Basic WHE and Pressure Control Eqpt.

PRESSURE CONTROL
• PRESSURE CONTROL IS THE ABLITY TO ENTER,
PERFORM A WIRELINE SERVICE AND EXIT A WELL
UNDER PRESSURIZED CONDITIONS WHILE
MAINTAINING A COMPLETE, POSITIVE
ENVIRONMENTAL SEAL

• THIS MEANS
– NO LOSS OF FLUIDS FROM WELL
– NO LOSS OF GASES FROM WELL
– NO LOSS OF PRESSURE FROM WELL

BUT WHERE DOES PRESSURE

COME FROM
• MECHANICALLY PRODUCED PRESSURE
• – PUMP TRUCK OR RIG PUMP (CONTROLLABLE)
• – PUMPING NITROGEN (N) (CO2) IN THE WELL
• – AFTER FRAC PRESSURE

• FORMATION PRODUCED PRESSURE

• – FLUID PRESSURE
• – GAS PRESSURE
• – COMBINATION OF FLUID AND GAS (DISTILLATE)

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 Basic Principle Gate E

much like feeding a Tiger in a zoo

Gate D

Gate B

Gate A

Gate C

Gate B

Gate A
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Well Head Equipment

Well Head equipment generally refers to all the equipment
that is installed on top of a producing well. The
essential elements are
1. Casing Head and Casing Hanger
2. Tubing Head and Tubing Hanger
3. A Xmas Tree with Gate Valves
4. Optional Monitoring Equipment
5. Optional PL Logging equipment
6. Optional Control equipment
7. Adapters 5

Well Head Equipment

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 Well Head Adapter

Wireline BOP
Unlike a Drilling BOP a wireline BOP is designed to seal around
a Wireline. The sealing elements are 2 rubber faced metal rams
which have been contoured to fit a particular size of cable

The Wireline has to be stationary for the seal to hold

We need to seal using a Wireline BOP only when the Logging
Cable and Tools are inside the well under pressure and some
repair work needs to be done on the surface equipment.
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Usually it is loss of grease seal or wireline damage

BOP-Blow Out Preventer

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 BOP- Rams

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Gas Well Opns

BOPs

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BOP Equalizing Valve

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 Tool Trap
Tool Trap is a essential Safety device used in
PCE designed to prevent wireline tools from
falling downhole in the event the wireline is
inadvertently pulled out of the cable head.

A Tool Trap is connected just above the

Wireline BOP

Tool Traps can be Manual or Hydraulic Type

When Running In the Tool Trap has to be

opened to allow the tools to pass thru. Once
the Tools have passed thru the Tool Trap is
closed. Now it will allow tools to come up but
not go down 13

Tool Trap

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Lubricators (Risers)
Lubricators or Risers are Simple
Strong Steel Pipes having ID and
total length more than the Tool
String. Each Riser is 10ft long
Union type Risers are generally
used for pressures < 5000 psi
Butt weld or Tubing Risers are
used > 5000 psi
Usually 3-4 Risers are required for
a typical wireline job.
Some Risers have a Bleed-Off port
Good job planning should include
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one extra 4 ft riser* for Safety

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 Head (Tool) Catcher
Tool Catcher is an optional Safety device designed
to catch the fishing neck of the tool string if the
wireline is inadvertently parted.

The catcher is connected above the Risers and

below the Ball Check Valve assembly

Sometimes the Tool Catcher and Ball Check Valve

are integrated as one assembly. Make sure you
know the exact make and model of the Tool catcher
(as some catchers Catch when pressure is applied
and some Release when pressure is applied)

The Tool Catcher has Spring loaded jaws that

compress and open and allow the Fishing Neck to
come in but as it tries to fall down the inside pawls
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catch the fishing neck

Ball Check Valve

A Ball Check Valve is an essential Safety device
that can provide a seal in the event that the wireline
is broken and falls inside the well
A Ball check valve is always placed above the
Risers and just below the Grease Injection Head
Under normal conditions the Ball is pushed to the
side by the wireline. When cable is removed the
force of flow

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Grease Injection Principle-

Dynamic Seal
A Viscous Grease
is injected into a
small annular
space between the
wireline cable and a
steel Tube (Flow
Tube). The viscous
grease causes a
Pressure Drop
through this annular
space to maintain a
Grease Seal.

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 The Coutts equation
Basically the law says that if one can pump
Grease of enough viscosity in between a
small annulus created by two surfaces then
the Grease will be able to hold a pressure
drop depending on the relationship below

Note the inverse Cubic relationship with

clearance. Therefore if the clearance is
made small more Pressure Differential can
be effectively sealed
L – Length of the annulus, µ - Grease / Oil
P1 – P2 = 6LµQ Viscosity, Q – Quantity Injected, h –
Rch3 Clearance of the annulus, Rc – Cable Radius.19

Pressure gradient in Grease Injector

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Grease Flow Path

BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREASE / OIL

The Type of Grease / Oil to use depends on Well

conditions but essentially must have
a. Correct viscosity
b. Quantity
c. Stable under High Pressure

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 Grease Pump / Skid
Air Driven Reciprocating Pumps

Air
Motor

Based on the ratio of

the Areas of the Top
and Bottom Piston, air
pressure is amplified
With Amplified
Pressure a Pump
Pump Tube is Operated that
Tube sucks Grease from a
Barrel and pushes it
out to the Grease
Injection Head
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Lincoln Power Master

Pack-Off
A Pack-Off is a Rubber
Element that can be
Squeezed (when pressure
is applied) to form a seal
around the wireline.
Too much pressure can milk the
wireline. Too less pressure may not
seal

Cable can be moved slowly

even when sealed. The
Rubber elements wear out
and can be changed
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Seals and Unions

All PCE uses Quick connect type couplings called Unions. A
quick union has double start ACME threads that are very
convenient, as they can be hand tightened however, these
threads DO NOT seal
The pressure Seal is
usually provided by an
Elastomer O-Ring.
Depending on the
pressure rating and type
of Fluid seals are
designed. O-Rings
could be made of Nitrile,
Viton, AFLAS. O-Rings
may be backup by Non-
Extrusion rings 24

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 Safety Issues
Pressure in use Pressure safety at camp
locations
• How do we use • Barriers
pressure?
• At Work?
• At Home?

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Review
List all the components and their basic
functions
What is the order of the components
What are the different Seals in the whole
system, when do we use which
Why do we need Sinker Bars?

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