OTC 15396 18-3/4 in.

FullBore Wellhead System

Marc Minassian, ABB Vetco Gray
Copyright 2003, Offshore Technology Conference This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2003 Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston, Texas, U.S.A., 58 May 2003. This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC Program Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the Offshore Technology Conference or its officers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Offshore Technology Conference is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented.

Abstract This paper describes the development of full-bore wellheads, a new 18-3/4 in. 15,000 psi W.P. system, from conception to field installation. The wellhead when installed has a full-bore diameter without a casing hanger landing shoulder to allow one more casing string to be run below the mudline under BOP control due to this major wellhead innovation. Introduction Today wells are being drilled in deeper and deeper water which associates to higher costs. More economical risk is taken to drill wells in deeper water and reaching the payzone with a sufficient size production string to produce from is more important than ever before. In addition to deeper water, there is a need to find ways to drill in more difficult formations some of which include various shallow zone hazards1. As a result of these concerns, there has been a demand to find ways to ensure that the operators can reach the planned hole depth and/or size required to produce from. Unforeseen hole problems that may have not been expected may hinder reaching the depth requirements. By providing one more casing string than a conventional 18-3/4 in. wellhead system, a better opportunity to reach the desired hole depth and size can be achieved. To help solve these problems a new 18-3/4 in. wellhead system with a 36 in. conductor string was designed and implemented. A 36 in. x 18-3/4 in. wellhead system consists of the following casing program: Conventional: 36 in. x 28 in./26 in. x 20 in. x 16 in. x 13-3/8 in. x 9-5/8 in. x 7 in. Full-bore: 36 in. x 28 in./26 in. x 22 in. x 18 in. x 16 in. x 13-3/8 in. x 9-5/8 in. x 7 in.

The new system adds the 18 in. string which is run under BOP control, and the 20 in. becomes 22 in. hanging from the high pressure housing as shown in Figure A. The 36 in. string is jetted or cemented in place using conventional methods. The 18-3/4 in. high pressure housing is run with 22 in. casing suspended from the bottom and landed in the 36 in. housing and cemented in place. The 18 in. string is landed in the 22 in. string below the mudline in its respective sub. The 16 in. string is run like the 18 in. string, but it will land in an independent sub in the 22 in. string above the 18 in. string and below the high pressure housing. The load shoulder is then set in the high pressure housing, and 13-3/8 in., 9-5/8 in. and 7 in. casing can be run and set, respectively, with each subsequent casing string landing on top of the other. The new system provides one more casing string to the above conventional program, but with reduced radial clearances between several of the strings. Furthermore, due to the tight clearances, drives the requirement for high clearance or flush joint connections. This additional string of casing helps operators utilize existing rig equipment sizes and capabilities1. Specifications The specifications for the wellhead system are the following: 18-3/4 in. - 15,000 psi rated working pressure Compliance with industry specifications: API 17D and NACE MR-0175 Temperature range of 35 Deg. F to 250 Deg. F Weight set operation Single trip installation of hanger and seal assembly with metal sealing Minimization of the number of trips and tools 18.630 in. nominal through bore of high pressure housing prior to setting load shoulder Load carrying capacity of 6.2 million lbs 1 million lbs per hanger (13-3/8 in., 9-5/8 in. and 7 in.) (7 in. hanger does not transfer significant load to the load shoulder) 4.1 million lbs end-load due to 15,000 psi full bore test. Design Subsea Wellhead Housing The primary design feature of this new wellhead system is the high pressure housing. In a conventional 18-3/4 in. subsea wellhead there is a load shoulder, which reduces the bore to an approximately 17-9/16 in. diameter that allows a casing

