Chapter ll Workover and Completion Rigs, Workover Systems Production rigs—utilization, selection, efficiency Non-conventional workover systems Concentric-tubing workovers Conventional and hydraulic systems Coiled-tubing system Through-tubing operating practices Through-flowline techniques ‘An important factor in overall cost and sometimes the success of a completion or workover job is the choice of the conventional rig or workover system, equipment to do the job. Completion and workover techniques have advanced to the point where usually several methods could be employed to accomplish the same result. Conventional workover rig equipment has been specialized and refined so that it is now advantageous to pick equipment to do a particular phase of the wor- kover job, and after that phase is completed to pick another or move in auxiliary equipment—pumps, power swivel, squeeze unit, etc., to do the next phase In many well-treating or workover situations the primary requirement in setting up to accomplish the job is to establish a means of circulating to the bottom of the well, In these situations small diameter Con- centric Tubing units, Coiled Tubing units, or small diameter Snubbing units have application, Concentric tubing units and the second generation, Long-Stroke Hydraulic Snubbing units have the added capability of low torque drilling. With the dynadrill-type down: hole motor. coiled tubing units have the capability of Jow torque rotation ‘Where only circulation is required, wells set up ini- \ially for the “Pump-Down” system can be worked over or serviced without the need of a rig, by pump- ing a work string of tools to the proper point in the well, operating the tools through application of pres sure, and reverse circulating the tool string to the sur- 299 face after the job is accomplished. The pump-down system should not be thought of as strictly a through- flowline system. As more experience is gained in its use, it should see increasing application in wells de- Viated from a central platform location onshore or off shore Formation damage must always be a primary con- cem in well workover. The ability to run tubing into ‘a well through the christmas tree and normal praduc- ing conduit under surface pressure means that fluids can be circulated to bottom with no differential pres- sure into the producing zone. Thus, there is no pre- liminary flow of filtrate or solids into the zone to cause damage before the treating fluid arrives. ‘Where circulation to bottom is not required, certain jobs can be performed by use of an electric line or a wire line. ‘CONVENTIONAL PRODUCTION RIGS Where producing string tubing must be moved the pipe handling capacity of a conventional Production Rig is usually required, fig Utilization ‘The following recommendations should be used to. guide utilization of equipment for completion and ‘workover operations, Drilling Rig Versus Production Rig—On newPRODUCTION OPERATIONS /VOL. 2 Well Completions, Workover, and Stimulation conventional wells, release drilling rig and complete with a workover rig or rigs selected to do the particular job required. Reasons: 1, Average day-rate cost of drilling rig may be four to six times that of a 10-hour day workover unit 2. Drilling rig crews often lack sufficient training to perform specialized completion operations, such as running tubing and setting packers. Shutdown at Night—Operate production rigs in daylight hours only—except: 1. In offshore operations. 2. Where procedures are sufficiently hazardous to preclude overnight shutdown—prolonged fishing. jobs—high pressure situations. 3. Where time is of prime importance in returning well to production, Use Proper Workover Unit—Itis often economi- cal to release one type of production rig and move in another more suitable toaccomplish the particular job at hand, Failure to utilize the proper rig even if operations are delayed several days, results in additional rig time, special tool rental and costly mistakes. Situations to be avoided include: 1, Using heavy-duty production rigs (and cer: tainly drilling rigs) to run small (1'/-in.) diameter tubing, 2. Using heavy-duty production rigs on shallow conventional weils. 3. Using rigs that pull only singles in liew of a double rig on conventional wells involving work- overs or jobs requiring many trips. From a depth standpoint, the breakover point between a singles and a doubles rig occurs at about 7,500-8,000 ft Production Rig Selection Basically the problem of rig selection is one of picking a rig capable of doing the particular work- over or service job for the lowest overall cost. Depth or Load Capacity—Rig capacities are commonly spoken of in terms of depth rating with a particular size tubing, usually 2”/-in. Rig capacity depends upon a number of factors, principally braking capacity, derrick capacity, and drawworks horsepower. Braking Capacity—Braking capacity is a prime consideration in rig selection. Considerable energy is developed in lowering pipe in the hole. This energy, converted to heat by the braking system, must be effectively dissipated. TABLET ‘Typical Braking System vs, Depth Rating Comparison Nominal Etvective Type ‘Auniliory Depth rating horsepower brake area cooling brake w/2% in range sa in system sue" tubing. ft 100-160 1200 aie = 4.000 180-200 1600 Air - 5.000 Spray - 3.000 200-250 2000 Air = 6.000 Spray 8.000 Spray 1Sin. SR 10,000 250-400 2400 a - 2.000 Spray = 3.000 Spray 15.18, SR 11.000 Spray Sin OR 12,000 400-600 2800 Air = 8.000 Spray - 30.000 Spray 1S:in, OR 15,000 Spray 22in. SR 18.000 ‘emiyrotarder Braking Capacity 9 1300 rom ‘inch Single RotorWorkover and Completion Rigs. Workover Systems 295 Braking effort is a function of the area of friction blocks forced against the rim; thus, effective brake area is an important comparative factor for rig selection Lowering @ 50,000-Ib tubing string in the hole at the rate of one double in 10 seconds develops about 545 hp or 4,000 Btu of heat. Thus brake cooling is a primary concern. Generally the larger the brake block area the faster the heat dissipation. Shallow depth rigs often depend on air cooling. Rigs rated below about 4,500 ft usually use water forcooling with either a spray or circulating system. ‘At depths below about 10,000 ft an auxiliary brake may also be required. The Parkersburg Hydrotarder is a hydrodynamic device that absorbs power by converting mechanical energy directly into heat energy within its working fluid (usually water) trough punping cio ee ee | | | | | | Table 11-1 presents accepted relationships be- tween drawworks horsepower, effective brake area, type of cooling system, auxiliary brake system and depth rating with 27/-in. tubing, Derrick Capacity—Two types of masts are used with production rigs. The conventional pole-type mastis shown in Figure |1-1. Both single and double pole masts are used. With double pole type it is possible to install a racking board and hang sucker rods, and set back tubing, whereas with the single pole type, rods and tubing must be laid down. Thus, the