American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2019 - 45

SpecialReport: Tubulars Technology

TO-THE-LIMIT WELL DESIGNS

Whether onshore or offshore, the increasing complexity of today's field developments is driving the
demand for more advanced solutions in all aspects of well
operations, tubulars notwithstanding. What operational
trends do you see as the biggest drivers for advances in tubular technology? How is Vallourec working with oil and
gas companies to assist them in designing tubular programs
to overcome the challenges of more complex wells?
SANTELER: Without a doubt, the biggest trend we have
seen and continue to see is a heavier emphasis on improving
operational efficiency and decreasing total cost of ownership.
And these aren't simply cliché terms that are being overused.
They have always been a major consideration, but the lower
sustained oil price has forced operators to re-evaluate their well
designs and look for innovative ways to increase production
while reducing costs. This is not to say that we've seen a
regression in tubular requirements, however. In fact, I would
say it has been quite the opposite.
Vallourec has been working closely with operators to help
them better understand the limits of our current products and to
help us better understand their needs. This close partnership has
given them the ability to design "closer to the limits" to enhance
production and lower their well costs, including higher operational
torque for longer laterals, reduced wall thickness for less metal
and cost per well, or an entirely new size to fit a development
project. It's great for us as it continues to push us to enhance
our testing and portfolio. In fact, it has led to several advancements
such as higher-torque VAM® connections that have already
seen great success in the market.
One example of how we have advanced our tubular design
programs has been helping operators optimize the completions
flow, which enhances the overall recovery from the formation.
Historically, wells were designed around industry standard sizes
and grades, and the completions engineering group was left to
deal with the results. It should be no secret at this point that Vallourec has pushed past that boundary as the first to ask if we
could switch this thinking around. We've worked with our customers to optimize the well design from the completions side
first and work backward to a casing size that can accomplish
that. It creates some interesting supply chain challenges, but
time and time again, we've seen that the benefits far outweigh
any of these challenges.

Looking at horizontal resource plays, what new
tubular solutions are being engineered specifically
for the challenges encountered in extended-reach laterals?
How are premium connections and threads evolving in
step with tubulars to withstand the increased torque,
drag, fatigue and other downhole forces?

SANTELER: The industry seems to be focused on the
highest torque possible. Our VAM portfolio certainly has that
with numerous connections that have maximum torque with
sealability (MTS) well over the 30,000 foot-pound bar. However,
understanding the performance ratings on any connection is

crucial, especially since there is no industry standard for what
is published on a data sheet. At Vallourec and VAM, we believe
that the ratings for any connection are only relevant when they
include full sealability. If not, you are at risk for a leak that
prevents you from finishing your completions, or even worse,
at risk of a failure.
The Gulf of Mexico has always demanded critical testing to
ensure the pipe and connections can withstand the environment,
but this isn't the case for onshore. This is an issue for us as we
must ensure our products perform as promoted. To ensure our
connections meet that promotion, VAM has designed and developed a shale testing protocol that simulates actual conditions
of unconventional drilling. The testing includes make and
breaks, fatigue cycles, bake-out, and combined loading with
tension, compression and pressure. Furthermore, it includes
our maximum promoted torque values. This has taught us a lot
about how high fatigue and torque can affect a connection's
ability to hold pressure. That information has helped improve
our finite element analysis abilities, allowing us to more
precisely predict what happens down hole. We now use the
data and testing to design and improve our onshore suite of
VAM connections, which in turn, allows operators to push
boundaries even further.

How are design and fabrication processes being
customized to match particular customer needs,
especially in challenging wells? How can integrating customer-tailored solutions and services as part of "total
systems approach" drive down risk and cost while
efficiently meeting technical requirements?

SANTELER: Going back to the total cost of ownership, we
have tried to work with our customers to help make sure their
tooling matches the casing design. Hangers, crossovers, pup
joints, float equipment, etc., are as important as the rest of the
casing. The entire design is only as strong as the weakest link.
Historically, the above items were chosen without a lot of discussion from the tubular supplier. As we've strengthened our
relationship with our customers, we have worked to help supply
some of these items to make sure the material and performance
properties match.
We try to be very conscious of operator choice. We can help
as an adviser as needed. However, the operator has the end
choice with whom to do business. With that in mind, we
maintain a licensee network to help thread our VAM connections.
We work with other vendors to supply dimensions on critical
components on behalf of our customers. We advise when using
other equipment. Essentially, we're not pushing them to do
something they are uncomfortable with.
For those companies that want the total systems package, we
offer a variety of items that can help streamline operations. As I
mentioned, we can work with vendors to make accessories as
strong as the rest of the design, and we have our own ability to
manufacture accessories in house where needed. We can help
make sure pipe is ready to run when it arrives at an operator's
location, and we work hand-in-hand with our distribution
network to ensure that a consistent supply of material is available
SEPTEMBER 2019 45

American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2019

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