Integration of Casing Wear Simulation in Well Design and Casing Stress Analysis for Lateral Wells

Abstract

A casing wear assessment was implemented as part of the workflow and methodologies for an operator well design process to better anticipate the critical failure mode of a tubular string. Because the reduction in tubular string wall thickness as a result of drilling and workover operations has been an ongoing concern within oil and gas field development, casing wear modeling with a workflow to accurately predict wear and minimize uncertainties is vital to maintaining well integrity throughout its lifespan with minimal or zero intervention. Because of multiple high-angle lateral branches drilled in lateral wells, the wear factor should be understood while managing casing wear. Wellbore and drillstring geometry can incur high lateral loads on tool strings and production casing, causing possible excessive casing wear. This wear reduces both burst and collapse ratings of the casing and can wear through the casing, resulting in costly remedial intervention measures for mitigation. This paper provides an integral insight for production casing wear focusing on a lateral well simulations study of the underlying wear factors ranging from the base case to the worst case. This enables a proper assessment in the well design by means of casing integrity, particularly for multilaterals and deep and/or long horizontal wells. A simulation and detailed workflow on how to incorporate its results into a multilateral/highly deviated casing design and stress analysis are discussed, thus providing an integration process resulting in improved anticipation of the critical failure mode for the investigated tubular string for this type of well.