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8/3/2019 ECP_Halliburton2

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External Casing Inflation Packers:

Facts and Myths

By:

Hank Rogers


2/13

Then and Now Need for Down Hole Isolation

As drilling operations have changed, so

have the tools available for achievingdown hole isolation


3/13

Inflatable verses swell packers

Inflatable packers provide immediate annular sealingcompared to time delay necessary for swell packers

Inflatable packers generally have a larger expansion ratiocompared to swell packers

During primary cementing

Support second stage hydrostatic, whether a first stage is

performed or not Prevent fluid migration into placed slurry during cement

transition

During production phase

Isolate intervals between screens or slotted pipe

Isolate casing annulus to prevent inter-zonal communication

Swell packers generally offer less complicated and morereliable long term isolation in production applications

External Casing Isolation


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Do all packers hold equally from both ends?

Does packer design affect differential

pressure rating? Fixed/fixed or fixed/free

How does hole size affect differential

pressure rating?

Inflatable Packer Performance Questions

Fixed / Fixed

Free / Fixed

Is pressure rating greater from

free end than fixed end?

Is pressure rating equalfrom both ends?


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Design test fixture to evaluate packerperformance for 9 and 13 elements

Test packers from fixed and free ends Verify hypothesis related to fixed and free

end packer elements

Testing Program Proposal


6/13

External Casing Packer Test Fixture

Pressure port toinflate packer

Pressure portabove packer

Pressure portbelow packer


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Nitrogen Test Below Packer Fixed End

Inflation

Pressure of1,600 psi

PRESSURE FROM BELOW / NITROGEN

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Time in Minutes

PSI

Nitrogen Inflation Pressure

Pressure

below packer

Pressure inside increased with

pressure below packer slightlybefore bypassing occurred

Pressure port toinflate packer

Pressure portabove packer

Pressure portbelow packer


8/13

Pressure Applied Above Free End of Packer

13.375" MSIPC b

11:01 a.m. - 02.19.2003

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Minutes

Psi.

Infl at ion-P ac ker P res sure-A bove

Inflation pressure

Pressure above packer

Pressure inside increasedwith pressure above free end.


9/13

Packer Elements and Test Fixture

Test fixture used to test 9 5/8 and

13 3/8 packer elements

13 3/8 packer elements


10/13

Fixed / fixed packer designs hold equally from eitherend

Fixed / fixed packer designs hold slightly above

inflation pressure from either end Fixed / free packer designs hold appreciably more

from the free end compared to the fixed end

Packer Performance Results

Fixed / Fixed

Free / Fixed

Appreciably higher differential

pressure rating from free end

Equal holding fromboth ends


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Conclusions

Packer design comparison Both fixed/fixed and fixed/free packer designs

can reliable hold differential pressures to the

inflation pressure Fixed/free packer designs can hold appreciably

higher differential pressures from the free endthan the inflation pressure

Increasing hole size results in decreaseddifferential pressure rating


12/13

Recommendations

Operational and installation recommendations Install packers in competent well bore sections when possible

Properly centralize packer (above and below) as the inflation

process of the packer will not centralize the casing

Inflate packer above expected differential pressure when usingfixed/fixed packer designs

If properly selected and used, external casing inflationpackers can provide competent annular isolation uponcompletion of the inflation process


13/13

External Casing Inflation Packers:

Facts and MythsBy:

Hank Rogers

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