The deepwater and ultra-deepwater application of heavier parent casing weight liners creates a two-fold challenge. The first is dealing with the heavier parent weight, and the second is setting hangers at elevated tempretures. The combined challenges was more than standard liner hangers, which typically rely on all elastomer seals, could handle. This forced reliance on a modified standard liner hanger system that required the cement job to provide overall sealing capability.
Halliburton created the VersaFlex XtremeGrip liner hanger to provide a reliable liner-top seal in these instances, says James Williford, a Halliburton’s global product champion for liner hangers. A muti-piston tool design provides the additional force needed to set the hanger in heavier weight parent casings.
“We have gone from an all elastomer seal holding all the hang weight to a metal-to-mental seal with the hanger body holding the hang weight and the elastomer forming the secondary seal.” Williford says.
The VersaFlex XtremeGrip system
Halliburton’s VersaFlex XtremeGrip system is designed for ultra reliability in challenging deepwater environments with elevated temperatures. The expandable liner hanger system takes the standard VersaFlex liner hanger to the next level. This high-performance, advanced metal sealing technology provides a compliant metal seal with a fully bonded resilient elastomeric seal to account for imperfections in the parent casing.
Ideal for use in deepwater and offshore applications and wherever long liners are deployed, the VersaFlex XtremeGrip system is designed to mitigate risks and maintain hang-weight capabilities at elevated temperatures. The system offers increased robustness associated with liners and liner deployment. The hanger and running tool are assembled together and form an intrinsic packoff which minimizes downhole tool components and potential leak paths while cementing. The standard tool setup offers washdown capabilities, rotation capabilities without bearings and simultaneously allows for reciprocation of the liner. Once the cement has been placed and the tool actuates the expansion process, the hanger is set to offer bi-directional load capabilities and provide a gas-tight, liner-top seal which eliminates remedial liner-top squeeze jobs after setting.
Its ability to provide an ISO 14310 V0 tested, gas-tight seal on setting is surpassed only by its ability to provide enhanced hang weight capabilities at temperatures above 350°F (177°C).
The unique body profile of the VersaFlex XtremeGrip system utilizes engineered extrusion limiter rings to provide metal-to-metal seal and full bi-directional anchoring capability in all casing grades at elevated temperatures. Its clean-form design offers a smooth radial flow path allowing for unrestricted bypass area, which assist in reducing equivalent circulating densities (ECDs) during all phases of the operation.
Features
Simple, clean-form design;
Metal-to-metal seal with resilient elastomeric seal;
Optional elastomeric materials available;
360-degree hydraulically energized compliant seal;
Engineered extrusion limiter rings;
Integral upper tieback receptacle;
Single component, single task function;
Gas-tight, ISO 14310 V0 qualified;
Performs in elevated temperature environments – tested up to 575°F (302°C);
Reduced number of threaded connections.
The metal-to-metal seal in the form of an extrusion ring contacts the parent casing to form the seal and anchor the liner hanger to the parent casing. A minimal elastomer provides a secondary seal in case of damage to the parent casing. The hanger body’s extrusion rings expanding into the parent casing do not damage the casing. And the extrusion ring solution can maintain anchor load and sealing capability.
Benefits
Maintains hang-weight capability at elevated temperatures;
Sets in heavy-weight parent casing;
Applicable in oil, gas, or geothermal wells;
Reduces ECDs and improves flow rates;
Minimizes leak paths;
Less parts, less problems;
Reliable, engineered solution.
Application and case study
The system has been run and set successfully in deepwater projects in Norway, Angola, Malaysia, and the Gulf of Mexico.
A deepwater operator in the Gulf of Mexico had just finished drilling the final section of their most recent deepwater well. The 8 1/2-in. x 9 7/8-in. openhole section was side-tracked through a 10 1/8-in. casing window at a depth of 24,210 ft and reached approximately 28,000 ft total depth. The 10 1/8-in. parent casing was set 34 degrees inclination, and the openhole section reached a maximum deviation of 59 degrees at total depth.
A liner hanger was required to reliably run approximately 4,000 ft of 7 3/4-in. production liner to depth, cement the liner hole annulus to isolate the production sand, and hang the liner with a liner-top anchor/seal package – a feat that had not been performed without issue using conventional equipment.
While the 81 lb/ft heavy wall parent casing presented a challenge in pre-job models for the traditional VersaFlex liner hanger system, the VersaFlex XtremeGrip system was up for the challenge. What makes the expandable section of this hanger unique is a series of extrusion rings that replace most of the sealing and anchoring elastomers. These rings are similar to the machined ribs found normally on either side of an elastomer, and when expanded, create a metal-to-metal contact that provides high performance at elevated temperatures. With the VersaFlex XtremeGrip system design, thick wall casing is no longer a challenge.
This marks the first installation of the VersaFlex XtremeGrip system in the Gulf of Mexico.
Challenge—The operator needed a reliable way to run a liner hanger system approximately 4,000 ft. with 7 3/4-in. production liner to depth, cement the liner hole annulus to isolate the production sand, and hang the liner with a competent liner-top anchor/seal package in an extremely deviated well.
Solution—VersaFlex XtremeGrip liner hanger with its series of extrusion rings create a metal-to-metal seal with enhanced hang-weight capabilities in elevated temperatures.
Result—Over 4,000 feet of casing was run to bottom of the deviated well, which reached a maximum deviation of 59 degrees. Halliburton performed the cement job, isolated the formation, and set the hanger. The hanger expanded under pressure very close to what our modeling engineers predicted. The job was a success with ZERO NPT and the customer has placed more orders for the VersaFlex XtremeGrip system for their future GoM jobs.
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