COMPLETION

 Objectives of completion:-
- The hydrocarbons can be safely produced under pressures from the reservoirs in to the unmanned surface
facilities with fail-safe shutdown systems throughout the life-cycle of the well.
- Prevent all un-wanted by-products (sands, water & sometimes gas) from flowing to surface where feasible.
- Safely inject water, gas or chemicals into the wells.
 Roles of PT: The selected completion option with the correct materials is to ensure the above
objectives are satisfactorily met. PT plays an important role in the completion optimization process.
 Wells Department:-
- Well Engineer ensures the well is designed, drilled, cased & cemented safely before the
completion starts.
- Well Completion engineer ensures the completion design is robust, right materials are
sourced. The Completion Supervisor is onsite to ensure the final completion installation is
performed & tests as per Standard.
- The completed well is then handover to Production Operations in the Asset Unit, who is
the final Well Owner.

Document Number Document Title 1

1
 COMPLETION FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS (SHORTLIST)

 Provide optimum flowing conditions

 Protect casing
 Contain the reservoir
 Downhole emergency isolation
 Permit downhole circulation / enable the well to be killed
 Permit downhole chemical injection
 Permit downhole measurement
 Isolate producing zones
 Permit routine downhole operations

Document Number Document Title 2

 COMPLETION – PRODUCTION THROUGH TUBING WITH SC-SSSV

Primary Barrier

Well Fluid flow

Secondary Barrier

Reservoir
Document Number Document Title 3
 WELL COMPLETION CONCEPTS
Barefoot Cased & cemented

Reservoir Reservoir

Document Number Document Title 4

 “BAREFOOT” COMPLETION
Suitable if the following conditions
present
1) Consolidated formation reservoir
2) No sand or solids production
3) No unwanted fluid in the reservoir
layers need to be isolated.
Very simple but rarely applicable due to
accessibility into the open hole if
required is complicated & risky.

Document Number Document Title 5

 UNCEMENTED OPEN-HOLE
Type 1: Perforated liner
COMPLETIONS
Suitable if the following conditions present
1) Consolidated formation reservoir
2) No sand or solids production
3) Unwanted fluid in the reservoir layers can be isolated
with Swell-packer.
Type 2: Stand-alone Sand screen
Suitable if the following conditions present
1) Formation sand sizes are large >90 micron & well
sorted
2) Unwanted fluid in the reservoir layers can be isolated
with Swell-packer.
Simple & commonly applied.
Type 3: Open-hole gravelpack
Suitable if the following conditions present
1) Formation sand sizes are very fine <90 micron &
not well sorted
Complex but commonly applied in industry.
Document Number Document Title 6
 CASED & PERFORATED COMPLETION
Suitable if the following conditions
1) Consolidated formation reservoir
2) No sand or solids production
3) Unwanted fluid in the reservoir
layers need to be isolated.
4) Commingled production of different
zones acceptable

Document Number Document Title 7

 HORIZONTAL WELL
Type 1: Perforated liner
Suitable if the following conditions present
1) Consolidated formation reservoir
2) No sand or solids production
3) Unwanted fluid in the reservoir layers can be isolated
with Swell-packer.
Type 2: Stand-alone Sand screen
Suitable if the following conditions present
1) Formation sand sizes are large >90 micron & well
sorted
2) Unwanted fluid in the reservoir layers can be isolated
with Swell-packer.
Type 3: Open-hole horizontal gravelpack
Suitable if the following conditions present
1) Formation sand sizes are very fine <90 micron &
not well sorted
.

Document Number Document Title 8

 DUAL COMPLETION
Suitable if the following conditions
present
1) Formation reservoirs’ pressures not
compatible to commingle the zones

Document Number Document Title 9

 SMARTWELL
Suitable if the following conditions
present
1) Multiple zones with varying
reservoir pressures.
2) Reasonable size reserves as the cost
is high
3) High benefit as create values by
linking many reservoirs together

Document Number Document Title 10

 MULTI-LATERALS
Suitable if the following conditions
present
1) Multiple zones far apart with
varying reservoir pressures.
2) Large reserves as the cost is very
high
3) High benefit as create values by
linking many reservoirs together
Not commonly used in Brunei Shell in
view of the technical complexity and
high cost of failure.

