SPE 154444

Elastomer-Wrapped Expandable Liner Seals Problem Perforations Allowing

Successful Performance of High Pressure Frac Job
S. Skiles, SPE, Weatherford

Copyright 2012, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing & Well Intervention Conference & Exhibition held in The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 2728 March 2012.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
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Abstract
Cased-Hole Expandable Liners can be used for many different applications, including corrosion remediation, casing damage
repair, perforation isolation, and to seal off water encroachment. The standard expandable liner design includes a carbide
anchor at the bottom to hold the liner in place, as well as elastomer bands at the top and bottom of each joint to provide a
seal. By designing a specialized liner system, in which the entire liner is wrapped with elastomers, greater sealability and
pressure integrity is achieved.

In this particular application in the East Texas Basin, watered-out perforations needed to be isolated to facilitate fracturing
and producing a deeper zone in the wellbore. Several approaches were considered and it was eventually decided to install a
single trip 38 ft elastomer-wrapped expandable joint to isolate perforations in 5-1/2 in. 17.0 lb/ft casing and maintain a seal
during the fracturing operations. Elimination of the end connections and beveling the ends of the liner meant that it could be
rated at the pressure limitation of the pipe body, rather than that of the connections. In addition, further studies indicated that
wrapping the entire expandable liner section with elastomers provided added support and sealability.

This paper will discuss the problems associated with the water encroachment through the perforations, the design of the
elastomer-wrapped expandable liner system, and the engineering study that led to its rating being sufficient to withstand the
high pressure frac job. It will go on to describe the liner installation and the ensuing well stimulation, which yielded very
satisfactory results.

Introduction
The idea of reforming pipe has been around for many decades, however, the solid expandable industry really started to take
shape in the late 1990s, driven by operators desire to reduce the telescoping effect in casing design as wells were drilled
deeper (Prez-Roca 2007). Additionally, operators could decrease the amount of consumables to construct the wellbore.
Reducing the telescoping nature of a conventional casing would allow a much smaller surface casing to be used and
subsequent casing could be reduced in diameter (Metcalf 2002). However, since then, it has developed into a portfolio of
products that can be used as solutions for a wide range of drilling, completion, and production problems. Many different
designs and processes have been created over the years, and as the oil industry continues to grow and change, expandables
are also evolving to create new and innovative solutions to the ever-shifting issues that operators deal with.

Solid steel tubulars are expanded downhole by using a combination of hydraulic and mechanical forces to pull/push a
solid cone from the bottom up that plastically and permanently deforms the liner to the required size. A bottom-up expansion
process keeps the liner at the desired setting depth and allows shrinkage to occur from the top of the liner. The weight of the
liner resting on the cone face assists in the expansion process. A tungsten carbide material is applied to the bottom joint of the
liner. This bottom joint is expanded into the parent casing using hydraulic force and anchors the liner in place while overpull
is applied to expand the remaining footage (Merritt et al. 2002; Rosales et al. 2010).
2 SPE 154444

Solid expandable tubulars are a viable option in a variety of applications including recompletions, zonal isolation, and
casing remediation by providing structural integrity, low operational risk, short installation time, and minimized ID reduction
to repair and reinforce the existing casing in the wellbore (Rosales et al. 2010). Cased-hole solid expandables provide a long-
term, one-time solution, while still being economically comparable to alternatives, such as cement squeezes. For this reason,
more operators are turning to expandables to enhance production in mature fields. By utilizing an expandable system to
isolate perforations, a well can be recompleted and restimulated to bring new life to declining production. A new emerging
practice uses expandable tubulars to cover perforations or casing damage, allowing for fracturing operations through the liner
to be completed. This requires the liners to withstand high cycling frac pressures and erosive materials being pumped
downhole.

Strenghthening the Expandable Solution

The connection of the expandable tubular is the most vulnerable point in the string and is often the first point of failure. By
eliminating the connection and using a singular joint expandable, the internal pressure rating could be based on the pipe body
itself, rather than the connection. Additionally, by wrapping the entire joint length with elastomers, rather than just the ends,
the expandable pipe is supported during expansion and can withstand a higher internal pressure.

Engineering analysis facilitated creation of a computer simulation to estimate expansion forces when connections are
eliminated and the entire pipe body is supported by elastomers. Conclusions of the analysis estimated that the expandable
liner could withstand the required internal pressure rating of 7,000 psi (Figure 1). This pressure rating is an increase of
approximately 2,300 psi when compared to a standard expandable installation of this size. It was also determined that short-
term pressure cycling should not create an issue working below an ideal temperature of 150F (Figure 2). The actual
bottomhole temperature for this well was 200F.

