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Tubing and Casing

Buckling in
Horizontal Wells
Yu·Che Chen, Yu·Hsu Lin, and John B. Cheatham,
SPE, Rice U.

Summary. This paper describes Introduction


nY27r)2 w ( L )2
new theoretical results for predicting Since 1950, many analyses have been per- Fcr=EI ( - - + - - - .. (3)
L r nY27r
the buckling behavior of pipe in formed on the mechanics of pipe in oil and
gas wells. Lubinski et aZ. 1 defined the hel- By setting Z=LlnY2 in Eq. 3, the critical
horizontal holes. Pipe buckling in ical buckling behavior of pipes in vertical load is similar to the buckling force for a
horizontal holes occurs initially in a wells. However, the postbuckling behavior beam on an elastic foundation 5 with the
sinusoidal mode along the low side of pipe in horizontal wells is different from foundation constant k=wlr. Eq. 3 can be put
of the hole; at higher axial compres- that in nearly vertical wells. Knowledge of into a dimensionless form:
the configuration of buckled tubulars is im-
sion a helix is formed. Equations are
~ =(_7r )2 +(.J2~!..)2
portant to prevent costly failures and to
given for computing the forces predict whether a tool can be forced along
required to initiate these different a horizontal well. This paper provides .Jkii .J2 ~ Z 7r '
buckling modes. Simple experimen- methods to analyze these problems. .................. (4)
Two modes of buckling can occur for
tal laboratory results confirm the the- tubulars in horizontal or steeply inclined where ~ = (k/4EI) \4 and k=wlr.
ory. Results presented in this paper wells: helical and sinusoidal (Fig. 1). The For a short beam, the number of half
apply to friction modeling of buckled axial compressive force required to buckle waves, n1/2, can be determined from 5
tubulars to help predict when pipe the pipe into a sinusoidal configuration de- .,r,;:;: «.fi/7r)~L<..)nY2+1 . ..... (5)
pends on pipe stiffness and weight and on
can be forced to move along a long hole size in a manner similar to a beam on This inequality is used in the model analysis
section of a horizontal well. an elastic foundation. As axial force is in- discussed later.
creased, the buckling mode changes from Den Hartog 5 shows that for a long beam,
(.fiI7r)~Z= 1 and
sinusoidal to helical. Model experiments
confirm the results of the analyses. Z=7r/.fi~=7r(EI/k) \4. • . . . . . . . . . . (6)

Substituting Eq. 6 into Eq. 3 gives


Buckling Modes
For a pipe subjected to an axial load along Fer = 2.Jkii = 2..) ElwIr. . ........ (7)
the lower side of a horizontal circular hole, For an inclined hole, substitution of w sin ex
both sinusoidal 2 and helical 3 buckling con- for w gives Dawson and Paslay's Eq. l.
figurations can exist. For sinusoidal defor- Note that this equation applies to buckling
mation, the configuration is described by into a sinusoid along the low side of the hole.
(3=(30 sin(nY27rzIL), ............. (1)
"A lock.up condition Helical Buckling in a
where buckled pipe and for helical deformation, the configura- Horizontal Hole
tion is As the axial compressive force is increased
cannot be forced above Fer> helical buckling eventually can
(3 = 2n7rzlL , .................... (2)
along a horizontal hole occur in a horizontal hole. The bending-
where (3 is the angle measured from the low strain energy for the helix derived by
would not be side of the hole to the centerline of the pipe Cheatham and Pattill0 6 is
expected for F<F*." and where the z axis is aligned with the hole
Eb=87r4EILr2/(Lln)4, .......... (8)
axis.
and the external work by force F during
Sinusoidally Deformed Pipe In buckling is
a Horizontal Well
We =2FL7r 2r2/(Lln)2 , ........... (9)
Dawson and Paslay 4 give the buckling in-
itiation force for a pipe in a hole inclined where the expression for the pitch has been
at an angle ex that is based on Paslay and replaced by p=Lln. The change of potential
Bogy's2 work. For ex=90°, their equation energy when the pipe moves from a straight
can be written as configuration along the low side of the hole
into a helix with center of gravity at the
Copyright 1990 Offshore Technology Conference center of the hole is clearly

