SPE 46223

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! Society of Petroleum Engineers

Hydraulic Release J-tool Developed for Horizontal Well Remediation

K.D. Koehler, SPE, and R.K. Bowyer AERA Energy LLC, and C.M. Dover, Valley Perforating Co.

QYW l$M, SocMy d PetmlmmEngWar% k, Hydraulic Release Process

?his psper was pmpmd fff pmwmtatii st the 1SSS SPE V&stem RsgIcd Mestho held in The hydraulic release J-tool enhances an operator’s ability to deliier
Bakersfield, tldif~ia, 10-13 May 1S9S an inner liner into the lateral of a horizontal well. A hvdraulic release
built into the J-tool allows the work string to be pulle~straght out of the
This pqmr was dected for pmwmtation by sn SPE Pwwn Cornmttee followii review d
infommtii contahed in em abskacr suixntikd by the author(s). Ccmt.wts C4 the paper, S.S inner liner should un-jaying become difficult. Hydraulic release occurs
pfesents-d, have not been reviewed by the Scckty of Pe!30hum Engineers amt are subjed !0 by pumping a modified bottom wiper plug containing a steel ball. The
comection by Ihs aut.hw(s), The material, as wsented, doss nrX r’mcmswily reflect sny wiper plug seats in the top of the tool. The rupture disc in the plug
posilicm of the SocMy of Petroleum Engineers, its Micas, or members Pspem presented at
SPE meetimgs am subjec+ to publicatkm rwAw W Edtiorial Committees cf the SocWy of
bursts and the ball is driven onto a sliding sleeve. The sleeve shears
Petm!6am Engineers Electronic reproduction, distributii, w stwage of sny part of thw psper retaining pins and slides, releasing spring-loaded dogs and exposing
for cc+nmsmisl purpoms without W wrilten ccmurf of the Scckty of Pefmkum E@nesm ie fluid bypass ports. The dogs then retract into the body of the tool. The
prohibied. Permission to reproduce in @t is restricted to an abstract d nd mere thsrr WC
words; Ifustmtisns may not be copied Ths sbstract must contati cmspkuous
J-tool thus gains a flush OD and can be straight pulled out of the J-
acknuwkdgnmnt of whsfe and by wham the pap%r was pmsmted Write LiLwariam,SPE, P.O. receptacle. The bypass ports aid in pumping operations and also allow
Box 83%36, Riiardson, TX 750S3.383S, U.S. A., fsx 01-972-952-S435 the string to be pulled “dry”. The J-tool can be re-used with minimal
redress.

Abstract
A new J-tool has been built that enhances an operator’s ability to
deliver an inner liner into the lateral of a horizontal well. A hydraulic
release built into the J-tool allows the work string to be pulled straight
out of the inner liner should un-jaying become dfilcult or uncertain. The
J-tool can be w-used with minimal redress.
The bottom wiper plug ensures that the ball will be’ delivered to the
tool. There was some concern that if the steel ball was simply dropped
from surface, it would allow fluid to by-pass and not continue uphill to
the sliding sleeve. This feature probably can be eliminated if one does
not wish to isolate an interval that would require the ball to travel “up-
hill” to reach the sliding sleeve.

New Challenge Advantage over Standard J-tool

Horizontal wells are arguably the most revolutionary means of
effectively producing reserves. Engineers and scientists have
advanced the science of drilling and completing wells having one or
more laterals. The next challenge will be to effedively remediate each
well so that it continues to provide the requisite return on investment.
A particular zone maybe controlled by setting a bridge plug or
installing an inner liner. A new tool was designed specifically to aid
setting and releasing from an inner liner that would not be anchored by
mechanical means.
The hydraulic release J-tool ensures the release of the delivered liner.
The field example involved using a blank liner that had enough inertia
to resist turning while un-jaying. In another application, however, the
standard j-tool may not un-jay from a liner that can not overcome the
frictional resistance between the j-tool and the j-slot. Another
advantage to the hydraulic release is that it will allow the operator to
know that the J-tool has released from a liner that may not weigh
enough to register a difference on the weight indicator.

Field Exampfe
The well design consists of 1600’ of 9-5/8”, 40f# casing cemented at
90° and 6-5/W, 24# slotted liner run from just inside the casing shoe to
more than 4000 measured depth (MD). The liner has several blank
sections along the lateral. The bjank sections were designed into the
string, allowing for future isolation if necessary. The casing shoe is set
at the deepest true vertical depth of the entire well. The intewal
targeted for isolation began 500 beyond the casing shoe (up-hill).

This tool was designed to deliver a blank liner across an interval of the
lateral that was suspected to be a thief zone. The 400 blank liner had
isolation cups on each end and was successfully run to depth and the
J-tool un-jayed (as noticed by an increase in hook load). The J-tool
was tested nonetheless and the tool performed just as expected.

Unfortunately, setting the blank did not solve the well problem and the
blank was fished from the lateral. The blank liner assembly was found
exactly where it had been Iefl, indicating that the hydraulic release J-
tool made a clean exit.