double pole is more popular. ‘The self-guyed structural mast is shown in Figure 11-2. Load-bearing guys ate permanently attached directly to the carrier vehicle; however, external guys are usually required under manufacturers rec ‘ommendations. Typical ‘specifications of fabricated masts are shown in Table 11-2. ‘The foundation under the derrick legs must support the hook load and the weight of the derrick Failure of the foundation under one leg, for exam- ple, can cause failure of the derrick at much less than rated capacity. Safebearing capacity of soils are shown in Table 11-3, Drawworks Horsepower—Drawworks horsepow- cx basically determines the speed at which pipe can be pulled from the hole. Loaded hook speed must be compromised with the cost and weight of the engine, transmission, and drawworks required FIG. 11-1—Guying diagram for masts having guy lines anchored independently at the mast base (API Stan- dard 40) FIG. 11-2—Structural mast guying diagram, internal ‘and external load guys (API Standard 46)PRODUCTION OPERATIONS /VOL. 2 Well Completions, Workover, and Stimulation TABLE 11-2 General Spacitications of F icated Masts Nominat Mook toad Racking capacity—t Height Weight capacity fe 0 wi lines, 2% in wwbing "in rods i 6 8.000 140,000 Singles— 7.200 Doubles— 7,500 %0 13.000 180.000, Doubies— 5.600 Doubles—t0 500, 6 15000, 238,000 Doubles — 16,000 ‘Theibbles—11.500, 108 20,000 250,000 Doubles— 18,000 “= TABLE 11-3 Typically, 150 net hook horsepower requires (pounds ‘Solid ledge of hard rack, such as granite, wap. ete ‘Sound shale and other medium rock requiring blasting for removal Hard pan, comented sand and gravel ‘dificult to remove by picking Sott rock, disintegrated ledge: in natural ledge, difficult to remove by picking Compact tand and gravel requiring picking $0,000-200,000 20.000- 30,000 16000-20000 10.000- 20,000 {or removal 8.000- 12.000 Hard clay requiring picking for removal. 8000- 10.000 Gravel, coarse sand. ev natural thick beds 8000- 10.000 Loose. medium, and coarse sand, fine compact sand 3.000. 8.000 Medium clay, stiff but capable of being spaded 4.000 8.000 Fine loose sand 2,000- 000 Solt clay 2,000 to develop the power and translate that power into line pull and line speed ‘The actual power required to pull tubing is not as great as might be supposed. Table 11-4 illustrates this for a typical rig situation, TABLE 11-4 Power Required to Pull Tubing 10.000 f. 27 in. 67 16/4 about 250 engine horsepower. With 150 net hook horsepower tubing could be started off bottom at 100 ft/min, and would reach a maximum pulling speed of about 300 ft/min when two-thirds of the way out of the hole. A ‘Net hook tt-bottom ‘Net hoisting time power. pulting speed to pull our ”e ymin ‘minutes 180 100 60 5 50 120| i gs Ec é @ 33 3s |PRODUCTION OPERATIONS/VOL. 2 tions, Workover, and Stimulation z 8 3 Operational Etticiency Operational efficiency refers to the efficiency or speed per unit of overall cost with which the required ‘operations can be performed. Obviously personnel capability, training and mo- tivation are primary factors affecting “operational efficiency” in addition to the design and application of the mechanical equipment. Primary rig operations include: move in, rig up, tear down; pulling and running tubing and rods: and rotating and circulating. Proper choice of ac- cessories maximizes operational efficiency ‘Move in—Rig Up—Tear Down ‘The efficiency of move in, rig up, and tear down depends upon several factors: Roadability—Most modern rigs are designed to move over good roads at speeds of about 40 mph. Usually the drawworks engine powers the vehicle ‘on the road. justment of the derrick, Type of Mast—The hydraulically-raised self- guyed derrick has reduced time requirements for this operation almost to insignificance, For example, raising and leveling a 90-(t self-guyed derrick re- quiring two operations: (1) tilting mast upright and Q) extending derrick, takes about 15 minutes. Blocks remain rigged up and leveling is done by hydraulic jacks or screws. Raising and securing a comparabie pole mast with external guys might require 40 minutes, Pulling and Running Rods and Tubing Repetitious operations in pulling and running rods and tubing lend themselves to automation, The ‘conventional four-man crew can be reduced to three men (eliminating one floorman) through use of air-operated slips, hydraulic tubing tongs and hy- draulic tong positioners. The continuous motion block eliminates deadtime while making up or breaking out tubing joints== 32 i 4 : it t o£ Rotating and Circulating Rotating and circulating are intermittently re- quired in workovers, during such operations as Cleaning out, drilling cement or permanent packers, deepening, and perhaps washing over or milling. Rotating —The power swivel or power sub is well adapted to workover rig rotary operations. Advan- tages are accurate torque control through a pressure regulator bypass, and much easier makeup on the drill string compared with a kelly. Table 11-7 shows typical capacities Circulating—Pumping operations involve: (1) drilling or milling where relatively high circulating, TABLE 11.7 ‘Typical Power Sub Maximum Max Circulating pressure, Max torque Swivel mode! vate. gpm si Horsepower ‘pm ran Stytop 615 40 2000 “6 100 1330 Cooper 6080 3 2000 60 m3 7000" Cooper 6080 6 2000 90 180 2400volume may be required to provide the annular velocity needed to lift cuttings to the surface, and. (2)well killing where high pressures may be required to inject into the well. es i NON-CONVENTIONAL WORKOVER SYSTEMS Non-conventional workover equipment or sys tems can be categorized as: Concentric tubing workover rigs are essentially smaller versions of production rigs with perhaps a higher degree of hydraulic control to assist ia ‘operating within limits of their smaller equipment. Long-stroke hydraulic snubbing units, the most recent addition t non-conventional workover equipment, incorporate most of the advantages ofWorkover and Completion Rigs, Workover Systems 4 concentric tubing rig plus they have the pulling and rotating capacity of a larger workover rig, and the ability to work under surface pressure. At this point they appear to be the rig of the future both for offshore platform work and land work. Coiled-tubing units have seen a rapid rise in application particularly for operations such as washing, spotting, or displacing fluids. Primary ad- vantage is speed of running pipe. Currently units are available with I-in., I 'yein., or 1 Yrin. od pipe Primary limitation is inability to rotate effectively for drill-out operations. Small-diameter short-stroke snubbing units have ‘many of the same advantages as coiled tubing units (Gce.. ability to work under reasonable surface pres- sure, and portability) and the same limitations (i.e., inability to rotate). Another serious limitation is the time required to run tubing. This equipment has been obsoleted by the long-stroke hydraulic unit The pump-down system. sometimes called the through-flowiine, or TFL system, was originally de veloped for