PETROLEUM PRODUCTION ENGINEERING I

LECTURE: 3

WELL COMPLETION- 2

2020 / 2021
2.7 PERFORATION
•Perforation objective:
￮To provide effective flow
communication between cased
wellbore and productive reservoir.
￮To achieve this, the perforating gun
punches a pattern of perforations
through the casing and cement sheath
and into the productive formation.
•The ultimate goal of perforating is to
provide adequate productivity.

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2.7.1 PERFORATION CLASSIFICATION

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2.7.2 PERFORATION OPERATION OPTIONS
•There are two options for perforation
operation:
￮Perforate casing before setting the
production tubing and packer, this option
used when perforate more than one
layers using single selective completion
or well will completion by artificial lift.
￮Perforate casing after setting the
production tubing and packer, this option
used when perforate one layer or more
than one layers and all zones below the
tubing shoe.

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2.7.3 PERFORATION METHODS
1. Bullet perforation;
2. Jet perforation (shaped charge );
3. Hydraulic “sand-jet” perforation;
4. Perforation using laser technology.
2.7.3.1 BULLET PERFORATION
•Bullet perforator is multi-barreled
firearm designed for being lowered
into a well.
•Electrically fired from surface
controls.
•Perforating of the casing, cement and
formation is accomplished by bullets .

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•Bullets lose velocity when gun
clearance > 0.5 in.
•Often used in unconsolidated
formations;
•Cheaper to use, rarely been used
today;
•Bullets plug the end of the flow
channel.
•Ways of firing:
1. Selective firing of one bullet at a
time;
2. Selective firing of independent
groups of bullets;
3. Simultaneously firing of all bullets.

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2.7.3.2 JET PERFORATION
•The jet perforators use of shaped explosive charges to create
perforation tunnels.
•The explosive charge produces an extremely high-pressure jet
that penetrates the casing or liner, cement to shoot into the
reservoir formation.
•The shaped charges are contained in a perforating gun
assembly that can be conveyed on wireline, tubing or coiled
tubing, depending on the application and the wellbore
conditions.
•Basic jet perforator consists of:
￮The case or container;
￮The primer charge;
￮The main explosive charge;
￮The conical liner.
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•Perforating gun components:
￮The charge carrier;
￮The individual shaped charge;
￮The detonating cord;
￮The detonator.
•Jet perforating process:
•An electrically fired detonator
starts a chain reaction which
successively detonates:
￮The primer;
￮High velocity booster in the
charge;
￮Finally, the main explosive.

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•High pressure generated by the explosive
causes the metal in the charge liner to
flow, separating the inner and outer layers
of the liner.
•Continued pressure buildup on the liner
causes a needle like high speed jet of fine
particles to spew from the cone at a speed
of about 25,000 – 30,000 ft/sec at its tip
with a pressure this point estimated to be
10 – 15 million psi.
•Perforation length dependent on: charge
weight & type, rock strength and gun
clearance.

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2.7.3.3 HYDRAULIC “SAND-JET” PERFORATION
•Sand-jet perforator (SJP) is designed to perforate
casing and cement using high-pressure jetting of
sand-laden slurry through an orifice to extend a
cavity into the reservoir.
•The SJP provides perforations with no skin effect or
formation damage.
•The SJP does not require explosives and is ideal for
perforating operations where well conditions
prohibit the use of electric-line-conveyed guns.
•The tool can be run with jointed tubing pipe or
coiled tubing .
•It has short penetration range.

