By increasing overall well length accompanied by a negligible reduction in casing diameter, expandable liners continue to find promising applications in ultradeepwater wells.
Using R&B Falcon Inc.'s Deepwater Nautilus semisubmersible, Shell Exploration & Production Co. installed a second solid expandable tubular system last January in Alaminos Canyon 557 at a water depth of 7,790 ft (Fig. 1). This is the first time two expandable liners have been run in one well and is also a record measured depth installation at more than 16,000 ft.
Enventure Global Technology LLC, which is a 50-50 joint venture between Halliburton Energy Services Inc. and Shell Technology Ventures Inc., expanded the 1,521-ft long, 95/8-in. OD liner in openhole with the liner top being sealed back into the ID of the 113/4-in. base casing. The 1,521-ft system was expanded over 5 hr using propagation pressures of 2,000 psi.
The expansion process increased the liner ID to 9.978 in. as compared to a pre-expansion ID of 8.921 in. The 36-lb/ft, 95/8-in. OD liner expanded 11.8% into the 113/4-in. base casing, losing 4% in overall length. Engineers estimate post-expansion yield and collapse at 4,430 and 1,270 psi, respectively, based upon prior surface tests.
Per US Minerals Management Service and operator requirements, Enventure pressure tested the expandable liner at 1,500 psi with no leaks.
The first solid expandable tubular system was installed in the Alaminos Canyon 557 well in September 2000. This openhole drilling liner consisted of a 1,186-ft long, 133/8-in. OD string set inside a 16-in. base casing (Fig. 2).
The 9 5/8 x 113/4-in. system is the nineteenth commercial solid expandable tubular installation completed by Enventure of which 6 are openhole liner systems and 13 are cased-hole systems. As of mid-January, Enventure has expanded a total of 16,116 tubular ft and 528 connections.
