WELLBORE MECHANICS &

METHODS OF COMPLETION

EPL 400: PETROLEUM PRODUCTION

ENGINEERING II

Engr. (Dr.) Sunday S. Ikiensikimama

Professor of Petroleum and Gas Engineering

Adjunct Professor: Department of Gas and Petroleum

Engineering
Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
1
 References

Adopted from: Isabelle Rey-Fabret

,IFP and WIPRO Technologies

2
 Introduction
• Well completion creates a
dependable pathway to the
surface for the hydrocarbons.

• Once the well is drilled, it has to

be made ready for the safe and
efficient production of oil.

• The term ‘completion’ describes

the assembly of Down hole
tubulars and other safety
equipments that is required to
enable the safe and efficient
production of oil or gas from the
well after it has been drilled.
3
 Introduction Cont’d
• After exploratory drilling that
confirms the presence of an
oil or natural gas reservoir,
the hydrocarbons are brought
to the surface. Safety Equipment

• At the end of the drilling

PLATFORM

process, the mud is replaced

by a completion fluid, most SEA BED
30’’ CASING

often salt water, and the 13 3/8’’ CASING

20’’ CASING

(Blowout Preventer) BOP is

removed. Production casing (9 5/8) 7’’ LINER

Downhole Equipment

• The objective of this job is to RESERVOIR

prepare the well, already
drilled, for production.
4
 Introduction Cont’d
• The completion design is made to ensure safe
production of the well, given by the reservoir
studies, during the field's life.

• Once the design well depth is reached, the

formation is tested and evaluated to determine
whether the well is to be completed for
production, or plugged and abandoned.

• This decision is taken based on the information

available on reservoir characteristics.
5
 Introduction Cont’d
• To complete the well production casing is
installed and cemented, and the drilling rig is
dismantled and moved to the next site.

• A service rig is brought in to perforate the

production casing and run production tubing
along with downhole equipments.

• The installation of surface safety equipments

takes place and production begins.
6
 Introduction Cont’d
• The completion program defines the
equipment to be installed in the well at the
end of the last drilling phase.

• More particularly, it has to determine the kind

of connection to be used between the
reservoir and the well at the well-reservoir
interface,

7
 Introduction Cont’d
• Also, it has to determine the equipment to be
installed to lift the fluid produced from the
bottom of the well up to the surface.

• These choices depend on the kind of fluid

produced, the reservoir characteristics, the
desired production, the future maintenance of
the well, and others.

8
 Well Completion Activities
Well completion activities include:

• Conducting drill stem test

• Setting production casing
• Running production tubing along with downhole
equipments
• Installing surface safety equipments
• Starting production (flow)

If it is decided that the well will not be completed,

then it will be plugged and abandoned.
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 Well Completion Activities Cont’d

 Conducting Drill Stem Test (DST)

• To determine the potential of a producing

formation, the operator may order a drill stem
test (DST).

• The DST assembly makes up the test tool on

the bottom of the drill stem, then lowers it to
the bottom of the hole.
10
 Well Completion Activities Cont’d
 Conducting Drill Stem Test (DST) Cont’d
• Weight is applied to the tool to expand a hard
rubber sealer called a packer.

• Opening the tool ports allows the formation

pressure to be tested.

• This process enables workers to determine

whether the well can be produced.

11
 Well Completion Activities Cont’d
 Setting Production Casing
• Production casing is the final
casing in a well.

• It can be set from the

bottom to the top.
Sometimes a production
liner is installed.

• This casing is set the same

way as other casings, then
cemented in place.
12
Well Completion Activities Cont’d
PLATFORM BOP

SEA BED
PRODUCTION TUBING 30’’ CASING
13 3/8’’ CASING 20’’ CASING

9 5/8’’ CASING

RESEVOIR

13
Well Completion Activities Cont’d
Only this casing PLATFORM WELL HEAD EQUIPMENT
is visible
from outside
SEA BED
PRODUCTION TUBING 30’’ CASING
13 3/8’’ CASING 20’’ CASING

Production casing (9 5/8)

9 5/8’’ CASING
7’’ LINER

RESEVOIR

14
 Well Completion Activities Cont’d
 Running Production Tubing and
Downhole Equipments
• A well is usually produced through
tubing inserted down the production
casing.
• Oil and gas is produced more
effectively through this smaller-
diameter tubing than through the large-
diameter production casing.
• Joints of tubing are joined together with
couplings to make up a tubing string.

