SAUDI ARAMCO WORKOVER MANUAL

Drilling Technical Department September 2013

CHAPTER 2 WORKOVER PRACTICES

SECTION I KILL & LIVENING PROCEDURES

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KILL AND LIVENING PROCEDURES FOR WORKOVERS

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Back

2.0 KILLING PROCEDURES

2.1 Bullheading
2.2 Circulating
2.3 Coiled Tubing
2.4 Lubricate and Bleed

3.0 LIVENING PROCEDURES

3.1 Bullheading
3.2 Circulating
3.3 Coiled Tubing
SAUDI ARAMCO WORKOVER MANUAL
Drilling Technical Department September 2013

CHAPTER 2 WORKOVER PRACTICES

SECTION I KILL & LIVENING PROCEDURES

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

KILL AND LIVENING PROCEDURES FOR WORKOVERS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Wells with exposed perforations or open hole must be killed before running/
removing the tubing (without the use of a snubbing unit). A well is killed by loading
the tubing and/or casing with a fluid of sufficient density so that the hydrostatic
head of the fluid exceeds the formation pressure. This chapter will discuss the
following procedures for killing a well prior to workover operations: (a) bullheading,
(b) circulating, (c) coiled tubing, and (d) lubricate and bleed.

After completing the workover, the well must be livened to put the well back on
production. Livening consists of loading the tubing with a fluid of lesser density so
that formation pressure exceeds the hydrostatic head of the fluid. This chapter will
also describe the following livening procedures: (a) bullheading, (b) circulating, and
(c) coiled tubing.

2.0 KILLING PROCEDURES

2.1 Bullheading

The bullheading method is utilized when the wellbore is free of obstructions

and injectivity can be established into the formation. A kill weight fluid is
pumped (bullheaded) down the tubing and/or casing without any returns to
surface. Gas wells (such as Khuff/Pre-Khuff wells) are routinely killed by
bullheading. Bullheading a kill fluid down the tubing on a gas well is made
possible by (1) gas being compressible and (2) gas injectivity being easier
than liquid injectivity. Oil wells (such as Arab-D wells) are also routinely killed
in this same manner. Bullheading is possible on Arab-D oil wells because of
the (1) associated gas, and (2) high permeability of the Arab-D reservoir.

The main advantage of bullheading is low cost. Since a rig is not required, the
tubing can often be killed before the rig moves on location.

This kill method requires a tubing string in good condition. If not, total
placement of the kill fluid may be compromised. A second limitation is the risk
of formation damage. If there is any scale or debris inside the tubing, it may
be pumped into the perforations, resulting in skin damage.

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SAUDI ARAMCO WORKOVER MANUAL
Drilling Technical Department September 2013

CHAPTER 2 WORKOVER PRACTICES

SECTION I KILL & LIVENING PROCEDURES

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The illustration below shows the tubing being killed by the bullhead method.

A dead well will have zero surface pressure, zero flow rate, and a static
fluid level at surface.

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SAUDI ARAMCO WORKOVER MANUAL
Drilling Technical Department September 2013

CHAPTER 2 WORKOVER PRACTICES

SECTION I KILL & LIVENING PROCEDURES

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.2 Circulating

Most Saudi Aramco wells are completed with inhibited diesel as a packer
fluid. In these wells, the tubing-casing annulus will be under-balanced, even
after the tubing is killed. Regardless of whether or not the tubing has been
killed, the under-balanced packer fluid must be circulated out before the
completion equipment can be pulled. This is accomplished using the
circulating method.

The circulation kill method requires making holes in the tubing just above the
packer, using either a mechanical type tubing punch run on slick line or a soft
perforating shot run on electric line. Mechanical punches and soft shots are
discussed further in the Chapter 5D of this manual.

After establishing circulation through the hole in the tubing, the kill fluid is
pumped down the tubing and circulated back to surface through the tubing
head side outlet. The well should be verified as dead and hole full before
attempting to pull the tubing. The circulating method is the least damaging
way of killing a well.

The illustration below shows the well being killed by the circulating method.

