Strain-Based Load Qualification Testing of Flow Control Devices

Abstract Horizontal sections of SAGD wells have the sand formation unpredictably collapse onto the Flow Control Devices (FCD's). In combination with large temperature swings large axial strains are present in the FCD's. These large strains must be designed and tested for during product development. The large variation in casings can drastically impact the applied load of a tension test when monitoring the strain. The tests conducted in this paper used many different casings to highlight the different forces when 3x thermal strain was reached in various casings. These tests were done in both tension and compression. In tension there was a range of 572,921 to 648,736 lbs. In compression there was a range of 585,624 lbs to 668,259 lbs. These large variations in casing strengths indicate that a new standard for testing should be used. Allowing for a 13% offset from the calculated max yield strength of casing may be a safer and more consistent way to qualify new tools.