between a drill pipe and an uncased hole

Hole Annulus

Tubing, Casing,
or Drill Pipe

The tables tell you how much material you will need to fill up the empty space left if you
insert a pipe that is plugged on one end into an empty hole. The amount of material
needed is given in gallons, barrels, or cubic feet. Use the one that best fits your situation.

Terms You Need to Know for this Section

Annulus- The space surrounding the pipe suspended in the well bore. The outer wall of the
annulus may be an open hole or it may be larger pipe.
Buoyancy- The apparent loss of weight of an object immersed in a fluid. The tendency to
float.
Casing- Steel pipe placed in an oil or gas well to prevent the wall of the hole from caving
in, to prevent movement of fluids from one formation to another, and to improve the
efficiency of extracting petroleum if the well is productive. A joint of casing may be 16
to 48 ft long and from 4.5 to 20 inches in diameter.

13 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

Coupling- A metal collar with internal threads used to join two sections of threaded pipe.

Cubic Foot (cu.ft, ft3)- An amount equal to a cube that measures one foot on all sides.

1 ft

ft
1
1 ft

Displacement- The amount of a fluid that is displaced by another object, such as pipe.
External Upset End (EUE) - On tubing, casing, or drill pipe, the outside thickening at
each end of the joint so that the internal diameter of the joint remains the same.

Extreme Line Joint- API integral joint premium thread (no coupling).

14 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

Inner Diameter (ID or I.D.)- The width across the greatest distance (middle) of the
inside of a pipe.
OD

ID

Pipe or
Tubing

Integral Joint- Pipe with built-in threads, with female threads on one end (box end) and
male threads on the other (pin end).

Internal Upset End (IUE)- On tubing, casing, or drill pipe, the inside thickening at each
end of the joint so that the external diameter of the joint remains the same.
Outer Diameter (OD or O.D.)- The width across the greatest distance (middle) of the
outside of a pipe.
Pipe String- A connected series of pipe that is run into a well.
Tubing String- A connected series of relatively small diameter pipe that is run into a
well to serve as a conduit for the passage of oil and gas to the surface.
Uncased Hole- The well hole drilled into the ground, which does not having any casing
(pipe) installed. Also called open hole or well bore.

15 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

Calculating Volume between Tubing and Hole

The following steps will guide you in using the Red Book Section 122, Table 122-A to
determine the amount of material required to fill the empty space between a tubing string
and an uncased hole (the annulus). For our example, we assume the following
specifications:
Tubing O.D.= 2.063 in.
Diameter of Hole = 4 7/8 in.

Hole Diameter

Tubing
OD

The following steps show how to determine annular capacities using Table 122-A in the
Red Book:

16 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

1. Locate the page with the outside diameter (OD) of the tubing in the upper, outer
corner of the page. Tubing Size O.D. 2.063 ONE STRING appears on Page 34.
2. Go down the far left column, labeled Diameter of Hole In., to find the diameter of the
drilled hole (4 7/8 in.)
3. Go to the next column, labeled Gallons per Lin. Ft. The number in this column,
.7960, is the amount of material (volume) needed to fill the annular space between
the outside of the tubing and the inside of the hole for each foot of height.
4. Go to the next column, labeled Lin. Ft. Per Gallon. If you put in one gallon of
material, the empty annular space will be filled up to a height of 1.2563 ft.
5. Column 4, labeled Barrels Per Lin. Ft., shows that it takes .0190 barrels per linear
foot to fill the empty space.
6. Column 5, labeled Lin. Ft. Per Barrel, shows that one barrel of material will fill an
empty space 52.7642 feet in height.
7. Column 6, labeled Cu. Ft. Per Lin. Ft., shows that .1064 cubic feet of material (i.e., a
cube 1 foot on each side) per linear foot is required to fill the empty space.
8. Column 7, labeled Lin. Ft. Per Cu. Ft., shows that one cubic feet of material will fill
the empty space 9.3977 feet in height.
9. Column 8, labeled Diameter of Hole In., simply repeats Column 1 to help you line up
the numbers correctly.

17 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

Calculating Volume for Wells with Multiple Tubing Strings

The upper left corner of Page 36 reads Tubing Size O.D. 2.063 in. TWO STRINGS. This
page presents the same information as Page 34, except that two strings of tubing are
taking up space in the well. Therefore, less material is required to fill the empty space. In
our example, a hole with two strings will require only .6224 gal of material per foot of
height to fill the empty space; a hole with one string requires .7960 gal. Note that the
arrangement of the strings (tied together or against the wall, etc.) does not affect the
amount of material required to fill the empty space.
Page 38 includes the tables for wells with three strings of tubing, and Page 40 is for four
strings of tubing.

