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OTe 6459

Field Use of Thru-Tubing Electric Wireline Set


Bridge Plug System
L.E. Mendez, M.P. Coronado, and D.J. Holder, Baker Service Tools

Copyright 1990, Offshore Technology Conference

This paper was presented at the 22nd Annual OTC in Houston, Texas, May 7-10, 1990.

This paper was selected for presentation by the OTC Program Committee following review.of information. contained in an abstract sUb~itted by the author(s). Contents of the paper,
as presented, have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The matenal, as presented, does not necessanl.y renect
any position of the Offshore Technology Conference or its officers. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. illustrations may not be copied. The
abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper IS presented.

INTRODUCTION
ABSTRACT
The pursuit of technology to reduce production
costs has changed traditional methods of well
A new electric wireline through-tubing inflatable workover, maintenance, and stimulation. Performing
bridge plug system has been developed which allows required well service through tubing is now com-
either permanent or retrievable bridge plugs to be monplace in several areas around the world. Prior
run through the tubing string and set in large di- to the advent of through-tubing well operations,
ameter casing below without the use of a workover any workover or well stimulation meant moving in a
rig. The system employs a downhole electric pump workover rig, killing the well and pulling pro-
to filter and pressurize wellbore fluid for bridge duction tubing. The production packer was removed,
plug inflation. After pressurization, the bridge required work performed and the well recompleted.
plug can handle high differential pressures without Before development of the new workover system dis-
the aid of sand or cement. The system is conveyed cussed in this paper, the average operation at
and powered by a conventional electric wireline Prudhoe Bay, Alaska required about 21 days.
unit.
In 1987, inflatable packers and plugs that could
The paper will discuss development of the system, be run on coiled tubing through the production
system components and comparison of design and tubing were introduced in Prudhoe Bay. By elimi-
performance characteristics with those provided by nating the workover rig and all ancillary oper-
conventional bridge plug systems. ations required by conventional workovers,
through-tubing servicing allowed wells to be re-
The paper addresses possible savings in costs and turned to production in significantly less time.
time as well as ease of performing well operations The inflatable packers and bridge plugs had im-
when the system is used to accomplish: 1) selec- proved expansion characteristics dictated by the
tive stimulation, including acidizing, fracturing rigors of going through tubing and setting in the
or other chemical treatments; 2) selective water casing below without sacrificing pressure holding
shutoff within a producing zone or the total aban- capability. Today, inflatable packers and plugs
donment of a producing zone, i.e. perform a run on coiled tubing are routinely utilized in
workover without killing the well. Prudhoe Bay to perform selective stimulation and
interval shut-offs.
The authors have been instrumental in the develop-
ment of this system and with its subsequent suc- Complementing this equipment and evolving through-
cessful application in Prudhoe Bay. The authors tubing technology even further is a new electric
will discuss field history and provide details and wireline through-tubing inflatable bridge plug
insights on operational procedures, applications system. The new system (Fig. 1) allows, without
and system limitations. the use of a workover rig, either permanent or
temporary bridge plugs to be run through the tubing
string and set in large diameter casing below. The
system employs a downhole electric pump system to
filter and pressurize wellbore fluid for bridge
plug inflation. After setting, the bridge plug is

305
2 Field Use of Through-Tubing Electric Wireline Set Bridge Plug System OTe 6459

