Chapter 4-A

SAUDI ARAMCO WORKOVER MANUAL
Drilling Technical Department September 2013
CHAPTER 4 COMPLETION PRACTICES

SECTION A TUBING DESIGN
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TUBING DESIGN
1.0 SAUDI ARAMCO DESIGN FACTORS
Back
2.0 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
2.1 Tubing Size Selection

2.2 Anticipated Production Rate
2.3 Nature of Produced Fluids
2.4 Accommodation of Through Tubing Tools
2.5 Economic Considerations
2.6 Tubular Availability
3.0 PICK-UP AND SLACK-OFF GUIDELINES
3.1 Tubing Movement and Force Analysis

3.1.1 Basic Pressure and Temperature Effects
3.1.2 Piston Effect
3.1.3 Pressure Buckling Effect
3.1.4 Ballooning Effect
3.1.5 Temperature Effect
3.2 Tubing Movement Formulas

3.2.1 Piston Effect
3.2.5 Length and Force terms
3.2.6 Sign Convention
4.0 SAUDI ARAMCO TUBING AND CASING TABLES
5.0 EXAMPLE TUBING MOVEMENT/FORCE PROBLEM
5.1 Landing Condition

5.2 Well Condition Prior to Acid Job
5.3 Acidizing Condition

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TUBING DESIGN
1.0 SAUDI ARAMCO DESIGN FACTORS
Tubing, like casing, must fulfil the design requirements dictated by the internal and
external pressure loading conditions the tubing will be subjected to. In addition to
satisfying the internal yield, collapse and tensile requirements the design must
meet additional criteria. Saudi Aramco utilizes the same design factors for tubing
as those used for casing which are:
Burst: 1.1
Collapse: 1.125
Tension: 1.6
2.0 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
2.1 Tubing Size Selection
Since the tubing usually contains the production stream, it must be sized
accurately. Several factors are considered when selecting the correct tubing
size for a well. Some of the main factors are:
2.2 Anticipated Production Rate
The tubing must be of sufficient size to accommodate the expected

production rate. Small tubing may cause high erosional velocities, a high
pressure drop and low production rates. This is an important design
consideration in high capacity reservoirs like those in Saudi Aramco.
2.3 Nature of Produced Fluids
In practice, oil wells produce fluids in either two-phase (oil/water or oil/gas) or

three phase (oil/water/gas) flow. Gas wells can also carry liquid in the flow
stream. These multi-phase flow regimes complicate the modelling of fluid flow
in tubing strings.
When wells become water-cut for example, the water may break out and load
up in the tubing string if the fluid velocity is too low. A smaller tubing string
may be required to maintain a higher fluid velocity to carry the water to
surface.
Tubing size selection requires several reservoir and production parameters

as input to the calculations. Saudi Aramco uses a computer program called
"Pipe-Flow" to accurately model these complicated production streams. It is
extensively used by Saudi Aramco Production Engineering Departments to
determine tubing sizes required for new wells and workover wells. To
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accurately calculate tubing size, it is recommended to review the "Pipe-Flow"

program.
2.4 Accommodation of Through Tubing Tools
Another consideration is the minimum acceptable through-bore for survey,

