Materials and Equipment Design in Oil and

Gas Industry
(21SPTE313)

Casing Properties and Design

Fall 2022
 Casing Design
The casing design process involves
three distinct operations:

1. The selection of the casing sizes

and setting depths;

2. The definition of the operational

scenarios which will result in
burst, collapse and axial loads

3. The calculation of the magnitude

of these loads and selection of an
appropriate weight and grade of
casing.
Tubular Design and Downhole Equipment
Casing is run to:
 prevent “fill” (formation fragments) from entering the wellbore

 protect fresh water zones from other fluids

 isolate zones - prevent or channel flow

 make drilling possible: mud weight has to stay in the “window”

between a minimum that will control the pore pressure (and
formation heaving) and a maximum that will not fracture the
formation.
 Tubular String Design Factors

• Tension – tube must stand its own weight in the running environment.
Tubing must stand additional loads when pulling out or setting packers and
forces due to temperature and pressure changes.
• Burst – maintain integrity with high internal tubing pressures with little or
no annular pressure support.
• Collapse - maintain integrity with high annulus pressures with little or no
internal pressure support.
• Compression – tube must stand compressive loads when setting some
packers and in highly deviated wells or dog legs.
 Tubular String Design Factors

• Couplings – free from leaks, maintain ID clearance, strength through

bend areas and in compression and tension loads.

• Corrosion - tube must be designed to counter corrosion reactions with

flowing fluids over its lifetime. CO2, H2S, acid, cracking, etc.

• Abrasion/Erosion – equipment must withstand abrasion and erosion

loads over lifetime

• Stimulation Loads – The tubular must withstand loads from acids,

fracturing or other stimulations
 Well Design and Construction

• Tubing Details and Considerations:

1. Max press during production.
• Conductor casing 2. Max pressure during shut-in.
3. Max pressure during frac.
• Surface Casing
4. Packer fluid density & height.
• Intermediate Casing 5. Changes in well use? Gas lift source in the
“A” annulus instead of packer fluid?
• Production Casing 6. Effect of leaks
 Casing Grades

API Grade Minimum Yield

H-40 40,000
J-55 55,000
K-55 55,000
C-75 75,000
N-80 80,000
L-80 80,000
C-95 95,000
P-110 110,000
Q-125 125,000
V-150 150,000
 Tubular Joints

• T&C – Threaded and Coupled

• LT&C – Long Thread and Coupled

• ST&C – Short Thread and Coupled

• Integral – direct connection using thread cut onto one

pipe and a box and thread cut into another.
 Tubular Joints
Threaded and Coupled Integral Connector

Pin
Pin

Coupling or connection

Pin box
 Casing Design
Calculate Loads on the Casing – Axial Load
The axial load on the casing can be either tensile or compressive,
depending on the operating conditions
 Casing Design
Calculate Loads on the Casing – Axial Load
The force Ften tending to pull apart the pipe is resisted by the
strength of the pipe walls, which exert a counterforce F2.

Where σyield is the minimum yield strength

and As is the cross-sectional area of steel.
Thus, the pipe-body strength

Equation 2 is used to calculate the minimum force that would

be expected to cause permanent deformation of the pipe.
 Casing Design
Effects of Bending
 Example 1

Calculate the body-yield strength for 20′′, K-55 casing

with a nominal wall thickness of 0.635′′ and a nominal
weight per foot of 133 lbf/ft.
 Example 1
Solution

d = 20.00 – 2(0.635) = 18.73′′

 Casing Design
Calculate Loads on the Casing – Burst Pressure
The casing will experience a net burst loading if the internal radial load
exceeds the external radial load.
 Casing Design
Calculate Loads on the Casing – Burst Pressure

Let θ be small enough

d
ds  r sin   r  
2
 Casing Design
Calculate Loads on the Casing – Burst Pressure

where σs is the nominal steel strength. Equation 3 is used only for

thin-wall casing. In drilling application, it is suggested that one
should use Barlow’s equation to calculate Pbr for thick-wall casing.