ocean floor completions. but also has sig nificant application in deviated holes where wireline work required for normal servicing operations is made more difficult by drag or line friction Through-tubing electric line oF wireline systems canhandle such operations as plugging back, baling or removing tubing obstructions as well as normal well maintenance functions of paraffin scraping, as lift valve servicing, etc CONCENTRIC TUBING WORKOVERS The term ‘‘concentric tubing workover” refers to a system whereby a small work string of “maca roni’’ tubing or drill pipe is run inside the existing ‘well tubing. This system offers a rather simple and economical means of working over a well without removing the existing production tubing. An indi- vidual completion in a multicompleted well can be worked over without disturbing other completions. For a high pressure well, macaroni tubing can be snubbed in without killing the well. The avoid ance of exposure of producing formations to drilling mud or packer fluids will result in less damage to the producing formation and higher well produc tivities. Lighter equipment can be employed in offshore operations or isolated areas. Concentric tubing workover should be considered in these situations: Wells with tubing set on a packer with gelled ‘mud or other packer fluid in casing-tubing annulus. 2. Multiple completions. 3. Offshore wells. 4, Tubingless completions. Equipment for Concentric Tubing Workovers Primary equipment needed to conduct concentric tubing workovers includes: (1) a hoisting and rotat- ing unit, (2) blowout preventers, (3) a macaroni workstring, (4) a high-pressure low-volume pump, and (5) small bits or mills.PRODUCTION OPERATIONS/VOL. 2 Well Completions, Workover, and Stimulation 02 =m EEE = = = = = = — = oe eo e =: = a = = e es e e = = SG ss SBS S&S & = oo PREEEE S - a & Ss & = = = e = ee 27828: E : aon ee, ee eee I Coiled Tubing System ‘The coiled tubing, or reeled tubing, workover sys- tem primarily supplies a means of running small-Workover and Completion Rigs, Workover Systems 303 — —= = = = — = e = e = = § = & Ss am & s s — S 8 s 7 & s tj diameter tubing through the usual well tubing, thus units operate. Table 11-12 shows specifications for providing a circulating path to the bottom of the well ‘The following advantages are apparent 1. Coiled tubing can be run in the well against rea sonable surface pressure, thus the well can be con- trolled with a low density clean fluid. For many ap- plications the high pressure well does not have to be killed with a damaging fluid 2. Weight and size of the various components are such that transportation to an offshore platform is fa- cilitated 3. Tubing can be run at relatively high speeds— 150-200 feet per minute, Circulation is possible while running and pulling. There are no collared connections in the string. Primary components are the injector-hoist unit, continuous tubing, storage reel, and the blowout preventer stack. Injector Hoist Unit—This consists of friction, gripper blocks mounted on an endless chain driven by a hydraulic motor system. These blocks grip the small tubing to run in of pull out. The unit also serves to straighten the tubing as it is run into the well and to yield it again as it is pulled out. Table I-11 shows specifications of reeled tubing units available from one service company Continuous Tubing—This is I-in., 1 Yein. or | Ya- in, od steel pipe having a minimum yield strength of 70,000 psi. It is manufactured in 1 000-3,500 ft lengths and must be welded to form longer lengths, Welding. requires special equipment and techniques and these facilities must be available in the area where these pipe available from one manufacturer. Pipe life is a function of work performed. It can be quite short, varying from 20 trips where high pulls and high pressures are involved, to 100 trips with low. tensile. low-burst conditions. Pipe closest to the reel core sees most severe conditions and must be replaced first Useful depth limit is about 12 to 15,000 ft; perfor- mance is better at 10,000 ft, Accurate measurement of pipe strain is important and under high tensile loads internal pressure must be reduced accordingly. The tubing reel, normally 8 to 10 ft in diameter. is powered by hydraulic drive to maintain tension on the tubing, and uses a “level wind” mechanism to reel the tubing uniformly. Friction pressure loss in I-in. tubing is a real prob- lem; 250-300 psi/1000 ft with water, or about 30% TABLE 11-11 Specifications of Reeled Tubing Units ‘Si Trailer Traler——tralor mounted mounted mounted ‘inch Tench‘ Pypine Description odty od god fg Engine ho 140 140 175, Feel capaciy 17900 15000 18,000, Reel speed fom 160 160 220 Injector cap Ibs 12000 24000 24,000, Max. pres. psi 3000 5,000,000 HS HS HS ServicePRODUCTION OPERATIONS/VOL. 2 Well Completions, Workover. and Stimulation 308 TABLE 11-12 pressure is inexact. Often a working collapse pressure Pipe Specifications of 1,000 to 1,500 psi should be considered as an up- oun Quay Tbe per limit, Table 11-13 shows the incentive for re- pecticaions—Qualty Tubing, Inc. Houston vversing out from the standpoint of time to retum flu (Min Vel, 70,000 pi: Elongation ing out from the standpoint of time to retum fluids on min 2 or cement to the surface. It also shows the advantage (Hardness ~ 22 Re max) of the larger I '/-in, tubing in reducing the time circulate fluids from bottom through the annulus. Hin 0d tivin od Prin od Concentric Tubing Operating Practices ‘Actual 08 in. yoo 125150 19 Operating Nomina. én 0826 1078 1.250 Operations performed with concentric tubing Weight, sit osa 10811896 techniques include squeeze cementing, washing out Cates Sa 02500318040 sand, plugging back, plastic consolidation, gravel ou ean 17500 22260 97.800 packing, and deepening. Where rotation is required timate (rin) 20000 544043200, the concentric tubing rig, or long stroke snubbing Pressure capacity ps! unit, must be used. Where only circulation is re- Tested 9200 7360 8790 quired the coiled tubing unit can be used Burst (min) 15100 1190014390 Colmpee (inj? 1920 eetD «10890, Squeeze Cementing—Squeeze cementing can be Torque, yi, tbs 30s 5081001 done between packers on adual completion or below ‘tral capacty cess tate the bottom packer. See Figure 11-5. Suggested 5/1000 ft " ; rocedure for a typical jo External displacement Procedure for a typical job: bis/1000 ft oer 1518 2.108 1, Runthe "macaroni Notes (a) Omer wat iene avatane (0) Tre etetof aul tension of Pressure Ratng has nor been apd let be cutotroue or Sip cushed close presse values caus less with a guar gum or polymer fluid. With foam, pressure loss is about 60 psi/1000 ft Table 11-13 compares circulating rates and times for I-in, 1 Vein. and 1 Yp-in. reeled tubing inside 5 pin, 17 Ibvft casing. Reverse circulating fluids up- ward through reelable tubing is hazardous because of the danger of the annulus pressure collapsing the pipe. Published collapse strength data on reclable tubing applies to new round pipe. Usually, however, due to the gripper unit action the pipe is somewhat elliptical and also wom, thus, predicting the actual collapse work string to the lowest perforation to be squeezed. 