servicing, production logging and coiled tubing unit (CTU) operations. Slim
logging tools are typically 1-11/16" in diameter and can be accommodated
with 2⅜" production tubing. However wells with special logging requirements,
such as the 3⅝" Carbon-Oxygen log or Induction log, need tubing strings
sized large enough to accommodate them. Some wells may require landing
nipples with no-go profiles which may further restrict through-bore diameter. It
is therefore important to communicate with the production engineer to
determine the size of tools which will be run in the well after the completion
operation.
2.5 Economic Considerations
Larger tubing sizes typically cost more. An incentive toward smaller diameter
tubing is the savings in tubular costs. Tubing sizes should be as small as
practical, yet still fulfil the production requirements of the well.
2.6 Tubular Availability
Once the accurate tubing size is determined (4" tubing for example), it may
be found that the particular tubing size is not available. Saudi Aramco
maintains a stock of tubulars of standard sizes and is listed in Appendix A.
Some tubulars may have been discontinued (at the time of this printing) and
new ones may appear which are not on the list. An up-to-date Saudi Aramco
Material Supply (AMS) list should be reviewed when checking tubular
availability. If the exact size tubing is not available, then either one size
smaller or larger must be chosen. Since 4" tubing is not a Saudi Aramco
stock item, either 3½" or 4½" must be chosen. The 3½" or 4½" tubing may
also be out of stock, further restricting the choice of tubulars available. It is
therefore important to determine the size of tubulars required (and what
tubulars are available) well in advance of any drilling or workover project.
For new wells, once the tubing size is selected, the outer casing sizes may
then be determined to accommodate the tubing. For older existing wells, the
casing size frequently dictates the maximum tubing size which can be run in
the well. Wells completed with 4½" casings are very limited as to the size of
tubing which can be run.
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3.0 PICK-UP AND SLACK-OFF GUIDELINES
3.1 Tubing Movement and Force Analysis
The typical Saudi Aramco oil producers have standard tubing landing
procedures which accommodate anticipated tubing movement and forces.
However, in extraordinary circumstances all possible conditions may need to
be reviewed when designing tubing strings. For example, high internal
pressure loading may be caused by several different well pressures such as
producing, shut-in, stimulation treatments, testing, well killing operations (bull
heading), artificial lift operations, etc. In addition to pressure forces, thermal
forces may elongate or shrink the tubular beyond acceptable limits. This
section will review the basics of tubing movement and force analysis.
When the completion tubing is spaced-out and landed, the conditions
affecting the tubing and packer are known. These conditions include tubing
size and length, casing size, fluid inside and outside the tubing, temperatures,
surface pressures and any mechanical forces applied. This point is used as a
"reference point" to calculate the changes in forces and length for future
conditions.
In a tubing string, sealed off in a packer, there are four factors that cause
length and force changes. These factors are dependent on well conditions,
tubing/packer/casing configuration, and tubing restraint. Each factor acts
independently and may either add to or cancel the effects of the other factors.
Therefore it is important to keep the direction of the length changes and
forces correct. Furthermore, mechanically applied tension or compression
may be used to negate the combined effect of the pressure and temperature
changes.
3.1.1 Basic Pressure and Temperature Effects
The four pressure and temperature effects which should be

investigated for future well operating conditions are:
3.1.2 Piston Effect
Changes in pressure at the packer act on the inside and outside

piston areas to produce length and force changes. These changes
may be either up or down depending on the tubing/packer
configuration.
Changes in pressure that cause a higher pressure inside the tubing

than outside, at the packer, cause pressure buckling. Pressure
buckling is a shortening of the effective length of the tubing string
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because the tubing bends into a spiral (or helix) within the casing. It
can only shorten the tubing and only exerts a negligible force.
Although pressure buckling and mechanical buckling appear to have
the same mechanics, they must be considered separately as they are
produced by completely different factors
Changes in average pressure cause a radial swelling (ballooning) or

contraction (reverse-ballooning) and a corresponding shortening or
lengthening of the tubing string.
Changes in the average temperature of the tubing string cause

thermal expansion or contraction of the tubing. Thermal forces are
prominent in tubing strings in deep hot wells such as the Khuff gas
wells.
3.2 Tubing Movement Formulas
The terms and simplified formulas for calculating tubing movement are given
below. These formulas give the length and force changes for common wells
of one tubing and one casing size. More than one tubing or casing size
requires that the calculations be made on each section and combined for a
final condition. Length changes are in feet and force changes are in pounds.
The terms in each of the equations are defined in the following section
"Length and Force Terms".
3.2.1 Piston Effect
a) Length change
The change in length ∆L1 due to the piston effect is expressed
by the following formula:
∆L1 =
−L
EA S
[ (A p − A i )∆Pi − ( A p − A o )∆Po ] __________(1)
b) Force change
The force change due to the piston effect is expressed as
follows:
F1 = ( A p − A i )∆Pi − ( A p − A o )∆Po ________________(2)
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a) Length change
The change in length due to the pressure buckling effect is
expressed with the following formula (only if ∆Pi is greater
than ∆Po ):
−1.5r 2 A 2p ( ∆Pi − ∆Po ) 2

