COMPLETION
Well completion
Well completion refers to the process of
preparing a well for production after drilling is
completed. It involves installing the necessary
equipment and systems to ensure the safe and
efficient production of hydrocarbons from the
reservoir to the surface.
These operations include:
• Casing and cementing.
• Setting of production tubing.
• Placing of packers.
• Perforation.
METHOD OF COMPLETION
Open-Hole Completion:
The well is drilled without
casing, leaving the reservoir
exposed. Screens or gravel
packs prevent solids from
entering while allowing
hydrocarbons to flow freely.
Used in stable formations.
Cased-Hole Completion:
Casing is installed and cemented in place for structural support and zonal isolation.
Perforations through the casing allow hydrocarbons to flow into the wellbore. Offers
better fluid flow control, suitable for various reservoir conditions.
• Multi-Zone Completion: Completion to produce hydrocarbons from
multiple reservoir zones within the same wellbore. Utilizes multiple
packers and devices for independent fluid flow control from each zone,
reducing the need for additional wells.
• Single-Zone Completion
COMPLETION EQUIPMENTS
• PRODUCTION TUBING
• PACKERS
• PERFORATION GUN
• WIRELINE
coupling
Tubing
Upset tubing
Non upset tubing
PRODUCTION TUBING
TUBING DESIGN
Tubing design should consider tubing failure due to tension, collapse, and burst
loads under various well operating conditions. Forces affecting tubing strings
include the following:
1. Axial tension due to weight of tubing and compression due to buoyancy
2. External pressure (completion fluids, oil, gas, formation water)
3. Internal pressure (oil, gas, formation water)
4. Bending forces in deviated portion of well
5. Forces due to lateral rock pressure
6. Other forces due to thermal gradient or dynamics
PRODUCTION TUBING
TUBING STRENGHT
The strength of tubing in the oil and gas industry is defined by its nominal
diameter, weight per foot, and steel grade designation. Tubing size is defined by
the API based on internal diameter and weight, with steel grades ranging from H-
40 to P-105, representing minimum yield strength in 1,000 psi. Higher grade
tubing offers greater strength and durability, crucial for withstanding pressure and
load in various well conditions and production needs.
Table 1 : API Tubing Tensile Requirements
Minimum Maximum Yield
Tubing Tensile Tensile Strength
Grade Strength (psi) Strength (psi) (psi)
H-40 80,000 60,000 40,000
J-55 80,000 75,000 55,000
C-75 90,000 95,000 75,000
L-80 95,000 95,000 80,000
N-80 110,000 100,000 80,000
C-90 105,000 100,000 90,000
P-105 135,000 120,000 105,000
Tension, Collapse, and Burst Design
Appendix B present tubing collapse resistance, internal yield pressure, and joint yield
strength. These are the limiting strengths for a given tubing joint. Tubing strings should be
designed to have strengths higher than the maximum expected loads with safety factors
greater than unity.
In addition, bending stress should be considered in tension design for deviated and
horizontal wells. The tensile stress due to bending is expressed as
Ratio of tensel stress. Sigm= f/a
The Young's Modulus, also known as the modulus of elasticity or elastic modulus, is
a measure of the stiffness of a material. It quantifies how much strain a material
experiences in response to stress (force per unit area) applied in the direction of the
stress.
Buckling Prevention during Production
A completion fluid is in place in the annular space between the tubing and the casing before a
well is put into production. The temperature at depth is
T = Tsf . GTD,
where GT is geothermal gradient.
Tsf is Surface temperature.
When the oil is produced, the temperature in the tubing will rise. This will expand (thermal)
the tubing length, and if there is not sufficient landing tension, the tubing will buckle. A
conservative approach to temperature calculations is to assume the maximum possible
temperature in the tubing string with no heat loss to formation through annulus
Considerations for Well Treatment and Stimulation
Tubing strings are designed to withstand the harsh conditions during wellbore treatment
and stimulation operations such as hole cleaning, cement squeezing, gravel packing,
frac-packing, acidizing, and hydraulic fracturing. Precautionary measures to take depend
on tubing–packer relation.
The factors to be considered in tubing design include the following:
• Tubing size, weight, and grade
• Well conditions
- Pressure effect
- Temperature effect
• Completion method
- Cased hole
- Open hole
- Multi-tubing
- Packer type (restraining, non-restraining)
Pressure Effect
Pressures affect tubing string in different ways including piston effect, ballooning
effect, and buckling effect
Piston Effect:
The piston effect, also known as pressure drawdown, occurs when there is a difference in pressure
between the inside and outside of the tubing string. When the pressure inside the tubing is reduced (for
example, during production or fluid injection), the higher pressure in the surrounding annulus can
cause the tubing to act like a piston, moving up or down within the wellbore. This movement can lead
to wear and fatigue on the tubing and other downhole equipment.
