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After the well is drilled, casing ran and cemented in place, the well is ready for the completion process to begin.
Well completion may be performed by the larger drilling rig or by a smaller less expensive completion/workover rig. Rig type would be determined by availability and project economics.
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The uncompleted well is not perforated and is left with the casing full of liquid. It is capped off with a valve. To complete the well, it must be perforated, sand control installed if required, the tubing installed, tubing auxiliaries and packers installed and the tree installed. The first step in the completion process is to remove the valve and flange and install the workover BOP on the well.
A completion/workover rig is similar to a drilling rig but on a reduced scale. Completion/workover rigs have four basic systems. 1. Power System 2. Rotating System 3. Hoisting 4. Circulating System
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5. Running product tubing with its auxiliary components 6. Pumping inhibited fluid in to the annulus when required 7. Removal of the BOP stack and installing and testing the Christmas Tree.
Pipe Rams
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Reservoir Temperature: 60 F (16 C) to 600 F (315 C) or more. Contaminants: Compounds like H2S and CO2 are annoying in small amounts. In higher volumes it may require special equipment and procedures. Above a certain point, it may not be economically feasible to produce some zones, because of these components. Unconsolidated Sand Water production
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Wells that are completed in hard rock formations or sands that are naturally cemented together do not require sand control. Well completed in a sand zone that has not been naturally cemented together, (unconsolidated sand) would flow to the surface with the produced fluids and cause serious problems. Sand control, usually in the form of a gravel pack or pre-pack screens are used to keep the sand in place.
After a well is drilled and cased, equipment is installed to flow oil and gas from the reservoir to the separation equipment. The completion procedure varies with depth, pressure, expected flow rates and other factors. A successful well is the result of a combination of good drilling, completion, and production practices. Failure in any one of these areas could affect present or future project development. Poor drilling practices could result in formation damage, reduced flow rates and possibly premature well abandonment, which in turn would effect ultimate recovery.
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Completion Steps
A bit and scraper run is made to insure no cement deposits were left on the interior walls of the casing. If drilling mud was left in the well after the drilling process, it is replaced with completion fluid. If the well is not to be an open hole completion, the next step may be to perforate the well and run the production packer. If the well is to be a gravel pack completion, a sump packer set , the casing perforated, a screen and packer installed, and gravel pumped. Open hole completion wells are completed by drilling out of the end of the casing. The target zone is penetrated, a pre-pack screen is installed in the un-cased hole which is anchored and sealed in the casing.
The rig will pick up a drill string or a work string and make a bit and scraper run to TD. This is to ensure that the well bore and casing is clean to TD.
Scraper
At this point, the liquid left in the casing by the drilling rig will be displaced with a specified completion fluid.
Bit
Casing Scraper
Loose unconsolidated reservoir sand will flow up the tubing string along with reservoir fluids unless restricted from doing so. Unconsolidated reservoirs requires some type of sand control. There are typically three types of sand control.
Sand consolidation - gluing of reservoir sand grains together. Gravel pack - filter system usually required in high volume wells with large producing intervals. A gravel pack is designed for the sand characteristics of a specific reservoir. This system prevents loose reservoir sand from flowing into the well. Pre-pack screen - This system incorporates a sand filtering material which is wrapped between an inter and outer layer of the screen. HES Pre-pack Screen
Perm. Packer
The first step in a gravel pack completion is to set the sump packer. This packer is set for two reasons. 1. It will be the basis for proper placement of the gravel pack screen across the perforations. For accuracy in packer placement, an electric line unit is used to set this packer. 2. Sand grains and/or other particles that pass through the screen fall through the bottom of the gravel pack assembly into a sump or rat hole. This lessens the chances of plugging the tubing.
Once the sump packer is set, the well will be perforated. This may be done with tubing conveyed guns or guns run on electric line units. Perforating guns are designed to penetrate the casing, the surrounding cement, and go into the formation, opening the reservoir to the well bore. Perforating guns usually do their job by means of a shaped explosive charge. Caution: Perforating is a critical and potentially dangerous operation, all guide lines must be followed. This process may leave behind undesired material that could impede flow into the well bore.
Sump Packer
Perforation Guns
Pictured to the right are casing and tubing perforators.