∆L 2 = _________________________(3)
EI( Ws + Wi − Wo )
b) Force change
The force change is negligible since this effect mainly shortens
the tubing.
a) Length change
The length change due to the ballooning effect is expressed as
follows:
−2 Lγ  ∆Pia − R 2 ∆Poa 
∆L 3 =   _____________________(4)
E  R2 − 1 
b) Force change
The force change due to the ballooning effect is expressed as
follows:
F3 = −0.6( ∆Pia A i − ∆Poa A o ) _______________________(5)
a) Length change
The length change due to the temperature effect is expressed as
follows:
∆L 4 = Lβ∆T _______________________(6)
b) Force change
The force change due to the temperature effect is expressed as
follows:
F4 = 207A s ∆T _______________________(7)
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Since the stresses involved with tubing movement are three

dimensional and require complex calculations, the formulas for
stress are not included.
3.2.5 Length and Force Terms
L Depth, feet
E Modulus of elasticity, psi (30 x 106 psi for steel)

As Cross-sectional area of the tubing wall, sq. in.
Ap Area of packer ID, sq. in.
Ai Area of tubing ID, sq. in.

Ao Area of tubing OD, sq. in.
∆Pi Change in tubing pressure at the packer, psi.
∆Po Change in annulus pressure at the packer, psi
∆Pia Change in average tubing pressure, psi
∆Poa Change in average annulus pressure, psi
∆T Change in average tubing temperature, oF
r Radial clearance between tubing OD and casing ID, inches
l Moment of inertia of tubing about its diameter

π D o is outside diameter and D i
= (D o4 − D i4 ) where is inside diameter
64
Ws Weight of tubing, lb/ft
Wi Weight of fluid in tubing, lb/ft
Wo Weight of displaced fluid, lb/ft
R Ratio of tubing OD to ID
β Coefficient of thermal expansion (6.9 x 10-6 in/in/oF for steel)
γ Poisson's ratio (0.3 for steel)
3.2.6 Sign Convention
In tubing movement and force calculations it is important to be

consistent with the sign conventions (positive or negative numbers)
used in the formulas and calculation results. For example, if a
negative length change occurred, does that mean the tubing moved
upward or downward? If a positive force change occurred, does that
mean the tubing is in tension or compression? The following sign
conventions are used by the majority of the industry:
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a) Length Changes
Negative length changes refer to the upward tubing movement

Positive length changes refer to the downward tubing movement
b) Force
Negative forces refer to tension

Positive forces refer to compression
c) Pressure Changes
Negative pressure changes refer to pressure reduction.

Positive pressure changes refer to pressure increase.
P = Pfinal - Pinitial
d) Temperature Changes
Negative temperature changes refer to temperature reduction

Positive temperature changes refer to temperature increase
T = Tfinal - Tinitial
4.0 SAUDI ARAMCO TUBING AND CASING TABLES
Refer to Chapter 9 Appendix-F for technical data for casing and tubing.
5.0 EXAMPLE TUBING MOVEMENT / FORCE PROBLEM
The following example takes a typical Saudi Aramco oil producer and calculates
the tubing movements and forces which result when the well is acidized. It is
provided here to show how the basic tubing movement and force equations are
used. It does not cover the three dimensional (or tri-axial) stresses since these
equations are very complicated1,2.
Acidization is one of the most stressful operations performed on a well. If not