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hanger to be run and set on at any time in the drilling program and allows for a 17-1/2 in. bit to pass through. In this new wellhead system, the high pressure housing has an 18-5/8 in. in diameter, or full-bore, throughout the entire length. This is what coins the term FullBore. The load shoulder in the FullBore Wellhead System is a mechanism that consists of a c-ring, load shoulder retainer, shear pins, and anti-rotation ring prepacked in the housing prior to shipping offshore, as shown in Figures B-1 thru B-5. When it is time to create the load shoulder the c-ring is shifted down into its set position as shown in Figure B-3 with a load shoulder actuation tool (LSAT). After the load shoulder is set, the ID of the wellhead housing is approximately 17-9/16 in. in diameter, like a conventional subsea wellhead. Load Shoulder Actuation Tool The load shoulder is set with a running tool that actuates the load shoulder subsea with weight, as shown in Figure C-1. It runs down the hole on drill pipe, locates four (4) slots in the housing, weight is applied down to set the load ring and a pressure test is performed to verify the tool has energized the load ring and/or perform BOP isolation tests. The tool consists of 3 primary systems, the detent system, the load shoulder setting system, and the test verification system. The detent system, as shown in Figures C-2 and C-3, gives feedback to the rig floor that the four (4) dogs in the tool have engaged in the four (4) slots in the wellhead. The detent system consists of four (4) lever pins, an actuator ring, four (4) levers, and four (4) dogs. When the tool stem is rotated to the right or left the dogs rub on the inside bore of the housing until they line up with the slots in the housing. At this time, the stem is locked to the tool. When the dogs line up with the slots, the dogs move outwards by the force that is transferred from the weight on the stem. This outward movement occurs, because the weight on the stem transfers into the actuator ring, to the lever pins, to the levers which are hinged, and finally into the dogs. When the levers swing out, the actuator ring expands, and the stem drops approximately two (2) feet releasing from the tool. This drop gives the rig feedback that the dogs are now oriented with the slots. The load shoulder setting system, as shown in Figures C-4 thru C-6, is a series of parts in the tool starting from the stem down to the dogs that utilize weight to release the load shoulder from its prepacked position and push the shoulder down into its final setting position. By maintaining sufficient weight down on the stem, the lower body of the tool begins to stroke and the dogs make contact with the load shoulder, breaks the shear pins, collapses the load shoulder by sliding it down the load shoulder retainer, and then drives it down until it comes to a stop. At this point, the load shoulder is also locked down with a detent mechanism by the load shoulder retainer. The test verification system, is a two (2) part system, as shown in Figure C-7. First, it gives the rig feedback that the tool has fully stroked. Prior to fully stroking, pumping down the annulus will circulate fluids back up the drill pipe and vice versa if pumping down the drill pipe. When the tool fully strokes, the bulk seal at the top of the tool becomes energized with weight down on the stem. At this point, the BOP is closed and pressure is applied using the choke or kill line up to

15,000 psi. The lead impression pins in the tool at the load shoulder are fully impressed which will be verified after retrieving the tool. Second, the pressure test, which isolates the wellhead from the equipment above, will also allow the operator to test rig equipment at this time if desired up to 15,000 psi. Casing Hangers With the addition of the new wellhead system, three (3) new casing hangers have been introduced. First, the 18 in. hanger, which is the key string to the wellhead program. Second, is the 16 in. hanger, which is not a new size hanger, but it is unique to this wellhead program since it has to work in relation to the 18 in. Third, the 9-5/8 in. or 2nd position hanger in the wellhead is unique in the fact that the hanger does not have wickers. This allows more deflection in the system while maintaining sealability up to 15,000 psi and not sacrificing lockdown capabilities. Design considerations of the 9-5/8 in. hanger geometry and how the annulus seal work are beyond the scope of this paper2. 18 Casing Hanger System This hanger and landing sub with the running and retrieval tool is one of the key components of this system. Figure D-1 shows what it looks like in its operational condition. The 18 in. string allows operators to run casing with a 21 in. drilling riser and an 18-3/4 in. BOP stack. The 18 in. hanger is a one piece passive design with a high strength load shoulder. It does not have any loose parts. The hangers landing sub is a one piece design as well. It is a machined component with a high strength load shoulder. Since the amount of contact between the hanger and the landing sub is so small, 0.093 in., the high strength rings are required to provide the bearing capacity that is required to support the weight and pressure requirements. The small shoulder is designed to support approximately 500,000 lbs of weight from casing and 4000 psi of pressure which induces an additional 1 million lbs on the load shoulder when testing the annulus seal with its running and retrieval tool. This shoulder must support approximately 1.5 million lbs of axial load. The landing sub has a nominal inside diameter of 18.225 in. This does not leave much clearance between the 18 in. casing and its sub. To allow for fluid to pass as the pipe is tripped in the hole, slots have been machined in the sub that go around the back side of landing ring, as shown in Figure D-1. The flowby area while tripping pipe is approximately 12 in2 with 0.2 in. particle size. Once the hanger has fully landed, the flow-by area increases to 16 in2 with a 0.7 in. particle size for cementing operations. The running and retrieval tool, shown in Figures D-1 thru D-3, is used to install the hanger and seal in the hole in the same trip. It can also run the hanger and seal in separate trips. This tool consists of two (2) basic systems, the camming system and lead impression system. The camming system allows the operator to pump down the drill pipe to function different features of the tool depending on how many right hand turns are made in the drill pipe. This can be done because the cam travels up the tool, with respect to the rest of the tool, using threads interfaced with the stem. As the cam travels up, ports in the cam open and close communications with various parts of the tool.