Document Number Document Title 11

 COMPLETION EQUIPMENT – XMASTREE

This is an very important part of the well and it control the well flow & pressures.
It is maintained according to strict industry Standards.
There is a range of operating pressures rating of XmasTrees. 3000, 5000, 10,000 & 15,000 psi.

Document Number Document Title 12

 COMPLETION SUB-SURFACE SAFETY VALVES

This is a very important safety feature of the well and it hydraulically control from surface.
It is the primary well safety barrier during the production of a well.
It is installed about 150m below the seabed.
There is a range of operating pressures rating, 3000, 5000, 10,000 & 15,000 psi.

Document Number Document Title 13

 COMPLETION EQUIPMENT – TUBING
Length
- Different Ranges, normally 30 ft/9.4 m +/- to fit on trucks
Brunei Shell Onshore
Material Pulled Tubing Full Of Wax
- Mild to string steel, common alloy additive is Chrome 13Cr, 25Cr
- Normally determined by fluid conditions
Outside Diameter
- Selected by user to fit inside well and to match production rate
Wall Thickness
- Selected by user for burst, collapse and
tension ratings
Joint
- Chosen by customer
- Examples are NUE > EUE > Premium

USA, WY, Shell Pinedale Gas Field –

Double Service Rig, Tubing On Piperack & Automatic Pipe
Document Number Document TitleHandler 14
 COMPLETION EQUIPMENT – PACKERS

Use: To create a pressure seal or barrier between tbg and csg.

Seal is rubber “element” on a steel tool that is has tubing screwed in above and below and is energized
(squished) and set at depth wanted.
Element can be energized by explosive or by setting wait down on packer or pulling weight up into packer.
Metal slips (also called dogs) engage casing to ensure compression of element is not released.
Can be run with “tail pipe” below it on electric line and set exactly on depth.
Two basic designs/materials:
- Permanent, built to not be retrieved, but made out of mild steel in case have to be drilled out
- Retrievable, built to be retrieved, but made out of hard steel which you never want to have to mill out
Note: Also available in inflatable/swellable styles for open hole applications

Halliburton Guiberson Double

Document Number Document Title
Action Production Packer 15
 COMPLETION ACCESSORIES
SSD – Sliding Side Door
X or R nipples
Profiles or Nipples, description:
- Set wireline plugs in for pressure testing or to isolate
zones
- Hang gauges in for FBU-PTA. Generally run minimum of 2
or more sizes are ranged with biggest ID at top down to
smallest at bottom called NoGo in case you drop your
tools.
NoGo Nipple – install at the end of tubing to stop wireline
tools falling out of the tubing.
Side Pocket Mandrel – for gaslift and circulation valves

Document Number Document Title 16

 COMPLETION EQUIPMENT QUIZ_3

1. Function of Production Packer?

2. Function of SSSV?

3. What is a dual string well?

A) A well with two strings of wireline left in it
B) A well with two strings of tubing to two different zones
C) A well with two wellheads
.
4. What is a fish?
A) Something you cook and eat
B) A tool dropped/lost down a well
C) A high tech tool shaped like a fish

Document Number Document Title 17

 COMPLETION EQUIPMENT QUIZ_4

4. What is a fish?
A) Something you cook and eat
B) A tool dropped/lost down a well
C) A high tech tool shaped like a fish

Document Number Document Title 18

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Introduction
 Warning
 History
 Perforating Charge Components
 Perforating Charge Firing
 Charge Types
 Gun Types
 Gun Deployment Systems – Electric Line
 Gun Deployment Systems – Pipe
 Perforating Performance
 Quiz

20000208 Canada Alberta

AECOG Woodenhouse 01-05-
Document Number
087-23W4 Perf Strip Log
Document Title 19
1
 INTRODUCTION

 Perforating is the most popular cased hole activity.

