CHAPTER 6

PERFORATING PROCESS

Techniques of perforation, perforation guns, perforating/well

activation mechanism: underbalanced and
overbalanced
 PERFORATION
 Creating a communication between wellbore and
formation
 Making series of holes through casing and cementation

 Shot density : nos. of holes per foot, 1 to 24

 Extension of holes: fraction of inch to several inches

 The early perforators were bullet gun that performed

most perforated completion operations into the early
1950s.

 In the bulletperforating method, propellant-driven bullets

are shot through casing and cement into the formation.
BULLET PERFORATING METHOD
 Gun carries bullet (propellant driven) penetrators
downhole

 Propellant ignited by electrical signal

 Propellant accelerates the bullet to 3300 ft/sec

 Bullet performance decreases in high strength casing and

hard formations

 Now a day, bullet perforators are not used except in case

of perforating some soft formations, brittle formations.
HYDROPERFORATION

 Water jet slurry is pumped trough tubing

 Water jet are positioned through nozzle

 Creates hole in casing and formation

 Holes and slots can be made, and the casing can even be
cut completely by manipulation of the tubing.
 JET PERFORATION

 Jet perforating is by far the most widely used technique

to create perforations in well bores.

 Over 95% of all perforating operations are performed

with shaped charge jet perforations.

 Jet perforators can be conveyed downhole by a variety of

means:
 Slickline
 Electric line
 Coiled tubing, and
 Production tubing.
EXPLOSIVE TRAIN:

 Various explosive components

of Jet perforators are integrated
to form an "explosive train".

 Fig shows a typical perforating

gun and the explosive train inside
it.
 The constituents of the train
are:
 A detonator
 A detonating cord
 Shaped charge
Explosive Train:

 Detonator to start
the explosive process

 Detonation cord to
transmit along the axis

 Shaped charge for

perforating the casing
 EXPLOSIVE TRAIN:

 High explosive is used in this system, which on

detonation explodes supersonically.

 Low explosives react sub sonically.

 Low explosives are generally not used in jet perforating.

 Gunpowder’s is example of low explosives, while TNT is

an example of a high explosive.

 High explosives are of two types:

 Primary initiator
 Secondary Explosive
 HIGH EXPLOSIVE:

Primary Initiator

 Primary high explosives are used in initiators only; their

sole purpose is to start the detonation reaction with a
small energy input (usually by electrical heating of a
filament wire or by impact).
 Example of primary explosive is lead azide and lead
styphonate.
 They are sensitive to energy inputs from heat, flame,
friction, impact and static discharge.
 As primary explosives are sensitive to very low energy
inputs (a few ergs) therefore, they must be used with
great care.
 HIGH EXPLOSIVES:
 Secondary high explosives are used in detonators,
detonative cord, and shaped charges of the explosive
train.
 These explosives are much less sensitive to external
stimuli than are primary explosives, and therefore, they
are much safer to handle.
 Initiation of secondary high explosives is somewhat
difficult but once initiated they release huge amount of
energy in a very short interval of time (in microsecond).
 In oilfield uses, the most widely used secondary explosives
are RDX, HMX, HNS and PYX.
 These four explosives differ in thermal stability.
 HIGH EXPLOSIVES:
Table -1 Secondary explosives used in oilfield applications

Explosive Chemical Density Detonation Detonation

Formula (g/cm3) Velocity Pressure (psi)
ft/sec)
RDX C3H6N6O6 1.80 28,700 5,000.000

Cyclotrimethylent C4H8N8O8 1.90 30,000 5,700,000

trinitramine
HMX

Cyclotetramethylene
tetranitramine
HNS C14H6N6O12 1.74 24,300 3,500,000

Hexanitrostilbene C17H7N11O16

PYX 1.77 24,900 3,700,000

Bis(picrylamino)
-3.5-dinitropyridine
 DETONATING CORS AND SHAPED CHARGE:

 Cord transmit detonation ; HNX,PYX velocities 20,000 to

21000 ft/sec and RDX,HMX cord faster 26000 ft/sec.
 Shaped charge is the explosive component of the
perforator, having Case, Explosive and Liner.
 The penetration is deep and hole dia is small.Detonated
Shaped charge and its advancement shown in fig.
Jet velocity is 13000 to 20000 ft/sec and hole dia 0.2 to .5 inches
and penetrates to several inches
 SHAPED CHARGE LINER