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When four (4) turns are made in the tool, the tool locks to the hanger, is ready to run down hole and is in the cementing position. When eight (8) turns are in the stem, communication is now open between the drill pipe and the seal setting piston, as shown in Figure D-2. Figure D-3 shows what the seal looks like in the energized position after the piston is stroked on the tool. When twelve (12) turns are in the stem, communication is now closed with the seal setting piston and the tool unlocks from the hanger to allow releasing from the hanger. The feature of unlocking and locking to a hanger using a cam is explained in detail in a previous OTC paper 63913. The lead impression system, as shown in Figure D-2, allows the operator to visually look at the tool and determine exactly where the hanger is located relative to its landing sub. During the seal setting mode, pressure strokes out the lead impression piston and it impresses in a machined groove in the landing sub. The piston is then retracted when the tool is pressurized from above to test the seal. In the event that the seal needs to be removed because it did not hold pressure, it can be removed on a separate trip using the 18 in. Seal Retrieval Tool. This tool lands off on the hanger, latches into the seal, de-enenergizes the seal, and pulls it out of the hole. If another seal is decided to be installed, then an 18 in. Clean and Flush Tool, would be used to clean out the pocket between the hanger and the landing sub using wash ports in the tool. This is a simple tool that lands on the casing hanger, rotated to the right slowly to agitate any debris and fluid is pumped down the drill pipe to circulate the debris. 16 Casing Hanger System This system is similar to the 18 in. system in the fact there is a hanger and annulus seal as well as its unique running and retrieval tool. The 16 in. hanger is larger than conventional 16 in. hangers that are used in 18-3/4 in. wellhead systems. Since the inside diameter of a conventional wellhead is approximately 17-9/16 in., the outside diameter of the hanger must be less than this to pass through. However, the full-bore wellhead system has a full opening of 18.630 in. that allows a larger hanger to pass through. The hanger requires a larger outside diameter than a conventional 16 in. hanger to be able to land off in the 22 in. string since the 16 in. landing sub has to big enough to allow the 18 in. hanger to pass through. Since the landing sub has to allow the 18 in. hanger to pass through, it does not leave much shoulder for the 16 in. hanger to land on. This leads to a No-Go collet style hanger, as shown in Figure E-1. The No-Go collet hanger is a 3-piece design which consists of a hanger body, No-Go collet and centralizer band, as shown in Figure E-1. When the hanger is run in the hole with its running and retrieval tool, the collet tags off on the landing sub. Next, when sufficient weight has transferred into the shoulder, the hanger slides down the collet and at the same time the collet arms swing outwards and catch a larger profile in the landing sub which will support all the weight and pressure requirements. The centralizers function is to keep the hanger centered in the 22 in. pipe as much as possible. This is to prevent the collet from pre-maturely activating while tripping in the hole. This style of hanger is required because the small tag shoulder only provides 0.06 in. amount of contact between the landing sub and the hanger. The large