capable of withstanding high differential pres- in the plug. After the ball was seated, hydraulic
sures. The system is conveyed and powered by a pressure applied at the surface closed the circu-
conventional electric wireline unit (Fig. 2). lation valve and the plug inflated. Premature in-
flation was prevented by a piston valve secured
This paper addresses the development of this system with shear screws. The screws were designed to
and the recent field testing in Prudhoe Bay. shear at a preset pressure, allowing piston move-
ment and inflation. A similar mechanism on top of
SYSTEM DESCRIPTION AND BASIC OPERATION the bridge plug allowed the coiled tubing to dis-
connect from the tool after inflation. The coiled
The new system is composed of an inflatable bridge tubing could then be tripped or used to pump
plug and a setting tool (downhole pump). A power treatment fluids.
supply at the surface furnishes electrical power
through a conventional electric wireline unit. The Wireline retrieval of the plug, as initially de-
two components of the system were developed inde- signed, was accomplished in two steps. First, the
pendently and later integrated. The bridge plug differential pressure across the plug was equalized
utilized was initially developed for use with by latching a wireline pulling tool to the equal-
coiled tubing and was an adaptation of existing izing mandrel on the plug and pulling it from the
inflatable bridge plug technology. Various meth- well. The equalized plug remained inflated and in
ods of setting a bridge plug on wire line through- place. A second wireline trip was made to latch
tubing were investigated before selection of the onto a second fishing neck on the plug and allowed
downhole pump concept. the plug to be released and deflated with upward
motion.
The bridge plug utilized in this system has been
proved in coiled tubing applications. As necessi- The plug also featured an emergency disconnect
tated by going through tubing and setting in the mechanism which would allow the coiled tubing to
larger diameter casing, the plug may be required be released from the plug if the plug should become
to expand to more than 300 percent of its original stuck in the hole. This was accomplished by cir-
diameter and still withstand high pressure and culating a ball (larger diameter than setting ball)
temperature. The plug returns to its original di- through the coiled tubing to a seat in the hydrau-
ameter for retrieval through the tubing. It is lic disconnect on top of the plug. Hydraulic
single trip wireline retrievable. The small diam- pressure applied through the coiled tubing shifted
eter of the top section of the bridge plug facili- the piston in the disconnect and released the tub-
tates washover operations and retrieval on coiled ing from the plug. The plug could then be fished
tubing. with a wireline tool.

After a surface test check of the setting tool, the BRIDGE PLUG FIELD TESTING
bridge plug and setting tool are run to desired
setting depth (Fig. 3A). Electrical power is then Field testing of the coiled tubing bridge plug be-
provided at the surface and conveyed through the gan in the Prudhoe Bay field in February of 1987.
wireline to the setting tool. The operation modes Initial success rates were low due to distortion
of the system are tracked by monitoring amperage of the element as the bridge plug was being run
draw of the system at surface. Initial amperage through the production tubing, excessive pressure
draw during inflation of the bridge plug (Fig. 3B) differentials and incorrect plug placement.
will denote operation of the setting tool and that
the inflation sequence has been initiated. A rapid
increase in amperage draw (Fig. 3C) signals that Fluid bypass around the plug as it was being run
the bridge plug has been inflated and that through the production tubing was restricted and
pressurization is occurring. The disconnect se- would cause the inflatable element (Fig. 1) on the
quence of the system (Fig. 3D) is accompanied by a plug to slide up on the interior mandrel and result
sharp drop in amperage draw at the surface. The in swaboff. The bottom of the element was unan-
setting tool and wireline are then free to be re- chored because of required reduction in axial
trieved. The set bridge plug is capable of holding length during inflation. The bridge plug was re-
high differential pressures without the aid of a designed with a shear assembly installed in the
sand or cement barrier (Table 1). bottom of the element which would keep the element
in a stretched, streamlined position as it moved
BRIDGE PLUG DEVELOPMENT through the production tubing. Upon inflation of
the element, the shear assembly released to permit
In 1986, development began on an inflatable bridge axial element movement.
plug system capable of being run through production
tubing and set in the production casing below. The Failure occurred in production wells when setting
system required a plug that was: 1) capable of plugs for water shutoff jobs due to element defor-
being run on coiled tubing, 2) wireline retrieva- mation resulting from pressure fluctuations. This
ble, 3) rated at 2500 psi (17,235 kPa) at 280°F. element deformation led to increased internal vol-
(l38°C.) in 7.0-in. (l77.8mm) OD casing, and 4) ume of the element. This resulted in decreased
3.38-in. (85.8mm) OD. The plug was hydraulically inflation pressure which in turn rendered the plug
set and released with a straight pull mechanism. ineffective. The problem was solved by Prudhoe Bay
Circulation through the plug going in the hole was Unit Operators placing calcium carbonate or an acid
accomplished with a bottom valve in the plug. The soluble cement on top of the plug prior to return-
bridge plug was set by utilizing a ball inserted ing the well to production. This mechanical bar-
into the coil tubing reel and circulated to a seat rier prevented element distortion during the
pressure cycles and increased success rates of the
plug in this application.

