NRPS™Solutions for Reducing

Torque, Drag, Casing Wearand More

WWTNon-Rotating Protectors™

Solutions for Reducing Torque, Drag, Casing Wearand More

Since 1989, the WWT International group of

companies has been providing services to

operators around the world - helping them overcome

many of the challenging conditions encountered during

drilling and completion operations, including torque,

drag, casing and riser wear, heat checking and drillpipe

buckling. The unique combination of our engineering

services, proven WWT Non-Rotating Protectors™

(NRPs) and long-standing experience enables us to

provide fully supported solutions that improve drilling

performance and completion efficiency by minimizing

energy loss caused by wellbore friction, thereby

optimizing energy delivery to the bit.

NRPS™

NRPS

NRPS

™

Applicable Conditions

WWT NRPs create a standoff, effectively isolating the drillstring while preventing damage to the critical contact areas of the casing.

WWT Non-Rotating Protectors (NRPs)

effectively prevent drillstring contact with

the wellbore and riser. You may benefit

from using WWT NRPs if you are faced with

one or more of the following challenges:

• Deep Directional Wells

• Extended-Reach Wells

• Horizontal Wells

• Unplanned Doglegs

• Deepwater Riser Operations

• Pad Drilling

• Deepwater Sub-Salt Wells

• Re-Entries and Sidetracks

• Shallow Kickoffs

• Production Riser Applications

• Slow, Difficult Drilling

• Deep, S-Shaped Wells

• Underpowered Top Drives

• Offset Well Heads

• Casing Patches

• Adverse Ocean Currents

Alloy Steel Bolts

Flutes Improve Flow

Upper Thrust Collar

Low-Friction Slider Pads

Low-Friction End Pads

Drillpipe

NRPS

NRPS™WWT NRPs create a standoff, effectively isolating the drillstring while

preventing damage to the critical contact areas of the casing.

Viability

In most cases, WWT Non-Rotating

Protectors will measurably improve your

operations. We take great care to ensure

that WWT NRPs will deliver maximum

results by offering a range of engineering

services, including:

• Well analysis to identify critical areas

of the wellbore where contact can hinder

performance and casing integrity

• Protector placement recommendations

to achieve the benefit level required for

each project

• Ongoing technical support (24/7),

both onsite and off, to ensure optimal

performance and client satisfaction.

Alloy Steel BoltsStandoff

Tool Joint

Casing

Lower Thrust Collar

Upper Thrust Collar

Protector Sleeve

Low-Friction End Pads

NRPS

Lateral Force:

Example of critical contact force areas in a well with deviation.

SS-5003/stand

SS-500 6/stand

DO NOT RUN PROTECTORS INTO OPEN HOLE

SS-5003/stand

SS-500 6/stand

SS-5000

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

11,000

12,000

13,000

14,000

15,000

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000

CONTACT FORCE (lbf/31 ft.)

MEA

SURE

D DE

PTH

(ft.)

Zone

AZo

ne B

SS-5006/stand

SS-5003/stand

PROBLEM:Lateral force betweencasing and drillpipecan cause:• Casing wear• Riser wear• High torque• Excessive drag• Buckling• Tool joint heat checking• Drillpipe stress• Surface equipment stress

3,000 lbs.6,000 lbs.

Lateral Force:

3,000 lbs.

3,000 lbs.

3,000 to 6,000 lbs.Up to 3,000 lbs.0 lbs.

5” PremiumWWT Non-Rotating

Protectors

SOLUTION:

Start of Run End of Run

NRPS™

Before we begin any job, WWT International performs a comprehensive and

complimentary well analysis to recognize adverse wellbore conditions and

determine if WWT NRPs will be a viable solution. Client-provided information

and analysis results are maintained in a confidential manner. Our engineers

model the anticipated contact forces to make a placement recommendation

based on the areas of the wellbore where critical contact forces are shown

to exist and show predicted torque and drag with and without Protectors

for benefit comparison. Typically, our placement recommendation allows

the full objectives of our clients to be achieved by identifying and providing

protection for only the most problematic areas in the well. In addition to well

analyses, our engineering department can provide other analytical services,

including ECD, casing wear modeling, FEA, and drillpipe stress calculations.

Well Analysis - Placement Recommendation

Measureable BenefitsDepending on the application, and when used per our

recommendations, WWT Non-Rotating Protectors can

provide significant results. WWT NRPs are proven to:

• Prevent casing wear • Reduce torque and drag • Increase ROP • Minimize buckling• Extend drilling

operations in adverse ocean currents

• Reduce stick slip• Prevent riser and

production riser wear• Decrease vibration

• Preserve casing integrity for future sidetracks

• Minimize heat checking

• Increase weight to bit• Protect drillpipe• Reduce surface

equipment and drillstring stress and fatigue

Deviation,curvatureor dogleg

severity

CONTACTFORCE

CONTACTFORCE

CONTACTFORCE

STRINGWEIGHT

TENSIONIN PIPE

ß

ß

ß ß

ß

™

Proven Solution for Casing Wear

The results shown depict a study conducted comparing a 5-1/2” bare tool joint and a 5-1/2” WWT Super Slider Protector™ (SS) assembly rotating against 9-5/8” casing at 160 rpm for 2 hours with 1,000-lb. contact force in water-based drilling fluid.

