Basic Casing & Tubing Design Training Course

1. Introduction to Casing and Tubing Design

1.1 Fundamentals and Terminology

• Purpose and functions of casing and tubing including (zonal isolation, wellbore stability, and production conduit)

• Types of casing strings including (conductor, surface, intermediate, production, and liner systems)

• Tubing configurations including (single completion, dual completion, and intelligent well systems)

• Key design considerations including (well objective, reservoir characteristics, and operational constraints)

• Tubular components including (pipe body, connections, accessories, and completion equipment)

• Well architecture principles including (telescoping design, clearance requirements, and contingency planning)

1.2 Well Planning and Casing Design Process

• Well planning workflow including (data gathering, offset well analysis, and design verification)

• Design criteria establishment including (regulatory requirements, company standards, and field-specific constraints)

• Pressure profiles including (pore pressure, fracture gradient, and mud weight window)

• Casing setting depth selection including (geological factors, pressure regression, and technical limitations)

• Risk assessment considerations including (well control scenarios, drilling hazards, and contingency planning)

• Economic considerations including (material costs, installation costs, and life-cycle analysis)

2. Basic Load Case Analysis

2.1 Load Case Identification

• Definition of design loads including (installation, production, and workover scenarios)

• Service loads including (pressure testing, production operations, and stimulation treatments)

• Installation loads including (running in hole, cementing, and pressure testing)

• Temperature effects including (thermal expansion and material property changes)

• Combined loading scenarios including (pressure and tension interaction)

2.2 Burst Design

• Burst pressure fundamentals including (internal vs. external pressure and differential pressure)

• Burst load scenarios including (pressure testing, production, and kick scenarios)

• Burst calculation methods according to API TR 5C3 including (Barlow's formula and biaxial effects)

• Safety factor determination including (well type, critical nature, and regulatory requirements)

• Internal yield pressure determination including (material grade effects and temperature derating)

• Burst resistance verification including (design factor application and triaxial stress correction)

2.3 Collapse Design

• Collapse mechanisms including (yield strength collapse, plastic collapse, and elastic collapse)

• Collapse load scenarios including (cementing, evacuation, and external pressure)

• API TR 5C3 collapse rating methodologies including (applicable equations and selection criteria)

• Collapse resistance in deviated wells including (bending effects)

• Manufacturing effects including (ovality, eccentricity, and residual stress)

• Safety factor application including (uncertainty considerations and critical applications)

2.4 Tensile Design

• Tensile load fundamentals including (self-weight, buoyancy, and applied loads)

• Axial load scenarios including (running, overpull, and jarring operations)

• Service loads including (pressure testing and temperature effects)

• Tensile capacity calculations including (body yield, connection strength, and joint strength)

• Tensile design factors including (critical operations and joint integrity)

3. Tubular Material Selection

3.1 Casing and Tubing Materials

• API casing and tubing grades including (H40, J55, N80, P110, and Q125)

• Material properties including (yield strength, tensile strength, and hardness)

• Selection criteria including (pressure requirements, corrosion resistance, and cost considerations)

• Environmental factors including (temperature, H₂S, CO₂, and produced fluids)

• Material cost optimization including (fit-for-purpose selection and field-proven performance)

• Compatibility considerations including (connection design, downhole tools, and completion equipment)

3.2 Connection Types and Selection

• API connection types including (round, buttress, and extreme line)

• Premium connections including (gas-tight design, metal-to-metal seal, and specialty applications)

• Connection performance characteristics including (tensile efficiency, pressure rating, and sealability)

• Connection selection criteria including (pressure requirements, tensile loads, and environmental factors)

• Make-up considerations including (torque requirements, thread compounds, and galling prevention)

• Field handling practices including (inspection, storage, and running procedures)

4. Design Considerations for Common Well Types

4.1 Vertical Well Design

• Typical design considerations including (depth, formation characteristics, and surface location)

• Standard casing program including (conductor, surface, intermediate, and production strings)

• Contingency planning including (setting depth flexibility and material selection)

• Design verification including (offset well correlation and sensitivity analysis)

• Cost optimization including (standardization opportunities and materials selection)

4.2 Deviated Well Design

• Trajectory planning effects including (dogleg severity, side forces, and torque and drag)

• Additional loading considerations including (bending stresses and buckling potential)

• Connection selection including (torque capacity and make-up considerations)

• Running limitations including (weight, drag, and rotation considerations)

• Design modifications including (material upgrades, wall thickness selection, and connection requirements)