designed properly the well could be damaged to the point that an expensive
workover is required to repair it. High surface pumping pressures balloon the
tubing, causing it to contract, or shrink. Since the acid is normally pumped at
ambient temperature, it is much cooler than the fluid (oil or gas) which was
originally in the tubing. This causes the tubing to shrink due to thermal contraction.
A combination of these movements, if large enough, may cause the tubing to
disengage or "un-sting" from the packer allowing the acid, the wellhead injection
pressure and subsequent production fluid to be in contact with the tubing/casing
annulus. In older wells, it may be possible that the seal assembly is stuck in the
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packer, not allowing the free movement of the seals in the seal bore extension.
Since the tubing cannot move, tensile forces are imparted to the tubing string.
These forces, if high enough, may part the tubing. The piston effect at the packer
also plays a role in tubing movement and forces, depending on the tubing and
packer configuration.
Three basic well conditions are reviewed:
5.1 Landing Condition
This condition describes the well when the tubing string was initially installed
or landed. For this example the following landing conditions, typical of Saudi
Aramco onshore oil producers will be used (refer to Figure 11 for the well
cross section):
• Production casing is 7" 26# J-55 (6.276" ID from casing tables)

• Production tubing is 4½" 12.6# J-55 VAM (3.958" ID from tubing
tables)
• Packer depth is 7000 ft
• Packer seal bore is 4.00" in diameter and is 12 ft long
• Seal assembly spaced out 3 ft
• Packer (tubing/casing annulus) fluid is inhibited diesel (51 pcf)
• Tubing fluid is diesel (51 pcf)
• Shut in tubing pressure (SITP) = 0 psi
• Shut in casing pressure (SICP) = 0 psi
• Wellhead temperature = 80oF
• Bottom hole (stabilized) temperature = 220oF
5.2 Well Condition Prior to Acid Job:
This condition describes the well before the acid job. It is provided as
background information and is not used in the calculations:
• Inhibited diesel packer fluid (51 pcf)

• Tubing fluid is oil and gas (~53 pcf)
• Shut in tubing pressure (SITP) = 400 psi
• Bottom hole temperature = 220oF
5.3 Acidizing Condition:
This condition describes the well during the acid job. Refer to Figure below.
• Packer (tubing/casing annulus) fluid is inhibited diesel (51 pcf)
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• Tubing fluid is 15% HCl acid (67 pcf)

• Tubing injection pressure (TIP) = 3000 psi
• Bottom hole temperature = 100oF
WELLHEAD
INJECTION PRESSURE
3000 PSI FROM PUMPER TRUCKS
CASING PRESSURE
500 PSI
15% HCl ACID (67 PCF)
4-1/2" PRODUCTION TUBING INHIBITED DIESEL TUBING-CASING

(12.6# J-55 VAM) ANNULUS FLUID (51 PCF)
4-1/2" X 3-1/2" CROSSOVER

ABOVE PACKER
7" PRODUCTION PACKER @ 7000'
with 4.00" SEAL BORE EXTENTION
3-1/2" TAILPIPE
7" PRODUCTION CASING

(26# J-55)
6-1/8" OPEN HOLE
TYPICAL SAUDI ARAMCO ONSHORE OIL PRODUCER

(TUBING MOVEMENT / FORCES EXAMPLE)
FIGURE 11
Assignment of Length and Force Terms:
The length and force change terms (as defined in the previous section) can be
defined as follows:
L = Depth
= 7000 ft
E = 30 x 106 psi (Modulus of elasticity for steel)
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As = Cross-sectional area of the tubing wall

π
= ( 4.52 − 3.9582 )
4
= 3.6 sq. in.
Ap = Area of packer ID
π
= × 4.00 2
4
= 12.56 sq. in.
Ai = Area of tubing ID
π
= × 3.985 2
4
= 12.47 sq. in.
Ao = Area of tubing OD
π
= × 4.5 2
4
= 15.90 sq. in.
∆Pi = Change in tubing pressure at the packer
= change in hydrostatic pressure + change in wellhead pressure
 (67 − 51) 
=  × 7000  + 3000
 144 
= 3778 psi
∆Po = Change in annulus pressure at the packer
= change in hydrostatic pressure + change in wellhead pressure