2. Batch mix low fluid loss cement with etarder to provide more than adequate pumpability time 3. Pump in about 4 bbl of fresh water, required cement—usually about 2 bbl for short zones, and 2 bbl of fresh water, followed by appropriate displacing fluid—usually saltwater. 4, For short zones, pump cement to bottom of “macaroni” string, and circulate cement around bottom until about '/2 bbl of cement has been circulated above uppermost perforation. The objec- | tive is to spot about 50 ft of cement in the casing | ‘opposite and above perforations. | 5, Pullmacaroni string until itis about 15 ft above top perforations, with the hydraulicaly-operated stripper-type blowout preventers closed on pipe. TABLE 11-13 Comparison of t-ing ¥ Yin. and 1 "nt 1d Tubing Circulation at 11,000 (6 ‘iin. 17 It casing) 9 pump pump velocity circulating time size rate pressure (tsec) (nemin) in gem si tg anoulus og annulus Tot! 1 25 5075 135 04s on7 651 7m VW 45 aan 158 ose ons 343 358 1h 78 4968 179 147 one 217 223Workover and Completion Rigs, Workover Systems 305 FIG. 11-8—Concentrie-tubing squ 120 comenting 6 Close BOPs and perform a low pressure squeeze job with maximum squeeze pressure, usually 300 to 500 psi above anticipated reversing pressure. 7. If a cement plug is desired opposite perfora- tions, reverse out excess cement, raise pipe about 300 ft, keeping hydraulically-operated stripper closed, and wait on cement to set. For tubingless completions, it may be desirable to drill out cement when recompleting lower. 8. To remove all cement opposite squeezed per- forations leaving only dehydrated nodes of cement inside perforations, start reversing out cement with macaroni tubing above perforations. After cement returns are obtained, continue reverse circulation while slowly lowering the tubing through the per- forated interval 9. For conventional completions, equipped with an inside flow string set above completion zones, it is usually preferable to circulate out cement to bottom because of difficulties in drilling cement from casing with a much smaller diameter bit Dump bailers are available for cement plugbacks, but are not too satisfactory for wells with apprecia- ble reservoir pressure. Primary difficulty—feed in and mixing of fluids with cementing material. Perforating —Through-tubing type guns can be used to perforate either conventional or tubingless completions. See Figure 11-6. Conventional multiple completions can be per- forated between packers by use of a perforator equipped with a special kickover arm, surface indication of direction of adjacent tubing strings, and gun rotating device. Figures 11-7 and 11-8 show this equipment and perforating arrangement. ‘Sand Washing—To minimize plugging on bottom, bottom end of the tubing string is cut off diagonally, forming a “'muleshoe.” Saltwater or oil can be used as the circulating fluid. See Figure 11-9. Normal practice is to jet about 60 ft into the sand, then reverse circulate the sand out to avoid accumulating too much sand in the annulus. A mill is sometimes used if sand is extremely hard. Sand Control—Concentric tubing can be used to place plastic for sand consolidation. This system has been very satisfactory in offshore operations ‘Small diameter tubing is advantageous in sand consolidation because of improved control of small volumes of chemicals used ‘Small diameter equipment is available for gravel packing to control sand; however, the small diame- ter screen required appreciably limits Nuid volumes. FIG. 11-6—Through-tubing packers. perforating betweenPRODUCTION OPERATIONS /VOL. 2 Well Completions, Workover, and Stimulation ———————— eS FIG. 11-7—Perforator-orienting tool. FIG. 11-8—Orienting device for between-packer per- forating FIG. 11-3—Washing sand bridges with concentric tub- ing. Acidizing—It is frequently advantageous to aci- dize long zones, using concentric tubing so that acid can be circulated adjacent all zones. In high pressure wellsit may be desirable to snub in regular concentric tubing or coiledtubing to avoid damage to formation during stimulation operations. Deepening —Concentric tubing techniques can be used to drill in with a non-damaging fluid when small diameter casing has been set and cemented above a productive zone. This system is also useful to deepen through zones previously plugged back with cement, Through Flow Line Maintenance and Workover Techniques To perform well servicing operations, a system has been developed by Otis Engineering to convert ‘wireline’ techniques to. “pump-down" tech- niques, The system requires two flowlines and at least two tubing strings to permit circulation of fluids from a central location to the bottom of the well, as shown in Figure 11-10. It has application in highly deviated holes, as well as in ocean floor comple- tions. Landing ne 15:80 sre a FIG. 11-10—Flow-tine and tubular hookup for pump: down systems.’ Permission to publish by The Society of Petroleum Engineers.Workover and Completion Rigs, Workover Sy: FIG. 11-11—Piston unit or locomotive * Permission to publish by The Society of Petroleum Engineers. Locomotive—Heart of the system is the piston unit or locomotive—(Figure 11-11) which is used to install or retrieve through flowline tools. Each piston unit is provided with a bypass restriction which absorbs energy in the form of differential pressure, but does not prevent circulation com- pletely. By sharing loads between pistons, consid- erable thrust can be generated. Six pistons would develop a pull (or push) of 4,500 Ib with 1,500 psi differential across the string of tools inside 2%6-in, tubing. Auxiliary Tools and Maintenance Operations— Other tools, such as running and pulling tools, hydraulic, or mechanical jars, stem, and paraffin cutters, are available for use with the pump-down system. Thus, all the “conventional” wireline operations can be performed by a properly set up pump-down system including running or pulling safety valves, operating sliding sleeves, running bottomhole instrumentation, or fishing. Paraffin cutting using the pump-down system is actually simpler than with wireline tools. The cutter with several locomotives above is pumped through the flowline and down the well tubing. Some fluid bypasses the tools washing cut paraffin ahead. After the tools have been run to below the level of deepest Paraffin accumulation, the well is opened up and paraffin and tools are returned to the remote pro- duction platform. \ v FIG, 11-12—Sand-washing operation.