The Situation

Typically, liquid and/or mechanical lubricants are spotted in the open hole to assist in running the production liner to bottom. However, even with these additional lubricants, running the liner all the way to bottom normally required that it be rotated 20 to 30 stands off bottom. This adds significantly to the time and costs of completing the operation.

The Solution

The ALPINE SPECIALTY CHEMICALS team recommended to spotting 12 lb/bbl of Alpine Premium Spotting Beads, a spherical co-polymer bead with a wide range of particle sizes and specific gravities that enable it to act as a mechanical lubricant. By optimizing radial symmetry of the beads within the wellbore, they effectively reduce torque and drag and lower the risk of differential sticking in depleted and underbalanced formations.

The Results

The liner was run all the way to bottom without having to stop and rotate the liner. The last stand was rotated in only as a precaution. The liner was circulated and cemented with no problems. By employing the beads, the operator was able to cut six hours off the time required to run liner, which at a rig rate of $3,000/hr saved a cumulative $14,500, minus the up-front $3,500 cost of the beads.