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Disclaimer This document has been developed to help drilling and completion engineers identify the liner hanger equipment best suited for their applications. All information, ratings, and recommendations are based on assumptions that may not apply to your specific objectives or well conditions; therefore, Weatherford recommends that you use this document only as a starting point for communications with Weatherford about your liner needs. Then contact the authorized Weatherford representative for liner systems in your area to design the system that is best for your application: www.weatherford.com. This document does not cover all of Weatherford's liner hanger equipment; it covers the most readily available equipment that is suited for conventional liner applications. Your area's Weatherford liner systems representative may recommend other equipment that is better suited to the region or the application.
Contents
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liner Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intermediate (Drilling) Liners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Production Liners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drill-Down Liners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Extended-Reach Liners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Components of a Liner Hanger System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liner-Top Packers/Liner Setting Sleeves and Tie-Back PBRs . . . . . . . . Liner-Top Packers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liner Setting Sleeves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liner Hangers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mechanical Liner Hangers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hydraulic Liner Hangers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cement Displacement Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cementing Packoffs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liner Wiper Plugs, Drillpipe Darts and Landing Collars . . . . . . . . . . Liner Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Holddown Subs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Centralizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Multi-Stage Cementing Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ACP Annulus Casing Packers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Float Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reamer Shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DrillShoe Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liner Tie-Backs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tie-Back Seal Stems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tie-Back Packers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liner Hanger Selection Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 8 8 10 12 12 14 16 16 16 16 16 17 17 17 18 18 18 19
Introduction
Introduction
Designing a liner hanger installation can be complex because it involves many variables; but the following selection criteria are essential: Size, weight, grade, and setting depth of casing Size, weight, grade, connections, and length of liner Setting depth of liner hanger Inclination of liner hanger Proposed trajectory of liner wellbore Size and weight of drillpipe Liner application Completion/stimulation operations after the liner is installed Loads applied to the liner hanger from the liner weight and from hydraulic operations Completion and/or wellbore fluids to which the liner may be exposed Pressures and temperatures to which liner equipment may be exposed All of these considerations must go into the design of a liner system that will meet your needs while remaining within the operational capabilities of the equipment.
Liner Applications
Liner Applications
Liners have many applications and are run for various reasons. For example, they may be the best technical or operational alternative; they may be a cost- or time-saving alternative to casing; or they may help mitigate risk to the well or the environment.
Production Liners
Production liners are used to hang production casing. Depending on the final well configuration and any completion or stimulation requirements, production liners will probably be exposed to more loads and for longer periods than any other type of liner. Production liners must be compatible with completion products such as completion packers. They must be able to withstand additional loads imposed by completion/production enhancement operations (frac jobs or temperature cycles). They must also be compatible with all fluids and gases to which they will be exposed, including kill fluids, acid, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Production liners may be cemented, or they may carry pre-perforated pipe or screens. These liners are usually (but not always) run with a liner-top packer, depending on the completion and the type of well.
Drill-Down Liners
Drill-down liners are used to drill some of the hole in which they are deployed. They are run with a DrillShoe drilling assembly rather than a guide shoe or float shoe. In addition to hanging capacity and loads applied to the system, considerable torque is applied to the running tool, liner-top packer/liner setting sleeve, and liner hanger with liner in compression.
Extended-Reach Liners
Extended-reach liners are extremely long production liners. The biggest challenge they pose is deployment. In many cases limiting factors will be the rig, the pressure to which you can expose the formation, and the pressure piston effect and collapse pressure of the liner.
Liner-Top Packers
For many reasons liner-top packers are used to isolate the liner top after the hanger is set and cementing operations are completed: Isolation of formation pressure below the liner-top from the casing ID above Isolation of treating pressures below the liner-top during fracture or acid work Isolation of formation fluids while the cement sets, helping to stop gas migration Isolation of lost-circulation zones The only isolation above the production zone in uncemented liners The liner-top packer can also be used as a tie-back completion or production packer.
Liner Hangers
Most liner hangers can be categorized by their setting mechanism, which is either hydraulic or mechanical. Hangers can be further defined by other features or abilities, such as the number of cones and the ability to rotate after the hanger has been set. Cones. In general, a greater number of cones means increased hanging capacity, but it also means longer and more expensive assemblies. Liner system design takes into account more parameters than hanging capacity such as additional loads applied to the liner hanger. A 7-in. liner hanger that can accommodate an 800,000-lbf (3,559-kN) load in 9 5/8-in., 47-lb/ft N-80 casing may carry 7-in., 29-lb/ft L-80 pipe that is only good for 676,000-lbf (3,007-kN). The additional hanging capacity may be required to prevent the hanger from failing should pressure be applied to the liner top. Weatherford's liner hangers are designed to maximize hanging capacity to carry long liners while supporting pressure-induced loads. Rotating versus non-rotating liner hangers. Rotating-style hangers feature a bearing that allows the liner hanger body to rotate independently of the slips and cone. This capability allows rotation of the liner after the slips have been set into the host casing. Rotation of the liner during cementation significantly improves the quality of the cement bond. Rotatable versus non-rotatable liner hangers. Rotatable liner hangers can be rotated to bottom, depending on the liner hanger design and the type of running tool usednot on the liner hanger itself. Conventional mechanical liner hangers that rely on drag springs for setting are non-rotatable, as rotation before setting the hanger can damage the drag springs. Protected slips. Protected slips are slips that are protected inside recesses in the liner hanger. This design shields them from damage even if the liner is worked vigorously to reach setting depth. Protected slips are preferred for drilldown or ream-down applications, where damage to the slips is more likely.
