Thin-walled liner equipment cuts costs on well deepening project

• Published in: The Oil & gas journal Vol. 94; no. 35; pp. 46 - 55
• Main Authors: SUTHERLAND, J, WEAVER, C, AIELLO, P
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tulsa, OK Pennwell 26.08.1996; Endeavor Business Media
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Case studies; Construction costs; Cost reduction; Crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products; Drilling; Drilling methods and equipments. Rocks mechanics. Directional and horizontal drilling; Drilling. Casing. Preparing wells for production; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Fuels; Objectives; Oil wells; Oilfield equipment & services; Petroleum industry; Prospecting and production of crude oil, natural gas, oil shales and tar sands; Technological change; Technology; Wells; Canada; Drilling; Costs; Specification; Tubing; Casing; Liner
• ISSN: 0030-1388; 1944-9151

Thin-walled, slim hole liner equipment can save $3 million to $4 million per well in deep reentry applications by allowing existing wells to be deepened or sidetracked rather than drilling new wells from the surface. The design makes it possible to reenter existing wells, successfully isolate depleted zones and deepen the well into virgin-pressured reservoirs. The design includes thin-walled, close-tolerance liner hangers, liner top packers, tieback seal assemblies and liner setting sleeves that provide reasonable burst and collapse resistance while maintaining an inside diameter to facilitate drilling a deep, deviated 4 3/4-inch hole with a tapered 2 7/8-inch x 3 1/2-inch drillstring. Shell Canada Ltd. undertook a reentry and deepening project in 1995 in its Waterton field in Western Canada. The project is discussed.