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SLICKLINE CONNECT
Spooling Slickline Wire Best Practice

Objective
To ensure that Slickline spooling operations are conducted and completed in a safe manner. That personnel
conducting the spooling operation are trained and competent. That the correct spooling tensions are used
and that a spooling record is created and retained.

This Best Practice is applicable to spooling operations in a dedicated spooling area or in an area in the yard
temporarily set aside for spooling operations

Safety
Pre-job toolbox meeting
Personnel Protection Equipment (PPE) requirements adhered to
All personnel are trained and competent to conduct spooling operations
All personnel involved have assigned roles and responsibilities
Qualified personnel only to operate equipment
Mechanical Lifting equipment and accessories have current certifications and are fit for purpose
A risk Assessment has been reviewed and approved by management
Company Standards are applicable to the operation
Permit to Work (PTW) generated and posted throughout spooling operations

References
OEM spooling device manual
Slickline and Braided Cable Spooling Tensions

Scenarios Considered
This Best Practice covers the following spooling scenarios
1) Spooling off an out of service Slickline wire from a Slickline unit onto a transport drum (wire for
storage or disposal due too many in service hours or a failure in service or too short for operations)
2) Spooling a new Slickline wire from a transport drum onto a Slickline unit

Spooling Area Preparation

The designated spooling area to be clearly defined with barriers and signs
Signs to clearly display a NO ENTRY message to warn personnel not involved in the spooling operation not to
enter the area where spooling is taking place
The Spooling unit is to be spotted and secured in place
The Slickline unit is to be spotted, secured in place and positioned in line with the spooling unit
An empty transport drum or the new wire is installed and secured correctly in the spooling unit

Note: A drum with new wire MUST be handled with care and lifting procedures followed

Specific Requirements
All equipment associated with the spooling operation has been serviced and maintained according to the
manufacturer’s detailed instructions and manuals

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Tension devices have a current calibration (less than one year) and depth indicators have been checked and
are reading and functioning correctly for the size of wire being spooled
Any sheaves being used are the correct diameter for the wire
The curvature of the wire is maintained, i.e. spooled off the top of the transport drum onto the top of the
winch drum

Pre-Job Tool Box Meeting

A pre-job tool box meeting will take place prior to the start of spooling operations which will review and cover
the following points: -
A review of the applicable Risk Assessment
Review the requirements/conditions of the Permit to Work
The names of all personnel involved in the spooling operation will be listed on the PTW
Review safety and emergency procedures and emphasise working in line of sight of each other and
no approaching turning machinery
Review and check personnel PPE which must be in good condition and to include, hard hat, hearing
protection, safety glasses, coveralls, safety gloves, safety boots
Roles and responsibilities are assigned to all participants in the operation
Complete a Spooling Check List

Procedure - Spooling Off

1) An empty transport drum (steel) has been correctly installed and secured onto the spooler, all
bolts and drive plate are made up correctly
2) Spooler pre-job function tests have been completed satisfactorily.
3) Spooler should be shut down and/or isolated so that it cannot be operated accidently
4) Slickline unit pre-job checks have been completed satisfactorily
5) The wire is fed through Slickline unit counter head
6) Sufficient wire is pulled off the Slickline unit to reach the transport drum in the spooler unit,
allowing wrapping through the spooling unit capstan
7) The Slickline unit is then secured with operating levers in a neutral position and shut down
8) The wire is then fed through the spooling unit capstan
9) The end of the wire is passed through the hole at the junction of the transport drum flange and
core and a knot tied to secure the end of the wire
10) Hand spool 3 wraps on to spooler drum
11) Close and secure all the spooler safety barriers and check the spooler controls are in the neutral
position
12) Re-start the spooling unit
13) Verify Slickline unit control levers are in neutral and re-start the unit
14) Set depth indicator to zero and verify the tension device is reading zero

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15) Start the spooling unit to spooling the wire in slowly taking up the slack wire until a minimum
tension is applied to the wire
16) Adjust the controls on the Slickline unit to allow the spooling unit to pull off wire from the unit
winch drum while providing back tension
17) Initially spooling off should proceed slowly adjusting the tension and speed unit until a tension of
200 - 300lbs is achieved and maintained
18) Personnel involved in the spooling operation should be positioned to observe both units and
drums and be in line of sight of each other and prepared to shut down the operation if required
19) The person in charge of the Slickline unit will be observing the winch drum checking for the top
bedding layer, at which point he will signal to the spooling unit operator to gradually slow the
spooling unit down
20) On the reaching the bottom bedding layer both the spooling unit and the Slickline unit must be
stopped and controls in neutral when there a minimum of 3 / 4 wraps remaining on the winch
drum
21) Cut the wire behind the Capstan and secure the end of the wire to the transport drum with tape
22) The remaining wire is then removed from the capstan and the unit winch drum and wrapped into
a secure bundle for disposal. Care and caution must be taken when handling loose wire.
23) If the wire is going into storage a sample of wire should be cut off and a wire test made with the
results recorded on the wire history card. In addition, the wire history card should be updated
and the length of the wire as recorded.
24) The wire and the transport drum must be clearly identified with the wire serial number, the type
of wire, and the size and length of wire, and the date it was spooled off, this information must be
clearly visible, mark the transport drum on both sides
25) If the wire is going to be scrapped the wire history card should be updated to reflect this
information. In order to avoid any confusion of the status of the wire the transport drum and
wire should be clearly identified with “To Be Scrapped”
26) Remove the transport drum from the spooler
27) Wrap a protective material around the wire
28) Use the correct slings and slinging method moving the transport drum from the spooler