PUM P KILL
FLUID DOWN
THE TUBING
TAKE RETURNS
THROUGH THE
TUBING HEAD
SIDE OUTLET

CIRCULATING KILL PROCEDURE

Figure 2

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SAUDI ARAMCO WORKOVER MANUAL
Drilling Technical Department September 2013

CHAPTER 2 WORKOVER PRACTICES

SECTION I KILL & LIVENING PROCEDURES

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.3 Coiled Tubing

This kill method is only used if the bullhead or circulation methods are not
feasible. A coiled tubing kill is required in wells where the (1) wellbore or
perforations are plugged, (2) formation will not accept kill fluid, or (3) bullhead
pressure results in excessive wellhead pressure. A coiled tubing unit of
adequate coil length, outside diameter clearance, required pressure rating,
and BOP stack configuration (as per Saudi Aramco Well Control Manual) is
rigged up on the tree. The coil is run inside the production tubing to the
perforations (or as deep as possible). Kill fluid is circulated inside the tubing
with the coil, thus killing the tubing. If the packer fluid were under-balanced,
the circulation method would still be needed before pulling the production
tubing.

2.4 Lubricate and Bleed

The lubricate and bleed method is not a commonly used procedure in Saudi
Aramco. This method is recommended in wells where the other methods are
not possible. For example, lubricate and bleed procedure was utilized on the
UTMN-1811 blowout to control surface pressure during the well kill operation.
Other kill methods (bullheading, circulating, and coiled tubing) were not
feasible at that point in time. The technique consists of pumping a small
volume of very dense fluid down the string until the maximum allowable
surface pressure is reached. Operations are stopped for a period of time to
permit the dense fluid to fall. The well is then opened and the production
fluids and/or gas are bled off until some of the dense fluid is recovered. The
process is repeated until the entire tubing volume is displaced with the dense
fluid and the well is dead.

3.0 LIVENING PROCEDURES

3.1 Bullheading

A well can be livened by bullheading the kill fluid inside the tubing with a
lesser density fluid, in order to achieve an under-balanced condition. This
method assumes that kill fluid can be injected into the formation and potential
formation damage is not a concern.

Power Water Injection (PWI) wells, which are tubingless completions, are
livened by this method. Following the completion (or workover), the PWI well
is displaced to brine, and a 10” ball valve is closed at surface. The BOP stack
is nippled down and a 7” injection tree is installed. The brine inside the casing

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SAUDI ARAMCO WORKOVER MANUAL
Drilling Technical Department September 2013

CHAPTER 2 WORKOVER PRACTICES

SECTION I KILL & LIVENING PROCEDURES

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

is bullheaded into the formation with fresh water, creating an under-balanced

condition. The well is opened and flown for clean up.

3.2 Circulating

Circulating a lesser density fluid (under-balanced) down the production tubing

with returns up the tubing-casing annulus is another method of livening a
well. The circulating method requires down-hole isolation to control formation
pressure while circulating the less dense fluid. The following are examples of
circulating to liven the well.

Arab-D open hole producers are completed with a 7” production packer and
tubing tail (w/ 3-1/2” ‘X’ nipple and ‘XPO’ plug in place). After setting the
packer and running the 4-1/2” tubing, the tubing-casing annulus is displaced
to inhibited diesel and tubing to diesel. The ‘XPO’ plug is sheared with
surface tubing pressure and equalized. A wireline unit is required to retrieve
the ‘XPO’ plug mandrel. The well is opened and flown for clean up.

Khuff gas producers with a PBR completion also utilize the circulating method
for spotting the packer fluid and cushion in the tubing. In this case, the
unperforated casing isolates formation pressure. After running the production
tubing and spacing out, the tubing-casing annulus is displaced to inhibited
diesel and tubing to diesel. The seal assembly is stung into the PBR and the
tubing is landed. The well is perforated under-balanced with a diesel cushion
and flown for clean up.

3.3 Coiled Tubing

Coiled tubing livening is used when either the bullhead or circulating methods
was not feasible or successful. Coiled tubing is required on wells that do not
flow after being under-balanced with water or diesel. A coiled tubing unit of
adequate coil length, outside diameter clearance, required pressure rating,
and BOP stack configuration (as per Saudi Aramco Well Control Manual) is
rigged up on the tree. The coil is run inside the production tubing while
circulating nitrogen and unloading the tubing. The well should be
continuously monitored for flow while running in the hole and unloading the
tubing. Once flow is established, the coil tubing should be pulled out of the
hole. The well is opened and flown for clean up.

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