Composite provides safer more durable solution

A LNP Engineering Plastics Europe product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Dec 17, 2003

Able to deliver long-term performance in tough environments, a unique Verton composite has been developed for Ezee-glider 2000 centralisers used in down-hole oil, gas and water well applications.

Able to deliver sustainable, long-term performance in one of the toughest working environments, a unique Verton composite was developed for Ezee-glider 2000 centralisers used in down-hole oil, gas and water well applications.

The Ezee-glider 2000, designed by Brunel Oilfield Services (UK), provides a lighter, stronger and more durable solution for liner, casing and screen centralisation in borehole finishing operations.

Weighing between six and three times less than aluminium or zinc alloys commonly used for this application, Verton composite from LNP Engineering Plastics, one of the world's leading compounders of engineering thermoplastics, also provides other key properties unmatched by metals.

Inert to chemicals, Verton composite is corrosion resistant and can withstand attack from acids such as hydrogen sulphide and is unaffected by contact with oil, water and gas in environments where temperatures can reach 200C.

Moreover, Verton composite offers better resistance to abrasion than metal and therefore greater wear endurance and lower friction during installation operations.

Being inert also removes any chances of long-term galvanic corrosion of the steel casing being in contact with the centralisers.

Centralisers perform a vital function in the preparation of an oil well.

They are positioned to keep the steel pipes, with which the well is lined, in the centre of the borehole creating a uniform space around the pipe into which cement slurry is pumped and which, when hardened, prevents the borehole from collapsing and also prevent unwanted fluids entering the well from the well bore.

Because of the impact resistance of Verton composite, damage during the assembly of Ezee-glider 2000 centralisers with pipe sections and their transportation to well head is eliminated.

Additionally, because of their light weight, they can be assembled by one person instead of the two necessary with metal centralisers, thereby saving time and cost, as well as providing an intrinsically safer system of manual handling.

Reliable centralisation is of particular importance as most new wells being drilled have high inclinations or are horizontal and inadequate centralisation makes it impossible to achieve a uniform cement sheath around the bore pipe.

The low drag and frictional properties of Verton composite, coupled with integral metal anti-swaging rings set into the material, makes Ezee-glider 2000 virtually free of liner startup torque.

Furthermore, its unique blade design assists the liner to more easily penetrate tight spots and sticking zones, and its anti-swaging rings ensure that sections do not ride over stop collars when run in tough open-hole conditions.

Ezee-glider 2000 centralisers have already been successfully run in a range of sizes, in a number of casing and liner installations, at up to 93 degrees inclination and to over 7900m depth.

To date over 160km of wells have been completed with a 100% success record.