Hole Annulus

Tubing Strings

Calculating the Total Amount of Annular Fill Material

The information from the tables will allow you to determine the amount of material
required to fill the annulus. For example, a 4 7/8 -in. diameter well that is 1,000 ft deep
with one string of 2.063-in. tubing will require .7960 gallons per foot (gal/ft) of height.
The total amount of material required is shown below:
(1,000 ft) (0.7960 gal/ft) =
1,000 ft 0.7960 gal = 1,000 0.7960 gal = 796.0 gal
1 1 ft
Or, you can use the number in the third column:

(1,000 ft) (1.2563 ft/gal) =

1,000 ft 1.2563 ft =
1 1 gal
1,000 ft 1 gal = 1,000 gal = 796.0 gal
1 1.2563 ft 1.2563

18 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

The process works the same way when material is measured in barrels or cubic feet.
These calculations do not include the extra volume taken up by the tubing couplings,
which will slightly decrease the amount of material needed to fill the empty space. This
issue will be addressed in Section 130 of the book.

Calculating the Volume between Casing and Hole

To determine the amount of material required to fill the empty space between casing and
an uncased hole, follow the procedure for determining the Volume between Tubing and
Hole, except use the tables on Pages 68 to 127.

Calculating the Volume between Drill Pipe and Hole

To determine the amount of material required to fill the empty space between the drill
pipe and an uncased hole, follow the procedure for determining the Volume between
Tubing and Hole, except use the tables on Pages 128 to 151.

Check Your Knowledge

Use the Red Book to determine the answers for the following problems, then check your
answers at the back of the section.
1. Find the following annular volumes for a 6-in. diameter hole with 4.000-in. OD
tubing:

Gallons per Linear ft:

Barrels per Linear ft:

Cubic ft per Linear ft:

2. Calculate the number of barrels of fluid required to fill the annular space in a 10.00-
in. diameter well that is 2,000 ft deep and contains three strings of 3.500-in. OD
tubing. (Hint: Go to Page 62 in the Red Book.)

3. Calculate the gallons of fluid required to fill the annular space in a 23 -in. diameter
well that is 1,500 ft deep and contains 16-in. casing.

4. Calculate the cubic feet of fluid required to fill the annular space in a 8 1/8-in.
diameter well that is 1,760 ft deep and contains 5.562-in. drill pipe.

19 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

Calculating Annular Volume without the Red Book

While you must be able to use the tables to calculate the required volume, situations arise
that are not addressed in the tables. In these cases, you must know how to calculate the
necessary values. The equations for obtaining these values are shown on Pages 4 and 5 of
Section 240.

ImportantTo perform these calculations, all numbers must be decimals (2.50, not
2 1/2). Therefore, be certain to convert the fractions to decimals before
doing the calculations.

Calculating the Area of a Circle

You can determine the area of a circle by using the following equation:
Area = 0.7854 D2

NoteThis equation comes from the following ( = 3.14159):

Area = r2 = D2 = D2 = 3.14159 D2 = 0.7854 D2

4 4 4
where
r = radius of circle (1/2 diameter)
D = diameter of circle

1. Find the diameter of the circle (D) in inches.

Diameter

2. Calculate D2 by multiplying the diameter by the diameter (square it).

3. Multiply the resulting number by 0.7854.
The answer is in units of inches inches, or square inches of area, written as in.2.
Usually this is called the cross-sectional area. This area is the number of square inches
exposed on the end of a solid cylinder. The same concept applies to the cross-sectional
area of a hole.

1 10 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

Example: Determine the Volume of an Annulus

1. Calculate Cross-Sectional Area of Annulus

Hole Diameter = 4 7/8 in. (4.875 in.)

Tubing OD = 2.063 in.
First, you calculate the cross-sectional area of the tubing and the hole by using the
following equations:
Cross-sectional area of tubing = (0.7854) (2.063 in.)2 = 3.3426 in.2
Cross-sectional area of hole = (0.7854) (4.8750 in.) 2 = 18.666 in.2
Next, you calculate the area between the outside of the tubing and the inside of the hole,
often called the annular cross-sectional area, by subtracting the area of the tubing from
the area of the hole:
Annular cross-sectional area = (18.666 in.2) (3.3426 in.2) = 15.323 in.2

NotePicture a flat donut with a grid on it, with one-inch spaces between the
gridlines. If you counted the number of squares on the surface of the
donut, you would count 15.323 squares.

1 11 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

2. Calculate the Volume between the Tubing and the Hole

Calculate the number of cubic inches (a cube 1 inch on each side) per linear foot of
height by multiplying the area of the annulus by 12 in./ft:
Volume (in.3) = (15.323 in.2) (12 in./ft) 1 ft =
Volume (in.3) = 15.323 in.2 12 in. 1 ft = 183.87 in.3
1 1 ft 1
This means that, for each foot of height, you could stack approximately 184 blocks that
are 1 in. on each side in the space between the outside of the tubing and the inside of the
hole.