= 0 + 500
= 500 psi
∆Pia = Change in average tubing pressure
= avg. tubing press while acidizing - avg. initial tubing condition press
=
[ BH press ( acidizing ) + surf press( acidizing ) ] − [ BH press ( initial ) + surf press( initial ) ]
2 2
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 67    51  
 × 7000 + 3000 + 3000   × 7000 + 0 + 0 
 144    144  
= −
2 2
= 3389 psi
∆Poa = Change in average annulus pressure
= avg. annulus press while acidizing - avg. initial annulus condition press
 51    51  
 × 7000 + 500 + 500   × 7000 + 0 + 0 
 144    144  
= −
2 2
= 500 psi
∆T = Change in average tubing temperature
= avg. tubing temp while acidizing - avg. initial tubing condition temp
=
[ BH temp ( acidizing ) + surf temp ( acidizing ) ] − [ BH temp ( initial ) + surf temp ( initial ) ]
2 2
=
[100 + 80] − [ 220 + 80]
2 2
= -60 oF
r = Radial clearance between tubing OD and casing ID
= (6.276" - 4.5")/2
= 0.888"
I = Moment of inertia of tubing about its diameter
π
= (D o4 − D i4 ) where D o is outside diameter and D i is inside
64
diameter
π
= ( 4.5 4 − 3.958 4 )
64
= 8.08 in.
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Ws = Weight of tubing
= 12.6 lb/ft
Wi = Weight of fluid in tubing
Acid Wt × A i
=
144
67 × 12.47
=
144
= 5.8 lb/ft
Wo = Weight of displaced fluid
Diesel Wt × A o
=
144
51 × 15.9
=
144
= 5.6 lb/ft
R = Ratio of tubing OD to ID
= 4.5/3.958
= 1.14
β = Coefficient of thermal expansion for steel
= 6.9 x 10-6 in/in/oF

γ = Poisson's ratio for steel
= 0.3
Substitution of Length and Force Terms into Equations
1) Piston Effect
a) Length change
∆L 1 =
−L
EA S
[ (A p − A i )∆Pi − ( A p − A o )∆Po ]
=
−7000
30 × 10 6 × 3.6
[(12.56 − 12.47)3778 − (12.56 − 15.90)500]
= -0.13' (upward since the answer is negative)
b) Force change
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F1 = ( A p − A i )∆Pi − ( A p − A o )∆Po
= (12.56-12.47)3778-(12.56-15.90)500
= +340 psi (tubing side) +1670 psi (annular side)
= +2010 psi (compression since the answer is positive)
2) Pressure Buckling Effect

a) Length change
Since ∆Pi (3778 psi) is greater than ∆Po (500 psi) the length change due to buckling is
− r 2 A 2p ( ∆Pi − ∆Po ) 2
∆L 2 =
8EI( Ws + Wi − Wo )
−0.888 2 × 12.56 2 (3778 − 500) 2

=
8 × 30 × 10 6 × 8.08(12.6 + 5.8 − 5.6)
= -0.053' (or 0.64" upward since the sign is negative)
b) Force change
The force change is negligible since this effect mainly shortens the tubing.
3) Ballooning Effect
a) Length change
−2 Lγ  ∆Pia − R 2 ∆Poa 
∆L 3 =  
E  R2 − 1 
−2 × 7000 × 0.3  3389 − 114 . 2 × 500 
=  
30 × 10 6  . 2 −1
114 
= -1.28' (upward since the sign is negative)
b) Force change
F3 = - 0.6( ∆Pia A i − ∆Poa A o )
= - 0.6(3389 × 12.47 − 500 × 15.90)
= -20,586 lb (tension since the sign is negative)
4) Temperature Effect
a) Length change
∆L 4 = Lβ∆T
= 7000 × 6.9 × 10 −6 × ( −60)
= -2.90' (upward since the sign is negative)
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b) Force change
F4 = 207A s ∆T
= 207 × 3.6 × ( −60)
= -44,712 lb (tension since the sign is negative)
Summation of Movements and Forces
The total movement of the tubing string is summarized by the following table. Since
the summation of each effect results in a negative number, the movement is
upward.
Table 4D-5
Movement (ft)
Piston Effect - 0.13
Pressure Buckling Effect - 0.05
Ballooning Effect - 1.28
Temperature Effect - 2.90
TOTAL - 4.36
If the tubing seal assembly was not allowed to move or if the seals were anchored
into the production packer, a tubing-to-packer force would be exerted. This force
would be the sum of all the individual forces as shown by the following table. Since
the answer is a negative number, the force is tensile.
Table 4D-6
Force (lbs)
Piston Effect + 2010
Pressure Buckling Effect (negligible)
Ballooning Effect - 20586
Temperature Effect - 44712
TOTAL - 63288
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SAUDI ARAMCO WORKOVER MANUAL

