Unintentional Pull-Off

WIRELINE - UNINTENTIONAL PULL-OFF

Documentation
 WL_WI-20
 WL_WI-21
 WL_WI-31
 CH_WI-03
 CBH-MCC_WI_01

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Objectives

 At the end of this training you will be able to:

– Identify the causes of an Unintentional Pull-Off
– Calculate weak point
– Calculate maximum safe pull
– List the consequences of not following Weatherford’s
standard practices

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Unintentional Pull-Off
 Occurs when a field crew
member loses control of
downhole equipment
 Control is lost if the crew
member:
– Breaks the weak point
prematurely
– Cable breaks

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Root Cause for UPOs

5% 2%
Inattentive on Job
27%
16%
Procedure Not Followed

PM Issue

Equipment Failure

Insufficient
Documentation
50%

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Critical Events leading to Unintentional
Pull-Offs
 Winch alarms set improperly
 Relief/bypass valve not set
properly
 “Speed too fast for the conditions”
 No secondary depth control
utilized
 Cable in bad condition

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Critical Events leading to Unintentional
Pull-Offs
 Winch operator distracted or poorly trained
 Wrong weak point selection
 Weak point failure from improper maintenance
 Inaccurate tension measurement
 Not following Weatherford’s standard practices

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Weatherford’s Standard Practice
 Maximum Pull on the cable must not exceed 50%
Cable Breaking Strength
Ultimate
Tensile
Stress Strength
σ=F/A (UTS)

F
A
Yield Strength non-linear Breaking
plastic regime Strength
x
x
L 50% Breaking Strength

Linear elastic regime

E=σ/ε
F
Young’s
module Strain
ε=ΔL/L

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 Weatherford’s Standard Practice
 Maximum Allowable Tension on the Weak Point

Max Allowable Tension@WP  Safety Factor  WP

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Weak Point
 Intentional weak link between the cable and the tools
 Provides a controlled/mechanical release of the cable
from the tools at the logging head
– Best possible scenario to facilitate a fishing operation

 General rule:
“Use the strongest weak point available that will still
permit you to pull off a stuck tool at total depth without
exceeding the safe working load of the cable”

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 Weak Point Selection
 Select the strongest weak point within cable limits
Where:
 BScable 
Max To Break WP   
– Tn → Normal Tension (lbs)
– BSs → Cable Braking Strength (lbs)
– Wtf → Weight of Tool in Fluid (lbs)  2 
 BS cable 
– Wcable in hole → Weight of Cable in
Hole (lbs)
WP  (Tn  Wtf )   
 2 
Tn  Wcable in hole  Wtf
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 Weak Point Selection

Where:
 BS cable 
– Wca → Weight Cable in Air WP  Wcable in hole   
– Wcf → Weight Cable in Fluid  2 

 BS cable 
WP     Wcable in hole
 2 
Depending on fluid level:

Wcable in hole  Wcainhole  Wcfinhole

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 OH Weak
Point Selection

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Open Hole Weak Point
 OH Compact Cable Head Weak Points (CBH-MCC_WI_01)
– OH WP is designed to shear and break at specific value

Part Number Description

D24591 Shear Pin, 2000lb
D24590 Shear Pin, 3000lb
D38103 Tapped Shear Pin 2000lb
D38102 Tapped Shear Pin 3000lb

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Open Hole Weak Point Calculation
 Using the following information calculate the weak
point :
Total Depth 18500 ft
Type of Cable 7J46RP
Breaking Strength of Cable 18000 lbs
Weight of the Cable in Air 321 lbs/Kft

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 CH Weak Point
CH Weak
Point Selection

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Cased Hole Weak Point Selection

What changes in cased hole weak point?

 It is NOT an engineered weak point

 Strands need to be tied back

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 Cased Hole Weak Point Selection

Where:
–
 BS cable 
Wca → Weight Cable in Air
– Wcf → Weight Cable in Fluid
WP     Wcable in hole
 2 
Depending on fluid level:

Wcable in hole  Wcainhole  Wcfinhole

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 Cased Hole Weak Point Selection
 Requires an extra step in the weak point calculation
– Calculation of N  amount of strands
 Rope socket has 12 holes
– Limits the amount of strands (N) that can be tied
Where:
– BSAO  Breaking Strength of Outer
Armor
 BS cable 
   Wcableinhole
N  2 
BS AO  0.83

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Cased Hole Weak Point Selection
 Cased Hole WP formula can be rewritten as:

WP  N  BS AO  0.83 Cone

 In general Weatherford standard practice is to only tie

outer strands

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Cased Hole Weak Point Selection
 Possible cased hole weak point configurations

Wireline Cone

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Cased Hole Weak Point Calculation
 Using the following information calculate:
– Total weight of the cable in well
– Number of strands
– Weak point