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2.7.3.4 PERFORATION WITH LASER
•Conventional explosive charge perforation
method reduces the rock permeability;
•Pulsed CO2 laser with fiber optic cable
delivery is a strong candidate for laser
perforation of the rock efficiently.
•Laser perforation increase the rock
permeability, hence, increase the oil or
gas production rate of a well.
•The permeability of the rock lased by
pulsed CO2 laser beam increases up to 5
times compared to non-lased rocks due to
clay dehydration and microfractures
induced by the high temperature gradient
generated in the rock while lasing.
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2.7.4 PERFORATING FLUID
•Is the fluid that placed against the producing formation during
perforation.
•Ideally, fluid with no solids.
•Fluids to be considered:
•Salt water:
￮Clean water poses no problem;
￮When overbalanced may push charge debris into formation.
•Acetic acid:
￮Excellent perforating fluid under most conditions;
￮The presence of H2S may magnify corrosion problems.
•Nitrogen:
￮Useful in low pressure formations, or when associated with
high rig time or swabbing costs, or when a special test
requires formation to be free from contamination.
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2.8 COMPLETION STRING & ACCESSORIES
2.8.1 TUBING
•Tubing purpose:
￮Protect casing from well fluids;
￮Enable production optimization;
￮Enable well access for routine maintenance, stimulation
treatments, killing operations and abandonment.
•Tubing selection guidelines:
￮Material grade (=quality);
￮Operational parameters;
￮Dimensions;
￮Thread and connection type.

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2.8.1.1 WHICH TUBING GRADE?
•Selection of tubing grade is based on:
￮Physical strength;
￮Chemical properties (resistance to H2S, CO2, water etc.);
￮Availability and standardization;
￮Cost.
•API identification of tubing grade:
￮Character + digit figure;
￮Character is an indication of the type of steel (H, J, K, L, etc);
￮Digit figure × 1000 psi = yield strength;
￮L80 = carbon steel – suitable for H2S service, relatively
inexpensive;
￮P105 = high strength steel – suitable for deep wells, high load,
expensive.
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2.8.1.2 TUBING MATERIAL
•Directed by downhole environment
•Sour corrosion:
￮Requires resistance to H2S – low hardness, stress relieved -
J55, C75, C95.
•Sweet corrosion:
￮Requires resistance to CO2 – provisions for inhibition or
appropriate material selection L80.
•Determined by operational parameters
•Mechanical and hydraulic loading:
￮Cold fluid injection > contraction;
￮Load cycles causes fatigue so avoid high grade materials.

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•Abrasion and erosion properties of fluids:
￮External erosion (blast joint);
￮Internal erosion (flow couplings above and below turbulence
inducing components).
•Internal/external fluid pressures:
￮Strength;
￮Connections leak tight.
2.8.1.3 DIMENSIONS
•Consider:
￮Inside and outside diameter (ID/OD);
￮Upsets and profiles in tubing at connection;
￮Connection type and size.

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2.8.1.4 FORCES & STRESSES
•Tension:
Loading due to own weight and retrieving packers.
•Compression:
Loading when setting packers.
•Collapse:
When pressures in annulus is high and tubing pressure is low,
collapse resistance is influenced by tensional load.
•Burst:
When pressures in tubing is high and annulus pressure is low.
2.8.1.5 DESIGN FACTORS
•For the criteria:
￮Combination of forces and stresses – allowable design stress
< 80% yield strength.
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 ￮Wellbore environment (corrosion/erosion).
•Selection balance between:
￮Grade and weight (=lbs/ft > wall thickness);
￮Type of connection – strength – leak potential.
•For the criteria:
￮Production rate;
￮Logging and slick line;
￮Casing / liner scheme.
•Selection balance between:
￮ID pipe body;
￮Type of connection ID & OD.

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2.8.1.6 TUBING DETAILED SPECIFICATION
•Size and dimensions according API:
￮OD (23/8 - 41/2 and 18 - 35 ft in length);
￮Weight (lbs/ft).
•Material grade:
￮Minimum yield strength
(J-55 = 55000 psi, N-80 = 80000 psi).
•Tubing connection:
￮Non-Upset or Upset;
￮Premium joint;
￮Coupling OD.
•Construction:
￮Non welded pipe (seamless).
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API grades and strengths from API 5CT(2005)

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