• Tubing is run into the well similar to

casing, but it is smaller in diameter and
is removable.
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Well Completion Activities Cont’d
 Installing Surface Safety
Equipments
• Though the tubings and
downhole equipments
are present in the well,
production cannot start
without installing surface
control equipments.

• They are required to

prevent uncontrolled oil
flow out of the well.

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 Well Completion Activities Cont’d
 Starting Production Flow

• Production flow is started by

‘washing in’ the well and setting
the packer.

• The pumping in of water or

brine to flush out the drilling
fluid is called washing in.

• Usually this is enough to start

the well flowing.

• If this does not work then the

flow might be started by
pumping high-pressure gas into
the well after setting the packer.
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 Well Head
• The surface termination of a
wellbore that incorporates
facilities for installing casing
hangers during the well
construction phase is the well
head.

• It is a means by which the

production tubing is hung, the
Christmas tree and the surface
flow-control facilities are
installed, in preparation for the
production phase of the well.
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 Well Head Cont’d
• The BOP also sits on top of well head.

• The well head is installed on top of the casing

before starting to drill. It has two or three
sections.

• Each section has two flanges to facilitate the

connections at both ends.
19
 Christmas Tree
• The assembly of valves, spools, pressure
gauges, and chokes that are fitted to the well
head of the completed well is called a
Christmas Tree.

• It is used to control the flow of oil through the

tubing hanger.

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Christmas Tree

21
 Christmas Tree
Typical Christmas Tree Components

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Christmas Tree

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 Christmas Tree
 The functions of a christmas tree is to:
• Prevent the release of oil or gas from an oil
well into the environment.
• Direct and control the flow of formation fluids
from the well.

 When the well is ready to produce oil or gas,

valves are opened and the release of the
formation fluids is allowed through a pipeline
leading to a refinery.
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 Downhole Equipments
• The tubings along with the downhole
equipment are lowered into the 9 5/8’’ casing
of the well.
• The parts of a downhole equipment are:
Hydraulic Control Line

Safety Valve

Gas Lift Valve

Packer

Pump Out Plug

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 Downhole Equipments Cont’d
 Packer
• Packer is a device consisting of a sealing
device, a holding or setting device and an
inside passage for fluids.

• It expands externally to seal the well bore.

• It helps in blocking the fluids through the

annular space between the pipe and the
well bore wall.

• Packers use flexible, electrometric elements

that expand.

• It is set hydraulically from the surface.

26
 Downhole Equipments Cont’d
 Gas Lift Valve
• The gas lift valve is a device installed on a gas lift
cylinder or mandrel.

• This device is used to control the flow of gas between

the exterior and interior of well tubing.

• It consists of an inlet, outlet, a main valve, a main

chamber and so on.

• The design of the side pocket is such that the

components that are installed do not obstruct the
flow of production.

• This enables access to the well bore and the other

components of completion.
27
 Downhole Equipments Cont’d
 Safety Valve
• A safety valve is a device that is
installed in the upper well bore
to provide emergency closure of
the channels that produce oil.

• The valve has a housing and a

movable valve element that
controls the flow of fluid in the
well.
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 Downhole Equipments Cont’d
• Hydraulic Control Line

• Hydraulic control line is a device filled with hydraulic fluid

and connected to a hydraulic fluid source.

• Hydraulic control line is used to operate the safety valve.

• When the control line is pressurized up to a certain

pressure limit, the safety valve opens.

• Its one end connects at the top of the safety valve and the
other end to a pressurizing panel at the surface.

• It is lowered along with the safety valve while lowering the

tubing string during completion. 29
 Downhole Equipments Cont’d
 Pump Out Plug
• Since the tubing is open at the bottom, the packer
cannot be set as the whole tubing string needs to be
pressurized to set it. So a pump out plug (POP) is used
for this purpose.

• A steel ball is dropped inside the tubing string from the

surface. This goes all the way down and sits on the
POP seat at the bottom.

• When water is pumped from the top, the ball is

pressed against the POP seat and forms a seal.

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 Downhole Equipments Cont’d
• When pressure in the tubing string reaches a
certain limit, the packer is set. This is indicated in
the pumping unit in the form of a sharp
fluctuation of the pressure reading.

• Then the pressure is increased, further, to shear

the POP seat pins. This is done to remove the
steel ball.

• When the pins are sheared, the POP seat drops

along with the ball into the well sump.
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 Downhole Equipments Cont’d
 Well Sump

• A well sump is the extra bore space below the

perforated zone that allows the collection of
junk for example steel ball.

