WORKOVER AND WELL SERVICE

Drilling and Workover Fluid

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A completion or workover fluid is a fluid utilized during operations like well killing, cleaning out,
drilling in, plugging back, or perforating, placed against the producing formation.

Here's a rephrased version:

Selection criteria include optimizing

• Fluid Density
Should not surpass requirements for regulating formation pressure; maintaining a hydrostatic pressure
of 200-300 psi above formation pressure is sufficient.
• solid content

• Filtrate attributes

• Fluid loss Viscosity-related properties.

• Corrosion byproducts.

• Packer solution, packer solution remaining beneath the perforation should be non-

reactive corrosive must remain stable over long periods of time

• Economics

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Type of workover fluids:

• Diesel oil
• Oil fluids
• Crude oil
• Clear water fluids
• Formation water
• Sea water, prepared salt water
• Oil-based or invert emulsion muds.
• Foams
• Perforation fluids
• Packer fluid

The Functions, of Workover Fluid

• To control the well during workover and completion operation by control subsurface
pressures.
• Remove cuttings, scales, sand and debris, from the borehole.
• Suspend cutings when circulation stops.
• Cool and lubricate the bit and drillstring.
• Help support the weight of the drill string and casing.
• Killing the well.
• Fracing the reservoir formation.
• Cleaning the well
• Do all of the above, without damage to the circulation system.

workover operation:
Before starting a workover, some wells need to be shut down first to prevent formation fluid from
entering the wellbore. This involves methods and steps for well killing.
• Circulation method

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• Bullhead method

The circulation method is commonly used for well killing, involving pumping down the casing
annulus and backing the tubing string, or vice versa, until all oil and gas in the annulus are removed.
A kill fluid with greater hydrostatic head than the bottom hole pressure is then left in the well.

In cases where circulation is not feasible, such as in sucker rod pumping wells, the bullhead method is
employed. This method involves pumping the kill fluid directly into the formation to shut down the
well. However, a drawback of the bullhead method is that it can potentially pump debris into the
perforations, risking damage to the well.

Nipple Down Well Head

After the well is killed, all surface equipment such as the Christmas tree, wellhead, tubing hanger,
tubing, and other bottom hole equipment are removed. Blowout preventers are installed as a
precaution even though the well is killed. All operations are conducted through the blowout preventers
to maintain control over the well.

1. Cleaning a well by circulation

Sand fill problem, sand accumulates into the hole and fills up the casing block and perforations. The
following diagram illustrates how it can be approached. Two methods or techniques are to approach
this problem

The first technique:

1. Kill the well first

2. Pull the tubing string

3. Run in tubing with open end to wash out the sand

The second technique:

1. Rig up over the wellhead
2. Run in coiled tubing to the bottom inside the tubing string to washout the sand In the latter
method, saving great time and money since no need to pull the tubing string.

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3. Setting some type of packers Packer fluid can be described as the fluid left in the casing,
usually above the packer and behind tubing, on completion of a well. When choosing packer
fluid, one

Consider the desired control over oil well operations and factors like temperature, pressure, and time.
Some packers are set hydraulically with high pressure using completion fluid. If fluid is pumped faster
than it can escape into the formation, pressure rises, leading to potential breakage, often of the
formation itself due to its weaker nature compared to steel, causing the wellbore to split along its axis
from tensile stresses.

Casing Leak problems

Old wells normally, casings become eroded and corroded due to the long load to fluids and pressure.
Old wells often face casing leak issues due to erosion and corrosion over time from exposure to fluids
and pressure. This weakens the primary cementation behind the casing, allowing water to seep
through openings into the production zones, mixing with other fluids. Improper primary cementing in
new wells can also lead to this problem, resulting in decreased productivity and the need for repair.
Water intrusion can cause various performance issues, including unwanted sand production, excessive
water, and wellbore collapse.

Various methods and tools are employed to detect casing leaks, including:

1. Cement Evaluation Tool: This involves lowering a video camera into the wellbore to assess the
condition of the cement behind the casing.

2. Cement Bond Log (CBL): A specialized tool used to measure the bond strength between the casing
and surrounding cement.

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3. Variable Density Log: This log detects changes in fluid density within the wellbore, indicating
potential leaks.

4. Testing Producing Water: Analyzing the composition of water produced from the well can
reveal any contamination or mixing with extraneous fluids, indicating casing leaks.

To test water salinity in a laboratory setting, the following instruments are utilized:

1. Test tubing

2. Silver Nitrate

3. Potassium Chromate as an indicator

Here's an improved version with better phrasing and organization:

*Procedure:*

1. Obtain approximately 5 to 10 ml of the water sample using a special tubing known as a sucker.

2. Transfer the water sample into a testing tube.

3. Add 2 or 3 drops of potassium chromate to the water sample. The water will turn yellowish at this
point.

4. Gradually add drops of silver nitrate to the mixture until the yellow water changes its color back to
red.

5. The test is complete once the color change occurs.

6. Note the amount of silver nitrate required to change the water color from yellow to red.

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After completing the test, you can determine the salinity using the following equation based on the
volume of silver nitrate used.

"V* N" AgNO3* molecular weight of NaCI

Salinity = _____________________________________________________

Specific Gravity of water*Volume of sample

V=Volume of silver Nitrate AgNO3

N=Normality of AgNO3 "0.1"

Molecular weight of NaCI =23+35.5 =58.5

SP.gr of water =1.0

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