Homogenous Casing Shoe for Wellbore Guiding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The oil and gas exploration industry faces challenges with the structural integrity of guide and float shoes used in casing operations, particularly due to the use of cement or thermoplastic materials which can crack or break under stress, affecting their performance and longevity during storage, transportation, and use.
Innovation Solution
A casing shoe with an annular body made of a homogenous non-metallic material, such as thermoplastic or thermoset plastic, designed as a single piece with an annular recess forming an outer and inner portion, providing structural integrity and guiding the casing string into the wellbore while allowing fluid flow and preventing reverse cement flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cement or thermoplastic materials are used in the shoe interior, then the shoe can be drilled out for deepening the well, but the cement may crack or break under stress during storage, transportation, and use
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe is constructed with a composite structure combining a steel exterior portion with a cement or thermoplastic interior portion. This composite design allows the shoe to be drilled out for well deepening while maintaining structural integrity through the steel outer layer that prevents cracking or breaking under stress during storage, transportation, and use.
2Reliability
If float shoes with valves are used, then reverse flow of cement slurry is prevented, but manufacturing and consumer cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the valve component from the float shoe design, creating a guide shoe variant that achieves reverse flow prevention through its tapered geometry and interaction with the casing string without requiring additional valve components. This eliminates the added manufacturing cost and complexity associated with incorporating valves while maintaining the essential function of preventing cement slurry reverse flow.
3Ease of manufacture
If guide shoes without valves are used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but reverse flow prevention capability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The guide shoe design is enhanced to perform multiple functions: it guides the casing string into the wellbore, prevents reverse flow of cement slurry through its tapered geometry, and maintains structural integrity. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate valve components while achieving both cost reduction and reliable reverse flow prevention.
Data Source
AI summary
A casing shoe for a casing string that includes an annular body. The annular body includes an annular recess that forms an outer portion and an inner portion, the inner portion forming and extending into an inner bore. The annular recess can accept an end of the casing string such that the casing string extends between the inner and outer portions. The annular body includes a homogenous material. The casing shoe is used in a method of guiding a casing string into a wellbore where the casing shoe is attached to an end of the casing string. Attaching the casing string includes inserting the end of the casing string into the annular recess such that the casing string extends between the inner and outer portions. The casing string is then inserted into the wellbore.