- Cased & cemented wells offer several advantages over open/uncased holes
- Superior Well Control abilities
- Support formation from collapse and potential bridging
- Zonal isolation both within reservoir between stringers and against nearby sands containing other fluids like water
 Main purpose is to provide an effective flow communication route between the reservoir and the wellbore.
 This involves irreversibly shooting many holes through the casing, through cement, and into formation.
 Improper techniques can result in damage to casing, reservoir or perforation tunnel.
- Resulting in expensive diagnosis, stimulation, repair and reperforating to correct the problem.

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2
 WARNING
 Do not confuse Perforating with Perforated Pipe
- Is commonly used in gravel packs and Hz well liners
- Should more properly be called Pre-Perforated Pipe as it is pipe that has used a gang drill to make holes in it before RIH
(Running in Hole)

2009
Schlumberger
Reslink Houston
Facility Tour –
Sand Control
Screens, Pre-
Perforated
Stainless Steel
Base Pipe

Document Number Document Title 21

2
 HISTORY

 1866 – Dry well stimulated by lowering torpedoes of gunpowder (nitro-glycerine & clay)
 1932 -1960’s
- Perforating systems largely used bullet guns, disadvantages were:
- Poor hole making characteristics
- Bullet tended to plug the hole it made, resulting in poor production/injection performance
 World War II - Tank busting bazookas invented.
- Used shaped charge and high quality explosive material
 After WW2
- WW2 tank busting technology to design shaped charge “Jet Perforating” for wells
- Schlumberger used to test them in basement of their original building in Paris!
 1948 Shaped charges used in wells by Welex (now Halliburton)
 1970’s Copper sheet liner replaced by sintered (powdered and pressed) metal
- Copper sheets tended to leave a “carrot” in perforation tunnel that partly plugged the tunnel
- Sometimes recovered a carrot looking piece of copper in scraper trips.

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2
 PERFORATING CHARGE COMPONENTS
 Several charges RIH at same time
Detonating
Cord, runs
down past all Conical Liner (Copper >
charges Sintered Metal)

F Primer F
o o
C C C C
r r
e a a e
m m
m s s m
a a
e i i e
t t
n n n n
i i
t g g t
o o
n n
High
Explosive
Outer Metal Casing
(blown to pieces
when gun fired)

Document Number Document Title 23

 PERFORATION CHARGE FIRING
 All charges fire at same time in microseconds

3) Ignites
1) Detonating 2) Ignites High
Cord Fires First Primer Explosive

F F
o o
C C C C
r r
e a a e
m m
m s s m
a a
e i i e
t t
n n n n
i i
t g g t
o o
n n

4) Fires Liner out front of Shaped

Charge starting at back as a jet
stream of gas and metal and
5) Results in damaged zone
pushes Casing & Cement &
around perforation tunnel of
Formation to side (does not
crushed formation rock and liner
Document Number disintegrate it) Document Title 24
2
 CHARGE TYPES

Deep Penetrating
• Creates small ¼- ¾” diameter x 2-24 inches long hole
• High perforation tunnel length (hopefully) gets out past drilling mud damaged formation
• Most common
Large Hole
• Creates large ¾-1.5” diameter x 2-8 inches long hole
• Common in very high perm reservoirs where going to install Gravel Pack sand control
• Pack the perf tunnel with gravel to hold it open and reduce collapse/plugging with smaller formation sand
Can run mix in a gun.