140 February 1990 • JPT


TABLE 1-BUCKLING DATA FOR
~~ ALUMINUM ROD
, ,~' " , - - - Helix IN HORIZONTAL TUBE
----~-------------- ... ,---------------~----.
... , Sinusoidal Wave
',.... ..II"~ Force

Top View ~ Configuration


1.0 Straight
2.0 Straight
L 2.25 Sinusoidal

.. ,~
,
......,
.... ,,
,
---- ----------.,1.---------------------- .... ---------- -----
, "
...' .... , ....
. @). 2.5
4.0
2.5
2.25
Helical
Helical
Helical
Sinusoidal

Side View End View

Fig. 1-Postbuckled configuration of pipe in a horizontal hole.

Ep =wLr. . ................... (10) and from Eq. 5 we obtain


Conservation of energy requires that the to- -J4 «.J2/7r)~L=2.126<..f5.
tal energy, E t , be zero or that 7 Thus, one can conclude that the pipe will
Et=We-Eb-Ep=O . .......... (11) buckle into four half-sine waves, and from
Eq. 3 (with n=nY2/2=4) the critical force,
Substituting Eqs. 8 through 10 into Eq. 11 Fer> is 2.22 lbf [9.88 N]. For the pipe to
and solving for F* yields buckle into a helix, we use Eq. 12 with n=
F*=4EI(mrIL)2 + (wI2r)(LlmrV . n'hI2=2 to obtain F*=2.38 lbf [10.6 N].
Table 1 shows the experimental data.
................. (12) In this experiment, the rod buckled sinu-
If n=nY2/2 is substituted into this equation, soidally at an axial load of2.25lbf [10 N],
and an additional 0.25 lbf [1.11 N] of axial
the first term is the same as the first term
load forces the rod into a fully helical con-
in Eq. 3, but the second term is twice as
figuration. Increasing the axial load to 4 lbf
large as the corresponding term in Eq. 3.
[18 N] and releasing the load gradually, we
For the minimum value of F* for a long
find that the rod leaves the high side of the
pipe, 4 (JF*I(Jn=O yields " .. the postbuckling
hole and falls into a sinusoidal configura-
(mrIL)2 = (7rlp) 2 = (w/8Elr) 'h. . .. (13) tion at an axial force of 2.25 lbf [10 N]. behavior of pipe in
These results compare well with the calcu-
Substituting Eq. 13 into Eq. 12 gives lated values of Fer =2.22 Ibf [9.88 N] and horizontal wells is
F*=2.J'i(Elwlr) Y2 ............. (14) F*=2.38 lbf [10.6 N]. different from that in
Lubinski and Woods 8 discussed model nearly vertical wells.
for helical buckling of pipe in a horizontal experiments to determine "helical buckling
hole. Solving for w/r from Eq. 13 and sub- conditions" for use in their Figs. 2 and 5. Knowledge of the
stituting into Eq. 14 yields They also fit to their experimental data an configuration of
F*=87r 2EIIp2, ............... (15) equation that was presented by Dawson and
Paslay 4: buckled tubulars is
which agrees with the classic equation for
F*=2.85(EI)o.504 w0.496(sin cylr)O.511, important to prevent
helical buckling given by Lubinski et al. 1
.................. (16)
costly failures and to
Experimental Verification predict whether a tool
and for a horizontal hole sin CY = 1. Compar-
An investigation was conducted to compare ing this equation with our Eq. 14, F*= can be forced along a
the behavior of a rod with the analytical pre- 2.828(EI)0.5 wO.5(1Ir)O.5, shows remark- horizontal well."
dictions of the previous sections. The test able agreement and confirms our analysis.
apparatus consisted of a lI8-in. [0.32-cm]
-diameter, 8-ft [2.4-m] -long, aluminum rod Conclusions
constrained in a I-in. [2.54-cm] -diameter Long pipe in a horizontal hole will buckle
clear plastic tube lubricated with silicon oil. into a sinusoid along the lower side of the
The load was applied along the low side of hole at an axial compressive force of Fer =
the horizontal hole with a hydraulic jack, 2(Elwlr) Y2 , which agrees with Dawson and
and the axial load was measured with a Paslay's4 buckle initiation equation. A hel-
calibrated strain-gauge load transducer. ical buckling mode will not occur until the
The calculated stiffness, EI, is 119.841bf- axial force is F*=2.J'i(Elwlr) 'h, which
in. 2 [0.344 N ·m 2 ]; the weight per unit agrees with experimental data of Lubinski
length, w, is 1.23xlO- 3 Ibm/in. [2.2x and Woods 8 and Dawson and Paslay. 4
10 -4 kg/cm]; and the radial clearance, r, A lock-up condition where buckled pipe
is YI6 in. [1.11 cm]. For the terms defined cannot be forced along a horizontal hole
in Eq. 4 we have would not be expected for F<F*.
~ = (k/4EI) v. =0.04921, (To Page 191)

