Casing Design

The following topics will be discussed

Functions of casing
Casing types
Casing specifications
Casing design
Bending effects
Buoyancy effects
Shock loads

Functions of casing

To keep the hole open and to provide a support for weak, or

fractured formations.
To isolate porous media with different fluid/pressure regimes
from contaminating the pay zone
To provide a passage for hydrocarbon fluids; most
production operations are carried
To provide a suitable connection for the wellhead connection

Types of casing

1. Stove pipe (Marine Conductor or foundation pile for

offshore rigs)
Run to prevent wash out of unconsolidated surface
formation
Run to provide a circulation system for drilling fluids and to
ensure the stability of the ground under the rig
Does not carry wellhead equipment
Can be driven into ground with a pile driver (26 in to 42 in
per pile)

2. Conductor pipe
Run from surface to some shallow depth to protect near-
surface unconsolidated formation
Provide a circulation for the drilling mud to protect
foundation of the platform
 May be connecting of BOP or cut at surface or diverter
connection
Sizes from 18 5/8 in to 20 in

3. Surface casing (13 3/8 in.)

Run to prevent caving of week formation encountered at
shallow depths
Should be set in competent rock like limestone: to ensure
that the formation will not fractured at the casing shoe by
high mud weight used later in the next hole
Protect against shallow blow-out, thus BOPs are connected
to top

4. Intermediate casing (9 5/8 in.)

Usually set in the transition zone below or above pressured
formation (salt and/or caving shale)
Need good cementing o prevent communication behind the
casing between zones; multistage cementing may be used for
long strings

5. Production casing (7 in.)

Isolate production zones
Provide reservoir fluid control
Permit selective production in multi zones production

6. Liner casing
A string of casing that does not reach to the surface
Hang on the intermediate casing, by use of suitable packer
and slips called liner hanger

Types of liner

1. Production liner
Run instead of full production casing
Provide isolation across the producing or injecting zones

2. Tie-back liner
A section of casing extending upwards from top of an
existing liner to the surface
3. Scab liner
A section of casing that does not reach the surface
Used to repair existing damaged casing sealed from to and
bottom by packers

4. Scab-tie-back liner
A section of casing extending from the top of an existing liner
but does not reach the surface.

Strength properties

1. Yield strength
a. Pipe body yield strength
b. Coupling strength
• API defined the yield strength as the tensile stress
required to produce 0.5% of the gauge length
• Most common types of casing joints are threaded on
both ends and fitted with a threaded coupling on one
end only
• Joint strength may be lower or higher than the main
casing, pipe body yield
• There are integral casing without coupling in which the
threads are cut from internal-external upset

2. Collapse strength
Defined as the maximum external pressure required
collapsing specimen of casing
Four types of collapse are observed:
Elastic (fails before deforms)

Pc = 2E * 1
1− µ 2 D ⎡ D ⎤ 2
⎢ −1⎥
t ⎢⎣ t ⎥⎦

Plastic (certain deformation takes place)

 ⎡ ⎤
⎢ ⎥
Pp = Y A − B − C
⎢
⎢
⎥
⎥
D ⎢ ⎥
t ⎢⎣ ⎥⎦
Y yield strength
A,B,C constants depend on the grades and steel
D/t diameter thickness ratio, should be calculated first
and if fails in the range given in table then get
A,B, &c and apply in equation

Transition collapse (Elastoplastic collapse)

A zone between elastic and plastic

⎡ ⎤
⎢ ⎥
Pt = Y F − G
⎢
⎢
⎥
⎥
D ⎢ ⎥
t ⎢⎣ ⎥⎦

⎡
⎤
3
46.95x106 3B / A ⎥ ⎢
F= 2 + B / A⎥⎦
⎢⎣

⎡ ⎤ ⎡ ⎤
2
Y 3B / A − B ⎥ − ⎢1 − 3B / A ⎥
⎢
2 + B / A A⎥⎦ ⎢⎣ 2 + B / A⎥⎦
⎢⎣

G = FB/A

3. Burst strength
a. Plain end
b. Coupling

• It is defined as the maximum value of internal pressure

required causing the steel to yield.
• It is calculated by Barlow’s formula

P = 0.875 (2Yt/D)
 • It gives the burst resistance for a minimum yield of
87.5% of pipe wall
• It allows 12.5% variation of wall thickness due to
manufacturing defects.