The above graph represents the ditch magnet metal-collection weight over 27 12-hour intervals (13.5 days). After WWT Non-Rotating Protectors were installed, the amount of metal recovered was drastically reduced, eliminating the operator’s casing wear concerns.

ITEM BARE TOOL JOINT

WWT SUPER SLIDER™

Rotating FF 0.30 0.03

% Reduction 0% 90%

Casing Wear Depth 0.029 0.000

% Reduction 0% 100%

InstalledNRPs Metal Collection Weight Recorded at 12-Hour Intervals

Met

al W

eigh

t (gr

ams)

Collection Intervals (12 hours)

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

NRPS

NRP-ProtectedTool Joint

UnprotectedTool Joint

NRPSWWT Non-Rotating Protectors

prevent casing wear by creating a

standoff between the tool joint and

the casing.The rotating tool joint can

severely wear the casing, resulting

in damage, expensive repairs, tie-

backs and downtime. Installing

a WWT Non-Rotating Protector

directly above the tool joint prevents

tool joint contact. Installing WWT

NRPs on each joint of pipe in the

high contact areas of the wellbore

provides optimal casing protection

for every hole section where

applied. If contact forces exceed

the side-load rating for an individual

assembly, another can be installed

to share the load, thereby allowing

any measure of contact force to be

accommodated. Placement flexibility,

along with no added connections,

keeps operations simple and safe. In

addition, there is no need to remove

and store WWT Protectors each

time you pull out of hole. Simply

manipulate the protected drillpipe to

maintain continued placement in the

critical zones of the well.

NRPSThe operator had drilled numerous wells using various mud additives, including beads and lubricants. When comparing this offset data with the use of WWT NRPs in a well in the same field with the same profile, the predicted torque using WWT NRPs showed improvement, whereas the actual torque reduction, which averaged 32%, was even more significant.

The operator was drilling a 4,800 m (15,700 ft.) S-shaped well and was concerned with torque as the trend showed that rig capabilities would be exceeded at TD. WWT NRPs were installed in the shallow, high contact areas of the well when they reached 4,269 m (14,006 ft.). As they drilled deeper and WWT NRPs moved into the high friction areas, the torque was reduced approximately 35%.

3,800

3,900

4,000

4,100

4,200

4,300

4,400

4,500

4,600

4,700

4,800

15,000 17,000 19,000 21,000 23,000 25,000 27,000 29,000

Torque 12-1/4” Section

Dept

h (m

)

16,000

15,000

14,000

17,000

18,000

19,000

20,000

21,000

22,000

23,000

24,000 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000

Torque (ft.-lbs.)

Mea

sure

d De

pth

(ft.)

Torque While Drilllng 8-1/2” Section

Predicted Drilling Torque— No Protectors

Actual Drilling Torque— Protectors Installed

Average Torque Reduction: 32%

Drilling TorqueFrom Offset Wells

TorqueTrend:

No WWTProtectors,

0.24 0H,0.26 0H

WWT Protectors Installedat 4,269 m

1.8 million revs. on WWT Protectors at TD

NRPS™ Drillpipe rotation

Proven Solution for TorqueWWT Non-Rotating Protectors reduce rotational friction between the drillstring and the casing by creating a standoff between the two surfaces. The unique, patented inner sleeve geometry allows fluid to flow into the interior of the sleeve. Rotation of the drillpipe draws fluid across the sleeve flats, creating a fluid bearing

within the sleeve, reducing rotating friction by 50 to 90% even at low rpms and in almost any drilling or completion fluid. The result is that surface torque is significantly reduced allowing more torque to be distributed to the bit improving drilling performance and the rate of penetration (ROP).

Mud from the annulus flows into the fluid channelson the inside of the sleeve. This fluid is drawn between the rotating drillpipe and the stationary sleeve.

The fluid forced betweenthe rotating pipe and the sleeve

creates a “fluid cushion” between the two elements, dramatically reducing friction.

Mud flow in annulus

NRPS™Proven Solution for Drag

Sliding friction (drag) was recorded as the amount of hook load an operator experienced when coming out of the well from 23,000 ft. Installed WWT Super Slider Protectors (SS) were pulled back up through the contact forces in the build section and the overall sliding friction factor dropped to 0.14. When the WWT Protectors were in the vertical section where contact forces were not present, the overall sliding friction factor rose to 0.18. The effective sliding friction factor reduction was 0.04 (22%).

