Evaluation of Methods for Optimizing Structural Design Parameters in Oil Wells

Resumo

Present work focuses on the optimization of the conductor casing length and sensitivity analysis of the
cement top of surface casings ensuring that global structural design criteria are met. These criteria include: 1)
bearing capacity of the conductor casing, 2) displacement of the wellhead system, and 3) surface casing triaxial
factor of safety. The implementation uses several optimization techniques to evaluate the performance and
accuracy of the parameters while minimizing the criteria. Assessment of the mechanical behavior of the soil-well
coupling is done using finite element software and it serves as a data source for the optimization techniques. The
implemented software is treated as a “black box” and global criteria are evaluated based on the simulation results.
The finite element software is used by an oil company, which also gave specific data about well design as case
studies. The case studies are used to evaluate which optimization method provided the best results and processing
time for each case. This kind of study on optimization techniques aims to support the decision-making process on
well casing design to evaluate the integrity of structural casings. Previous results show consistent accuracy among
casing length and cement column parameters for the employed methods.