profile supports 750,000 lbs of weight and 6500 psi of pressure which induces an additional 670,000 lbs on the load shoulder. The load shoulder must also support approximately 1.5 million lbs of axial load at any one time. To allow fluid to pass as the pipe is tripped in the hole and to keep pipe surges to a minimum there are slots on the outside of the hanger and slots and holes in the running and retrieval tool. The flow-by area while tripping pipe and during cementing operations is 16 in2 with a 0.7 in. particle size. However, the particle size will be slightly reduced when the 16 in. casing enters the 18 in. casing. The running and retrieval tool, shown in Figures E-2 thru E-5, is used to install the hanger and seal in the hole in the same trip. This tool, like the 18 in. running tool, can run the hanger and seal in separate trips. This tool consists of two (2) basic systems, the camming system and the dual test pressure system. The camming system, is very similar to the 18 in. system. It allows the operator to pump down the drill pipe to function different features of the tool. As the stem is rotated to the right, the cam moves up the stem on threads. During this upwards travel, the ports on the cam open and close communication between various parts of the tool. Like the 18 in. tool, communication is opened between the drill pipe and seal setting piston when there are eight (8) turns in the stem, as shown in Figure E-2. Another feature of this rising cam is that the stem does not see a torque build up as the stem is rotated since it does not move vertically. Like the 18 in. tool, as the stem is rotated every four (4) turns the tool performs different operations. The dual test pressure system gives the ability to test the seal through the drill pipe or in the annulus. When there are eight (8) turns in the stem, the BOP is closed and pressure is applied down the choke or kill line to test the seal. This applies pressure across a large area, from the inside diameter of the landing sub where the seal is located, to the outside diameter of the drill pipe where the pipe rams or annular bag seals. When testing to higher pressures, up to 6500 psi, testing down the drill pipe is required. This mode occurs when the stem has twelve (12) turns in it, as shown in Figure E-4. Weight is set down on the drill pipe that energizes a bulk seal and pressure is applied down the drill pipe at the same time. This traps the pressure between the bulk seal and the annulus seal. The trapped pressure prevents the tool from applying an end load effect on the hanger and landing sub, but tests the seal. In the event that the seal needs to be removed because it did not hold pressure, the same procedures would take effect as it did for the 18 in. system, however, with a unique 16 in. Seal Retrieval Tool and Clean and Flush Tool. Operations Operators have and can use this new full-bore wellhead system in different ways. Some choose conservative approaches while others take more aggressive ones to gain trip savings. Conservative method of installation: 1) Jet in 36 in. casing. 2) Drill out for 22 in. casing.

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3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19)

Run in hole and cement 22 in. casing. Install 18-3/4 in. BOP stack and 21 in. riser. Drill out for 18 in. Remove the nominal seat protector from the high pressure housing. Remove the nominal seat protector from the 16 in. landing sub. Run in hole and cement 18 in. casing. Install nominal seat protector in the 16 in. landing sub. Install nominal seat protector in high pressure housing. Drill out for 16 in. Remove the nominal seat protector from the high pressure housing. Remove the nominal seat protector from the 16 in. landing sub. Run in hole and cement 16 in. casing. Install nominal seat protector in high pressure housing. Drill out for 13-3/8 in. Remove the nominal seat protector from the high pressure housing. Set the load shoulder and verify proper installation. Run and set 13-3/8 in. casing.