Procedure - Spooling On
The new wire on a transport drum will have been correctly installed and secured in the spooler unit, all bolts
and drive plate are installed correctly
1) Spooler pre-job function tests have been completed satisfactorily.
2) Spooler should be shut down and/or isolated so that it cannot be operated accidently
3) Slickline unit pre-job checks have been completed satisfactorily
4) The Slickline unit is shut down and the controls placed in the neutral position

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5) Wire should be pulled off the transport drum and fed through capstan on the spooler unit
6) With sufficient wire pulled off pass the end through the Slickline unit counter head
7) The end of the wire is passed through the hole at the junction of the winch drum flange and core
and a knot tied to secure the end of the wire
8) Mark a line across the width of the core of the winch drum starting from the hole
9) Close and secure all the spooler safety barriers and check the spooler controls are in the neutral
position
10) Set depth indicator to zero and verify the tension device is reading zero
11) Verify Slickline unit control levers are in neutral and re-start the unit
12) With the spooler unit, slowly take up the slack wire until tension is applied to the wire
13) Position the Slickline unit counter head to guide the wire evenly on to the winch drum
14) Start spooling the wire on slowly, the wire MUST be smooth wrapped across the full width of the
winch drum
15) The wire ‘break’ should follow the line painted across the drum core
16) Wire tension is controlled by adjusting the capstan setting on the spooling unit
17) Slow down when approaching the opposite flange as the wire may possibly ‘snap’ away from the
flange
18) If the wire does not spool correctly, stop, spool back and re-start, in order to achieve a correctly
spooled wire over the full length of wire it is essential the break follows the line
19) If it is necessary to adjust the position of the wire, use a hammer and broad face blunt chisel

Warning: - All winch drums must be stationary with the brakes applied whenever it is required to work on
the wire on the drum

20) Spooling tensions will vary with wire diameter and over the course of the spool (see Spooling
Tensions)
21) At the completion of the first full wrap, paint a line back across the width of the first wrap to
mark the position of the ‘break’
22) Continue following the same procedure until four full bedding wraps are completed
23) After four full wraps – wrap insulating tape around the wire – this will be used to identify when
the wire has reached the bottom of the drum during intervention operations
24) Continue smooth spooling at approximately 150ft/min to the end of the wire

Note: - Follow the wire tension profile as per Slickline & Braided Cable Spooling Tensions

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25) Once the end of wire is seen on the transport drum, slow down and slowly pull to a point where
there are 2 / 3 wraps left
26) Stop the Slickline unit and apply the brake, allow the tension to reduce in the wire using the
spooling unit and shut down the spooling unit
27) Cut the wire at the capstan and spool the wire onto unit winch drum and secure the end of the
wire to the winch drum using adhesive tape
28) Cut 2’ of wire off and perform a wire test and record on the wire history
29) Rig down spooling equipment

Reporting
Prepare a spooling Report containing the following information: -
Wire serial no. (mill certificate no.), wire type and size
Winch drum no. wire is spooled on
Spooling date
Length of wire spooled
Spooling tension and wire dimensions (x & y) every 1000ft
Any observations

For a new wire a Wire History Card should be created containing the following: -
Wire identification number (mill certificate no.) and winch drum number
Wire manufacturer, description, type and size
Original Length, current length and date spooled
Wire tests performed
Daily well site activity performed, well no., well conditions, maximum tension pulled, depth run
to, no. of jars
Any observations or comments

Copies of the wire history cards and spooling reports should be retained in the base filing system and
available in the unit along with a copy of the mill certificate.

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SLICKLINE CONNECT
Slickline Spooling Report

Spooling Date Wire/Cable Type

Wire/Cable No. Size

Spooled Off Drum No. Length (ft)

Spooled On Drum No.

Cable Diameter (inches) Spooling

Length (ft) Comment Length (ft)
Vertical Horizontal Tension
Start
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
11,000
12,000
13,000
14,000
15,000
16,000
17,000
18,000
19,000
20,000
21,000
22,000
23,000
24,000
25,000
26,000

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SLICKLINE CONNECT
Spooling Slickline Wire TOP 10

1) All wire must be clearly IDENTIFIED, use the mill certificate number

2) HANDLE wire with care, use the correct lifting techniques and lifting
accessories

3) Hold a TOOLBOX meeting and review all aspects of the spooling

operation

4) Maintain the wire’s CURVATURE (top of transport drum to top of

winch drum)

5) Minimum four BEDDING layers, clearly identify the top bedding layer

6) Follow the spooling TENSION profile for the wire size

7) SMOOTH spooling

8) Carefully OBSERVE the condition of the wire during the spooling

operation

9) TEST the wire at the start and the finish of spooling, record the results

10) Prepare a Spooling REPORT and update the Wire History Card

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