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 Oil Well After Completion

Oil Well After Completion Tubing

hanger

Well Head
X-mas Tree

Hydraulic
Control Line

Safety Valve
Production
Tubing

Reservoir
Gas Lift
Valve

Perforation
Packer

Pump Out
Plug Sump
33
How to connect the reservoir to the
well ?

34
 Connection Design

• There are 2 kinds of connection design:

1. Open-hole completion

2. Cased-hole completion.

35
 Open Hole-Completion

• If an open-hole completion is chosen, there is

no casing installed at the end of the last
drilling phase.

• The well remains directly in contact with the

reservoir.

36
 Open Hole-Completion cont’d
• Open hole is well adapted in the case of :
1. A well consolidated reservoirs.

2. When the well produces from one reservoir

layer only.

3. A gas wells.

37
 Cased-Hole Completion
• A cased-hole completion is
based on the installation
of a casing or a liner at the
level of the reservoir to be
produced.

• In this case, the reservoir is

isolated from the well at
the end of the drilling
phase.

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 Cased-Hole Completion cont’d
• In order to open the
connection for the
production, a perforation
job is necessary.

• This consists in perforating

the casing, the cement and
the rock using a gun
suspended on cable at the
reservoir level.

39
 Cased-Hole Completion cont’d

• This is the most frequently chosen connection.

• It enables efficient management of the well's

stability, and is well adapted in the case of a
well connected to more than one production
zone.

40
 How to lift the produced fluid to the
surface ?
• Now, let’s see how to lift the
effluent from the bottom up to the
top of the well.

• Most often, a tubing ensures the

connection between the bottom of
the well and the well head.

• Such completion is called simple

conventional completion.

41
 How to lift the produced fluid to the
surface ? Cont’d
• It is the most often chosen,
and allows the productivity of
the well to be optimized by
optimizing the internal
diameter of the tubing.

• Moreover, the tubing can be

removed and changed if
needed.

• It is also possible to produce

directly through the casing:
this is what we call tubingless
completion.
42
 How to lift the produced fluid to the
surface ? Cont’d
• At the surface, at the well head, a
Christmas tree is installed.

• It includes a choke, regulating the

production rate of the well, and valves,
useful for well interventions.

• A safety valve is added to this

completion, in order to close the well in
case of emergency.

43
 How to study and optimize the well
performance ?
• In the reservoir studies, each well is forecast
to produce a certain rate of production
contributing to the field's production plateau.

• The final well design has to take this objective

into account.

44
 How to study and optimize the well
performance ?
• The well performance engineer aims to study
the behavior of each well in production,
including the case when the reservoir is
depleted, in order to help for the final design
of their completions.

• A well performance study focuses on a well,

and describes it in terms of pressure

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 How to study and optimize the well
performance ?
• A producing well is connected to the reservoir
and produces a part of it, which is called the
drainage area.

• Let’s look at the way followed by the fluid from

the end of this area up to the well head.

• It starts moving to the bottom of the well due to

the drawdown, which is the difference of
pressure between the reservoir pressure and the
flowing bottom hole pressure.
46
 How to study and optimize the well
performance ?
• Then, the fluid flows up to the surface through
the tubing.

• It is lifted due to the difference of pressure

between the Well Head and the bottom hole.

• Here is a graph representing the pressure as a

function of the depth.
47
How to study and optimize the well
performance ?

48
 How to study and optimize the well
performance ?
• The slope of the pressure profile in the well
depends on the characteristics of the fluid.

• That means viscosity, density, and the

proportion of gas and liquid in the mixture.

• and on the geometry of the tubing, including

its profile and its internal diameter.
49
 How to study and optimize the well
performance ?
• A well is eruptive if it can produce naturally : it is the
case if the reservoir pressure is sufficiently high for the
fluid to be able to reach the top of the well without any
extra help.

• When the well is not eruptive, an artificial lift system is

installed with the completion, in order to introduce
energy from the surface into the well to supplement
the natural energy of the reservoir.

• 2 main kinds of artificial lift systems exist: pumps and

gas lift.
50
How to study and optimize the well
performance ?

51
 How to study and optimize the well
performance ?

• The principle of a pump is to increase the fluid

pressure between the pump intake and
discharge.

• The fluid composition remains the same.

52
 How to study and optimize the well
performance ?
• On the contrary, implementing a gas lift
system consists in injecting gas at the bottom
of the tubing: the gas is mixed with the
reservoir fluid and decreases in density.

• The column of fluid in the well is lighter, and,

therefore, easier to be lifted up to the well
head.

53
How to study and optimize the well
performance ?

54