PETE 331

EXERCISE for TUBING DESIGN

QUESTION:

A Production tubing string is needed for a vertical well. The length of the tubing will be 2800 meters.
The well is filled with workover fluid with a density of 11.0 ppg (pounds per gallon).

After you install the tubing, you are planning to perform hydraulic fracturing job in your well, and
during this operation you expect to have a maximum wellhead injection pressure of 5,000 psi.

The well will be completed with a production packer. The maximum overpull to unset the packer is
expected to be 10,000 lbf.

The well is expected to produce fluid with an average sp gr of 0.85 (water:1.0) with a tubing head
pressure of 120 psi. The pressure loss in the tubing can be neglected.
Your company has 2 7/8’’OD, J-55 EUE (Upset – Regular) Tubing (with 6.5 lbm/ft weight) in the stock.
Check the below loads, and decide if this tubing can be used for this well:

a. tension load (for tubing weight in air and for pulling conditions), note:assume no buoyancy
for both conditions,
b. burst load (for injection and production phases)
c. collapse load (neglect the correction of collapse resistance for the axial tension load)

Use ‘suggested design factors’ given in Table 3.10 (page 115) in SPE Petroleum Engineering
Handbook, Volume 4, Production Operations Engineering, 2007.

Note: See Example 3.1 (page 119) and Table 3.12 (page 121) in SPE Petroleum Engineering Handbook,
Volume 4, Production Operations Engineering, 2007.
ANSWER:

A. Check for Tension Load:

For tubing weight in air:

Calculated Design Factor: 99,700/59,696=1.67
It is greater than the suggested design factor (1.6). Acceptible

For pulling conditions (assume no buoyancy because the packer is stuck):

Calculated Design Factor: 99,700/69,696 =1.43
It is greater than the suggested design factor (1.25). Acceptible

B. Check for Burst Load:

Under Injection Conditions (at the wellhead):

Calculated design factor: 7,260/5,000=1.45
It is greater than the suggested design factor (1.25). Acceptible

Under Producing Conditions (at the bottom of tubing):

Calculated design factor: 7,260/3,500=2.07
It is greater than the suggested design factor (1.25). Acceptible

C. Check for Collapse Load:

Calculated design factor: 7,680/5,251=1.46

It is greater than the suggested design factor (1.1). Acceptible

RESULT:

The 2 7/8’’OD, J-55 EUE Tubing (with 6.4 lbm/ft weight) is OK for all loads. It can be used.