JPT • February 1990 141


Tubing and Casing Nomenclature References
Buckling In E = modulus of elasticity, I. Lubinski, A., Althouse, W.S., and Logan,
Ibf/in.2 [Pal J.L.: "Helical Buckling of Tubing Sealed in
Horizontal Wells Eb = bending-strain energy, Packers," JPT(1une 1962) 665-70; Trans.,
AIME,225.
(From Page 141) Ibf-ft [N ·m] 2. Paslay, P.R. and Bogy, D.B.: "The Stability
E p = potential energy, Ibf-ft [N· m] of a Circular Rod Laterally Constrained to be
Authors E t = total energy, Ibf-ft [N· m] in Contact With an Inclined Circular Cylin-
F = axial compressive force, Ibf [N] der," J. Appl. Mechanics (1964) 31, 605-10.
Fer = sinusoidal buckling force, Ibf [N] 3. Chen, Y.c.: "Post Bucklingofa Circular Rod
Constrained Within a Inclined Hole, " MS the-
F* = helical buckling force, Ibf [N] sis, Rice U., Houston (Sept. 1987) 34.
I = area moment of inertia, in.4 [cm 4] 4. Dawson R. and Paslay, P.R.: "Drillpipe Buck-
k = elastic foundation constant ling in Inclined Holes," JPT (Oct. 1984)
I = wave half-length, in. [cm] 1734-38.
L = pipe length, in. [cm] 5. Den Hartog, J.P.: Advanced Strength of Ma-
n = number of full waves in terials, first edition, McGraw-Hill Book Co.
Inc., New York City (1952) 251-63.
buckled pipe 6. Cheatham, J.B. and Pattillo, P.D.: "Helical
n '/2 = buckling mode (number of Postbuckling Configuration of a Weightless
Cheatham Chen half waves) Column Under the Action of an Axial Load,"
.------~ John Cheatham is a p = helical pitch of buckled pipe, SPEJ (Aug. 1984) 467-72.
professor of me- in. [cm] 7. Langhaar, H.L.: Energy Methods in Applied
chanical engineer- Mechanics, first edition, John Wiley & Sons
r = radial clearance between pipe Inc., New York City (1962) 29-33.
ing at Rice U. His and hole wall, in. [cm]
research and con- 8. Lubinski, A. and Woods, H.B.: "Factors
sulting interests in- w = weight per unit pipe length, Affecting the Angle of Inclination and Dog-
clude rock and Ibm/in. [kg/cm] Legging in Rotary Bore Holes," Drill. & Prod.
drillstring mechan- We = external work Prac., API, Dallas (1953) 222-50.
ics, mechanical de- x,y,z = Cartesian coordinate system
sign, and robotics. positioned at pipe end (z
He received as and aligned with hole axis)
L..---- L-In- ----.J MS degrees in me- 51 Metric Conversion Factor
O! = hole inclination from vertical,
chanical engineer- Ibf x 4.448222 E+OO = N
ing from Southern Methodist U. and a degrees [rads]
PhD degree from Rice U. Yu-Hsu Lin is (3 = circumferential displacement
a research associate at Rice U. His in- angle of pipe measured from
terests include borehole stability, prob- low side of hole, degrees [rads] Provenance
lems associated with horizontal drilling, Original SPE manuscript, An Analysis of
~ = elastic foundation parameter=
and software development. Lin holds an
(k/4EI) \4 Tubing and Casing Buckling in Horizon-
MS degree in computer science and a
PhD degree in mechanical engineering tal Wells, received for review May 1, 1989.
from Rice U. Yu-Che Chen is a graduate Acknowledgments Paper accepted for publication Nov. 29,
student at Rice U. His interests include 1989. Revised manuscript received Nov. 6,
We appreciate the support of this research
elasticity, drillstring mechanics, and 1989. Paper (SPE 19176) first presented at
by the following members of the Drilling
knowledge-based systems. Chen holds the 1989 Offshore Technology Conference
an MS degree in mechanical engineer- Engineering Assn.: R.W. Pittman and R.W.
held in Houston, May 1-4.
ing from Rice U. Hall Jr. of Texaco Inc. and C.E. Murphey
and R. Millhone of Chevron U.S.A. Inc. JPT