Smaller sizes to fit in/through pipe

Document Number Document Title 25

 GUN TYPES
200908 Shell S
Texas - Baker
Atlas Eline Perf
 ERHSC Expendable Retrievable Hollow Steel Carrier – Expendable
Scalloped HSC
- Description: Length of metal pipe inside of which charges are run. After POOH

- Advantage: Cheap and Delicate charges are not damaged while being RIH
- Disadvantages: Charges have to shoot through HSC and then casing > cement > formation
 Scalloped HSC
- Description: Length of metal pipe inside of which charges are run but where ~½ the metal in front of charges is cut away.
(Some systems use plugs and are re-usable HSC’s).
- Advantage: Delicate charges are not damaged while being RIH & less steel to perf through
- Disadvantages: More expensive.

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2
 GUN TYPES
 String Shot
- Description: Strip of metal to which charges are attached, often zero degrees, some +/-45 degrees.
- Advantage: Cheap, small diameter allowing larger charges to be run through tubing
- Disadvantages: Delicate charges can be damaged while being RIH, strip is generally blown up leaving more debris in hole

200908 Shell S Texas - Baker Atlas Eline Perf - 200908 Shell S Texas - Baker Atlas Eline Perf - Gun
Gun Primacord Insert Before RIH, Silver Deep Pen, Gl Large Hole

Document Number Document Title 27

2
 GUN DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMS – ELECTRIC LINE 200908 Shell S Texas - Baker Atlas
Eline Perf - Lubricator

 Description:
- Gun run with CCL, logged on depth, shot and POOH (Pulled Out Of hole)
- Hole balanced or slightly underbalanced
- If highly underbalanced then gun can be rapidly displaced up hole resulting birds nest of wire
- Most common
 Advantages:
- Low cost
- Quick operation
 Disadvantages
- Gun weight and thus length is limited by wire strength, thus may take many trips to perforate a long interval
- If firing several guns, only get drawdown on first gun, after which wellbore pressure is balanced with reservoir.

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2
 GUN DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMS – PIPE

 Description:
- Commonly called TCP – Tubing Conveyed Perforating as gun normally run on tubing
- Gun run on pipe, logged on depth with electric line, shot and POOH (Pulled Out Of hole)
- Hole normally underbalanced to reduce damage/skin, if highly underbalanced then gun does not get shot up hole
- Can run on production tubing string and after shot leave gun in hole or drop off in sump (if long enough) and avoid killing well.
- Common where long perf intervals or easily damaged formations or where safety is more critical ie offshore.
 Advantages:
- Low cost if long perforation intervals
- Drawdown on all perfs
- More well control
 Disadvantages
- Slow to run versus single electric line gun
 Note: Coiled Tubing deployed perf guns are also done, more on high angle wells

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 PERFORATING PERFORMANCE

Charge Size •Larger charges create bigger holes

•May have size restriction due to tubing etc

Shot Density •Higher frequency (shots per foot/meter) of charges is better

•Special very high frequency guns made for fine laminated sands where not going to Frac

Casing Stand Off •Charges are built for certain stand off from casing thus centralization is very important.

Drilling Wash Outs •Enlarged over bit size bore hole diameter should be filled with cement, just perforate cement?

Shot Phase Angle •Higher phased shots ie 30 degrees in spiral pattern are better than zero degrees.

Underbalance •Lower pressure inside casing than in reservoir results in perf tunnels being rapidly flushed out by reservoir fluids when gun fired.
•Don’t do this with poorly consolidated formations as sand collapse and stick gun in hole!

Document Number Document Title 30

 PERFORATING – QUIZ 1
1. Is the goal of perforating to?
A) Make holes in pipe before RIH
B) Create fluid flow path for selected reservoir intervals to easily get into the well bore
C) Allow cheaper way of completing a well
2. Perforation operation is
A) a high HSE risk operation
B) a very simple and routine operation
3. How deep to perforation tunnels extend into formation?
A) As far as Sales Rep tells you based on simple unconfined (no triaxial loading) API tests
B) Depends on wellbore diameter/washouts
C) 2-24” if lucky
4. What is the easiest & cheapest way to increase production on an old Cased & Perforated
well?
A) Install artificial lift
B) Reduce tubing size (diameter) on flowing well
C) Re-perforate
Document Number Document Title 31
3