4.3 Extended Reach and Horizontal Well Design

• Special design considerations including (reach limitations, friction factors, and torque limitations)

• Tubular selection criteria including (tension capacity, torsional strength, and collapse resistance)

• Running practices including (floating techniques, rotation requirements, and centralization)

• Connection considerations including (torque capacity, make-up verification, and anti-rotation features)

• Material optimization including (weight reduction opportunities and high-strength materials)

5. Cementing Considerations

5.1 Cement-Tubular Interface

• Cementing objectives including (zonal isolation, casing support, and corrosion protection)

• Cement sheath integrity including (pressure and temperature cycling effects)

• Centralizer program design including (standoff requirements and placement strategy)

• Cement types including (conventional, lightweight, and specialty systems)

• Primary cementing operations including (displacement efficiency and job monitoring)

• Cement evaluation including (bond logging techniques and acceptance criteria)

5.2 Impact on Tubular Design

• Pressure considerations during cementing including (hydrostatic pressure and circulation pressure)

• Temperature effects including (heat of hydration and cooling during circulation)

• Potential collapse scenarios including (cement hydration and fluid loss effects)

• Centralization requirements including (standoff improvement and float equipment)

• Post-cementing operations including (pressure testing limits and WOC time)

6. Common Failure Mechanisms and Prevention

6.1 Tubular Failure Modes

• Burst failures including (excessive internal pressure, connection leakage, and material defects)

• Collapse failures including (excessive external pressure, formation movement, and cement support loss)

• Tensile failures including (excessive pulling force, connection weakness, and corrosion effects)

• Wear and erosion including (tool rotation, fluid velocity, and solids production)

• Connection failures including (improper make-up, galling, and pressure leakage)

• Corrosion failures including (uniform corrosion, pitting, and environmentally assisted cracking)

6.2 Prevention Strategies

• Proper design methodologies including (conservative safety factors and worst-case scenario analysis)

• Material selection optimization including (corrosion resistance and mechanical properties)

• Quality assurance measures including (inspection procedures, testing protocols, and verification methods)

• Operational procedures including (running guidelines, pressure testing protocols, and monitoring systems)

• Corrosion mitigation including (material selection, inhibition programs, and monitoring strategies)

• Connection integrity including (proper make-up procedures, thread compound selection, and handling practices)

7. QA/QC for Tubular Products

7.1 Mill Standards and Inspection

• API manufacturing specifications including (API 5CT) requirements and tolerance ranges)

• Inspection methods including (visual, dimensional, and non-destructive testing)

• Documentation requirements including (mill certificates, traceability records, and inspection reports)

• Quality levels including (PSL-1, PSL-2, and PSL-3 requirements)

• Third-party inspection including (scope, qualification, and reporting requirements)

• Receipt verification including (count, condition, and documentation review)

7.2 Field Handling and Running Practices

• Pipe yard management including (storage requirements, handling procedures, and protection methods)

• Pre-running inspection including (drift testing, thread condition, and visual examination)

• Running procedures including (pick-up methods, stabbing techniques, and make-up practices)

• Torque monitoring including (computer-controlled make-up and acceptance criteria)

• Thread compound application including (type selection, application method, and coverage verification)

• Tallying and documentation including (pipe tally, make-up records, and running reports)

8. HSE in Tubular Design and Operations

• Pressure integrity verification including (test pressures, hold periods, and acceptance criteria)

• Well control considerations including (kick tolerance, casing pressure integrity, and burst safety factors)

• Environmental protection including (barrier verification, leak detection, and integrity monitoring)

• Personnel safety including (handling procedures, running operations, and pressurization risks)

• Regulatory compliance including (local requirements, industry standards, and company policies)

9. Design Tools and Software

• Manual calculation methods including (burst, collapse, and tension formulas)

• Spreadsheet-based tools including (design verification and sensitivity analysis)

• Commercial software packages including (capabilities, limitations, and input requirements)

• Output interpretation including (critical sections identification, safety factor verification, and design optimization)

• Reporting formats including (design basis, calculations, and verification documentation)

10. Case Studies & Group Discussions

• Vertical well casing design including (standard operations, optimization opportunities, and lessons learned)

• Deviated well casing failures including (root causes, prevention strategies, and redesign considerations)

• Challenging environment applications including (HPHT considerations, corrosive environments, and mobile formations)

• Cost optimization examples including (material selection, design standardization, and value engineering)

• Problem-solving exercises including (design verification, failure analysis, and optimization opportunities)

• The importance of proper training in successful casing and tubing design and installation operations