running and retrieval tool. When the string is tripped in the hole, the wear sleeve latches into the high pressure housing, releases from the running and retrieval tool with right hand rotation and the drilling string travels down hole to commence drilling. The sleeve essentially protects the wellhead while drilling. When the string is coming out of the hole the wear sleeve latches back onto its tool and is retrieved. The second method is more aggressive than the first because the high pressure housing seal profiles and 16 in. seal profile are exposed to the bottom hole assembly and bit when passing through. Furthermore, the 16 in. sealing profile is also exposed while drilling. Some operators are willing to take this risk to save trips. In the case that the 16 in. seal does not hold pressure, cement is one option to make the seal. For those operators who choose the more aggressive plan, six (6) trips are eliminated as compared to the conservative plan. If the 16 in. protector is used then only three (3) trips will be saved relative to the conservative plan. The protector has to be pulled prior to running 18 in. and 16 in. casing. Pre-development and Final Qualification Program Early in the program, a stacked wellhead system was designed and built to add one more casing string to a conventional wellhead. The 18 in. casing string was located in its landing sub in the 22 in. The 16 in. string was landed and located on top of the 18 in. hanger. The 16 in. sitting on top of the 18 in. coined the term stacked system. This system allowed for 100% passive hangers on both. Furthermore, if the 18 in. string did not need to be run, the 16 in. hanger could land in the same sub the 18 in. lands on. However, this system did have a serious downside. If the 18 in. hanger did not make it all the way down in the proper location, the 16 in. hanger would also sit high. This could have created sealing problems. As a result of this deficiency, the split full-bore system was created. The 18 in. and 16 in. hangers were separated and could be run as far apart and as close as desired within reason. The split system went through vigorous testing in the laboratory. The load shoulder was load tested to 6.2 million lbs. The load was simulated by apply 22,500 psi on a test plug across an 18.630 diameter. The load shoulder showed negligible brinelling after testing. The 18 in. and 16 in. hanger systems which include hangers, seals and running and retrieval tools were fully tested in their respective landing subs. The subs were welded in a piece of 22 in. of pipe with test apparatuses to cross over to a hydraulic ram underneath and above to push and pull the running and retrieval tool to simulate offshore operations to function the tool. Field Installation Status In early part of 2001, this new wellhead was installed for the first time in the Gulf of Mexico. The new high pressure wellhead housing with the full-bore opening along with the 18 in. and 16 in. were successfully installed. Since that time five (5) more systems have been run and set with 100% success through the year 2002. In 2003, six (6) to ten (10) more systems are planned for installation. The numbers show that

Since the 18 in. and 16 in. casing hangers will not pass through the wellhead with the nominal seat protector installed, it must be pulled prior to running the casing strings. Having to pull the protector prior to running 18 in. and 16 in. is a downside to the full-bore system. Since clearances have become so tight between the 22 in., 18 in. and 16 in. strings, something had to give to make this system work. In a conventional wellhead system, 16 in. casing has a smaller outside diameter which lands in a sub located in the 20 in. string and can run through the nominal seat protector without having to retrieve it prior to running casing. As a result of this downside, a new tool that allows operators to run a bore protector on the drill string is available to operators who are willing to take more chances to save trips. A more aggressive method of installation that allows trip savings is the following: 1) Jet in 36 in. casing. 2) Drill out for 22 in. casing. 3) Run in hole and cement 22 in. casing. 4) Install 18-3/4 in. BOP stack and 21 in. riser. 5) Drill out for 18 in. with Drill String Installed Wear Sleeve Assembly and Running and Retrieval Tool. 6) Run in hole and cement 18 in. casing. 7) Drill out for 16 in. with Drill String Installed Wear Sleeve Assembly and Running and Retrieval Tool. 8) Run in hole and cement 16 in. casing. 9) Install the nominal seat protector in high pressure housing. 10) Drill out for 13-3/8 in. 11) Remove the nominal seat protector from the high pressure housing. 12) Set the load shoulder and verify proper installation. 13) Run and set 13-3/8 in. casing. The (DSI-WS), Drill String Installed Wear Sleeve, allows an operator to run a wear sleeve in the drill string and not make additional trips to run and retrieve it (Figure F). The tool is located above the bottom hole assembly latched to its

