Well Drilling Operations

Chapter 10
Slick Wireline

Contents

1. Surface Service Equipment

2. The Tool String
3. Wireline Operations
4. Wireline Downhole Tools

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 Well Drilling Operations
Slick Wireline
Surface Service Equipment
Wireline unit is an important unit in oil production operations. It has too
many jobs to carry out, such as :
1. Bottom hole pressure and temperature gradient and static surveys.
2. Bottomhole Fill / Scale Bailing and cleaning.
3. Setting and retrieval of downhole pressure / temperature gauges
4. Setting and retrieval of downhole plugs for well securing.
5. Tubing end locators and tubing clearance.
6. Wireline operations during well completion as specified in well completion
program. Completion equipment check with relevant wireline tools both on Rig site
or any other location.
7. Measuring surface pressure at any well or flowline adjacent to any well utilizing a
dead weight tester (DWT) or calibrated pressure gauge.

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 Well Drilling Operations

Slick Wireline
Surface Service Equipment

8. Testing and fitting of control lines for SC-SSSV landing nipples.

9. Calibrating, maintaining and running Amerada and electronic gauges.
10. Fishing operations.
11.Collecting pressurized bottom hole samples to suitable shipping bottles.
12. Sub-surface safety valves, dummy valves, circulation valves, chemical
injection and dump/kill valves change out.
13. Tubulars clearance check, obstruction clearance and removal of scale
deposits on the inner surface of tubulars using mechanical means.
14. Measuring static and dynamic fluid levels by utilizing Electrometer
15. Measuring static fluid level and PBTD in the wells and collecting fill / scale
using suitable bailers as required.

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Slick Wireline
Surface Service Equipment

Integrated Wireline Unit

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 Well Drilling Operations
Slick Wireline
Surface Service Equipment

Splite Wireline Unit

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 Well Drilling Operations
A typical wireline rig-up is
illustrated
The connection on the wellhead must
be adapted to the connections used
on the lubricator. The lubricator is
assembled with the wireline valve
then lifted and placed on top of the
wellhead.

Before the lubricator can be lifted

into position on the well-head, the
tool string must be secured in the
lubricator.

Before opening the valve on the tree

to begin wireline operations, the
entire lubricator stack should be
pressure tested.

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 Well Drilling Operations

Wellhead Pressure equipment

for Production logging
operations

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Wirelines
Wirelines are available in a variety of sizes and
materials. Wireline sizes are commonly stated in
inches in diameter An operating safety factor of
80% is usually used

Depth Measuring Devices

The conventional depth measuring device
used on the wireline unit is the counter wheel,
which measures the wireline as it is run in the
wellbore.

Weight Indicators
The weight indicator tells the wire-line specialist
the "weight," or tensorial force, being pulled on
the wireline.
This weight indicator consists of a load cell
which is secured to the wellhead or some other
equally secure location as close as possible to the
tree. Electronic weight indicators offer greater
accuracy and precision than mechanical
indicators.
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 Well Drilling Operations

Reel Systems (Wireline Units)

Wireline units are mounted on trucks or trailers for land locations or self-contained for
offshore. The reel system is powered by diesel or gasoline engine, or an electric motor.
The power is transmitted to the reel either directly or hydraulically by a hydraulic pump

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 Well Drilling Operations
Wireline Valves
The wireline valve is used to shut-in the well while wireline is in the well. The
wireline valve allows the specialist to do this without damage to the wireline. The
capability to do this successfully is especially important when fishing broken pieces
of w bjireline from a well under pressure.

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Wireline Valves

The wireline valve consists of a body, a set of opposing rams, ram stems, ram caps, and
an equalizing assembly.
The ram assemblies have rubber seals that seal around the wireline to contain the well
pressure. The rams also seal in the body of the wireline valve to prevent well pressure
from escaping around the ram when the valve is in the closed position.
The wireline valve is designed in such a way that when the valve is closed and pressure
is released above the rams of the valve, the well pressure trapped below the rams holds
them in a closed position.
To reopen the valve, pressure is equalized across the rams by opening the equalizing
valve and allowing the pressure below the valve into the lubricator above the valve.
Some designs allow either hydraulic or manual operation.
Wireline valves are available in sizes ranging from 2-in. bore to 7-in. bore and pressure
ratings from 5000 psi to 20,000 psi, just like lubricators.

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Tool Strings
The wireline tool string should be suitable to the well
conditions and the operation to be performed. The
standard wireline "work" string is used to perform
many functions.

The weight of the tools allows the tool string to fall into
the wellbore with the force of gravity. The mass must be
sufficient to overcome the friction of the wireline passing
through the stuffing box and the force of the well
pressure pushing up against the wireline where it passes
through the stuffing box.
The higher the well pressure, the tighter the stuffing box
packing must be to maintain a seal, resulting in more
friction. Also, the higher the pressure, the greater the
force against the wireline cross section in the stuffing
box. The logical conclusion is that as the well pressure
increases, the stem weight must also increase. Another
factor that affects tool string performance is well
deviation.

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Wireline Sockets
Stem
The wireline socket
The stem provides the mass
provides the means to
required in jarring operations
attach the tool string to
and in making the tools fall in
the wireline
the well.