> Permission to publish by The Society of Petroleum Engineers. Workover Operations —Tubing extension (flexi- ble Y«in. tubing of any reasonable length) can be run where necessary to perform operations such as sand washing (Figure 1-12), squeeze cementing, plasticizing or acidizing. Perforating can be done (oriented perforating if necessary) by “locating” the perforator with respect to a landing nipple, the position of which has previously been established with respect to the formation. ‘Surface-Control Equipment— Surface equipment located on a remote production platform consists of: a pump (about 150 hydraulic hp); a horizontal lubricator to permit inserting tools against well pressure; and a manifold and instrument skid for controlling flow, regulating back pressure, measur- ing rates and volumes, and recording pressures. The location of tools in the flowline and tubing is determined primarily by the recorded pressure “signature” of the particular well configuration as, the tools pass through the christmas tree and the various other flow restrictions.PRODUCTION OPERATIONS/VOL. 2 Well Completions, Workover, and Stimulation REFERENCES 1. Gooken, R. J: "Report on Methods of Concentic Tubing Workovers." API Paper 926-3-8 (Feb. 1958) 2. Covey, C. B., Jr. and Rike, J. L: "Tubingless Compl: tions," API Paper $26-4-6 (March 1959) 9, Rike, J. L: A Small Coiled Tubing Workover A Paper 926-121 (March 1967) 4. Frank, W. J, Jr: "Improves Concenttic Workover Tech: ques Otshore.” JPT (Apel 1969) p. 401 apt 5, Rauins, GM: “Wet Servicing by Pumedown Tech riques.” JPT (Feb. 1970) p. 16 6. API Spec 4 E, “Specifcations for Oring and Wel Serve ing Stuctures. (March, 1974) Supplement 3 (Jan. 1981), 7. API Spec 4 F, "Specificatons for Dring and Wel Serve ing Structures, Part I" (May 1985), 8. Harrison, T. W. and Blount, C. G: "Called Tubing Cement Squeeze Technique at Prudhoe Bay Alaska,” SPE 15104, Oak land, CA (Apr 1986}.Chapter 122 Workover Problem-well analysis Planning Alleviation of formation damage Permeability and reservoir pressure problems Reduction of extraneous water or gas production Sand control and mechanical problems Adjustment of completion intervals Weorkover economics Maintenance of wells in optimum producing con- dition is a primary objective of workover operations. In addition to solving specific well and reservoir con- tol problems, workovers can provide a check on lat- eral and vertical movement of fluids, and current lo- cation of oil, water, and gas in specific zones and reservoirs. Judicious use of workovers often can ap- preciably increase economically recoverable oil and as reserves. Workovers, especially when well stimulation is in- volved, may be an alternative to the drilling of ad- ditional wells to provide required production of oil and gas. Because there is a “before and after” pro- ducing record on worked over wells, many improved well completion, workover, and well stimulation techniques have been proved through workovers. Workovers are historically a most profitable busi- ness if optimum creative skill and imagination are ex- ercised in (1) fact-finding, (2) analysis, (3) experi- mentation, (4) job execution, and (5) job evaluation. However, both the well and reservoir must be con- sidered in problem diagnosis to intelligently plan ac- tion that may be either remedial type of work or welll stimulation, Reasons For Workovers 1. Remedial action on problem wells is usually planned to increase productivity, to eliminate exces: sive water or gas production, or to repair mechanical failure 2. Work on nonproblem wells may be done to in: crease production through well stimulation, to recom- plete in a different zone or reservoir, to multiple com- plete in two or more reservoirs, to evaluate other potentially productive zones or reservoirs in a well, (or to provide injection or other types of service wells. 3. If large increases in profit are the objective, well stimulation of high productivity wells frequently of- fers the best profit opportunities 4. In stratified zones, for example, sand-shale se- quences, frequent workovers may be necessary to ‘maintain dynamic control of oil, water, and gas in various zones or layers in each well Problem well analysis —A complete analysis should be made on all problem wells and also non-problem wells being considered for workover. This analysis should precede the detailed workover planning phase. The analysis may be a well, area, or reservoir study. ‘The “Problem Well Analysis” chapter covers details con well analysis, including a problem well analysis check list. Use of this check list should increase the probability that all well and reservoir data are con- sidered prior to initiating a workover. Usual reasons for low producing rate are —formation damage, —low permeability, —low reservoir pressure for reservoir depth, excess water production, —excess gas production in oil wells, —sand, mud, of other debris in well, —scale, paraffin, or asphaltene deposition, —mechanical failure, high-viscosity fluid, or —ineffective artificial lift Workover Planning to Alleviate Formation Damage All oil and gas wells have some impairment to pro- duction. Therefore, bypassing or removing blockagePRODUCTION OPERATIONS /VOL. 2 Well Completions, Workover, and Stimul ion 310 from the flowline, tubing, wellbore, perforations, for- ‘mation matrix, and formation fracture system, natural ‘or induced, should be considered on all workovers. ‘A usual first approach is to check bottom using through- tubing tools or with regular tubing or reelable tubing to detect any fill of debris in the casing or open hole. If fill is indicated, run bailer to obtain sample of fill for analysis. If no fill is indicated, run through-tubing flowmeter to lacate any partially or completely plugged. perforations or zones. Cleanout, reperforating, chem- ical treating, acidizing, fracturing, or a combination of these techniques may be used to reduce or bypass. damage. Plugged perforations—For relatively unconsoli- dated sandstone wells, wash perforations with double- cup perforation washer having 3 in. to I-ft spacing between wash cups. iD po ) = Perforations may be broken down with ball sealers. Employ water or oil for breakdown of sandstone per- forations and oil, water, or acid for carbonate per- forations. The use of acid to breakdown or fracture sandstones frequently causes vertical channels be- ‘ween the formation and the cement in the well Reperforate when necessary Scale-Damaged Wells—For scaled tubing, acidize, chemically remove, or ream out the tubing as re- quired. Flowlines may also be cleaned with a “pig” or scraper, For scale in casing perforations, reperforate, and, if necessary, remove remaining scale by chemical treatment of acidizing. If there is excessive buildup of scale in the casing, drill out and reperforate. Scale in Open Hole—Chemically teat or acidize to remove soluble scale or drillout and underream to remove soluble or insoluble scale. ‘Open hole may be perforated with standard or open hole shaped charges prior to chemically treating or acidizing. Perforation density may be one shot per foot for short sections, and a lesser perforation density for long sections. If the well has been previously fractured and propped, or fractured and etched with acid, it may be necessary to repeat these operations after removing scale from the casing or open hole and perforating. Paraffin or Asphaltenes Plugging —Wax in the tub- ing, casing, or wellbore may be reamed out, removed ‘with steam, hot oil, or hot water, or dissolved with a solvent. ‘The preferred method of removing paraffin or as. phaltenes from the wellbore or formation is to clean ‘out with solvents, Employ a very low-rate low-pres- sure solvent-surfactant squeeze into formation fol- lowed by a 24-hour shut-in period for paraffins and a 72-hour shut-in period for asphaltenes. Normally, hot oil or hot water should not be used to remove wax from perforations, wellbore, or for- mation because a portion of the melted wax will coo! sufficiently to solidify, and plug the formation. Wax previously deposited in formation, perforation. well bore, or tubing is usually not soluble in reservoir oils. Emulsion or Water Blocks—Emulsion or water block damage may be alleviated with surfactants. Most water blocks are self correcting over a period of weeks or months. However, emulsion blocks in low to mod: erate permeability sandstones may be permanent. For sandstone wells, an HF-HCI acid-surfactant treatment is preferred to remove emulsion damage. For matrix damage in carbonates, the usual ap. proach is to bypass damage with acid or hydraulic fracturing. Emulsions formed during fracture acidizing of car bonates may be broken by pumping a 2 or 3% su- factant solution into the fracture. Required large vol lume treatments are usually very costly Clay or Silt Damage to Formation Matrix—in sandstone wells, remove clay or silt damage with HF- HCI acid treatment or bypass damage by fracturing and propping. For carbonate wells, dissolve carbonates near the wellbore with HCl of acetic acid, or bypass damage through fracture etching or hydraulic fracturing and propping. Loss of Mud in Fractures—Mud should never be pumped into propped or etched fractures, However, if mud is pumped into fractures, it may be possible to partially remove mud by pumping into the fracture, at very high rates, a large volume of viscous gel water with a dispersant to drive the mud and prop- pants far into the formation; then, the well can be 1e- fractured and propped if required. If this approach is not successful, it may be necessary to plugback, side track, drill a new hole, and then fracture the forma tion, Workover Planning for Low Permeability Well An effective artificial lift system is usually required for any low permeability oil well. This may defer a eliminate the need for workover of some wells, Lim-Workover Planning ait ited increases in production may be obtained from some oil or gas wells by removing damage or enlarging pores in the formation near the wellbore with acid. Hy- draulic fracturing to develop a linear flow system is often the most effective approach to appreciably in- crease production from very low permeability wells Hydraulic fracturing and propping is applicable in both sandstone and carbonate reservoirs. Conductive fractures, extending a great distance from a wellbore ae usually desirable. Fracture acidizing is an altemative to hydraulic fracturing and propping in carbonate reservoirs. To be successful, the fracture must be properly etched to provide a high conductivity linear flow system. In many carbonate reservoirs, etched fractures do not provide long-term high conductivity because fracture closure often occurs after reservoir pressure declines. Workover Planning of Wells in Partially Pressure-Depleted Reservoirs Prior to considering workover of wells in a partially pressure-depleted oil reservoir, an effective artificial lift system should be planned. Pressure maintenance or an enhanced recovery program are usually the best long range approaches to increase production rate and. oil or gas recovery from partially pressure-depleted If a workover is required, consider removing or by- passing any formation damage. Formation damage is avery serious problem in pressure-depleted reservoirs because less energy is available to remove damaging solids and fluids including emulsions from formation pores or fractures. Hydraulic fracturing and propping applies to all types of oil and gas reservoirs. Fracture acidizing is an alternative to hydraulic fracturing and propping for stimulation of carbonate reservoirs. Matrix acidizing may offer limited stimulation in cither sandstone or carbonate reservoirs, Atomized acid may be beneficial in low-pressure reservoirs to pro- Vide additional energy for return of spent acid. Jet acidizing of the formation matrix is especially appli- cable to wells that cannot be circulated because of low reservoir pressure, Workover to Reduce Water Production in Oil and Gos Wells If production logs indicate flow behind the casing from a water zone, this communication can usually be stopped with a low-pressure low-fluid loss cement squeeze. The well can then be reperforated in the de- sired interval. Fingering of Water in Stratified or Layered Res ervoirs—The most reliable approach to locate water- producing zones in flowing or gas-lift wells or gas wells is to run through-tubing production logs to de- termine watercut and volume of fluid flow from each porous interval. For perforated-casing completions, squeeze water-producing zones with a low-pressure low-fluid loss cement, and reperforate if required, For open hole completions where the lowest zones are producing water, a plugback may be satisfactory. However, if the remaining oil-producing or gas-pro- ducing zones are lower in the well than the water- producing zones, it is usually necessary to cement a liner in open hole to shut off water and then reper- forate in the desired oil- or gas-producing interval Water Coning—Water coning may occur in reser- voirs that have appreciable vertical permeability —either matrix or fracture permeability. Many cases of “aj parent” water coning in sandstone wells has proved to be flow through a cement-formation channel be. hind the casing. In other cases, “false” coning has proved to be fin- ering of water through stratified zones. These “water fingers” are frequently found near the top of the com- pletion zone in shallow-marine sandstones and near the bottom of the completion zone in channel of flu- vial sandstones. ‘To minimize proved water coning, the usual pro- ccedure is to plugback and recomplete as high above the oil-water contact as practicable. If there are at least partial barriers to vertical flow, plugback can be quite effective. For gas coning into oil wells, recomplete as low as practical below the indicated gas cone. Alternatives to Workover—An initial approach to reduce proved coning is to shut in the well for 1 to 3 months to allow the water or gas cone to recede. When flow is again initiated, the well should be produced at a rate much lower than the previous rate. Then the producing rate can be increased on a step-wise basis over a period of weeks or months. This approach is frequently impractical because producing rates to pre- vent coning may be too low for profitable oil or gas production, If a steeply dipping reservoir can be produced as a unit to avoid water coning, itis usually more profit- able to produce only wells high on the structure to avoid