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SLICKLINE CONNECT
Braided Cable
Seasoning

Braided Cables are supplied in one of two formats,

Standard with round strands in both the inner and outer layers with the two layers wrapped in
opposite directions, either as a RH over LH lay or LH lay over RH lay. The standard cable has a
single core, 6 strands in the inner layer and 9 strands in the outer layer and the construction is
referred to 1x16
Formed cables where the assembled cable has been run through a die to reshape the outer layer
and compact the material into a smaller diameter. The process results in a much stronger cable
but because the layers are wrapped in the same direction, RH over RH lay or LH over LH lay the
resultant cable is unbalanced. A formed cable has a single strand core, 9 strands in the inner layer
and 9 compacted strands in the outer layer and the construction is referred to as 1x19.

Due to the torque that always builds up in a cable, to a certain extent through manufacturing, but mainly due
to spooling it is necessary to season or normalise a cable at the beginning of its working life. A properly
seasoned cable will have an extended life whereas a cable which hasn’t been seasoned correctly is highly
likely to fail fairly quickly. It cannot be stressed enough how important the seasoning process is. The torque
in the cable is not particularly an issue as long it is managed correctly and the cable is worked under tension.

Once a cable enters operations it immediately sees conditions it hasn’t been exposed to before:
High tensions
High temperatures
Free to rotate

Seasoning needs to be performed over several runs under the best

conditions possible. Extreme temperatures, high pressures and high
tensions should be avoided. Low pressure, fluid filled well bores are
preferable as it will only require low grease and line wiper pressure
to control well pressure.

Running speeds and well pressure are two factors which can
‘unbalance’ a cable and must remain a focus during cable seasoning.
High pressure wells can cause cable issues with the high line wiper
and grease injection pressures required for well control which cause
torque to build up in the cable as a result of passing through the
grease injection assembly. Twisted Over Torqued Cable

Running into a well too fast at low tension does not allow the cable to rotate and balance torque

Pulling out too fast can result in bird caging or stranded wire as the cable tends to unwrap itself below
the grease injection head

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Seasoning
The cable should be run with a heavy tool string which is free to rotate and ideally run in a vertical well,
deviated wells add frictional forces to the cable which will limit rotation.

It is recommended that two swivel joints are used below the rope socket during seasoning.

Wells with high well pressures should also be avoided as high line wiper and grease injection pressures will
cause sudden tension changes as the cable passes through the grease injection head, firstly at a point directly
below the lowest flow tube where well pressure tries to lift the cable and also directly below the wireline
wiper, resulting in low cable tension areas. A cable passing through a pressurised restriction will tend to
unwind itself. Extreme over pressuring in the GIH will result in a loose outer layer which will lead to bird
caging and/or stranded cable.

Wireline wiper pressure must be carefully monitored throughout the operation, it should be maintained at a
pressure that is sufficient to control well pressure with over stressing the cable. A correctly applied line wiper
should as a rule of thumb add 100lbs tension to the cable

Running and pulling speeds are critical to the life of the cable and should be clearly defined prior to starting
the operation. Guideline maximum speeds would be within the range of 100-300ft/min

The cable tension guideline should follow the rule of

thumb 80/120 rule, when running in the well maintain a
tension of 80% of static tension, when pulling out
maintain a tension of 120% of static tension and
adjusting cable speed to meet these tensions. Plus,
always slow down for restrictions in the well bore, for
instance SSSVs, landing nipples etc. and always slow
down well in advance of reaching surface, a good
guideline would be to reduce line speed at 300ft and
‘walk’ the toolstring up to and into the lubricator
assembly with a crew member holding down the cable to
feel when the rope socket bumps up against the top of
the lubricator assembly. Stranded Braided Cable

A typical seasoning procedure is in effect a yoyo process moving the tools up and down the well bore getting
progressively deeper in the well and exposing more cable with each yoyo cycle. At pre-determined depths
stopping and pulling the tools back up. For instance, the tools are run to 500ft, stop for 30 seconds which
allows the cable to rotate and making a note of the static cable tension. Then pull up 200ft not exceeding
120% of the static weight. The tools are then lowered to a 1000ft, stop for 30 seconds again allowing the
cable to rotate and noting the static cable tension. Then pull up to 800ft not exceeding 120% of the static
weight. This step by step procedure will continue down the well. In perfect circumstances a new cable should
be seasoned over 20 runs.

In addition to normalising the torque, seasoning also beds in the layers of the cable which will in effect reduce
the OD of the cable. A heavy toolstring as opposed to a light toolstring accelerates the bedding process.

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Flow tube selection is very important and the diameter of the cable must be monitored through the seasoning
period to ensure the correct flow tubes are being used. Flow tube clearance should be between 0.004 –
0.008” for a standard the cable, and 0.010” for a formed cable.

All runs should be recorded using a ZChart which has been set up to reflect the seasoning steps that will be
used. The ZChart provides a positive record of the seasoning procedure and should be added to the cable
history file. In addition, it is always good practice to use a ZChart for braided cable runs as a back-up depth
reference.

It should be noted that new cables are more susceptible to torque issues than a used cable. In a new cable the
strands and the interstitial spaces are clean and free from any well debris, grease, or even surface corrosion.
These will build up with exposure to well fluids and operations and provide a certain amount of friction in the
strands and layers which in effect reduces cable rotation.

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