Well Completion Wireline

Operations
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1. Wireline Functions
Wireline unit is an important unit in oil production operations. It has too many
jobs to carry out, such as :
 Bottom hole pressure and temperature gradient and static surveys.

 Bottomhole Fill / Scale Bailing and cleaning.

 Setting and retrieval of downhole pressure / temperature gauges for

well testing.

 Setting and retrieval of downhole plugs for well securing.

 Tubing end locators and tubing clearance.

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1. Wireline Functions

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.

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

9. Calibrating, maintaining and running Amerada and electronic gauges.

10. Fishing operations.

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1. Wireline Functions

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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2. Surface Service Equipment

Integrated Wireline Unit

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2. Surface Service Equipment

Crane Wireline

Splite Wireline Unit

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2. Surface Service Equipment

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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2. Surface Service Equipment
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2. Surface Service Equipment

Wellhead Pressure equipment

for Production logging
operations
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2. Surface Service Equipment

 Stuffing Box
 The stuffing box design should seal around slickline and confine wellbore
fluids and gases within the surface pressure equipment, allowing wireline
operations to be carried out under pressure. The pressure rating should
exceed the shut-in pressure.

 The design should incorporate either hydraulic or manual operations to

provide a manual over-ride safety feature in case of hydraulic failure.

 The design should include an internal blow out plug to seal off and contain
well pressure in case of wireline breakage.

 An integral quick union pin and collar connection is to be provided to

connect to the surface pressure being used
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2. Surface Service Equipment

 Lubricator

 Lubricators should be of standard 8' lengths and pup lubricators should be

of minimum 4' lengths.

 Lubricators should be of pressure rating exceeding well shut-in pressure or

equivalent to the working pressure of the wellhead.

 The lubricator sections overall length, should be configured to accommodate

the tool string and tools being used, between the stuffing box and BOP.
(In case of fishing job extra sections will be regained to accommodate the
length of fish and fishing string)
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2. Surface Service Equipment
 Blow out Preventor

 The BOP's design should provide a positive seal around the wireline and
contain well pressure when the line is still in the wellbore, allowing
depressurizing the surface pressure equipment above the BOP to safely
carry out any emergency work. The BOP ID should be similar to the largest
tubing ID of the well being worked on.
 BOP's pressure rating exceeding the well shut-in pressure or equivalent to
the working pressure of the wellhead
 The BOP closure design should consist of two ram assemblies hydraulically
compressed around the line from opposite sides to affect a seal and contain
well pressure below the rams.
 The BOP should be hydraulically operated from the wireline unit operator's
console. An integral equalizing device should be incorporated to allow
equalization of pressure across the rams prior to opening the rams.
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2. Surface Service Equipment
 Wireline Tools
 Wirelines are available in a variety of sizes and materials.
 Wireline sizes are commonly stated in inches in diameter.
 An operating safety factor 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 tension
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.
Different wire types
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2. Surface Service Equipment
 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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2. Surface Service Equipment

 Wireline Valves
 The wireline valve is used to shut-in the well without damage to the wireline
while it is in the well.
 The capability to do this successfully is especially important when fishing
broken pieces of wireline from a well under pressure.
 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 and 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 it 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 re-open the valve
pressure should be 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. to 7-in. bore
and pressure ratings from 5000 psi
to 20,000 psi, just as lubricators.
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3. The Tool String
 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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3. The Tool String
Wireline Sockets

The wireline socket provides the means to attach

the tool string to the wireline

 In a conventional socket, the wireline is first

threaded through the stuffing box. Then the body,
spring, and spring support are threaded on the
wireline. The knot is tied by looping the wire
around the disc and wrapping the wire back over
itself to form the knot

 In a no-knot socket, after threading the wire

through the stuffing box, the body and the thimble
are threaded on to the wireline. The wireline is then
bent around the wedge and pushed back into the
thimble.
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3. The Tool String
 Stem
 The stem provides the mass required in
jarring action operatio ns and in making
the tools fall in the well.
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3. The Tool String

 Jars and Jarring

The jars allow the wireline specialist to deliver the

hammering blows that are essential to perform
most of the wireline operations.
Conventional jars look like two long chain links
that can be slid together or apart. The jarring
operation can be up or down.
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3. The Tool String
 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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4. Wireline 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

hundreds 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.
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4. Wireline Operations

B. 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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4. Wireline Operations
C. Tubing Leak and Pressure Testing
 Tubing leaks can be difficult to identify its exact location of the leak.
 One method 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.
 Another method often used 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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4. Wireline Operations

D. 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.
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4. Wireline Operations

D. Repairing Tubing Leaks

When pressure testing the tubing while wireline is in the well:
 Make certain the wireline surface equipment is rated for the test
pressure, and tested in place.

 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.

 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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5. Wireline Downhole Tools

Safety Valves
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5. Wireline Downhole Tools
 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.

1. Surface-Controlled Valves

2. 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

3. 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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5. Wireline Downhole Tools

 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 operator can replace the packing on the valve and re-run
it. Where If other repair is required, it must be conducted by a
specialist.

 But if the leak is in the control line, the problem is to be cured by

killing the well and then pulling the tubing to replace the control line
by a workover rig.
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5. Wireline Downhole Tools

 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 string.

 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 string.

 The objectives of using these different tools is to make sure that the
completion production string is producing the target production rate as
planned.
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5. Wireline Downhole Tools

 Impression Block

It is used to take an impressions of hard or metallic

objects in the tubing to determine their sizes,
shapes, 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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5. Wireline Downhole Tools

 Blind Box
The blind box is a solid metal tool used to
hammer down on an obstruction when heavy
downward jarring is required.
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5. Wireline Downhole Tools

Tubing Gauge Cutters

Tubing Broach Tubing Swage It run prior to any wireline
The tubing broach is The tubing swage can be operation to check that the tubing
also a tool designed to used to open up constricted is free of obstructions. They have
places in the tubing if they slightly smaller ID than the tubing
remove obstructions are not severe. and beveled to remove paraffin
in the tubing wall. deposits.
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5. Wireline Downhole Tools

 Bulldog Spear
is designed to retrieve lock mandrels
with internal fishing necks which are
either damaged and cannot be
latched by conventional pulling tools.
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5. Wireline Downhole Tools

Wireline Grab

is designed to retrieve broken

wire from the well bore after
making a small ball with the
wire finder.