Wireline is a flexible metal cable used for various well completion and intervention operations such as fishing, conveyance of downhole tools, and logging.
What are the Advantages of Wireline?
Speed – wireline is often used instead of coiled tubing or service rigs because the run in hole and out of hole speeds are quicker with wireline. In addition, rig in and rig out times are also shorter for wireline units.
Lower cost – wireline is usually cheaper than coiled tubing or service rigs because less equipment and people are required for the job.
Small footprint on location – since less equipment is required to perform wireline jobs, it takes less space on location.
What are the Disadvantages of Wireline?
Doesn’t perform well in long lateral wells.
Can’t rotate or apply force.
Can’t circulate fluid through the wireline.
Potential of failure during the operation if the wireline used is not suitable for the job or the limits are exceeded. Similar to coiled tubing, both fatigue and corrosion will dictate how much life you can get from a wireline. Both need to be tracked to avoid failures during the operation.
Common Wireline Operations
Setting/retrieving plugs – pump downs with the wireline are very common during the plug and perf operations.
Fishing – retrieving various pieces of equipment left downhole.
Running perf guns – creating holes in the casing so that hydrocarbons can flow from the formation into the wellbore.
Liquid or fill tags – performed to determine the fluid levels in the well or the depth of obstruction.
Logging – the vast majority of the wireline operations are logging jobs and may include running gamma, nuclear, sonic, resistivity, and other logs.
Gamma tools are used to find information about the near-wellbore formation by measuring naturally occurring radiation in the rocks.
Nuclear tools emit radiation and then record how the near-wellbore formation reacts to it.
Nuclear logs are most commonly used to find out the porosity of the formation and rock density.
Resistivity logs are used to distinguish between the hydrocarbons and water in the formation.
Cement bond logs (CBL) – are used to measure the cement integrity between the casing and the formation.
Chemical cutting – wireline can be used to help retrieve stuck tubing in the well ( ex. coiled tubing) by performing a chemical cut.
The chemical reaction is initiated at the stuck point either by sending an electrical signal or by activating it mechanically.
Post time: Mar-01-2024
