Lev Ring

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Weatherford International

To harvest enough heat from the subsurface and produce profitable energy at surface, traditional Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) methods include a large number of proppant-propped fractures and desire that the circulating fluid have an ideal uniform flow distribution among all the fractures. An alternative method for heat extraction from hot dry...

Conventional geothermal systems rely on production from naturally occurring subsurface hot aquifers, while Hot Dry Rock (HDR) geothermal technology is a method of extracting geothermal energy from deep underground formations where there is hot but dry rock. A downhole heat exchanger is created by water being injected into the rock through one or se...

There is growing interest in developing technology to store energy in deep hydraulic fractures, as this has the potential to offer numerous benefits over other forms of energy storage. One key advantage is that large amounts of energy can be effectively stored in a relatively small footprint, which is particularly important in areas where land is a...

The study presents a one-dimensional (1D) numerical model of wave propagation as well as transmission/reflection phenomena in Newtonian and non-Newtonian drilling mud flow associated with oil/gas drilling activities. Propagation of wave formed due to back pressure changes by means of a choke is investigated. In general, the reflection and transmiss...

Slips, slip elevators, spiders, etc. have been widely used as oilfield service tools to grip and hold drill pipe, drill collars and casings by acting as a wedge. A pipe in a slip with a conical bearing surface is subjected to complex loads comprised of tensile, compressional, radial and bending stresses. To increase the holding force, the bearing s...

Managed pressure drilling (MPD), which has been heavily refined and readily practiced in offshore and deepwater operations, could open many doors to untapped potential on land—a concept often underestimated. Operators look to MPD technologies—for example, multiphase MPD or drilling gas—to access challenging or partially depleted wells when the conv...

The current paper presents the numerical simulation of the wave propagation phenomena in the Newtonian and non-Newtonian drilling mud flow associated with oil/gas drilling activities. The formation of wave due to back pressure changes by means of a choke is investigated. Numerical schemes with second- and forth-order accuracy have been applied to t...

The authors present results on the use of the discrete element method (DEM) for the simulation of drilling processes typical in the oil and gas exploration industry. The numerical method uses advanced DEM techniques using a local definition of the DEM parameters and combined FEM-DEM procedures. This paper presents a step-by-step procedure to build...

This paper presents a local constitutive model for modelling the linear and non linear behavior of soft and hard cohesive materials with the discrete element method (DEM). We present the results obtained in the analysis with the DEM of cylindrical samples of cement, concrete and shale rock materials under a uniaxial compressive strength test, diffe...

Methods and apparatus are provided for continuously powering tools downhole for extended periods of time, such as for the life of the producing well. Batteries may power the downhole tools, but traditionally, the batteries may last up to 2 years, and in some cases, up to 5 years may be reached with an optimized data sampling rate and power manageme...

Surface equipment for Managed Pressure Drilling operations handles a multiphase mixture of drilling mud, cuttings and reservoir fluid influx. It is mandatory for safe MPD operations that surface equipment be able to handle pressure surges, pressure drops as well as any phase change of the fluid without causing any safety issues. In MPD operations,...

A dynamic stiff-string torque-and-drag (T&D) model is presented that assumes steady-state motion of the drillstring as its basis for calculations. Results are compared with previously published T&D models that are based on static equilibrium. The novelty of the new dynamic model is the ability to solve T&D operations of the entire drillstring from...

Previous theoretical formulations for sinusoidal and helical buckling of drill strings vary significantly and are mostly proposed for frictionless pipes without tool joints. Finite element analysis (FEA) methods have the ability to consider geometric details and large deflections. However, traditional FEA methods use shell or solid dimensional elem...

A dynamic stiff string torque and drag (T&D) model is presented that assumes steady state motion of the drillstring as its basis for calculations. Results are compared to previously published T&D models that are based on static equilibrium. The novelty of the new dynamic model is the ability to solve T&D operations of the entire drillstring from bi...

Understanding drill string buckling behavior is a significant challenge to the petroleum industry. In this paper, the explicit finite element method implemented in Abaqus software is employed to study the buckling of drill strings for inclined straight wellbores. Classic solutions for the critical buckling length of self-weighted columns as well as...

Openhole, multi-stage fracturing systems are commonly used today in many applications, including unconventional shale gas reservoirs. As many as forty stages have been successfully completed in a single horizontal well and the industry is aiming even higher. One problem that has a major impact on job success is the ability to accurately calculate m...