API recommends use of this equation with wall thickness rounded

to the nearest 0.001′′and the results rounded to the nearest 10 psi.
 Casing Design
Calculate Loads on the Casing – Burst Pressure

• If casing is subjected to internal pressure higher than external, it is said that

casing is exposed to burst pressure.
• Burst pressure conditions occur during well control operation or squeeze
cementing.
• Equation (4) is used to calculate the internal pressure at which the tangential
stress at the inner wall of the pipe reaches the yield strength of the material. The
factor 0.875 represents the allowable manufacturing tolerance of -12.5% on wall
thickness.
• Because a burst pressure failure will not occur until after the stress exceeds the
ultimate tensile strength, using a yield strength criterion as a measure of burst
strength is an inherently conservative assumption
 Example 2

Calculate the burst-pressure rating for 20′′, K-55 casing with a

nominal wall thickness of 0.635′′ and a nominal weight per foot of
133 lbf/ft
 Example 2
Solution

Rounded to the nearest 10 psi:

 Casing Design
Calculate Loads on the Casing – Collapse Pressure
The casing will experience a net collapse loading if the external radial
load exceeds the internal radial load. The greatest collapse load on the
casing will occur if the casing is evacuated (empty) for any reason
 Casing Design
Calculate Loads on the Casing – Collapse Pressure

If external pressure exceeds internal pressure, the casing is subjected to

collapse. Such conditions may exist during cementing operations or well
evacuation. Collapse strength is primarily function of the material’s
yield strength and its slenderness ratio, dn/t.

dn ro
r sr

t ri
st
Pi Pe
 Casing Design
Calculate Loads on the Casing – Collapse Pressure

pe , pi – external and internal pressure

σr , σt – radial and tangential stresses

Note: equations (5) and (6) are used under no axial tension or axial compression.
Data in Table 7.6 apply only for zero axial tension and no pipe bending.
 Example 3

Consider a drillpipe of E-75 4 ½′′ outer diameter with a unit weight

of 20 lb/ft inside a wellbore filled with 9.5 ppg mud. At a location of
3800 ft from the surface, pressure inside the pipe is 2000 psi, and
pressure outside the pipe is 1700 psi. Determine the tangential and
radial stresses at r = ro.
 Example 3
E-75 4 ½′′ and 20 lb/ft drill pipe has an inner diameter of 3.64 in.
Considering “r” is equal to ro = 2.25′′ :
 Calculation of Critical Loads
Critical Collapse Pressure – Collapse pressure Regimes

Plastic range Yield Range

Transition Range
Stress

Strain
 Casing Design

Collapse Pressure Regimes

The collapse strength criteria consist of four collapse regimes determined by yield strength
and dn/t. Each criterion is discussed next in order of increasing dn/t.

Yield strength collapse:

Yield strength collapse is based on yield at the inner wall. This criterion does not represent
a “collapse” pressure at all. For thick wall pipes (dn/t < 15), the tangential stress exceeds the
yield strength of the material before a collapse instability failure occurs.

Assumed that the pipe is subjected only to an external pressure pe. From eq. (6), the
absolute value of tangential stress st is always greatest at the inner wall of the pipe and that
for burst and collapse loads. Hence, the yield strength collapse occurs at the inner wall: r =
ri then equation (6) becomes:
 Casing Design

Collapse Pressure Regimes

 2 pe ro2
st  2

ro  ri 2  7

 2 pe ro2
st 
t ro  ri  8

Rearrange equation (8) gives equation (9) to calculate the critical pressure for
yield strength collapse, Pcr

 d n / t  1
PYP  2s Y  2 
 d n / t  
9
 Casing Design

Collapse Pressure Regimes

Plastic collapse:

Plastic collapse is based on empirical data from 2,488 tests of K-55, N-80 and P-110
seamless casing. No analytic expression has been derived that accurately models
collapse behavior in this regime. The minimum collapse pressure for the plastic
range of collapse is calculated by equation (10).

 F 
PP  s Y  1  F2   F3 10
dn / t 
 Casing Design

Collapse Pressure Regimes

Transition Collapse:

Transition collapse is obtained by a numerical curve fitting between the plastic and
elastic regimes. The minimum collapse pressure for the plastic-to-elastic transition
zone is calculated by equation (11)

 F 
PT  s Y  4  F5 
dn / t  11
 Casing Design

Collapse Pressure Regimes

Elastic Collapse:

Elastic collapse is based on theoretical elastic instability failure; this criterion is

independent of yield strength and applicable to thin-wall pipe (dn/t > 25). The
minimum collapse pressure for the elastic range of collapse is calculated by using
equation (12)

46.95  10 6
PE 
d n / t d n / t   12 12

Most oilfield tubulars experience collapse in the plastic and transition regimes.
 Casing Design

Collapse Pressure Regimes

 Casing Design

Collapse Pressure Regimes

F1  2.8762  0.10679  10 5 Y  0.21301 10 10 Y   0.53132  10 16 Y 

2 3

F2  0.026233  0.50609 106 Y

F3  465.93  0.030867Y  0.10483 107 Y   0.36989 1013 Y 

2 3

 3F2 / F1  
3

46.95  10 6

F4   2  F2 / F1 
 3F2 / F1  3F2 / F1  
2

Y  F2 / F1  1  
 2  F2 / F1    2  F2 / F1 

F5  F4 F2 / F1 
 Casing Design

Collapse Pressure Regimes

Apply only when

axial stress is
zero and no
internal pressure
 Example

Compute the collapse pressure rating for 20’’, K-55 casing with a nominal wall
thickness of 0.635’’ and a nominal weight per foot of 133 lbf/ft.