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Jars and Jarring
The jars allow the wireline specialist to deliver the hammering blows
that are essential to perform most wireline operations. Conventional
jars look like two long chain links that can be slid together or apart

Knuckle Joints
Knuckle joints are used in the tool
string to give the string flexibility.
The spring-loaded knuckle joint is
used primarily for fishing outside
the tubing in casing

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 Well Drilling Operations
Sand Bailing Operations
Sand accumulation in the well bore is a major problem and can result in sharp
decrease in the well production. Removing sand deposits with wireline is a rather
simple but time consuming operation using a sand bailer.
Sand bridges may be anywhere from a few feet to several hundred feet in length.
Unfortunately, the practice of applying pressure to the tubing above the bridge can
have the adverse effect of severely compacting the sand to the point where the bailer
does not work effectively. When the sand bridge is compact, a sharp pointed tool is
used to loosen the sand before the sand can be bailed.
Paraffin Cutting Operations
Solid paraffin can accumulate in the shallower tubing sections and can restrict
production. Like sand bailing, cutting paraffin using wireline is a simple but
potentially hazardous operation. The paraffin is flowed from the well as it is scraped
from the tubing wall. Care should be taken as the tools may flow up the hole as the
paraffin is carried to the surface by the well flow.
Several tools are used to loosen and scrape the paraffin deposits from the tubing. If
the deposits are soft or not very heavy, a paraffin cutter is normally used. This tool
is very similar to a tubing gauge and has a sharp cutting edge on its lower end to cut
the deposit from the tubing wall. A wire scratcher is also used to loosen the paraffin
deposits

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Tubing Leak and Pressure Testing

Tubing leaks can be difficult to identify its exact location of the leak.
One method for determining the general location of a leak is to set plugs at
successive depths in the well and observe pressures on the tubing and casing at each
depth. The plug is moved up the hole until the general location of the leak is found.
The pressure in the tubing and casing must be bled to zero each time the plug is
reset to test for leakage.
Another method often used to locate the general location of a leak is to set a test tool
or other plug capable of holding pressure from above and pressure test the tubing
with either pump pressure or gas pressure from another well. Observing the casing
pressure for buildup will allow the general location of the leak to be determined.
Another method of leak detection makes use of a small packer that is run on
wireline and may be set at any point in the tubing. Once set, the tool allows the
tubing to be pressured from the surface. After the tubing has been tested and the
pressure released, the packer may be released and run to another location and set
again for another test.

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Repairing Tubing Leaks

The most common means of repairing a leak in the tubing is by setting a wireline packoff in
the tubing but It should not be considered a permanent solution.

The packoff is used to extend the time a well can be produced before a rig must be moved on
location to perform a workover and replace the leaking tubing.
A packoff consists of two sealing elements attached to a section of small-diameter tubing. The
length of the packoff that can be run is determined by the length of the lubricator used.
When pressure testing the tubing while wireline is in the well:
1. Make certain the wireline surface equipment is rated for the test pressure, and tested
in place.
2. Make certain the pressure is bled off the well slowly after the test is finished. If the
pressure is bled off too fast, the test tool and wireline tools will be kicked up the hole by
the sudden release of pressure.
3. Be sure that the tubing is clean. Tubing scale may be worked loose by the expansion of
a long tubing string during a pressure test and cause the tools to stick.

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Safety Valve Problems

Safety valve problems can be categorized
according to the two major classes of valves:
problems with surface-controlled subsurface
safety valves (SCSSV) and problems with
subsurface-controlled subsurface safety
valves (SSCSV). In this discussion, we try to
analyze some of the more common safety
valve problems of each type of valve.
Surface-Controlled Valves
In surface-controlled valve hydraulic
pressure is maintained on the control line to
force the piston of the valve to move down
and keep the valve open
If the hydraulic pressure does not remain
constant, most likely the problem lies with the
packing on the safety valve and the valve has
to be pulled out for repair.
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Safety Valve Problems

The valve should be equalized by pressuring the

tubing above the safety valve to the shut-in tubing
pressure of the well before the valve is pulled. This
prevents the valve from being blown up the hole
when the safety valve is pulled from the nipple.

The wireline man can replace the packing on the

valve and re-run it. If other repair is required. Other
repairs are conducted by specialist. f the leak is in
the control line, the problem is corrected by killing
the well and pulling the tubing to replace the control
line.

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Wireline Downhole CommonTools

Tubing Conditioning Tools

Various tools are used to

determine whether the tubing is
clear to the depth that the
operation is to take place, and if
not, to clear any obstruction
from the tubing.
Tubing Gauge Cutters
Tubing Swage It run prior to any wireline
The tubing swage can be used operation to check that the tubing
to open up constricted places is free of obstructions. They have
in the tubing if they are not slightly smaller ID than the tubing.
severe.

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Tubing Broach Blind Box

The tubing broach is The blind box is a
also a tool designed to solid metal tool used
remove obstructions to hammer down on
in the tubing wall. an obstruction when
heavy downward
jarring is required.

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Impression Block
The impression block is used to take
impressions of hard or metallic
objects in the tubing to determine
their size, shape, and relative position
in the tubing.

It is made by pouring molten lead

into a metal sleeve machined for this
purpose

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Questions ?

Comments !

Open Discussion …

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