Figure 1 Seal pressure prediction when applying 7,000 psi internal pressure.
SPE 154444 3

Figure 2 Maximum expansion force required with additional elastomers.

Using the justification of the engineering analysis, Weatherford developed a manufacturing strategy to create the 4-1/4 x
5-1/2 in. MetalSkin single-joint expandable system. The system included previously manufactured anchor joints that already
had a bevel at the bottom, which allows tools to easily pass through during well operations. The top box connection of the
single-joint system was then cut off and beveled to a 45 angle. This removed about 1 ft of the total joint length, leaving the
final length at approximately 21 ft. After removing the connection, additional elastomer bands were applied. Fifteen separate
0.125 in. bands, with 0.650 in. bands placed in between, were used to fully cover the outside body (Figure 3). The elastomers
consisted of standard HNBR rubber, which is a proven technology and has been utilized in the expandable industry since
2004. After curing the rubber, the internal lubricant coating was reapplied. Both a primary and a backup joint were
manufactured specific to each application. The expansion system consisted of an updated version of the HOMCO tool, which
has been used for over 50 years and boasts over 10,000 installations.
4 SPE 154444

Elastomer Bands

Tungsten Carbide Anchor

Beveled End

Figure 4 The single expandable specialized joint fully wrapped with elastomers.

Application
For this application, an operator wanted to isolate the production perforations in a gas-producing well and recomplete the
well to become an oil producer. This well was previously drilled and completed in the late 1970s as a gas producer from the
Sub-Clarksville Formation. In the late 1970s and 1980s, this formation was a major play and targeted by many oil companies
in East Texas for its gas production. However, over the years, these reserves were depleted and the perforations watered-out.
Since then, lower formations such as the Austin Chalk, Eagle Ford Shale, Woodbine, and Buda formations have been
recognized as sources of significant reserves. The operator wanted to recomplete this well to target the Woodbine formation,
but needed a reliable solution to perform a single-stage fracturing operation and transfer the well to oil production. The
challenge included the need for liner integrity to withstand high-circulating frac pressures.

For this particular well, the perforation interval to be covered was 20 ft at a depth of approximately 8,500 ft. In order to
ensure adequate overlap on either side and to account for shrinkage, a 38 ft joint was required. Because of the longer length
requirement, 38 ft instead of 20 ft, this specialized joint could not be manufactured from an anchor joint following the
previous manufacturing design. In this case, a standard 38 ft joint containing elastomer bands and connections on either end
was used to create the single-joint expandable. Both the box and pin connections had to be cut and beveled, and tungsten
carbide had to be applied to the bottom of the joint to assist in anchoring into the parent casing. Elastomers were then applied
to the remaining length of the joint followed by the interior coating. After manufacturing was complete of the primary and
backup joints, they were sent to the field and installation preparation began.
SPE 154444 5

Operation
To complete a successful cased-hole expandable installation, well preparation is a critical step in the operation. Because of
the tight clearance between the expandable and the casing, any scale or debris on the interior of the casing being covered can
result in the cone becoming stuck, or loss of seal integrity. Therefore, a log must be run to determine the actual ID of the
casing and a cleanout run must be made before installation of any expandable is attempted. This generally includes a cleanout
trip with mills or a bit being run through the casing over the interval the expandable is to be set into. This cleanout process
removes any scale or junk on the ID of the casing to provide a clean and uniform surface in which the expandable liner is
anchored. For this well, tandem mills dressed to 4-13/16 in. were used. A drift run with washpipe may also be required in
deviated wells to ensure the expandable can be run to the designated setting depth. In this application, the well was a vertical
well; therefore, a simulation run was not required.