Solution:

dn/t = 20/0.635 = 31.49

This is the transition collapse

 F 
pT  s Y  4  F5 
 dn / t 

 1.989 
pT  55,000  0.036   1,493 psi
 31.49 
 Effect of axial loads on collapse and burst

Casing in tension is weaker in

collapse and stronger in burst – Casing in compression is weaker in
consider it for collapse calculations. burst and stronger in collapse –
ignore it for collapse calculations.
 Casing Design
Combined Stress Effects

All the pipe strength equations previously given are based on a zero axial
stress state. This idealized situation never occurs in oilfield applications
because pipe in a wellbore is always subjected to combined loading
conditions.
The fundamental basis of casing design is that if stresses in the pipe wall
exceed the yield strength of the material, a failure condition exists.
Hence the yield strength is a measure of the maximum allowable stress. To
evaluate the pipe strength under combined loading conditions, the uniaxial
yield strength is compared to the yielding condition.
 Casing Design
Combined Stress Effects

The most widely accepted yielding criterion is based on the maximum

distortion energy theory, which is known as the Huber-Von-Mises
Theory. This theory states that if the triaxial stress exceeds the yield
strength, a yield failure is indicated. Note that the triaxial stress is not
a true stress. It is a theoretical value that allows a generalized three-
dimensional stress state to be compared with a uniaxial failure
criterion (the yield strength).
 Casing Design
Combined Stress Effects

13
 Casing Design
Combined Stress Effects

Setting the triaxial stress equal to the yield strength and solving equation (13) give the results:

Equation (14) is for the ellipse of plasticity. Combining Eq. (14) and eq. (6) together and
let r = ri, will give the combinations of internal pressure, external pressure and axial
stress that will result in a yield strength mode of failure.

s t  pi s t  pi
< 0 for collapse and > 0 for burst
sY sY
 Critical Collapse Pressure
Combined Stress Effects – Von Mises Equivalent
Critical Collapse Pressure
Combined Stress Effects

As axial tension increases,

the critical burst-pressure
increases and the critical
collapse-pressure decreases.

In contrast, as the axial

compression increases, the
critical burst-pressure
decreases and the critical
collapse-pressure increases.

2
s t  pi 3  s  pi  1  s z  pi 
  1   z    
sY 4  sY  2  sY 
 Example

Compute the nominal collapse pressure rating for 5.5’’, N-80 casing with a
nominal wall thickness of 0.476’’ and a nominal weight per foot of 26 lbf/ft.
In addition, determine the collapse pressure for in-service conditions in
which the pipe is subjected to a 40,000 psi axial tension stress and a
10,000 psi internal pressure. Assume a yield strength mode of failure.
 Example
For collapse pressure rating, r = ri then eq. (6) becomes

st 
 
pi ro2  ri 2  2 pe ro2
ro2  ri 2

 
pi ro2  ri 2  2 pe ro2
 pi
s t  pi ro2  ri 2

sY sY

s t  pi  2ro2  pi  pe 
  2 
2 

sY  ro  ri  s Y 

s t  pi  25.52  pi  pe 
  2 
2 

sY  5.5  4.548  80 ,000 

s t  pi pi  p e  pe
 
sY 12,649 12,649
 Example
s z  pi
From eq. (14) with  0 we have
sY
s t  pi
 1
sY
 pe
 1
12,649

pe  12,649 psi

2
s t  pi 3  s  pi  1  s z  pi 
  1   z     14
sY 4  sY  2  sY 
 Example
For in-service conditions of sz = 40,000 psi and pi = 10,000 psi

s t  pi 10,000  pe

sY 12,649

s z  pi 40,000  10,000
  0.625
sY 80,000

Solving eq. (14) gives

s t  pi 10,000  pe
  0.841  0.3125  0.5284
sY 12,649

pe  16,684 psi
2
s t  pi 3  s  pi  1  s z  pi 
  1   z     14
sY 4  sY  2  sY 
Example