306
OTC 6459 Luis E. Mendez, Martin P. Coronado and Danny J. Holder 3

Error in depth location contributed to failure Voltage, amperage, torque, RPM, flowrate, and
since the target in these cases was a short section pressure were optimized to meet the design re-
of blank pipe and the error placed the plug in the quirements. The equipment made use of materials
perforations. The initial plug would not hold in unique applications to enable operation in a
pressure in these situations. Also, retrieval of wellbore environment without sacrificing reliabil-
the initial plug after a frac job was very diffi- ity and durability.
cult. The 3-3/8-in. (85.8mm) OD of the tool pre-
vented washover of the plug to the element. LOCATING AT DEPTH
Approximately 36-in. (9l4.4mm) of sand would re-
main on top of the element and hamper plug re- Placing the bridge plug in the correct location is
trieval. This washover problem could not easily highly critical in many instances. Correct place-
be corrected with the initial plug design. ment of the bridge plug could be the only differ-
ence between success or failure. Production zones
The problems inherent with the initial plug when in Alaska may only be 10 feet apart in some wells.
set in perforations and in retrieval necessitated
a second generation plug design. This new design With coiled tubing set bridge plugs, setting depth
had a stronger element capable of maintaining in- could be off by as much as 20 ft. (6.1m) per 10,000
tegrity when set in perforations. It could also ft. (3,048m). Blank pipe targets less than 40 ft.
be washed over and retrieved on coil tubing. The (12.2m) in length are not practical without a
superiority of the new element was due to increased downhole reference point. A mechanical tubing end
mechanical strength and better elastomer proper- locator can improve setting depth location by pro-
ties. Utilizing this new element, the plug was now viding a downhole reference point. This locator
capable of setting in 9.63-in. (244.6mm) 00 casing provides a 3000 lb. (1,361 kg) indication on the
{original design criteria was 7-in. (177 .8mm) OD weight indicator when pulled through the end of
casing} and holding 1500 psi (13,788 kPa) at production tubing or landing nipples. This signal
225°F. (107°C.). The new plug was also designed is generated by compression of leaf springs incor-
with a 3.0-in. (76.2mm) 00 and featured a 2.38-in. porated in the locator as it is pulled back into
(60.5mm) OD top section. This small OD facilitated the tubing. Depth correlation of the tubing tail
washover and retrieval operations. is then made with the wireline log of the well.
The second generation plug also was designed to be Coiled tubing elongation must also be considered
retrieved in one trip. Plug equalization, when utilizing a mechanical tubing end locator.
deflation and retrieval was accomplished on the The additional force required above tubing weight
same trip. The plug was developed in both re- inherently adds length to the string. 1 Pressuring
trievable and permanent versions. the coil tubing causes both elongation and con-
traction in the tubing during the setting process
SETTING TOOL DEVELOPMENT of the plug. 2
Development work on the setting tool also began in Setting the bridge plug with a wireline system does
1986. This project proceeded at a significantly not have the location problems associated with
slower pace than that of the bridge plug. Concepts coiled tubing. A conventional shooting collar lo-
examined were: 1) inflating the plugs with cator is run with the wireline bridge plug system.
chemically generated foams; 2) carrying inflation The collar locator is modified to allow power to
fluids downhole powered with gas generating devices be carried through to the setting tool. This
or an electric driven downhole pump; and 3) an method of location allows more precise depth con-
electric pump that would inflate the plug with the trol. It is obviously easier to correlate between
downhole wellbore fluids. Temperatures and pres- wireline logs than correlate a coiled tubing string
sures eliminated the chemical methods. Carrying to a wireline log. In addition, the wells are
the necessary volume of fluids downhole was im- usually perforated after correlation with a
practical due to the length of tool required. The wire line collar locator. The bridge plug can be
electric pump utilizing downhole wellbore fluids placed more accurately in short intervals between
was judged the most feasible concept. perforations if the same method of location is
used.
Research and lab testing was required to determine
parameters for the setting tool. The limited UTILIZATION
amount of power that could be transmitted through
a conventional electric line, the dimensional con- The bridge plug system has been successfully uti-
straints dictated by tubing size and practical lized in selective production and injection appli-
lubricator length, inflation time limitations, and cations where temporary or permanent shut-off of
pumping wellbore fluids at downhole temperatures production casing is required. These applications
and pressures posed major design problems. There include:
is an abundance of equipment on the market designed
to accomplish the different functions required of
the setting tool. However, this available equip- 1. Shutoff of a lower water producing zone;
ment generally was designed for low pressures and
temperatures, required excessive power, and was too 2. Isolation of lower producing intervals for gas
large. In most cases the equipment could only pump shutoff cement squeeze programs;
clean fluids with good lubrication properties.
3. Isolation of lower intervals for selective acid
The new setting tool components were designed for stimulation of upper intervals;
optimum electrical and mechanical power efficiency.

