General Overview of Perforating

Mahmoud Farag Radwan

Subsurface & Integrity Op. Dept. Head
 Presenter Name:
Mahmoud Farag Radwan

Mahmoud Radwan is a Subsurface & Integrity Operations Dept. Head at AMAL Petroleum
Company (AMAPETCO) with more than 13 years of experience in oil & gas industry.
Mahmoud worked in Well Engineering, Intervention, Integrity & Work-over at several
Short companies, including Badr El-Din Pet. Co. (BAPETCO), Qarun Pet. Co. (QPC) and Wadi El-
Biography Sahel Petroleum Co. (WASPETCO).
Also, a freelance instructor at upstream Oil & Gas in Egypt & UAE since 2008.
Mahmoud received a BSc degree in Petroleum Engineering from Al-Azhar University in
2007.

 Evaluating Sustainable Annulus Pressure (SAP) in Sour Wells and the Possible Causes
to Avoid Recurrence to the Well Integrity Annual Middle East Conference in Abu Dhabi;
UAE in Apr 2015
 Implementing NDT methods for maintenance and inspection to the Asset Integrity
Management North Africa Conference in Cairo; Egypt in Nov 2015
 Feasibility Evaluation of Using Downhole Gas-water Separation Technology in gas
Reservoirs with Bottom Water; paper number: SPE-183739-MS to the 20th Middle East
Publications Oil & Gas Show and Conference in Mar 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/183739-MS
 Managing the Operational Challenges in Corroded Wells through Well Integrity
Management System to the Improving Brownfield Performance Technical Convention,
in Cairo; Egypt in Dec 2019
 Safe and Economic Attractive Rigless Operations Using a Digital Slickline in
Unmanned Platform with Low Structure Loads and Spacing; paper number: SPE--
202857-MS to the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC)
in Nov 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/183739-MS
 Agenda
• Purpose of Perforating
• History
• Shaped Charge Design
• Job Safety
 Purpose of Perforating
 Perforating connects the
wellbore with the pay zone of
the reservoir.
 Provides the flow path
for reservoir fluids to
enter the wellbore.
 Successful stimulation and
sand control operations are
strongly dependent on
perforation parameters
 A key factor in well
productivity .
NOTE: Dangerous operation that
requires careful planning and
execution.
Purpose Of Perforating
 Well 1. Drill well to total depth

Construction 2. Run casing

3. Cement casing and change fluid

4. Establish underbalance and perforate

reduced permeability
Mud filtrate invasion

Reservoir

6 AZ –
MLC
History of Perforating
•Mechanical, Nitro Shot prior to
1932.
•Bullet Gun, 1932 to present
•Shaped Charge, 1946 to present
•Spin-off from DOD and DOE
Technology
•Most popular
•Hydraulic, 1958 to present
•Abrasive jetting
History of Perforating
•Mechanical, Nitro Shot prior to
1932.
•Bullet Gun, 1932 to present
•Shaped Charge, 1946 to present
•Spin-off from DOD and DOE
Technology
•Most popular
•Hydraulic, 1958 to present
•Abrasive jetting
History of Perforating
•Mechanical, Nitro Shot prior to
1932.
•Bullet Gun, 1932 to present
•Shaped Charge, 1946 to present
•Spin-off from DOD and DOE
Technology
•Most popular
•Hydraulic, 1958 to present
•Abrasive jetting
History of Perforating
•Mechanical, Nitro Shot prior to
1932.
•Bullet Gun, 1932 to present
•Shaped Charge, 1946 to present
•Spin-off from DOD and DOE
Technology
•Most popular
•Hydraulic, 1958 to present
•Abrasive jetting
History of Perforating

•Mechanical, Nitro Shot prior to

1932.
•Bullet Gun, 1932 to present
•Shaped Charge, 1946 to
present
•Spin-off from DOD and
DOE Technology
•Most popular
•Hydraulic, 1958 to present
•Abrasive jetting
 Well Completions and Conditions

Types Well Conditions Conveyance

Cased Hole Overbalance Wireline
Open Hole Underbalance Tubing
Gravel Pack Extreme Overbalance Coil Tubing
 Cased Hole Completion

• Usually, unconsolidated rock needs a

casing and cement to keep well stability.

• Well is then perforated (casing-cement-

formation) in order to produce
hydrocarbons
 Open Hole Completion

“Bare Foot” Completion

• In very consolidated rocks such as limestone

and dolomite, the hydrocarbon pay zone
may not need casing and can be left to
produce from the open hole

• Normally used in fractured reservoirs

 Gravel Pack Completion

Gravel Packed Liner

• Used as a screen to keep

unconsolidated formation out of the
wellbore

• Fluids can flow through the GRAVEL

and SCREEN

• Most commonly used in

unconsolidated sandstones
Perforations Conveyance
Three conveyance methods for perforating guns:
-Through Casing
-Through Tubing (Option for Magnetically Eccentered)
-Tubing (or drill-pipe) conveyed
Tubing Conveyed
Perforations

Applications: The perforation carrier is an integral part of the

production tubing.
Technique: The guns are a part of the completion tubing- usually at the bottom.
Gun firing can be made hydraulically, mechanically or using
electric cable.
Overbalanced

• Wellbore pressure is more than

Formation pressure

• Formation is not “cleaned” after

perforation
Under-balanced

•Wellbore pressure is less than

Formation pressure

•Optimum perforation.
Perforations are “cleaned”
right after gun firing. Maximize
productivity
 Extreme Overbalance
Nitrogen Pumping Wellhead

Tubing • Create fractures in formation right

after perforation
Packer

Production Zone
Large Shaped-
charge Gun

Mud, Oil, and

Salt Water

Extreme Overbalance Completion

Pw >> Pf
Overbalanced - Conveyance

• Can be done on all conveyances

• Wireline preferable - Faster and Cost
effective

• TCP or CT on deviated or horizontal

wells.
Underbalanced - Conveyance

• Can be done on all conveyances

• TCP preferred

• Through Tubing guns on wireline

– wellhead equipment required.

• TCP and CT on deviated or

horizontal wells.
 Extreme Overbalance - Conveyance
Nitrogen Wellhead
Pumping

•TCP
Tubing
•CT?
Packer

Production Zone
Large Shaped-
charge Gun

Mud, Oil, and

Salt Water

Extreme Overbalance Completion

Pw >> Pf
Coiled Tubing Conveyed
 Shaped Charge Components
Case

Primer
Conical Liner

Main Explosive
Shaped Charge Materials
 Shaped Charges are
capable of releasing energy
instantaneously in an
explosion. They use a
cavity effect and metal liner
to maximise penetration.
Shaped Charge Mechanism

They consist of 4
components:
Primer
Main explosive
Conical Liner
case

Explosion travels down the

cord
Primer is initiated
Main explosive detonates
Detonation advances
spherically: Pressure up to
7.5 Million psi
The charge case expands
Liner collapses to form
high-velocity jet of fluidized
metal
This is propelled along the
charge axis
 Penetration Physics

Kc Crushed zone
 Intelligent Perforating Process

Reservoir
Description

Seismic Completion
Logs... Design

Simulators Job
Nodal.. Design
Monobore
Multiple..
Execution
(Optimize)

Gun
Hardware Treatment
Deployment
 Why Care About SOPs?

If precautions are not taken, the danger of

surface detonation may occur!
Arrival at the Wellsite
Perforating Safety - Detonators
Detonators for Perforating Guns
RF Concerns
Return To Surface Procedure
 After The Job

Police the site for any remnants and pack

them in an Explosives Remnants box for
return to the district
Thank You