3. Calculate the Gallons of Material Required to Fill 1 ft of Annulus

You can find the number of gallons per foot of height by referring to Page 6 of Section
240 (last section of Red Book). You will find that 1 U.S. gal equals 231 Cu. In. This
means that the volume of a 1-gal jug is 231 in.3. The following calculation shows, in
gallons, the volume required to fill one foot of height in the annulus:

Volume (gal/ft) = (183.87 in.3/ft) (231 in.3/gal) =

= 183.87 in.3 231 in.3 =

1 ft 1 gal
= 183.87 in.3 1 gal = 183.87 gal = 0.7960 gal/ft
1 ft 231 in.3 231 ft
This is the value listed in the second column of the table on Page 34.

1 12 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

4. Calculate the Number of Feet in Height that 1 Gallon of Material will Fill

You can find how many feet of height one gallon of material will fill, as shown in the
third column of the tables, by inverting the volume per foot value (i.e., divide 1 by the
volume):

Height (ft/gal) = 1 (0.7960 gal/ft) =

= 1 0.7960 gal = 1 1 ft = 1.2563 ft/gal

1 ft 0.7960 gal
The same process can be used to arrive at the values listed in the other columns using
barrels or cubic feet instead of gallons, as shown next.

5. Calculate the Barrels of Material Required to Fill 1 ft of Annulus

You can find the number of cubic feet of material per foot of height by referring to Page
6 of Section 240 (last section of Red Book). You will find that 1 Barrel equals 9702 Cu.
In.. The following calculation shows, in barrels (bbl), the volume required to fill one foot
of height in the annulus:

Volume (bbl/ft) = (183.87 in.3/ft) (9702 in.3/bbl) =

= 183.87 in.3 9702 in.3 =

1 ft 1 bbl
= 183.87 in.3 1 bbl = 183.87 bbl = 0.0190 bbl/ft
1 ft 9702 in.3 9702 ft
This is the value listed in the fourth column of the table on Page 34 (this number is
rounded off to 4 decimals).

6. Calculate the Number of Feet in Height that 1 Barrel of Material will Fill

You can find how many feet of height one barrel of material will fill, as shown in the
fifth column of the tables, by inverting the volume per foot value (i.e., divide 1 by the
volume):

Height (ft/bbl) = 1 (0.0190 bbl/ft) =

= 1 0.0190 bbl = 1 1 ft = 52.6316 ft/bbl

1 ft 0.0190 bbl
(If you used the exact numbers from the previous equations, you would have calculated
52.7642, the number in the Red Book. The difference of 0.1326 ft/bbl is insignificant for
most oilfield uses, except for very deep wells. You would be off about 1.5 in. per barrel.)

7. Calculate the Cubic Feet of Material Required to Fill 1 ft of Annulus

You can find the number of cubic feet of material per foot of height by referring to Page
6 of Section 240 (last section of Red Book). You will find that 1 Cubic Foot equals 1728

1 13 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

Cu. In.. The following calculation shows, in cubic feet (ft3), the volume required to fill
one foot of height in the annulus:

Volume (ft3/ft) = (183.87 in.3/ft) (1728 in.3/ft3) =

= 183.87 in.3 1728 in.3 =

1 ft 1 ft3
= 183.87 in.3 1 ft3 = 183.87 ft3 = 0.1064 ft3/ft
1 ft 1728 in.3 1728 ft
This is the value listed in the sixth column of the table on Page 34 (this number is
rounded off to 4 decimals).

8. Calculate the Number of Feet in Height that 1 Cubic Foot of Material will
Fill

You can find how many feet of height one cubic foot of material will fill, as shown in the
seventh column of the tables, by inverting the volume per foot value (i.e., divide 1 by the
volume):

Height (ft/ft3) = 1 (0.1064 ft3/ft) =

= 1 0.1064 ft3 = 1 1 ft = 9.3984 ft/ft3

3
1 ft 0.1064 ft
(If you used the exact numbers from the previous equations, you would have calculated
9.3977, the number in the Red Book. The difference of 0.0007 ft/ft3 is insignificant for
most oilfield uses.)