307
for running the bridge plugs were: fracturing (4
4. Isolation of the primary producing zone for
timee); acidizing (4 times); interval (water, gas)
stimulation of a new upper zone by means of
shut-off (4 times); and cement squeeze (2 times).
hydraulic fracturing;

5. Isolation of lower perforations in an injection The 14 wells had the following profiles: 7-in. OD
well for the purpose of changing the injection (177.8mm) casing with 4-1/2-in. tubing (114.3mm)
profile of a well. or 5-1/2-in. (139.7mm) tubing with 4-1/2-in
tailpipe; 3.725-in. (94.6mm) minimum ID re-
striction; 22-54° well deviation; and 180-228°F.
in water shut-off applications, a permanent or re- (82.2-93.3°C.) well temperature. The range of
trievable bridge plug ia placed between production
zones. If a permanent plug is used, cement is
generally placed on top of the plug to insure
setting depth for the plugs waa 8,181 ft.(2,493m)
to 11,458 ft. (3,492m). I
long-term seal integrity. In retrievable applica- The typical bridge plug system hook-up consisted
tions, either calcium carbonate or acid soluble of a 1.43-in. (36.3mm) OD cable head, 1.69-in.
cement is placed above the plug. Both are easily (42,9mm) OD collar or 3.25-in. (82.6mm) OD weight
removed with acid from the top of the plug for plug bars, 1.69-in. (42.9mm) OD collar locator, 2.O-in.
retrieval. (50.8mm) OD setting tool and 3.O-in. (76.2mm) or
3.38-in. (85.9mm) OD bridge plug. The approximate
In cement squeeze applications, calcium carbonate length of the hookup was 25 ft. (7.62m). Thesyatem
and aand are placed on top of the bridge plug. was usually run on approximately 19,000 ft.
Coiled tubing is then used to squeeze the well and (5,791m) of .312-in. (7.9mm) OD electric wireline.
then subsequently utilized to retrieve tbe plug. However, there were several plugs set on approxi-
A downhole drilling motor and underreamer can be mately 23,000 ft. (7,010m) of .218-in. (5.5mm) OD
run on coiled tubing through the production tubing electric wireline.
to remove cement bridges and nodes above the plug
before retrieval.

