Wells are as important now as ever, but the scale of wells is greater than anything in some medieval village in centuries past. Today, many wells are in fact for oil drilling, and other wells are for extracting large volumes of water. These wells need secure walls and surfaces during work, and modern standards call for more than simple stone masonry walls. Rather, coil tubi8ng, multi layer composite liner hangers, stage cementing tools, and more are used to keep a well’s inner surface safe and secure, and sanitary, for work. But what exactly is a liner hanger, and how does it factor into a well’s operations today? Those getting into the oil drilling business or other well-based work may soon learn all about liner hangers and how useful they can be.

A Well and Liner Hangers

Around the world, the horizontal directional drilling market is due to grow and reach a CAGR of 13.2% from the years 2019 to 2025, and drilling is as relevant as ever. The materials being brought up can be harmful to bare stone, however, and proper lining is to be desired. Today’s engineers are hard at work designing liner hangers that can endure all sorts of hazards and extremes, such as high pressure, extremely high temperature, sheer depth, and more. The wrong liner hanger for the job may end up compromised, so a crew will need to know what sort of materials they are working with, the well’s properties, and more to ensure that the right liner hanger is used.

A liner hanger for a well is simply a tool or a system that will hang a liner on a well’s inner surface, hence the name. This lining may be somewhat similar to casing, except that it won’t run the full length of the well like a casing might, and there are a few reasons to use liner hanger instead of casing. For example, a crew may enjoy some cost savings at work if they can use liner hangers instead of casings, as a full casing string will probably cost more to install and use (exact costs of liners and casings will vary, of course). In fact, the purchase and installation of a liner hanger for a well may make up 1% or lees of a well operation’s entire costs.

These liner hangers may also be used because they won’t put as much strain on the wellhead as a casing might, and in some cases, that may be a vital difference. Some wellheads might not even have the structural integrity to handle weight over a certain amount, so liner hangers can do the job safely. These liners may also vary in whether they are hydraulic and whether or not they rotate. For example, for vertical onshore wells, the mechanical mechanism is actuated when the drill pipe rotates. The liner itself, meanwhile, will be set when it’s attached to the cone of the well. Meanwhile, offshore drilling wells make use of hydraulic liners during their work, although very deep onshore wells might use them, too. This will be a heavy-duty system that will allow for simultaneous lining and cementing operation alike, and these are attached to the well cones with the sheer force of hydraulic pressure while in use.