• Liner design is different for deep penetrating (DP) and

Big hole penetrating (BG), 0.5 TO 1.6 inches
• A good liner material should be high density, high
ductility and high speed, mixture of powdered copper
and tungsten used
• Safety and accidents considerations, API RP-67 (1994)
provides guidelines for the safe handling and use of
explosives
• During penetration damage occurs to the rock matrix
consists of crushed and compacted grains, Damage will
be more at the entrance
PERFORATION DAMAGED ZONE:
 TYPES OF GUN SYSTEMS:
 Types:
 Ported
 Scalloped and
Capsule
 Ported and scalloped guns are hollow carrier guns and
are relatively heavy-walled, sealed tubular conduits that
are used to convey the explosive train inside them, and
to protect the explosives from the surrounding well bore
environment.
 However, the ported plug gun must also make an
individual seal at each charge, increasing the likelihood
of fluid leaks when it is run down hole.
 If a hollow carrier gun leaks and the explosives are
surrounded by fluid during detonation, the gun will
rupture upon firing and stick inside the casing.
 TYPES OF GUN SYSTEMS:
 Therefore, ported plug guns are generally used where
well bore conditions are not as demanding, such as in
wells with moderate hydrostatic pressures and
temperatures.

 Recommended limits for reliable operation of these guns

are around 20,000 psi and 325deg F.

 Port plug guns are generally run on wireline and are

fired from the bottom using a "fluid-disabled" electric
detonator.
Ported hollow
carrier gun:
 SCALLOPED HOLLOW CARRIER GUN :

 Scalped hollow carrier guns are used in the most

demanding well conditions, and are the mainstay of
tubing-conveyed perforating (TCP) operations.

 Scalloped guns are available in a wide range of sizes,

from small diameter runs (19/16 in OD) that will pass
through 23 /8 inches tubing to large-diameter (7-in OD)
guns that are made to run in 9 5/8 in casing.

 Ratings up to 30,000 psi and 5000F are available, and the

guns can be run on either wireline or tubing.
SCALLOPED HOLLOW CARRIER GUN:
 CAPSULE PERFORATING GUN:
 In capsule perforating guns a protective cap
encapsulates the charge.
 The charges are affixed to a carrier, which is generally a
set of wires or a flexible strip, and are usually conveyed
by wireline.
 Since there is no thick walled carrier present with a
capsule gun, the charges can be larger than those used
in hollow carrier guns and still pass through downhole
tubular.
 This is especially advantageous in through tubing
operations where small-diameter guns are necessary for
passage, yet maximum penetration is desired.
 As an example, for running through 27/8 in. tubing an
operator can run either a 2-in OD hollow carrier gun
with 7.5g explosive charges or a similar diameter capsule
charge penetrates nearly twice the depth of the smaller
charge, and the hole size in casing is 20% bigger.
 CAPSULE PERFORATING GUN:
 However, the primary drawback to capsule gun systems
is that the detonator and detonating cord are exposed to
the effects of the wellbore-fluid environment.
 Fluid intrusion can occur at the interface between the
detonator and detonating cord, which necessitates the use
of special sealing techniques.
 One unique variation of the capsule gun uses "elongated"
charges that articulate, or pivot, on a carrier thorough a
90 deg rotation.
 This pivoting allows the charges to remain folded and to
pass through downhole tubular, and to open up when it is
time to fire.
 The charge performance for this type of systems is
impressive, but the mechanical complexities of the
equipment and the large amount of debris left downhole
after firing may be undesirable.
CAPSULE PERFORATING GUN:
Underbalance and Extreme overbalance Perforation:
 Application of an extreme over balance, sufficient to fracture the
reservoir formation, applied either during or after perforating was
first presented as an alternate completion technique in 1993. Since
then, a number of jobs have been done by different operators in a
Varity of formations with varying applications.

 Underbalance, perforating creates an environment where formation

fluid flow can immediately begin to enter the wellbore, rather than
have the well in an overbalance condition where completion fluids and
other particles continue to be lost into the formation.

 Underbalance perforating is defined as perforating with the pressure in

the wellbore lower than the pressure in the formation.