Converting Inches to Feet

For oilfield work, you will probably want to use feet as your basic unit of measure rather
than inches. Following are methods for converting from inches to feet:

Linear Inches to Feet

One foot equals 12 inches. To convert inches to feet, multiply inches by 1 ft/12 in., such
as in the following example that starts with 212 in.:
212 in. 1 ft = 212 ft = 17.6667 ft
1 12 in. 12

Square Inches to Square Feet

One square foot (1 ft2) contains 144 square inches (12 in. 12 in. = 144 in.2):

1 14 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

One
square

1 ft
inch

1 ft

To convert square inches to square feet, multiply by 1 ft2/144 in.2, such as in the
following example that starts with 566 in.2:
566 in.2 1 ft2 = 566 ft2 = 3.9306 ft2
1 144 in.2 144

Check Your Knowledge

Determine the answers for the following problems without using the Red Book, then
check your answers at the back of this section.
5. What is the cross-sectional area of a 5-in. OD drill pipe, in square inches?

6. What is the cross-sectional area of a 17.5-in. diameter well hole, in square feet?

1 15 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

7. What is the area of the annulus in an 11-in. well hole with 2.375-in OD tubing, in
square inches and in square feet?

8. What is the annular volume of a 9.000-in OD casing in a 13-in. diameter well hole
that is 750 ft deep, in gallons?

9. What is the annular volume of a 9.000-in OD casing in a 13-in. diameter well hole
that is 1200 ft deep, in barrels?

10. What is the annular volume of a 5.562-in OD drill pipe in a 9-in. diameter casing that
is 1800 ft deep, in cubic feet?

1 16 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

Answers to Check Your Knowledge

1. Find the following volumes for a 6-in. diameter hole with 4.000-in. OD tubing
(Found on Page 66 of Section 122):

Gallons per Linear ft: 0.8160

Barrels per Linear ft: 0.0194

Cubic ft per Linear ft: 0.1091

2. Calculate the number of barrels of fluid required to fill the space in a 10.00-in.
diameter well that is 2,000 ft deep and contains three strings of 3.500-in. OD tubing
(Found on Page 62 of Section 122).
Volume = 0.0614 bbl/ft 2,000 ft
= 0.0614 bbl 2,000 ft
1 ft 1
= 0.0614 bbl 2,000 = 122.8000 bbl
3. Calculate the gallons of fluid required to fill the space in a 23 -in. diameter well
that is 1,500 ft deep and contains 16-in. casing (Found on Page 118 of Section 122).
Volume = 12.0870 gal/ft 1,500 ft
= 12.0870 gal 1,500 ft
1 ft 1
= 12.0870 gal 1,500 = 18,130.5000 gal
4. Calculate the cubic feet of fluid required to fill the annular space in a 8 1/8-in.
diameter well that is 1,760 ft deep and contains 5.562-in. drill pipe (Found on Page
142 of Section 122).
Volume = 0.1913 cu. ft/ft 1,760 ft
= 0.1913 cu. ft 1,760 ft
1 ft 1
= 0.1913 cu. ft 1,760 = 336.688 cu. ft
5. What is the cross-sectional area of a 5-in. OD drill pipe?
Area = 0.7854 D2
= 0.7854 (5-in.)2
= 0.7854 25 in.2
= 19.635 in.2

1 17 Essential Red Book

 Volume and Height for Tubing/Hole, Casing/Hole, and Drill Pipe/Hole

6. What is the cross-sectional area of a 17.5-in. diameter well hole, in square feet?
17.5 in. 1 ft = 1.4583 ft
1 12 in.
Area = 0.7854 (1.4583 ft )2
= 0.7854 2.1266 ft2
= 1.6702 ft2
7. What is the area of the annulus in an 11-in. diameter well hole with 2.375-in OD
tubing, in square inches and in square feet?
Well Area = 0.7854 (11-in.)2 = 0.7854 121 in.2 = 95.0334 in.2
Tubing Area = 0.7854 (2.375-in.)2 = 0.7854 5.640625 in.2 = 4.4301 in.2
Annulus Area = 95.0334 in.2 4.4301 in.2 = 90.6033 in.2
Annulus Area = 90.6033 in.2 1 ft2 = 90.6033 ft2 = 0.6292 ft2
2
1 144 in. 144
8. What is the annular volume of a 9.000-in OD casing in a 13-in. diameter well hole
that is 750 ft deep, in gallons? (Refer to Pages 100 and 101.)
Volume = 3.5904 gal/ft
Annular Volume = 3.5904 gal/ft 750 ft = 2692.8 gal
9. What is the annular volume of a 9.000-in OD casing in a 13-in. diameter well hole
that is 1200 ft deep, in barrels? (Refer to Pages 100 and 101.)
Volume = 0.0855 bbl/ft
Annular Volume = 0.0855 bbl/ft 1200 ft = 102.6 bbl
10. What is the annular volume of a 5.562-in OD drill pipe in a 9-in. diameter casing that
is 1800 ft deep, in cubic feet? (Refer to Pages 142 and 143.)
Volume = 0.2731 ft3/ft
Annular Volume = 0.2731 ft3/ft 1800 ft = 491.58 ft3

1 18 Essential Red Book