FEET ATBU BAUCHI

Well Engineering

Department of Petroleum Engineering

Faculty of Engineering & Engineering Technology
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi
 Well completion
After careful interpretation and consideration on well test
data (coring, logging etc), a decision is made whether to set
production casing and complete the well or to plug and
abandon it.
 Decision to abandon is made when the well is not capable to
produce oil or gas in commercial quantities.
 However, sometimes wells that were plugged and
abandoned at one time in the past may be reopened and
produced if the price of oil or gas has become more
favorable.
 "Completing a well" means installing equipment in the well
to allow a safe and controlled flow of petroleum from the
well.
 Well completion
 A series of activities to prepare an oil well or a gas well, so
that the well can be flowed in a controlled manner. All wells
have to be completed.
 In addition to the casing that lines the wellbore, tubing and a
system of flow valves must be installed.
 Completion Engineer Cannot operate alone - must joint effort with
other sub-disciplines such as production engineering and reservoir
engineering
 Steps For Converting Drilled Well to Producer
Casing – Well casing is the primary step in the Well Completion
process. It is the process of protecting a wellbore from outside
incumbents like water or sand once oil or gas is produced from the
well.
Cementing – The next step is to pump cement slurry and additives
into the well to remove existing drilling fluids and fill the space
between the casing and actual sides of a drilled well. This process is
also known as Well Cementing.
Perforations – Once casing and cementing is done at the bottom of
the wellbore, perforations are created with the help of a perforation
gun so that hydrocarbons can enter into the well stream.
Gravel Pack – Gravel Pack is used to help filtering sand from Crude
oil or gas.
Production tree or Christmas tree – This is the last step in the Well
Completion process. A Christmas tree is installed at the wellhead on
the surface of the earth to provide surface controls in the flow of oil or
gas to the surface of earth.
 Well completion
Setting Production Casing.
 Production casing is the final
casing in a well.
 The hole is drilled beyond
the producing interval.
 Production casing is set and
cemented through the pay
zone.
 The casing and cement
actually seal off the producing
zone
Figure 1: Well with Casings
 Tubing Installation
 Tubing is run into the well (smaller diameter compared to
production casing and removable) to serve as a way for oil or
gas to flow to the surface.
 Packer is attached to it just near the bottom.
 Packer is placed at a depth just above the producing
interval.
 When the packer is expanded, it grips the wall of the
production casing and forms a seal between outside of
tubing and inside of casing
 Installing the Christmas tree

A collection of valves called a Christmas tree is installed on

the surface at the top of the casing hanger.
As the well's production flows up the tubing, it enters the
christmas tree
 So, the production can be controlled by opening or
closing valves on the Christmas tree.
Type of well completion
Type of well completion contd…
Type of well completion contd…
Type of well completion contd…
Type of well completion contd…
 Factors that Influence Well Completion Selection

 Natural occurrences of the field, i.e. does it have a big

reserve to justify development?

Potential of oil production and the planning of tertiary

recovery, i.e. do we need any artificial lift in the future?

 Limitations within the operation and the field, i.e. is the oil
field located at a remote area?
 Factors influencing Well Completion Design

The ideal completion is the lowest cost completion (initial and

operating cost)

To design a well completion, reasonable estimate of the

producing characteristics during the well life must be made. Both
reservoir and mechanical considerations must be evaluated
 Reservoir Considerations
The reservoir considerations involves the location of various fluid in
formations penetrated by the wellbore, the flow of these fluids through
the reservoir rock and the characteristics of the rock itself.
Producing rate to provide maximum economic recovery is the starting
point for well completion design.
Multiple reservoirs' penetrated by wellbore pose the problem of
multiple completion in one drilled hole.
Reservoir drive mechanism may be determined weather or not the
completion interval will have to be adjusted as gas –oil or water-oil
contacts move.
Secondary recovery needs may require a completion method
conductive to selective injection or production
Reservoir Considerations Contd…
Mechanical consideration
Mechanical considerations Contd…
Conventional Tubular configuration
Conventional Tubular Configuration Contd…
The objective of packers include:
Conventional Tubular Configuration Contd…
Sizing Production Tubulars
Sizing Production Tubulars Contd…
 Type of Flow
i. Casing flow
ii. Tubing and annulus flow
iii. Tubing flow.

 Casing Flow: Large flowrate. No tubing is required. Used in Middle East.

 Tubing and Annulus Flow: Large flowrate. Flow segregation.
Tubing Flow: Used widely especially in Nigeria. Due to safety.
May use one tubing string or more.