Challenges in Large Diameter Casing Rotation Operations. Field Experiences with Exceptional Results

Abstract This paper presents technological advances and five successful cases involving large diameter casing rotation, where optimal depths were achieved while overcoming wellbore instability, tortuosity, and mechanical sticking. Large-diameter casing rotation operations require technical expertise, field experience, and thorough engineering preparation. Such operations have become essential for properly setting casing, optimizing formation and fracture pressure gradients, and ensuring continuity in subsequent drilling stages. It is crucial to determine the specific operation to perform, which may include Reaming with Casing (RwC) due to wellbore instability and complex geometries, Drilling with Casing (CwD) in salt formations, shales, or gilsonite, or rotating the casing during cementing (Rotating while Cementing). In all these scenarios, the casing is exposed to combined stresses—tension, torsion, and bending—with the most critical conditions arising in zones of high lateral forces caused by high severities, and wellbore tortuosity. Prolonged rotation in a fixed position under significant lateral forces can lead to friction, material wear, and fatigue in both the casing and its connections. In one of the five documented cases, after reaching the target depth through reaming, an additional 25 meters were drilled using Casing Drilling. All cases delivered outstanding results, overcoming technical challenges and exceeding prevailing industry paradigms. These field experiences are valuable for assessing the accumulated fatigue in casings and connections for large diameters, a factor that is difficult to evaluate through full-scale laboratory testing. As a result, this field-based evidence provides greater reliability for future operations under demanding conditions.