Selective acidizing jobs have been completed suc-


Setting the plugs on the .218-in (5.5mm) OD cable
was accomplished despite larger power loss in the
small line. The power losses in the .218-in.
I
cessfully utilizing a bridge plug in conjunction (5.5mm) OD line were approximately twice that of
with a through-tubing packer run on coiled tubing. the .312-in, (7.9mm) OD line. It is therefore
A bridge plug is run in and set below the treatment preferable to run these tools on the larger cable.
interval. The packer is then set above the inter- However, other considerations such as well condi-
val. Treatment fluids are pumped down the coiled tions and/or cable availability may dictate choice
tubing and below the packer into the zone. After of cable size.
displacement of fluids into the formation. the
packer is pulled and the treated zone is pu{ back Conveyed power to the electric pump was provided
on production. The plug is retrieved later. In at the surface with a power supply which in turn
this application, a plug set with electric wireline waa typically powered by a 6 kilowatt generator on
provides better depth control and thus ensure bet- the wireline unit. There was never a problem with
ter placement of treatment fluids. electric shorting in any of the equipment at any
time. However, in several instances, the power
Another application of the bridge plug is for
fracturing of a production zone. Once again the
plug is set below the zone that is to be fractured.
supply strained to provide the power demanded by
the electric pump at the peak of the duty cycle.
The respective equipment manufacturers have offered
I
Frac sand is pumped down the production tubing and three possible reasons for the power problems: 1)
into the formation. With sand placed above the inferior condition of alternating current; 2)
bridge plug, differential pressures of more than generator load was initially too low; and 3) design
5000 psi (34,47o kPa) have been applied across the for AC po,wer rectification of power supply was
plug when set in 7.0 -in. (177.8mm) casing. Once creating peak AC power demands in excess of gener-
the frac is complete, sand is washed off of the plug ator capacity. New equipment is being evaluated
and it is retrieved with coiled tubing (Fig. 3F). to correct this problem.

Modification of a well’s injection profile can be Average setting time required to set the bridge
accomplished by setting a bridge plug above a thief plug was 1.25 hours. The setting time was a func-
zone and prohibiting flow into that zone. This tion of cable diameter and length, wellbore fluids
altered injection profile provides a more uniform and the required pump pressure output.
sweep of the reservoir. Through-tubing bridge
plugs have been used in this application with both
water and miscible gas as the injection medium.
I All plugs set were correctly located with the ex-
ception of one, which was retrieved. On that well, I
it-was theorized that crossflow between zones was
Compatibility of the electric line bridge plug moving the plug before it was fully set. The plug

..
system with offshore operations should also be was successfully set by locating it lower in the
considered. Little or no equipment is required blank interval (allowance for umer movement) and

1
that ia not generally available for other oper- using heavier weight bara,
ations.
LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE D EVELW
The through-tubing wireline inflatable bridge plug
was field tested in 14 wells in Alaska in the last Presently the through-tubing system is limited to
half of 1989 and waa successfully located and 2-1/8-in. OD equipment set in 7-5J8-in. OD casing
placed in 11 of those wells (Table 2). The purposes and 3-in. OD equipment in casing sizes up to
I
..”
duo

I
OTC 6459 LUIS E. Mendez, Martin P. Coronado and Danny J. Holder 5

9-5/8-in. (244,6mm). Further development wilI workover methods. Moreover, the system does not
allow for smaller OD plugs with greater expansion require killing the well and risking formation
attributes to set in larger casing. The system damage in order to set the plug.
will also be enhanced for operation in higher tem-
peratures. As more is learned about the nature of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
this system, effort will be directed to optimizing
the conveyance and utilization of power downhole, The authors gratefully acknowledge contributions
improving pump output. This will allow higher in- made by the Prudboe Bay Unit Operators during field
flation pressure resulting in increased pressure- testing and development of this tool and non-rig
holding capability of the plug. workover technique. The views and conclusions ex-
pressed in this paper do not necessarily imply
The system has been proved in oil and water agreement with Prudhoe Bay Operators or other PBU
wellbores. Future development will involve adapt- Working Interest Owners. The authors also thank
ing this systent to work in harsher environments, Baker Service Tools fo~ the opportunity to publish
such as drilling mud. this paper and Robin Robinson, Mark Plante, Shawn
McCarty, Frank Richardson, Jim Belew, Joe Klumpyan,
CONCLUSION~ Bill Berryman and Peggy Tucker for their valuable
contributions in preparing this paper.
A through-tubing wireline bridge plug system has
been developed and field tested in Prudhoe Bay, REFERENCE
Alaska. The plug has been used for acidizing,
fracturing, squeeze cementing, and water shut-offs. “Inflatable
1. Walsh, M. D. and Holder, D. J.:
The system has been successfully field proven and
Packers: Production Applications,” paper SPE
is a viable method for setting a bridge plug
17443 presented at the SPE California Regional
through tubing. Through-tubing workover operations
Meeting, Long Beach, California, March 23-25,
can be accomplished in as few as two days, a dra-
1988.
matic contrast in comparison to conventional
2. Ibid.