16,500

17,500

18,500

19,500

20,000

21,000

22,000

23,000

250 300 350 400 450

Friction Factor = 0.10

Friction Factor = 0.20MEA

SURE

D DE

PTH

(ft.)

HOOK LOAD (K lbs.)

WWT Super Sliders out of the hole

WWT Super Sliders

coming outof hole

Overall FFrising

to 0.18

WWT Super Sliders rising to position

Overall FFdroppingto 0.14

Sliding frictionincreases again

as WWT Protectors come out of

the well.

Sliding frictiondrops as WWT

Protectors comeinto build section.

NRPSWWT Super Slider Protectors™ (Model SS and Model

SS3) feature low-friction sleeves to reduce sliding friction

between the drillstring and the casing. The sleeve slides

easily along the casing while the drillpipe rotates in its ID,

isolated from contact with casing. As a result, slack-off

weight is increased and pick-up weight is decreased at

the surface.

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 110000 12000 13000 14000 15000 16000 17000

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

MEASURED DEPTH

HOOK

LOAD

(lbs

)

The operator had trouble running an 11-3/4” liner due to limited hook load, which caused lock-up. WWT Protectors were installed on the 6-5/8” drillpipe mid-joint to reduce sliding friction and buckling. The operator successfully ran an 11-3/4” liner and an 11-3/4”expandable liner to TD without problems.

250 300 350 400 450

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000 11,000 12,000 13,000 14,000 15,000 16,000 17,000

MEASURED DEPTH (ft.)

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

HOOK

LOA

D (lb

s.)

Hook Load, Current Well withWWT Non-Rotating Protectors

11-3/4” Liner Run to14,000 ft. No Problems.

Hook Load, Current Well withWWT Non-Rotating Protectors

11-3/4” Expandable LinerRun to 15,600 ft.

No Problems.

Hook Load Previous Well W/OWWT Non-Rotating Protectors

11-3/4” Liner Run,Lock-up at 15,300 ft.

Hook load 11-3/4” Liner Run (Previous Well)Hook load 11-3/4” Liner Run (Current Well)Hook load 11-3/4” Expandable Liner Run (Current Well)

Reduced Column Length

WWT Protectors can be used to increase buckling thresholds by 50-100%

NRPS™

WWT Non-Rotating Protectors are proven to reduce drillstring buckling

by reducing the effective column length of the drillpipe while at the same

time reducing sliding friction. Finite element analysis and field experience

have shown that reducing the unsupported length by placing a WWT

Protector in the middle of the drillpipe can reduce or prevent buckling

effects such as increased torque, drag, vibration and drillstring lockup,

resulting in better weight transfer and improved drilling performance.

Proven Solution for Buckling

Effective Column Length

➤

➤ Standoff between ball jointand drillpipe tool joint

Ball Joint Angle

➛

➛

➤ ➤

➤ ➤

➤ ➤

➤ ➤

➤

➤

Ocean

Current

R I S

E R

D E

F L E C

T I O N

Flex Joint Angle

➤

Maximum riser flex joint angle

NRPS

Proven Solution for Riser and LMRP Wear

Drilling operations were shut down to prevent wear to the LMRP components when the riser deflection angle exceeded 0.5 degrees. WWT NRPs were installed to protect the lower section of the riser and LMRP, which increased the safe operating angle to 2.5 degrees, extending operations by 15 days.

WWT Non-Rotating Protectors are

ideal for riser and BOP/wellhead

protection in deepwater operations.

WWT Protectors are proven to

extend the operating window in

adverse ocean currents. Operators

have been able to continue drilling

operations when they would have

been otherwise shut down waiting

for currents to subside. The WWT

Protector provides adequate standoff

between the drillstring and the riser,

flex joint, wellhead and blowout

preventer, thereby preventing

wear and damage. WWT NRPs are

also an effective defense against

production riser wear, allowing

protected operations through single

barrier risers. WWT SC (Strippable)

assemblies provide additional

holding power and have successfully

stripped through a typical subsea

annular BOP configuration during

testing.Previous limit at 0.5˚

Current limit at 2.5˚+

Max

imum

flex

join

t ang

le, d

egre

es

5/AUG 12/AUG 19/AUG 26/AUG 2/SEP 9/SEP

2.00

1.75

1.50

1.25

1.00

0.75

0.50

0.25

0.00

WWT NRPsSaved

Operator15

Days

HurricaneEvacuation

Innovative Products for Drilling, Completion and Intervention Profitability

WWT International ™

We have a solution that will work for you.

Call us today for a free well analysis

or visit our web site for more

information.

www.wwtinternational.com

© 2015 WWT North America Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.™ is a trademark of WWT North America Holdings, Inc. ™ WWT Non-Rotating Protectors (NRPs) and WWT Super Slider (SS3) Non-Rotating Protector are trademarks of WWT North America Inc. Produced in the U.S.A. 2/2015

™

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