JPT • February 1990 191


Discussion of Tubing and Casing
Buckling in Horizontal Wells
Jiang Wu, SPE, and Hans C. Juvkam.Wold, SPE, Texas A&M U.

"Tubing and Casing Buckling in Horizontal


1.60 -:r---~---:-r---~---"--------"
Wells" (JPT, Feb. 1990, Pages 140-41 and
191) discusses the buckling of pipes in hori- • 1.55 +----I-++--f.+---~~- RADIAL CLEARANCE
zontal wells from theoretical and experimen- Li..b ,
tal points of view. Chen et al. obtained some 1.50 +---~tf--I-+_--1-,-+-- r .. 7/16 in.
interesting results regarding the forces nec- 1.<45 - : - ,
essary to cause sinusoidal or helical buck- nl/l= 1
ling. Some points, however, need further 1.<40 -: - -tt---;iH--,t--t------ir----+----I
discussion.
I
=2,T I)
According to the data used in the experi- 1.35
ment described in the paper, EI = 119. 841bf- 1.30+--I-I-I--\n 11l
in. 2 , w=1.23x 10- 3 Ibm/in., r=};6 in.,
andL=96 in. Chen etal. presented the fol- 1.25 \ /\nll2=37nl/l=4-nlll=S+------i
lowing equation (Eq. 3) for calculating the
critical force to initiate sinusoidal buckling: 1.20 \J \.. \..A~
Fcr=EI(ny, 1I'1L) 2 + (wlr)(Lln'h 11')2. 1.15 I I
0.00 50.00 100.00 150.00 200.00 250.00 300.00
................ (D-l)
LENGTH OF 118-In DIAMETER ALt.'MINUM ROD, L, In
Using this equation and assuming that the
Ys-in.-diameter aluminum rod buckles into
four half-waves (ny, =4), Chen et al. cal- Fig. D-1-Axial compressive force that will initiate buckling in a horizontal hole.
culate a force of 2 .22 Ibf to initiate sinusoidal
buckling. We agree that Eq. D-l is appro- plot is valid for all values of EI, w, r, and We performed some simple tests to dupli-
priate for this calculation, but believe that L. Note that at any cross point, the following cate the reported experiments. Our tests tend
only two half-waves (nv, =2) should be relationships must hold 1 : to confirm the above discussion.
used. This results in a buckling force of only If our interpretation of the theory is cor-
1.17 Ibf, about 53 % of the value calculated (Fcr/.JkEi)ny, =(Fcr /.JkEi)ny,+l reet, then the experimental results presented
by Chen et al. The critical buckling forces, ................ (D-4) by Chen et al. do not confirm the theory.
calculated with Eq. D-l and the above data, Some other factors may exist in the experi-
for various values of n y, are presented in and [ny,I(Y2I11')~LF + [(Y2I11')(~Llny,))2 ment that are not considered in the theoret-
Table D-l. ical model, such as boundary constraints and
These forces are also plotted as functions = [(ny, + 1) 1(Y2 /1I')~LF friction. Unfortunately, the number of the
of rod length for various values of n 'h in half waves and helical spirals observed by
Fig. D-l. The plots were constructed with +[(Y2 /1I')(~Llny, +1))2, ...... (D-5) Chen et at. was not reported.
