Finite Element Analysis of Well Pads in Basra Province

After the year 2003, the oil / gas sector evolved and gained investment. International companies of different origins utilized heavy drilling rigs (to achieve high drilling depths) and entered our region. Meanwhile, some drilling problems were recorded, accompanied by well-pad failure cases. This research aims to study the behavior of well-pads with different geometric configurations, under the effects of drilling rigs with various characteristics, within the Basra province. Four case studies have been selected to represent four fields, namely: Siba, Zubair, West Qurna-2, and Zubair-Mishrif fields. The finite element method is utilized to conduct a stress analysis process, adopting an elastic–plastic constitutive relation for soil, based on Drucker-Prager's yield criterion. The maximum contact pressure applied on soil (under the working loads) is compared to its bearing capacity. When a rigid method is used to calculate the contact pressure, it is compared with the ultimate soil-bearing capacity, as calculated by Reddy and Srinivasan's method for cohesive soils, with allowable bearing capacity taken from the Peck, Hanson, and Thornburn's method for cohesionless soils. The contact pressure calculated via the finite element method is compared with the ultimate soil-bearing capacity calculated using the same method, based on a settlement of 50 mm. The extreme values of the bending moments and shear forces developed in the well-pad sections (under the factored loads), are compared with the section capacities calculated by using the ultimate strength design method. Regarding the geotechnical side, the results indicate insufficient safety factors against soil shear failure for some cases, especially for cohesive soil profiles.  For cohesionless soil profiles, the provided safety factors are sufficient. The finite element method reveals higher contact pressures compared to the conventional rigid method. For cohesionless soil profiles, the Peck, Hanson, and Thornburn's method, gives a bigger safety margin than the finite element method. The immediate settlement values are almost tolerable. Regarding the structural side, it has been identified that a uniform section is adopted for all locations of each pad, for individual wells. In most cases, the provided reinforcing steel is less than the minimum code requirement. This leads to a violation of the section capacity of bending, at least near the cellar. The beam shear capacity is rarely violated. Using strip footings beneath the rig skids, permits utilizing a heavy section that satisfies the requirements of structural safety, without violating the economic considerations.