water coning until a high percentage of the res- ervoir oil or gas has been recovered. To reduce gasPRODUCTION OPERATIONS /VOL. 2 Well Completions, Workover, and Stimulation coning produce only wells low on the structure. Control of water in high permeability reservoirs where all zones appear to be producing with a high warercut and squeeze cementing is ineffective—If water cannot be shut off satisfactorily by squeeze cement- ing, it may be practical to produce the well by high volume pumping or gas lift with all zones open to the wellbore. For this system to be applicable, perme- ability-feet open to the wellbore must be sufficiently low for high volume pumps or gas lift to provide ap- preciable pressure drawdown at the wellbore. ‘A second approach is to squeeze all zones with one of the available polymer sealants. This tends to se- lectively enter and seal off the more permeable zones, which are probably producing the highest volume of water. Because this method may squeeze off appre- ciable oil or gas, itis usually not employed unless all ‘other methods fail Workover to Reduce Gas Production in Oil Wells In stratified or layered reservoirs, gas-producing zones can usually be squeezed off. The well can then bbe recompleted in higher or lower zones with lower Bas-oil ratios. In partially pressure-depleted oil res cervoirs, gas producing zones may be the highest per- meability zones and not necessarily the highest zones in the well If gas flow is due to a channel behind the casing, the channel can usually be effectively shut off with a low-pressure, low-fluid loss squeeze cement job. Alternatives 10 Workover—If increased gas. pro- duction is due to partial pressure depletion in a dis- solved gas drive reservoir, workover is not required unless a secondary gas cap has formed and is in com= munication with the wellbore Flow profiles are the preferred method of locating intervals producing appreciable gas. Injection profiles can show comparative injections into specific inter- vals, Where moderately high gas-oil ratio is due to gas, fingering in stratified reservoirs, it may be more prac- tical to produce with high ratios and retum the gas to wells higher on the structure. With this system, the reservoir is produced on the basis of “net gas-oil ra- tio,”” as defined here: Net GOR = Total gas prod. ~ Gas returned to reservoir Oil produced If a reservoir has a primary gas cap, one of the purposes of gas retum is to prevent shrinkage of the gas cap and movement of oil into gas zones. If oil invades a gas zone in a primary gas cap, a portion of the invading oil will be unrecoverable. If a reservoir has a large gas cap, it may be advis- able to initially produce only those wells located low on the structure to reduce reservoir gas cap production and to conserve reservoir energy If gas production from an oil reservoir does not cause loss of oil recovery. the objective should then be to make optimum economic use of the excessive gas produced. If the gas cannot be economically used, it may be practical to store the gas in the same of an- other reservoir for future use, A good approach is © use some excess gas for gas lift where applicable, If the problem is gas coning and there are no ef fective barriers t vertical permeability, the best ap- proach is to recomplete the well as low on the struc: ture as practicable. If this does not alleviate the problem, the usual procedure is to reduce producing rates; the well is shut in for several weeks or months to give the gas-cone time to retract. Then the well may be produced at low rates, gradually increasing rates to determine the maximum producing rate with: ‘out coning. Ifthe problem is gas cap expansion into the oil zane due t a reduction in reservoir pressure, water or other liquids injected lower on the structure may stop gas expansion, retract the gas cap, and reduce the need for workovers to shut off gas, However. in some steeply dipping reservoirs, or reservoirs with a high relative permeability to water, it may be desirable to use the expanding gas cap as the primary recovery mecha nism rather than injecting water down dip in the res: Workaver for Sand Control Gravel packing is the best approach to control sand in long-zone, single completions. It may also provide higher productivity in short zones. Clean fluids are the key—perforations should be clean. Gravel should be sized properly in relation © formation sand, Water-wet gravel with surfactants if oil is the placement fluid used. Squeeze gravel into: perforation tunnel, Pat well on production immediately after gravel- packing. Start with a low rate of flow and increaseWorkover Planning 313 gradually to planned producing rate. Milling a win- dow in the casing, underreaming the open hole, and then performing an open-hole gravel pack has been very successful where high rates of production are re- quired. Sand consolidation with plastic is a clear choice only in perforated short-zone multiple completions. Clean perforations, clean fluids, and uniform injection of plastic throughout zones are the keys to success. If sands contain considerable clays either natural or induced, pre-treat sands using the HF-HC1 acidizing technique described in the sandstone acidizing chap- ter, Spent acid should be removed from the well prior ‘o performing the sand-consolidation job Injection of plastic-coated sand using either a nor- mal viscosity or a high viscosity placement Mid hi application in medium length zones where sand has been produced or a cavity has been created. Alternatives to Workover for Sand Control—Plugged perforations and formation damage will cause abnor- mally high flow velocities through a few perforation and cause sand production. Eight large diameter, .75 '© .B in., perforations per foot and clean completions with no perforation plugging or formation damage may eliminate the need for any special sand control mea- sures in many reservoirs. ‘When some perforations are plugged, flow velocity and resulting sand problems can be reduced by (1) reperforating to obtain large .75 to .8 in., perfora tions, (2) perforating additional section, (3) unplug. ging perforations through selective breakdown with ball sealers using oil or water, or (4) cleaning per- forations with a perforation washer. Workover to Repair Mechanical Failure Mechanical failure includes (1) primary cement failures, (2) casing, tubing and packer leaks, (3) well- bore communication in multiple completions, and (4) ‘other downhole failures. Other Considerations—Prior to working over a well for mechanical repair, consideration should be given toalleviating at the same time any other problems ex isting in the well. such as the need to reperforate, stimulate or change zones or reservoirs Consideration should always be given to making any desired changes in the mechanical arrangement of completion equipment to optimize future opera- tion, workover and well servicing. This includes lo- cating the bottom of the tubing above all current or future production zones in flowing or gas-lift wells. ‘Tubing