The paper presents the results of testing conducted to determine hoop and axial friction components for drill pipe specimens subjected to complex rotation inside a piece of casing. This experiment was performed in water using the SPbSPU’s wear bench which was modified specifically to permit independent rotation of drill pipe section and casing, as...

In spite of research efforts to develop a numerical model for predicting wellbore trajectory, there isn’t an adequate model for simulating new hole creation and predicting wellbore curvature and build rates that accounts for bottomhole assembly (BHA) dynamics, geometric constraints, rock properties, and steering tool action. This paper presents new...

The selection of optimal operational parameters for drilling oil and gas wells is a complex dynamic problem that depends on multiple parameters. Numerous physical and mechanical processes such as rock cutting, friction, hydraulics, and different modes of vibrations, occur during drilling, which should be accounted for in numerical models. It is wid...

Expandable connectors continue to be the Achilles Heal of solid expandables due to the simple nature that the connectors need to sustain their tensile, compressional and sealing integrity, before, during and after expansion. Solid expandable products such as monobore liners and monobore clads, which push expansion ratio requirements to 20% and towa...

The reduction of wellbore diameter during well construction has been partially addressed through the use of conventional solid expandable open-hole liners. However, these systems still reduce pass-through diameters and in most cases necessitate significant deviation from the well's Basis of Design (BoD). Ultimately, the results of deviating from th...

Mitigating drilling hazards has been challenging cost-effective well construction for decades. Balancing drilling risks against the optimum well design while preparing for unplanned drilling events combine to be a never-ending set of frustrations. The operator's authorization for expenditures (AFE) can be significantly impacted when he is fighting...

In the pursuit of profitable well construction, operators are challenged to drill cost-effective wells while being prepared for the unexpected. Flows, lost zones, sloughing shales, and over-pressured zones are typical examples of unplanned well events that occur while drilling through troublesome formations. Using conventional remedial methods, suc...

Many in the oil and gas industry initially viewed the idea of a monodiameter well as a radical concept. But with the recent success of a field trial well, the monodiameter well has moved from concept to reality and is now a viable well construction process. The monodiameter well is a breakthrough in the oil and gas industry. This technology allows...

Initial liner top integrity is a primary concern for most operators. If the liner top fails routine or regulatory integrity tests, expensive and time-consuming remedial operations increase direct costs for equipment and services. This remediation delays well completion, which ultimately delays revenue generation. These expenses often exceed the ini...

Solid expandable tubulars have been used to assist in the success and slimming of deepwater wellbores over the past two years. The expandable openhole liner system expands and seals the outside diameter of an expandable casing against the inside diameter of a string of conventionally set casing, thus slimming the wellbore compared to conventionally...

As the oil and gas industry has matured, three broad-reaching and long-standing issues that affect virtually every well have assumed heightened importance: conservation of hole size, hydraulic isolation of selected zones, and maximization of well life. All of these issues involve one of the industry's most fundamental technologies, wellbore tubular...

The in-situ permanent expansion of casing and tubing in oil and gas wells is now possible. This landmark advancement in well completion technology and repair can decrease the cost of initial well completion, make completions in difficult formations possible, and can salvage damaged completions by in-situ well repairs. The expansion of selected grad...

Establishing and maintaining hydraulic integrity between liner hangers and the base casing in which they are set has long been one of the most problematic areas facing operators. With failure rates on pressure seals in overlaps now exceeding 40% in some regions, the need for a solution to this decades-old problem has reached a critical level. Altho...

Two challenges facing operators as the energy industry moves into the next century are accessing of new reservoirs that currently cannot be reached economically and maintaining profitable production from older fields. Recent advances in one of the oldest and most fundamental areas of exploration and production, namely tubular technology, will play...

Not finding what you're looking for? Some of the OnePetro partner societies have developed subject- specific wikis that may help. PetroWiki PetroWiki was created from the seven volume Petroleum Engineering Handbook (PEH) published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The SEG Wiki The SEG Wiki is a useful collection of information for wor...

Hydraulic fracturing is a widely used technology to enhance oil and gas production. Recent publications in the Petroleum Industry indicate that hydraulic fracturing may be a great deal more complex than current modeling can capture. We therefore present a critical literature review of actual observations indicating that hydraulic fractures are not...

It is now well recognized that multiple fracturing, hydraulic fracture (HF) process zone, fracture width vs. height, and net-pressure calibration procedures are inter-related critical issues that need to be studied for making significant improvements in HF treatment design. To the best of our knowledge, there are no systematic studies of multiple H...

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 have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Off...