Ballooning Effect:
The ballooning effect refers to the expansion of the tubing wall when subjected to internal pressure. As
fluids flow through the tubing, they exert pressure on the inner surface of the tubing walls, causing
them to expand slightly. This expansion, or ballooning, can affect the dimensions and integrity of the
tubing, particularly in high-pressure or high-temperature environments. Ballooning can also contribute
to fatigue and failure of the tubing over time.
Buckling Effect:
Buckling occurs when the tubing string undergoes lateral deflection or bending due to axial
compressive loads or external forces. Buckling can occur in long, unsupported sections of tubing, such
as in deviated or horizontal wellbores, where the tubing is subjected to bending stresses. Buckling can
lead to kinking or collapse of the tubing, impairing fluid flow and potentially causing damage to the
wellbore or downhole equipment.
PACKERS
The packer is a sealing device that isolates and contains produced
fluids and pressures within the wellbore to protect the casing and other
formations above or below the producing zone. This is essential to the
basic functioning of most wells.
other benefits of a packer are as follows:
• Prevent downhole movement of the tubing string.
• Support some of the weight of the tubing.
• Often improve well flow and production rate.
• Protect the annular casing from corrosion from produced fluids and
high pressures.
• Provide a means of separation of multiple producing zones.
• Limit well control to the tubing at the surface for safety purposes.
• Hold well-servicing fluid (kill fluids, packer fluids) in the casing
annulus.
Production packers can be classified into two groups: RETRIEVABLE
AND PERMANENT.
• Permanent packers can be run using wireline.
• The retrievable packer are run and pulled on the tubing string which
they are installed.
The permanent packer is fairly simple and generally offers higher
performance in both temperature and pressure ratings than does
the retrievable packer.
COMPONENTS OF A PARKER
• slip,
• cone,
• packing-element system,
• and body or mandrel.
• Slip is a wedge-shaped device with wickers (or
teeth) on its face, which penetrate and grip the
casing wall when the packer is set.
• Cone is beveled to match the back of the slip
and forms a ramp that drives the slip outward
and into the casing wall when setting force is
applied to the packer.
• Once the slips have anchored into the casing
wall, additional applied setting force energizes
the packing-element system and creates a
seal between the packer body and the inside
diameter of the casing.
• Mandrel is the backbone that provide structural
support for other component
Different types of
packers
PERFORATION
Perforation is a process used to establish a flow path between the near
reservoir and the wellbore.
It normally involves initiating a hole from the wellbore through the casing
and any cement sheath into the producing zone.
Perforation Methods
• Bullet gun perforation
• Jet perforartion (Shaped Charges perforation)
Techniques: Perforations are typically created using perforating guns,
which are downhole tools that contain shaped charges or explosive
devices designed to penetrate the casing and create holes in the
surrounding formation. The guns are lowered into the wellbore on
wireline or tubing, positioned at the desired depth, and fired to create
perforations.
PERFORATION GUN
A device Containing several shaped explosive charges used
to perforate oil and gas wells in preparation for production.
The diameter of the gun used is typically determined by the
presence of wellbore restrictions or limitations imposed by the
surface equipment.
Component of a perferating gun:
• Gun barrel
• Loading tube
• Shaped charge
• Detonator
Conveying method
• Through-tubing guns: Designed to be deployed through the
production tubing already installed in the wellbore.
• Tubing-conveyed guns: Run into the wellbore on tubing and
conveyed to the desired depth using surface equipment.
• Wireline-conveyed guns: Lowered into the wellbore on
wireline and positioned at the desired depth using a wireline
unit.
[Link] Gun Perforation:
• An early perforating method that used a hardened steel bullet
or projectile, propelled by an explosive charge, to create
a perforation tunnel.
• The bullets are typically fired from a gun-like device positioned
at the desired depth in the wellbore.
• This method creates a low-permeability crushed zone and
leaves the bullet and associated debris jammed at the end of
the tunnel.
• This method is relatively simple and can be effective in softer
formations, but it may not be suitable for harder rock
formations or high-pressure wells
Shaped Charges Perforation:
• Shaped charges perforation, also known as explosive perforation, uses
explosive charges with specially shaped liners to create perforations in the
casing and formation.
• When the charges are detonated, the liners focus the explosive energy into
narrow jets that penetrate the casing and surrounding rock, creating
perforations.
• This method is widely used in oil and gas wells due to its effectiveness in a
wide range of formations and well conditions.
Underbalance Perforation:
• Pressure inside the wellbore is lower than reservoir pressure.
• Prevents formation damage and improves near-wellbore
cleanup.
• Suitable for low-permeability formations or where formation
damage is a concern.
Overbalance Perforation:
• Pressure inside the wellbore is higher than reservoir
pressure.
• Prevents influx of formation fluids and maintains well
control.
• Commonly used in high-pressure or high-permeability
reservoirs.
Balanced Perforation:
• Aims to achieve pressure balance between wellbore and
reservoir.
• Minimizes risk of formation damage or fluid influxes.
• Provides a compromise between underbalance and
overbalance, suitable for moderate to high permeability
reservoirs.