INTRODUCTION TO

CASING

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 Casing

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 Casing

Casing is the major structural

component of a well.

●Pipe lowered into an open hole and cemented in place–

usually made of steel.
●Held together with threaded couplings
■Both standard and premium proprietary types are
available
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 Properties of Casing and Tubing
The American Petroleum Inst. (API) has formed standards for oil/gas
casing. Casing is classified according to five properties: the manner of
manufacture, steel grade, type of joints, length range, and the wall
thickness (unit weight).

API has adopted a casing "grade" designation to define the strength of

casing steels. This designation consists of a grade letter followed by a
number, which designates the minimum yield strength of the steel in
kpsi (103 psi).
API Grade Yield Stress, psi
H-40 40,000 - 60,000
K-55 55,000 – 80,000
N-80 80,000 – 110,000
L-80 80,000 - 95,000
P-110 110,000 – 140,000
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 Functions of Casing

● Prevent caving of the wellbore.

● Prevent formation breakdown from high mud weight.

● Isolate zones of abnormal pressure.

● Seal off lost circulation zones (“thief zones”).

● To provide a means of completing and producing the well

efficiently.
● Provide structural support for wellheads and blow-out

prevention equipment.

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 Different
Casing
Strings

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 Casing Programmes
• Casing: considerable part of the overall well cost (< 20%).
• Must withstand expected loadings.
• Availability of different casing types.
• Cost of material / casing-type options.
• Operational problems in running the casing.
• Handle expected formation pressures.
• Be functional for the anticipated lifespan of the well.
• Allow additional string to be run if operational difficulties
Encountered.
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 Cementing Casing
Inner Casing String

Casing is cemented in place to:-

• Seal the casing in the wellbore. Outer Casing String

• Ensure a competent.
pressure control system.
• Provide structural support for the casing.
Cement Sheath

Cement being injected

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 Types of Casing

●Conductor (or stove pipe)

●Surface Casing
●Intermediate Casing
●Production Casing
●Liner
Getting
smaller

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 Conductor Casing or Stove Pipe

• Conductor: the first casing string to be run. Consequently has the

largest diameter.
• The conductor isolates unconsolidated formations and water
sands and protects against shallow gas. Protects seabed
formations from “washouts” through erosion.
• Protects surface formations which may have low frictional
strength.
■ Could be exceeded by hydrostatic pressure exerted by drilling
fluid when drilling a deeper section of the wellbore.
• Provides a conduit for mud returns.

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 Surface Casing

The main functions are:-

● To seal off any fresh water sands and prevent lost circulation.
● Provide structural support for the blow-out preventer (BOP) and
wellhead equipment.
● Where abnormal pressures are expected the setting depth is
important.
If the casing is set too high the formation strength at the shoe may be
too low to handle a kick when drilling the next section.

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 Intermediate Casing

● Used to isolate any troublesome formations which would/could

cause drilling problems in the wellbore e.g.
■ Sloughing shale
■ Lost circulation
■ High pressure zones
●The setting depth depends on a knowledge of pore pressures and
fracture gradients.
●During drilling operations the mud weight controls pore pressures,
but must not exceed the fracture strength of shallower, un-cased zones.
It is often set in the transition zone from normal to abnormal pressure.

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 Production Casing

●Usually the last string of casign to be run in the wellbore.

●May run through the pay zone (reservoir).
●May be set just above the pay zone.
■For an ‘open hole’ completion.

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 Production Casing

●To isolate the production interval from other formations such as

water bearing sands.
●To protect the completion tubing.
■Through which the reservoir fluids will be
transported to the surface.
Production casing should be thoroughly pressure tested.

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 Production Casing: Testing

•Usually pressure tested to around 60% of its specified

burst (internal yield) pressure.

•If casing withstands that pressure it is expected to be

capable of withstanding higher pressures.

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 Liner
● A liner is a string of casing which does not extend back to the
surface.
● It is run back inside the previous casing string to provide some
overlap.
● May be used either as an intermediate or production string
much cheaper than a full length casing string.
● A liner is usually less than 5,000 feet long.
● Overlap typically 200–500 feet.

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 Casing vs. Bit Size

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 Casing Setting Depth
● The initial selection based on anticipated pore pressures and
fracture pressure.

● Consider relevant offset data in the estimating pore pressures and

fracture pressure.