Eq. D-l and the above data. Note that for a
96-in. rod, the lowest force that will initiate
or(..J2 /11'hL =..r;:;: ..jn y, + 1. ... (D-6) Nomenclature
buckling is represented by nIh =2. Replacing nY, with nY, -1 in Eq. D-6 E = modulus of elasticity, Ibf/in.2 [Pal
The discrepancy in the calculated buckling yields a similar equation. When Eqs. D-5 Fcr = sinusoidal buckling force, Ibf [N]
loads appears to result from the improper and D-6 are combined and the region be- 1= area moment of inertia, in.4 [cm4]
form of Chen et al.'s Eq. 5. The correct tween the two cross points is considered, Eq. k = elastic foundation constant=wlr
form ofEq. 5 is presented as Eq. D-2. Eval- f = wave half-length, in. [cm]
D-2 is valid.
uation of Eq. D-2 for the experiment in n = number of full waves in buckled
In the experiment described by Chen
question will result in nY, =2. pipe
et al., (Y2 /1I')~L=2.126. Eq. D-2 is satis-
..j n 'h -1 ..r;:;: <."fii; ~L fied by nY, =2:
TABLE 0-1-CRITICAL BUCKLING
<..r;:;: ..jny, + 1. . ........... (D-2) .J1 Y2 «Y2I11')~L=2.126<Y2-../3, FORCES FOR VARIOUS
VALUES OF n v.
Eq. D-2 is derived from Eq. D-3, Chen because 1.414<2.126<2.449.
et al. 's dimensionless Eq. 4, which was Use of Chen et al. 's Eq. 12 for calculating Fer
modified by setting f=Lln'h: the force required to initiate helical buckling nv, (Ibt)
may be questionable,2 but if we assume for 1 2.75
Fcr/.JkEi =[ny, 1(Y2I11')~LF now that it is valid, then nY, =2 should be 2 1.17
used instead of nY, =4, resulting in a criti- 3 1.45
+[(Y2I11')(~Llny,)F. . ........ (D-3) cal force of 1.83 Ibf rather than 2.38 Ibf. 4 2.22
5 3.31
Fig. D-2 presents a plot of dimensionless The reasons are the same as those cited for 6 4.69
critical force vs. dimensionless length. This sinusoidal buckling.

1062 August 1990 • JPT


n v, = buckling mode (number of half
waves)
r = radial clearance between pipe and 2.80
hole wall, in. [cm]
w = weight per unit pipe length, ~~~ 2.70
J
Ibm/in. [kg/cm]
~ = elastic foundation parameter ti 2.60
= (k/4EI) v.
CIi
~
2.50
I
References
c
a 2.40
7
I. Timoshenko, S.P. and Gere, J.M.: Theory of g
I
,
III \
Elastic Stability, second edition, McGraw-Hill 2.30
Book Co. Inc., New York City (1961) 96, 97.
2. Langhaar, H.L.: Energy Methods in Applied ~ 2.20
D1/2 = 1 \ 0 1/2=2/ D1/2=3 /

Mechanics, first edition, John Wiley & Sons


Inc., New York City (1962).
~
z
101 2.10
\ A
J \ 7°1/2=4
°1/2=5-
~ 2.00
\I} \ J\. A,.A...I./
51 Metric Convarslon Factors I I
0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00
in. x 2.54' E+OO = em
in.' x 6.4516' E+OO = em'
Ibf x 4.448 222 E+OO = N DIMENSIONLESS ROD LENGTH.
Ibm X 4.535 924 E-OI = kg

'Conversion factor is exact.