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there seems to be an increasing demand for this type of system. Conclusions This new full-bore wellhead system gives operators the advantage of running one more casing string through a high pressure housing under BOP control. Being to able to drill one more hole section with mud that returns to the surface through the 21 in. riser, lets operators work through the difficult surface shall zone hazards. It allows operators to use existing rig equipment and capabilities. Rig space is saved because only one riser and one BOP stack need to be used to drill the entire wellhead program and still have one more large casing string. The new system provides the opportunity to drill deeper and reach the required zone and/or complete the drilling program with a larger size hole. However, this new system is more difficult to run than a conventional system, due to the tighter clearances between strings. Hence, pipe has to be run slower to reduce surge pressures and flush or near flush joint connections need to be used on 18 in. and 16 in. casing. In general, when one more casing string is needed to complete the drilling program or to be able to have one more string in your back pocket for those just in case or unanticipated situations, the full-bore system is the wellhead that can do that. References
1) Barker, J. W.: Wellbore Design with Reduced Clearance Between Casing Strings, SPE/IADC 37615. 2) Milberger, L.J. and Boehm, C.F., High Performance Metal-Seal System for Subsea Wellhead Equipment, OTC Paper 6085, 1989. 3) Danner, B.L. and Henderson, H.O., Development of an Advanced Subsea Wellhead System Incorporating All Metal-toMetal Sealing, OTC Paper 6391, 1990.

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16 in. Packoff

18 in. Packoff

22 in. Casing

16 in. Hanger

18 in. Hanger

16 in. Landing Sub

18 in. Landing Sub

Figure A 22 in. Casing Hanging from High Pressure Housing with 16 in and 18 in Landing Sub located in the 22 in. casing

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Remotely Activated Load Shoulder

Positive Lock

Mechanical Retainer

Support Ring

Lock Ring

Figure B-2 Load Shoulder Mechanism shown Prepacked in wellhead to allow full opening

Figure B-3 Load Shoulder Mechanism shown energized and ready to run 13-3/8 in casing

Figure B-1 18-3/4 in. Full-bore High Pressure Housing with 18-5/8 in. ID Load Shoulder

Figure B-4 Looking down the high pressure housing to the load shoulder

Figure B-5 Looking up the high pressure housing to the load shoulder

OTC 15396 Actuator Ring Lever Pin

Stem Lower Body Lever

Dog

Figure C-2: Detent System prior to finding slots

Wellhead Slot

Landed in Housing

Locating Slots in High Pressure Housing

Figure C-1 Load Shoulder Actuation Tool (LSAT) in High Pressure Housing Figure C-3: Detent System after finding slots

OTC 15396 Shear Pin Load Shoulder

Bulk Seal

Load Shoulder Retainer

Figure C-5: Dogs Landed on Load Ring

Dog

Shear Pin

Figure C-6: Load Ring is Set

Lead Pin

Figure C-7: Lead Impression pins are impressed

Figure C-4: Load Shoulder Actuation Tool (LSAT) load shoulder setting and function test verification systems

10 Landing Sub Flow-by Slots Cam Casing Hanger

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Dogs Engaged in Hanger Load Shoulder

Piston

Seal

Figure D-1: 18 in. Casing Hanger set on landing sub with its Running and Retrieval Tool

Lead Impression System Figure D-3: 18 in. Seal is set when piston stroked

Stem

Communication Access

Figure D-2: Drill pipe is communicating with piston to be able to set seal and Lead Impression System

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11

Cam

Stem Casing Hanger Body Communication Access Dogs engaged in Hanger

Piston No-Go Collet Figure E-2: Drill pipe is communicating with piston to be able to set seal Landing Sub

Tag Shoulder

Piston Centralizer Band Seal in set position

Figure E-1: 16 in. Casing Hanger set on landing sub with its running and retrieval tool

Figure E-3: 16 in. seal is set when piston stroked

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Communication Access to Seal

Running and Retrieval Tool

Bulk Seal

Wear Sleeve

Figure E-4: Cam has moved up to open communication to test seal through drill pipe with twelve turns in stem

Landed in High Pressure Housing

Tool releasing from Wear Sleeve

Figure F: Drill String Installed Wear Sleeve with Running Tool