TABLE 1
BRIDGE PLUG SPECIFICATIONS
Outside diameter 4.19 in. 3.38 in, 3.0 in. 2.13 in.
106.4 mm 85.8 mm 76.2 mm 54.1 mm
Inside diameter 1.25 in, 1,25 in. 0.63 in. 0.63 in,
31.7 mm 31.7mm 16.0 mm 16.0 mm
Max. casing OD 9,63 in. 7,0 in. 9.63 in. 7.0 in. 9.63 in. 7.63 in.
10 set elemenl 244.6 mm !77.8 mm 244,6 mm 177.6 mm 244.6 mm 193.8 mm
Max. differential 16CHIpSi 250U psi 12CQpsi 3,000 psi 1500 psi 1500 psi
across element 12,409 kPa 17,235 kPa 8273 kPa 20,664 kPa 10,341 kPa 10,341 kPa

Max. Temperature @ 250°F 260°F 225°F 260°F 225°F 260°F


max. expansion 121”C 136°C lo7°c 136°C lo7°c 136°C
Min. restriction for 4,31 in. 3,56 in, 3,72 in. 2.197 in,
system to pass 109,4 mm 90,4 mm 79.2 mm 55.8 mm

TABLE 2
RECORD OFFIELD TESTING
Well Reason for Plug casing Tubing Well Well smallest
No. Date aridge Plug Size Size size Angfe Temp. Restsiclicm

x-3 7-28 Acldlze 3.3/8 7 5-1/2 3s0 1s0 4.455

D-7 7.31 Acidize 3-3/8 7 5-1/2 35° 210 3.725

A-5 S.lo,ll Frac 3 7 4.1/2 54° 202 3.725

A.19 S.12 Frac 3 7 4.1/2 30° 1s0 3.725

N.3 9.10 Acidize 3.3/’s 7 4.1/2 35° 203 3,725

X-15 9.10 Frac 3 7 5.1/2 35° Zfsl 3,725

R.1 9-13,15,18,20 Shul.Off 34J8 7 51/2 35° 1so 4,455

N-10 9.24 Shutoff 3318 7 5.1/2 220 180 3.725

17-13 10.5 Shutoff 3.3s 7 4.1/2 47° 1s0 3,725

J-7 10.25,26 Squeeze 3.3/s 7 7 40° 22s N.A.

H-14 11-18 Squeeze 33/8 7 5.112 47° 200 3,725

Q.3 12-01 Acldlze 3 7 5.t/2 32° 180 3,725

12-20 12.28,29 Shut-Off 3.3/8 7 5.1/2 22° 1s5 3,725

13.27 12.17 Frac 3.3/8 r 4.1/2 250 200 3.725

309
THRU TUBING ELECTRIC WIRELINE
SET BRIDGE PLUG SYSTEM
WIRELINE

OPERflI 10NIL SET-UP FOR


CABLE HEAD
THRU TUBING
ELECTRIC MIRELINE SST

COLLAR LOCATER BRI OGE PLUG SYSTEN

COMPENSATING
PISTON SECTION

MOTOR SECTION WIRELINE SE--ING


TOOL

PUMP SECTION

FILTER SECTION

HYDRAULIC
1
DISCONNECT
.
F!
PACKING ELEMENT
IANCHOR BRIDGE PLUG COLLARLOC8TER

THRU TUBINC $ETTINC TOOL

lNfLAThOLE LIR1OIX PLUG


GUIDE
ISHUT-OFF VALVE k---,
u
FIGURE 2

t3isrvmm

. .
.
0
.
& m
■ ■ 8
R

lNiNG F SURIZING DISCONNECTED SET PLUG WNG f G, El G


ICAT >LU FFIOM PLUG
— — m9. aE
. TUBI
~ — —

TOOL OPERATION
FIGURE 3
310

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