(SPE 21257) JPT Fig. D·2-Dimensionless plot of critical buckling force as a function of rod length.

Authors' Reply to Discussion of


Tubing and Casing Buckling in
Horizontal Wells
Yu-Che Chen, Yu-Hsu Lin, and dohn B. Cheatham, SPE, Rice U.

The objective of our paper was to point out t=7r(ElIk) V. =7r /.fi ~ ......... (R-4) Fer = sinusoidal buckling initiation
that pipe in a horizontal hole will buckle in- force, lbf [N]
because ~ = (kI4EI) v.. Thus, our results
itially into a sinusoidal shape and that addi- F* = helical buckling force, Ibf [N]
agree with those of Timoshenko and Gere
tional axial compression is required to form I = area moment of inertia, in.4
a helix. Our laboratory experiments were for the infinite beam.
[cm4]
valuable conceptual aids and confirmed this Only the analysis of an infinitely long
k = wlr
sequence of events. From the results of these beam is of interest for applications in
horizontal oil and gas wells. Our equation t = wave half-length, in. [cm]
experiments, we concluded that analyzing r = radial clearance between pipe and
the transition from a sine to a helix was un- for the initiation of sinusoidal buckling (Eq.
7) agrees with the buckling equation of hole wall, in. [cm]
necessary because this transition occurs dur- w = weight per unit pipe length,
ing a very small change in axial load. Dawson and Paslay. 3 We used our Eq. 12
to derive our equation for helical buckling Ibf/in. [N/cm]
For the relatively short rods used in the
(Eq. 14), which agrees with the experimen- ~ = (kI4EI) 'A
laboratory, the analysis fo~ the wave half-
length differs from the analysis for long pipe tal data of Lubinski and Woods 4 for helical
buckling as reported by Dawson and Pas- References
according to field conditions. We used Den
Hartog's 1 procedure to calculate the wave lay.3 Furthermore, our Eq. 15 agrees with 1. Den Hartog, J.P.: Advanced Strength of Ma-
half-length for sinusoidal buckling of a the helical-buckling analysis of Lubinski et terials, McGraw-Hill Book Co. Inc., New
at. 5 Thus, we think we have correctly York City (1952) 262-63.
finite-length beam. The wave half-length, 2. Timoshenko, S.P. and Gere, J.M.: Theory of
t, for sinusoidal buckling of an infinite beam shown that for a long pipe in a horizontal Elastic Stability, second edition, McGraw-Hill
is derived below. Differentiating our Eq. 4 well, buckling will be initiated in a sinusoid Book Co. Inc., New York City (1961) 97.
yields along the lower side of the hole at an axial 3. Dawson, R. and Paslay, P.R.: "Drillpipe
compressive force given by Buckling in Inclined Holes," JPT(Oct. 1984)
a(Fcr/-JkEi) !at=( -2/[3)(7rlr20 2 1734-38.
Fer =2[EI(wlr)] ~, ............ (R-5) 4. Lubinski, A. and Woods, H.B.: "Factors
+2t(r2~f7r)2, ................ (R-l) Affecting the Angle of Inclination and Dog-
and that helical buckling will not occur until
Legging in Rotary Boreholes," Drill. & Prod.
and from aFerlat=O, ........... (R-2) the axial force reaches a value given by Prac., API, Dallas (1953) 222-50.
it follows that t=7r!.fi~, ........ (R-3) F*=2.fi [EI(wlr)] v,. . ........ (R-6) 5. Lubinski, A., Althouse, W.S., and Logan,
J. L.: "Helical Buckling of Tubing Sealed in
which is our Eq. 6. With our notation, Packers," JPT (June 1962) 665-70.
Timoshenko and Gere's2 Eq. 2-40 Nomenclature
becomes E = modulus of elasticity, Ibf/in.2 [Pal (SPE 21308) JPT

JPT • August 1990 1063

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