Casing Specifications
Casing is specified by: grade, weight per unit length, outside
diameter and wall thickness, type of coupling, and length of
joint.
API defines three types of casing weight
Nominal weight: normally based on the calculation, not
exact, use for design and given in tables.
Plain end weight: the weight of casing joint without inclusion
of threads and couplings
Threads and coupled weight

Types of Threads and Couplings

In general, the casing and coupling are specified by the type
threads cut in the pipe or coupling.

• API round thread (LTC, STC)

• Buttress thread
• VAM thread
• Extreme line threaded coupling

Casing Design
Design Criteria
Tensile force
Tensile forces in casings originate from its weight, and shock
loading.
In casing design the upper most joint of the casing string is
considered the weakest point in tension, as it has carried the
total weight of casing strings.
Safety factor ST = 1.6-1.8

Collapse pressure
Considered as the hydrostatic pressure applied on outer
surface of casing
Zero at top and maximum at bottom
 Collapse pressure Pc = ρmgh
Pc never exceeds the collapse resistance of the casing
In designing for collapse, the casing is assumed empty for
surface and production and partially empty for intermediate
casing

Burst pressure
At the top of the hole the external pressure due to mud is
zero and the internal pressure must be supported entirely by
casing body.
Burst is the highest at the top and least at the casing shoe.
When production tubing at shoe can be higher than burst
pressure at surface.

Compression load
A compression load arises in casings that carry inner strings.
Thus production casing do not develop any compression,
since they do not carry inner strings.

Other Loading
Bending with tongs during make up
Corrosion and fatigue failure
Pipe wear due to running wire line tools and drill string
assembly
Squeeze cementing, acidizing and hydraulic fracturing.
Only tensile forces, collapse pressure, burst pressure, and
compression load will be considered in casing design
Other loading accounted by use of “safety factors”

Combination String
The requirement for burst and tension criteria are different
from the requirement for collapse and a compromise must
be reached when designing for casing

Biaxial Effects
The combination of stress due to the weight of the casing and
external pressures are referred to a “biaxial stress”
Biaxial stress reduces collapse resistance of the casing in
plastic failure mode and must be accounted for designing for
 deep wells or combination strings, Pcc under tensile load is
given by:

⎛
Pcc = 1 ⎜
⎜
K 2 − 3W 2 ⎞⎟⎟ − W
K ⎝ ⎠

K = 2 ASo
Where A = πt(D0 – t)
S0 = Average yield stress of steel

A graphical solution of this equation in Figure 2.18; it can

also be represented in a tabulated form in Table 10.8
showing the percentage reduction in collapse resistance for a
given unit weight carried by the casing.
After determining the reduction in collapse resistance for the
top joint only, calculate the hydrostatic head due to the mud
at joint and compare this with the net collapse resistance of
the top joint.
A minimum safety factor of 0.85 should be obtained,
otherwise replace this joint by a heavier grade.

Graphical Method for casing design

1. A graph of pressure against depth is first constructed at zero
depth zero pressure to max. collapse pressure.
2. Strength values of available grades in collapse and burst are
then plotted as plotted lines.
3. Selection is made such that the casing chosen has strength
properties, which are higher, the maximum collapse and
burst pressure.

Collapse line
C = H – H1
H, external mud load, and H1 internal mud load usually 60 of
filled casing.
Burst line
1. Calculate external load due to mud column of 0.465 psi/ft as
salt water.
2. Internal load due to formation pressure (Pf for the next hole
section)
3. Calculate burst as the difference.

• Example
At casing shoe
Burst pressure = internal pressure – external pressure
External pressure = CSD x Gm
Internal pressure = (Pf - (TDC- CSD) G
• Burst at surface
External pressure = 0 CSD -
-
Internal pressure = Pf - TD x G Pf
• Tensile forces
a) Calculate the weight of casing in air (positive)
b) Calculate the Buoyancy force (negative)
c) Calculate the bending force (positive)
d) Calculate the shock load due to arresting casing