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Perferation: After casing is set and cemented, the well must be opened to the producing zone. Necessary holes are opened through the casing and cement into the producing zone.
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The perforating process may leave material behind which may affect production volumes, the well is usually back surged to remove this material. A back surge tool is run and set above the perforations. The back surge process causes a sudden short term decrease in pressure at the perforations. Damaged material in the perforated areas caused by the shaped charges are pulled into the casing by the reduced pressure. This material is circulated out of the well, its volume measured and an equal volume of clean gravel pumped into the well.
Next, the screen and gravel pack setting and crossover tool are run. The gravel pack sand is pumped in a gel type solution. This solution is designed to keep sand volumes consistent as it is pumped down the work string. Once the sand /gel slurry is pumped below the screen liner hanger, it goes through a port in the crossover tool into the annular space between the screen and production casing. The gel minus the sand returns to the surface through a port in the gravel pack assembly by crossing over into the production casing /tubing annulus. Pumping continues until pack sand fills the annulus between the production casing and the screen to a predetermined height. The gravel packing is now complete. The liner setting device and gravel pack tool are pulled out of the hole.
Screen
After the gravel pack running equipment is removed, the complete gravel pack assembly including the sump packer, sand screen, sand and liner hanger/packer will be in place. The well is now ready for the production tubing and its components to be installed.
The production tubing which carries fluids from the reservoir to the christmas tree is now installed. Tubing strings generally run from 2 3/8 to 5 1/2 in diameter. The tubing string contains a number of auxiliary devices which provide safety and environmental protection and assist in producing and maintaining the well.
Landing Nipple
Landing Nipple
Rod Pump
Tubing Hanger
Christmas Tree
Hanger Pins
Production Casing Slip and seal assembly Conductor Casing Surface Casing Landing Base Drive Pipe
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Needle Valve
Wing Valve
Choke Body
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Tree
Tubing Hanger
Tree Assembly
Insert Choke Tubing Hanger Vertical Hub for Well Jumper Tubing Head Assembly
After a well has produced for a time, mechanical may develop. Problems may include:
A. Damaged Tubing Collapsed and plugged Holes and split Parted and corroded Leaking Packers B. Damaged gravel pack screens Collapsed Washed out C. Damaged Casing Collapsed Split Eroded Parted Corroded
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Remedial Well Operations Remedial well work will be required at some point in the life of a well.
Re-completions requires a workover rig. If the job does not require pulling of the tubing, through tubing equipment may be used.
Mechanical problems (Tubular Damage) usually require pulling the tubing string and its components, necessary repairs or replacement made and the well returned to production. With this type of workover, the well continues to produce from the same reservoir.
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Conventional Workover/Intervention Methods: Require removal of Christmas tree, tubing, and other mechanical components in the well In many instances, workover/intervention on a well with reservoir problems will require completing the well in a different reservoir These projects must be justified, cost to do the work is estimated, economics of the project are then determined. Based upon this evaluation, the project is approved or rejected. After completion, the well is turned over to production for unloading and bringing to full potential.
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Snubbing Units Designed to do remedial work on a well without removal of the Christmas tree or production tubing. This kind of a project is called a through tubing job. Pipe, generally about 1/ 25 mm in diameter is inserted into and removed from the well by means of a hydraulic ram. A small BOP is placed on top of the tree to ensure proper well control while working is being conducted. Snubbing operations are suited for work on fairly deep high pressure wells.
To recomplete this well to another zone: A workover rig would be moved on location The well would be killed and prepared for the workover The tubing would be removed If the zone to be completed were below the existing zone, the gravel pack would have to be removed using typical fishing techniques to clean out the hole. The perforations would be squeeze cemented The new zone would be perforated and gravel packed Production tubulars would be run in the well The christmas tree installed and the well would be turned over to production personnel to be put on production
If the zone to be completed were above the existing zone, the gravel pack would be squeeze cemented and abandoned using typical cementing techniques. The new zone located above the original zone would be perforated and gravel packed Production tubulars would be run in the well The christmas tree installed and the well would be turned over to production personnel to be put on production
Rotary Shoe
Squeeze Tool
SSSV
These valves are set to close on velocities higher than normal production rates. This is generally done by installing spacers and chokes in the valve. If improper spacers or chokes are installed, the valve will not close at the desired velocity.