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 CASING SEAT SELECTION
The selection of casing setting depths is considered the
first step of the casing design process. Casing seat
selection is governed by the following parameters:
1. Formation pore pressure.
2. Formation fracture pressure.
3. Hole problems and wellbore stability considerations.
4. Kick tolerance requirements.
5. Experience in the region where drilling operations are
carried out.
6. Corrosive zones.
7. Company policy.
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 Selecting Casing Setting Depth

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 Selecting Casing Setting Depth

1) Draw the mean pore

pressure gradient curve
along with the lithology,
if available

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 Selecting Casing Setting Depth

2) Draw the mud weight

curve. The mud weight
curve should include a
200 to 300 psi trip
margin

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 Selecting Casing Setting Depth

3) Draw the predicted

fracture gradient curve

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 Selecting Casing Setting Depth

4) To determine initial
estimates of casing
setting depths –
First:
Enter the mud weight
curve at Point A
(Total Depth (TD))

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 Selecting Casing Setting Depth

4.2) Move up to Point B

which determines the
initial estimated setting
depth for the
intermediate casing
(actually run it 300–400
feet deeper)

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 Selecting Casing Setting Depth

4.3) Move across to

Point C which
identifies the mud
weight requirement
for that depth

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 Selecting Casing Setting Depth

4.4) Move up to Point D

which determines the
preferred setting depth
for the surface casing/
intermediate string
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 Selecting Casing Setting Depth

4.5) Move across to Point

E to identify the mud
weight required at that

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 Selecting Casing Setting Depth

4.6) Point E is the normal pressure range and

no further casing is required to withstand the
associated mud weight. However, a
structural and conductor casing are
required, and the setting depth criteria for
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those strings are discussed later
 Other Factors may Affect
the Casing Programme
● If shallow gas zones are encountered whilst drilling, operations
must stop and casing must be set.
● If lost circulation zones are encountered:
■ Drilling should stop
■ Mud returns should be checked
■ Lost Circulation Material (LCM) pumped downhole before
the mud is conditioned to a more suitable rheology.
■ The zone will then need to be drilled before casing can be set
● Formation stability: if the formation is sensitive to the mud
weight over time, casing may have to be set 30
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 Other Factors

●Fresh water sands:

Need to protect drinking water, and not contaminate it
with drilling fluid.

●Hole cleaning:
Particularly if a long section of 17-1/2” hole
is required.

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 Other Factors
● Salt sections
● High pressure zones;
● Casing shoe should be set in competent formations
● Best source for this information is offset well data

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 Kick Tolerance

Kick tolerance is the maximum volume of a kick that can be

tolerated without fracturing the shoe of the previous casing.
Rabia (2001) also defines the kick tolerance as the maximum
allowable pore pressure at the total depth (TD) of the next hole
section or the maximum mud weight that can be tolerated without
fracturing the shoe of the previous casing.
Usually, the kick to be circulated out from the next section TD is
assumed as a gas kick. Therefore, the formation at the casing shoe
must be able to tolerate a pressure which is greater than the pressure
acting on the casing shoe while circulating the gas kick out.

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 Kick Tolerance
● Once the initial casing setting depths are selected, the
kick tolerance associated with those depths should be
determined.
● Start from TD up to the surface to determine the kick
tolerance and preferred setting depth for each casing
string.
● The acceptability of kick tolerance values of less than
100 bbls should always be justified
■ By review of the type of well
■ Capacity of rig equipment for kick detection
■ Operator/Driller’s experience, area experience and geology

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 Design “Bottom-to-Top” and
“Top-to-Bottom”

● A design should be developed by well planning that

provides for economic production from the pay zone
consistent with safety requirements.
● The pay zone should be analysed for its flow potential
and likely drilling problems.
● The well should be designed initially from bottom-to-top.
■ The opposite approach may result in a well that limits the
production capacity
● Also necessary to work the other way around: it is
essential to have a well design which is “do-able” with
the rigs and equipment available.
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 Design of the Completion Tubing
● Must be able to transport oil or gas to the surface at
economical rates.

● The completion design must be taken into account when

designing the casing string

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 Further Reading

• Bourgoyne, A.T., Jr., Chenevert, M.E., Millheim, K.K., Young,

F.S., Jr. 1986, “Applied Drilling Engineering” (Society of
Petroleum Engineers)
■ Chapter 7 “Casing Design”
• RABIA, H. 2001. Well engineering & construction
• Devereux, S., 1998, “Practical Well Planning and
Drilling Manual” (PennWell)
■ Chapter 1.4 “Casing Design”
■ Chapter 2.6 “Casing Running Program”

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