Methods of Improving Operational Reliability of Oil Well Casing

Oil well casing leak is caused by contact of casing outer surface with formation electrolyte. It is usually associated with an aquifer with a high salt content or absence of a cement ring behind the casing. The only way to reduce external casing corrosion is through cathodic protection. Through cathodic polarization of casing structure, electron content in crystal lattice and electron density will increase, leading to a potential shift towards the cathodic region. At Tatneft enterprises, cathodic protection is carried out according to cluster and individual schemes. The main criterion for cathodic protection is the size of protective current. For a casing, the protective current is considered sufficient if measurements with a two-contact probe show that the electric current directed to the casing has eliminated all anode sites. To determine the value of required protective current, all methods are considered in this work. In addition, an analysis of all methods used to determine the minimum protective current of the casing is provided. Results show that the method of measuring potential drop along casing is one of the most reliable methods for determining the value of protective current.