should be open-ended with an inside bevel on bottom or with an inside beveled collar on bottom to facilitate running through-tubing tools to the bottom of the hole. Other factors should be considered relating to fu- ture through-tubing workovers such as making certain that tubing is not bowed or corkscrewed by excessive weight on the packer. Landing nipples and “no-go” nipples in the tubing string should have the largest possible inside diameter to allow the largest possible perforating guns, flowmeters, and other tools to be run through these nipples, Full opening landing nip- ples are obtainable and preferred. Werkover fo Change Zones or Reservoirs ‘The usual workover procedure for changing zones ‘or reservoirs is to squeeze cement and reperforate in ‘a new zone or reservoir in perforated casing comple: tions. In open hole, it may be necessary to deepen or plug back, or to cement a liner and selectively per forate a specific zone or reservoir. Werkover to Multicomplete or Change to Single ‘Completion Multiple completions in different oil or gas reser: voirs or zones are relatively simple operations if per- foration and recompletion can be carried out through: tubing. If it is necessary to perforate in mud or dirty water with conventional perforators in the process of making multiple completions many perforations will be totally plugged. Plugged perforations cause many problems, including sand production, low production rate, premature well abandonment, and loss of eco- nomically recoverable oil and gas reserves For oil wells that will ultimately require gas lift, gas lift mandrels should be installed in the tubing so that gas lift valves can be installed when needed at minimum cost through wireline operations. Alternatives to Multiple Completions—I reservoirs can be operated as a unit by one company, it may be ‘more practical to operate all zones oF reservoirs as a high-rate single completion. When individual zones are depleted in a well, they may be squeezed off, leaving remaining zones or reservoirs to be produced as required.PRODUCTION OPERATIONS /VOL. 2 Well Completions, Workover, and Stimulation 314 If a number of reservoirs penetrated by a given well have the same type of drive, similar oil the same depth, it may be more profitable to com- mingle production from different reservoirs in some cr all wells in the field, ind are near Increasing Production in High-Viscosity Wells Thermal stimulation may be applicable in high-vis- cosity oil reservoirs. However, economics of thermal stimulation in deep wells should be carefully consid: ered. If a well is plugged near the wellbore with asphal: tenes, paraffin, or heavy hydrocarbons, steam stim: ulation can be used to remove these plugging agents. If the well tubing, casing, cement job, and packer installation has not been designed to withstand high temperature steam, steam stimulation may cause very severe damage to the well, If it is neither convenient nor desirable to remove wax with steam, a solvent-surfactant soak treatment should be employed. The first step is to select the best, most economical, and available solvent by chemical tests in the laboratory. A carefully selected. surfactant is normally used with the solvent If the perforations are plugged with paraffin, inject, solvent and surfactant into formation at a slow rate and let it soak for 24 hours. If asphaltenes are plug- ging the formation and perforations, inject selected solvent, usually zylene or toluene, and surfactant into formation at a slow rate and let it soak for 72 hours. Asphaltenes can be deposited for many feet into the formation around the wellbore. Swab, pump, or flow back the dissolved wax, silt, and other debris from the well Fracturing and propping with high conductivity Proppants will increase well productivity in lime- stone, dolomite or sandstone wells. This applies to relatively high permeability as well as very low per: meability reservoirs. Wells in limestone and dolomite reservoirs may be fracture-acidized to provide linear flow channels to the wellbore. However, hydraulic fracturing and propping is usually preferred if economically feasible. If high viscosity is due to an emulsion, a surfactant selected by API RP-42 tests, injected uniformly into all zones may be helpful in breaking the emulsion. ‘The surfactant should remain in place for about 24 hours. ‘Alternatives to Workover—Production from wells producing viscous oil may be increased by decreasing viscosity of heavy oil in the tubing and flowline through the use of heat. This may be accomplished by instal- lation of a bottomhole heater or by circulating hot oil or hot water down the casing-tubing annulus and up the tubing. Flowlines manufactured with two concen: tric tubes may be heated with steam through the an- nnulus between the concentric tubes, Flowlines may be heated with an electric heater (resistor element) built into tape which is wrapped around the entire length Of the flowline, The tape is then wrapped with a sec- ond insulating type to minimize the loss of heat. This system is called heat tracing If a high viscosity water-in-oil emulsion is formed downhole, usually with heavy oil, viscosity can be reduced and production increased by continuous breaking and inverting the emulsion by injecting a surfactant continuously to the bottom of the hole dawn the casing-tubing annulus. When produced fluid is les than about 10% water, sufficient water should be added to the surfactant to bring the water percentage to 20% by volume of produced fluid Continuous circulation of light hydrocarbons down the casing-tubing annulus to mix with the heavy oil is a practical but somewhat costly approach 10 in- creasing production from wells producing very high viscosity oil. Some companies inject light oil plus a surfactant to break the down hole emulsion Ior Planni mr mee ott Ge8 UT geePRODUCTION OPERATIONS/VOL. 2 Well Completions, Workover, and Stimulation ‘Summary To simplify the discussion of workover planning, each type of well problem has been considered sep- arately. In actual practice the final workover plan should represent an integrated solution to all or a ma- jority of indicated problems. Te aim of the workover plan should be to maximize current profits. and future net income and t increase recovery of oil and gas as op- posed to minimizing cost of workover,Workover Planning REFERENCES 1 McCain, G. G, Clark. C. 8, Sitferman, T. Rs “The Re- placement of Hycrocarbon Divent With Surfactant and Water fer production of Heavy, Viscous Crude Oil” SPE 10094 (Oct 1981). 2, Weeks, SG. "Through-Tubing Plug-Back Without Depth, Temperature, or Pressure Limitations” SPE 12108 (Oct. 1989), 2. Fincher, Norman E: “Concenttic Workover Operation in Deep Sour Wels,” SPE 8209 (Sept. 1979) 4, Heatn, 0. 0. “Suecesstul Application of Coled Tubing Underteamers (Innovate Technology in Producing Opera: SSPE 18256 (Oct. 1988) 5. Coleman, D. A “Injection Profile Mostication Experience, Means San Andres Unit (Innovative Technology in Producing Operations)." SPE 18256 (Oct. 1988).