The single-joint cased-hole expandable was run and a gamma ray wireline correlation was used to confirm the liner was
set over the correct depth interval. This well was non-corrosive and the wellbore was filled with 9.0 ppg brine. Standard
operating procedures were followed to complete the expansion process. Hydraulic expansion was initiated at 1,500 psi, while
completing the cycle at 4,500 psi to set the anchor. Overpull forces of 80,000 to 100,000 lbs were required to complete the
expansion within one minute. After expansion, the liner was ready to immediately be pressure tested. The cased-hole
expandable liner was pressure tested to a surface pressure of 1,000 psi and held for 15 minutes. Taking into account the depth
of the liner and hydrostatic pressure of the fluid in the wellbore, this was equivalent to 6,500 psi at the liner. This reflected a
38% increase over the internal pressure rating of the standard cased-hole liner system. Total job time including cleanout and
tripping was approximately 36 hours. After the expandable was in place, wireline was used to shoot new perforations at the
designated interval of 8,600 ft. The one-stage frac job was then completed totaling 152,000 pounds of sand using a max
proppant concentration of 5.0 ppg, max rate of 30.6 barrels/minute, and 5,735 psi max surface treating pressure. With a fluid
density of 11.0 ppg, the max pressure applied at the expandable liner was approximately 10,580 psi. This reflected a 124%
increase over the internal pressure rating of the standard cased-hole expandable liner system. After flowback was established,
a pumping unit was installed and the well was placed on production (Figure 4).
6 SPE 154444

Casing Details

Size Weight Grade ID

5.500 17.0 ppf K55 4.892

4-1/4" Pre-Expansion Details

OD ID Drift
4.250 3.750 3.625

4-1/4" Post-Expansion Details

OD ID Drift
4.722 4.240 4.115

Pre-Expanded Post-Expanded
Length of Liner 35.60 ft 37.21 ft

Shrinkage of 4.33%

~
~
~
~
Sub-Clarksville Perfs

~ 8,500 ft Expandable Casing Setting Depth

~
~ Woodbine Perfs

~
~
~ 8,600 ft

*Drawing not to scale.

Figure 4 Wellbore schematic showing expandable liner installation.

SPE 154444 7

Expanding on the Potential

Subsequent to this single-joint expansion installation, this technology has been utilized in several other applications to date.
These include two separate 20 ft specialized joint applications, which repaired a casing split that occurred during fracturing
operations and allowed the fracture to continue. These jobs were both in the Marcellus Shale in the Northeast US, and were
subject to internal pressures of 5,850 psi, and 8,000 psi, respectively. These applications highlight an important potential for
the specialized single-joint systemproviding repair for casing damage that occurs during fracturing operations, which will
allow for the high-pressure frac to continue and achieve the desired production rates. This has been a growing problem in
both the Marcellus and Eagle Ford shales, where high-cycling frac pressures are required to break down the formation.

In addition to fracturing applications, this technology has the potential to be applied in any standard expandable cased-
hole application, including perforation isolation, remediation of splits, parts, corrosion, deformation, and subsidence-
damaged casing, and zonal isolation. It can be manufactured in any size of cased-hole solid expandable that is currently
offered, and can come in a single-joint 20 ft to 40 ft in length. This specialized joint can be an asset in any well where
increased pressure integrity or sealability is required.

Conclusion
Coordination of a large group of personnel including sales, engineering, operations, and manufacturing was required to
complete the project within the operators delivery deadline. Using a highly specialized and revolutionary design, the cased-
hole liner was able to be pushed to an internal pressure of over twice its original rating. By eliminating the connections and
supporting the pipe body with a series of elastomers, the expandable liner withstood high-cycling frac pressures and allowed
the operator to achieve the desired production results. The perforations were isolated in a one-trip, one-time installation that
saved on expenditures for rig time and consumables when compared to the alternative of numerous cement squeezes.
Although other services companies offer single-joint installations, the fully-wrapped elastomer joint provides added
reliability and pressure tolerance. Expandables are becoming a significant and dependable approach for well remediation
operations, and as wells age, such as the one examined here, cased-hole expandables can provide a unique and long-term
solution (Buckler et al. 2003).

References

Buckler, B., et. al., Expandable Cased-hole Liner Remediates Prolific Gas Well and Minimizes Loss of Production, OTC paper 15151
presented at the 2002 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, 6-9 May.
Merritt, R., et al, Well Remediation Using Expandable Cased-Hole Liners Summary of Case Histories, presented at the SW Petroleum
Short Course in Lubbock, Texas U.S.A., 31 December 2001.
Metcalf, P., Expandable Technology: The first ten years, OTC paper 14214 presented at the 2002 Offshore Technology Conference held in
Houston, Texas U.S.A., 69 May 2002.
Perez-Roca, E., The Value of Solid Expandable Tubulars in Openhole and Cased-hole Environments, presented at the 2007 Drilling,
Workover, and Well Services Congress in Argentina.
Rosales, et al, Enhanced Oil Recovery: Optimizing Existing Assets Using Solid Expandable Technology, presented at Lubbock Conference
in Lubbock, Texas U.S.A., 2010.