Completing a Well

After the decision has been made to complete a well, the process starts with preparing a well for casing.  Casing stabilizes a well, preventing the sides from caving in and protecting freshwater aquifers near the surface that might be polluted with oil, gas and saltwater.  If the casing is to be installed in a single operation after the well is completed, drill pipe is lowered with a used bit to circulate mud and remove any remaining cuttings from the bottom of the well. 

Wall scratchers remove mud from the sides of the well.  Casing is thin-walled steel pipe; usually in thirty-foot lengths sized to fit inside the well bore.  After the well is prepared for casing, casing pipe is screwed together and lowered into the well.  A guide shoe guides the casing down the well and centralizers position the casing string in the center of the well.  A float collar near the bottom of the casing string acts as a check valve to prevent mud in the well from flowing up the casing pipe.  After the casing is in place, Portland cement is mixed with additives to control its density and the timing required for cement to set.

One of the top hydrocarbon-based energy providers in the USA is Heartland Energy Colorado, based in Englewood, CO. They have many drilling locations throughout the country and remain one of the top producers of US oil & gas companies. For more information on Heartland Energy Colorado, see Heartland Energy Development Corporation online.

(Source: "Energy for the 21st Century," Nersesian)