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Cementing Packoffs
A retrievable cementing packoff is used to provide a seal between the liner ID and the running string OD. The seal ensures that cement passes through the liner shoe and also allows for use of pressure to set hydraulic hangers. The main advantage of a retrievable cementing packoff over a drillable one is time savings: No drill-out is necessary. Weatherford's three retrievable cementing packoffs are the RSM, the RKC, and the PBR.
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The DWP with ball seat is Weatherford's premium dual liner wiper plug system. It consists of a plug that is launched in front of the cement and a plug that is launched behind the cement. The ball seat in the plug helps land the ball on seat. LWP Liner Wiper Plug, Drillpipe Dart and HLC Landing Collar The LWP is a single liner wiper plug without ball seat. It is used in conjunction with an HLC landing collar, which typically has a ball seat that is used to activate hydraulic liner hangers and running tools. The LWP is applicable for wells without excessive deviation. FLWP Liner Wiper Plug and FLWP Landing Collar The FLWP wiper plug is a full-length wiper plug (or drillpipe dart) that wipes the ID of the liner and the drillpipe. It typically is run as a dual plug system but can also be run as a single plug. The landing collar comes complete with a catcher tube and ball seat. Sub-Surface ReleaseTM Wiper Plugs, Drillpipe Darts and 507P Landing Collar Sub-Surface Release plugs are the best plugs for displacing cement in liners larger than 8-5/8 in. They come in various designs, and both single and dual liner wiper plug models are available. These plugs typically are used with the 507P landing collar. *Weatherfords drillpipe darts should only be used in strings that meet the following criteria: 1) any ID transition of 1 in. or more must be 30 or less; and 2) any ID transition of less than 1 in. must be 45 or less.
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Liner Accessories
Liner Accessories
Weatherford produces numerous liner accessories, the most common being holddown subs, float equipment, and centralizers; but multi-stage cement accessories and ACP annulus casing packers are also frequently used.
Holddown Subs
A holddown sub is used to prevent the liner from being unset and pushed up the well by hydrostatic or frictional forces. It also can be used to give additional indication of release of the running tool. The main applications are light liners and liners run in conjunction with an inner string.
Centralizers
A centralizer is used to help centralize the string during cementing to ensure good cementation and help prevent differential sticking. Weatherford manufactures several kinds of centralizersfrom the SpiraGlider model to solid-body and conventional bow-spring versions. Centralizer placement can be designed and optimized using Weatherford's proprietary CentraPro Plus software.
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Liner Accessories
Float Equipment
Weatherford produces numerous types of float equipment, including Model 402 float collars and Model 323/329 float shoes, which are ideal for liner applications. These float equipment items include the Sure-Seal 3 valve, which meets API requirement RP10Fs for float equipment. Weatherford also manufactures auto-fill, differential-fill, and surge-reducing float equipment. These types of equipment can be used to reduce running time, as liner and drillpipe joints do not have to be filled. These types of equipment can also be used to protect the formation from damage induced by surge forces.
Reamer Shoes
Model 402 float collar with Sure-Seal 3 valve
Weatherford produces the Diamondback reamer shoe, which can be used to ream the liner through difficult sections, such as swelling shale formations. The reamer shoe can feature up to two Sure-Seal 3 valves and comes complete with carbide cutting structures to help open tight spots in the well. If getting the liner to bottom is a concern, Weatherford highly recommends that a Diamondback reamer shoe be run in conjunction with either a Weatherford PHR or PHS liner hanger.
DrillShoe Tools
A Weatherford DrillShoe assembly can be used in conjunction with a liner to drill additional hole, the length of which depends on the DrillShoe model and the type of formation.
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Liner Accessories
Liner Tie-Backs
Sometimes it is necessary to tie a liner back into an existing liner. Weatherford offers several liner tie-back products.
Tie-Back Packers
A tie-back packer features a seal stem, a packing element, holddown slips, and a liner-top PBR. It is run as a second-trip packer when a liner that was run with a setting sleeve requires liner-top isolation. It is also run as a backup in case the original liner-top packer leaks. In most cases a tie-back packer is a reliable and cost-effective alternative to an expensive liner-top squeeze.
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4 1/2- x 7-in., 5 1/2- x 7 5/8-in., 7- x 9 5/8-in., and 7 5/8- x 9 5/8-in. Hydraulic-Set Liner Hangers
Yes Tandem cone Is the liner longer than the single-cone critical length? No Single cone
No Tandem-cone non-rotating LH
Yes Rotating LH
Does the liner have to be worked or reamed down vigorously, or is the liner longer than the tandem-cone critical length?
Note: Weatherford liner hangers can, in some cases, support significantly longer strings of casing than indicated. The values shown were calculated based on extremely challenging parameters.
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9 5/8- x 11 3/4-in., 11 3/4- x 13 3/8-in., and 16- x 20-in. Large-Bore Hydraulic-Set Liner Hangers
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515 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 600 Houston, Texas 77027 USA Tel: 713-693-4000 www.weatherford.com
Weatherford products and services are subject to the Companys standard terms and conditions, available on request or at www.weatherford.com. For more information contact an authorized Weatherford representative. Unless noted otherwise, trademarks and service marks herein are the property of Weatherford. Specifications are subject to change without notice.
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