Drilling Technical Department September 2013

CHAPTER 4 COMPLETION PRACTICES

2.1 Tubing Size Selection

3.0 PICK-UP AND SLACK-OFF GUIDELINES

3.1 Tubing Movement and Force Analysis

3.2 Tubing Movement Formulas

4.0 SAUDI ARAMCO TUBING AND CASING TABLES

5.0 EXAMPLE TUBING MOVEMENT/FORCE PROBLEM

5.1 Landing Condition

CHAPTER 4 COMPLETION PRACTICES

2.0 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

2.1 Tubing Size Selection

2.2 Anticipated Production Rate

The tubing must be of sufficient size to accommodate the expected

2.3 Nature of Produced Fluids

In practice, oil wells produce fluids in either two-phase (oil/water or oil/gas) or

Tubing size selection requires several reservoir and production parameters

CHAPTER 4 COMPLETION PRACTICES

accurately calculate tubing size, it is recommended to review the "Pipe-Flow"

2.4 Accommodation of Through Tubing Tools

Another consideration is the minimum acceptable through-bore for survey,

2.5 Economic Considerations

2.6 Tubular Availability

CHAPTER 4 COMPLETION PRACTICES

3.0 PICK-UP AND SLACK-OFF GUIDELINES

3.1 Tubing Movement and Force Analysis

3.1.1 Basic Pressure and Temperature Effects

The four pressure and temperature effects which should be

3.1.2 Piston Effect

Changes in pressure at the packer act on the inside and outside

3.1.3 Pressure Buckling Effect

Changes in pressure that cause a higher pressure inside the tubing

CHAPTER 4 COMPLETION PRACTICES

3.1.4 Ballooning Effect

Changes in average pressure cause a radial swelling (ballooning) or

3.1.5 Temperature Effect

Changes in the average temperature of the tubing string cause

3.2 Tubing Movement Formulas

3.2.1 Piston Effect

F1 = ( A p − A i )∆Pi − ( A p − A o )∆Po ________________(2)

CHAPTER 4 COMPLETION PRACTICES

3.2.2 Pressure Buckling Effect

−1.5r 2 A 2p ( ∆Pi − ∆Po ) 2

3.2.3 Ballooning Effect

3.2.4 Temperature Effect

CHAPTER 4 COMPLETION PRACTICES

Since the stresses involved with tubing movement are three

3.2.5 Length and Force Terms

E Modulus of elasticity, psi (30 x 106 psi for steel)

Ai Area of tubing ID, sq. in.

∆Pi Change in tubing pressure at the packer, psi.

∆Po Change in annulus pressure at the packer, psi

∆Pia Change in average tubing pressure, psi

∆Poa Change in average annulus pressure, psi

∆T Change in average tubing temperature, oF

r Radial clearance between tubing OD and casing ID, inches

l Moment of inertia of tubing about its diameter

γ Poisson's ratio (0.3 for steel)

3.2.6 Sign Convention

In tubing movement and force calculations it is important to be

CHAPTER 4 COMPLETION PRACTICES

Negative length changes refer to the upward tubing movement