 When used properly, this technique has effectively provided higher

productivity completions. At the instant of perforating, the pressure
differential to the wellbore is believed to help clear the perforations
and remove crushed rock, debris, and explosive gases from the
formation.
 Underbalanced Perforating:
 Perforating, fracturing and acidizing are simply a
means of providing and enhancing flow
communication between the reservoir and the well
bore.
• The objective of these different completion
operations is to cost effectively maximize the
producibility of the well.
 Underbalanced Perforating:
 Perforating is used to provide the basic fluid
communication between the reservoir and the well bore.
• Under balanced perforating and acid zing are typically
used to bypass or eliminate near well bore damage.
• Fracturing is generally used to expose a large reservoir
flow area to the well bore. Use of propellant tools and now
EOB produce short fractures and thus complements
under balance perforating and acidizing to bypass well
bore damage.
• However, the process of perforating also creates a
permeability damage region around the perforation
commonly called the “crushed zone”.
• Under balanced perforating has been used to remove the
perforating damage zone in reservoirs with sufficient
pressure and permeability.
 Techniques of Perforation:
(1) Wire line techniques are divided into two systems:
A. Through tubing perforation method
B. Casing gun method
(2) Tubing conveyed perforation Method (TCP)
These three types of techniques have been shown in Fig.
 (A) Through tubing perforation method:
• Through tubing perforating is the first method of
underbalanced perforating and is still used most widely.
The fig shows the method. This method uses gun
designing of small diameter to pass through typical size
of production tubing to perforate larger diameter casing
below .
• Wireline pressure control equipment is needed to
transfer tools into and out of the well . Proper
underbalace is established by adjusting bottom hole
pressure of the fluid column in the tubing and casing.
• The gun is run against the zone to be perforated and
fired. Reservoir fluid flows in to the tubing and well is
allowed to flow at surface (depending upon reservoir
pressure).
• Finally the spent perforator is pulled out of the well.
 (A) Through tubing perforation method:
• This techniques is best suited to short interval zone – up
to 15 to 20 feet where a single underbalance pressure
adjustment and a single gun are required, where as long
zones requires more than one gun, establishing proper
underbalace after the first gun run by drawing down the
well is When drawdown is not feasible, the pressure
situation usually becomes “balanced”, which does not
assure cleanup and therefore is not a recommended
practice.
• Success with use of multiple, through tubing guns is best
achieved with gas well completions where lower
permeability intervals may be perforated first.
• This minimizes well outflow and, by operating while
flowing, under balance can be created for subsequent
perforating runs
 Wireline casing gun:
• In liquid producing wells with low reservoir pressure, wellhead pressure is
usually not present following the perforation. In such case large- diameter,
deeper-penetrating, multiphase casing guns can be used.

• Typically, 33/8 – 4” dia guns are used which provides substantially higher
performance than smaller through tubing guns.

• The wells can be swabbed down to establish desired under balance.

• When the gun is fired, reservoir fluid flows in to the casing, usually not
reaching surface. When the gun is recovered, tubing and packer may be run
without having to snub in against well head pressure.

• This technique has the strong advantage of providing best possible gun
performance where reservoir pressure and, therefore, available draw down is
limited.
• It is the least costly technique because surface pressure control is simple.
• The technique applies to only to single gun runs because under balance
cannot be establish for subsequent gun runs.
 Wireline casing gun:

• A variation involves slightly overbalance in

a compatible completion fluid selected to control the
well and prevent formation damage.

• Tubing and packer then are run under balance

establish, and surge flow is created by means of a
shear disc or surge valves installed in tubing.
Tubing conveyed perforation method
• In this method perforating guns are run on tubing, but
this method has limited application in some specialized
perforating operations.

• This method has been applied in difficult to complete,

low permeability gas reservoir where wireline through
tubing methods are inadequate.

• Now the use of this method has increased compared to

other underbalanced perforating methods.
Tubing conveyed perforation method
Tubing conveyed perforation method
• In this method a large diameter casing gun on tubing
below a packer is run in the well. Tubing is run dry or partially
filled to establish desired under balance .
• The assembly is positioned as to depth by correlating
wireline collar locator and gamma rays or neutron tool
logs with the assembly radioactive reference depth sub.
• At desired depth the packer is positioned and set the vent
valve below the packer is open just before firing is, to
communicate casing with the tubing, around gun
equalize with the tubing, creating underbalace
situation.
• The gun is fired by dropping a bar (or godevil) down the
tubing. Fluid surges in to the casing on firing, and upward past the
perforator and through the vent valve in to the tubing .
• The gun firing is monitored by noise or soak transducers attached
to the tubing at the surface. The gun is then released from the
tubing.