Setting Packer at 15748 ft

Fluid Level 11483 ft
Cable Breaking Strength 11000 lbs
Outer Armor Breaking Strength 434 lbs
Weight of Cable in Air 185 lbs/Kft
Weight of Cable in Fluid 144 lbs/Kft

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 Equipment Checks

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Weak Point to Tool Weight Ratio
 Maximum tool weight on surface that can be picked
up and introduced into the well
– Limited to 30% of weak point
– Greater than 30% → notify manager for approval
– Consider lighter tools
– Consider stronger wireline
– Multiple runs

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Weak Point Maintenance
(WI-20, MCB-C WI-01)
 Replacement
– It has been pulled to 50% of its rating
– Corrosion or physical damage is visible
– Once per month or every 20 runs
– Well depth changes

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Equipment Checks
 Ensure tension device is operational
and maintained
– Make sure a tension tester fixture (TTF) is
used
 Ensure depth system operation
 Ensure cable has been properly serviced
(WI_WI-44)
 Ensure brittleness check is performed
 Ensure diameter check is performed

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Cable Checks – Brittleness Test
 To test the brittleness of the wireline armors:
– Bend wire in two
– Hold one strand end with vice grips (taut)
– Rotate one end around the taut strand ten
(10) times
– If it does not break, cable is malleable
– If breaks before 10 wraps, cable is too
brittle and must be cut back to good
line
 Test 1/3 of the outer strands and minimum
of 2 inner strands

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Cable Checks – Diameter Test
 Using a Vernier caliper or micrometer
– Measure the minimum strand diameter on
both inner and outer amours
– Select a representative cross section of the
outers
– At least 5 outer armors
– 2 inner armors
– If any one strand diameter is less than 93%
of the diameter specified for new cable in
the Camesa Manual
– Cable should be cut back

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 Maximum Safe Pull

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Maximum Safe Pull Calculation (MSP)
 1st Method (preferred):
– Tn must be known
– Compensates for line drag and inaccurate load cell devices
 Where:
– Tn  Normal Tension near Stuck Depth (lbs)
– Wtf  Weight of Tool in Fluid (lbs)

MSPSURF  SafetyFactor  WP  Tn  Wtf 

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Maximum Safe Pull (MSP)
 2nd Method:
– If a tool becomes stuck running into the well
– Typically more conservative than the previous method
 Where:
– Wcf inhole  Weight of Cable in Fluid in Hole

MSPSURF  SafetyFactor  WP  (Wcable inhole )

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Maximum Safe Pull (MSP) – OH Safety
Factor
 OH Safety Factor is established using regional
standards
– Between 50% and 75% of the WP strength
– Location managers must be informed:
– If the safety factor of the WP is reached
– If a client requests a pull that exceeds the safety factor
of the WP

MSPSURF  0.75  WP  Tn  Wtf 

MSPSURF  0.75  WP  (Wcable inhole )
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Maximum Safe Pull (MSP) – CH Safety
Factor
 CH Safety Factor is reduced to 0.67 (or 2/3)
 Due to the higher margin for error associated with the cone and washer
style cablehead

MSPSURF  0.67  WP  Tn  Wtf 

MSPSURF  0.67  WP  Wcable inhole

Wcable inhole  Wcainhole  Wcfinhole

Where:
W ca  Weight cable in air
Wcf  Weight cable in fluid

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 Calculating
Maximum Safe Pull

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OH Maximum Safe Pull Calculation-
Problem 1
 Calculate weight of cable and maximum safe pull using
the following information:

Tool Stuck at 14000 ft

Type of Cable 7J46RTZ
Weak Point 4000 lbs
Tn is unknown

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OH Maximum Safe Pull Calculation -
Problem 2
 Calculate maximum safe pull and maximum allowed
tension at WP using the following information:

Tool Stuck at 14000 ft

Type of Cable 7J46RTZ
Tn before stuck tool 5500 lbs
Weight tool in mud 500 lbs
Weak Point 4000 lbs

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OH Maximum Safe Pull Calculation -
Problem 3
 Calculate maximum safe pull using the following
information:

Tool Stuck at 14000 ft

Type of Cable 7J46RTZ
Tn before stuck tool 5500 lbs
Weight tool in mud 500 lbs
Weak Point 6000 lbs

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CH Maximum Safe Pull Calculation-
Problem 4
 Calculate maximum safe pull using the following
information:

Total Depth 15700 ft

Type of Cable 1N32PP
Weak Point 2788 lbs
Weight of Cable 188 lbs/Kft
Tn is unknown

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CH Maximum Safe Pull Calculation-
Problem 5
 Calculate maximum safe pull and maximum allowed
tension at WP using the following information:

Tool Stuck at 15700 ft

Type of Cable 1N32PP
Weight cable 188 lbs/Kft
Tn before stuck tool 3300 lbs
Weight tool in mud 200 lbs
Weak Point 2788 lbs

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CH Maximum Safe Pull Calculation-
Problem 6
 Calculate weight of the cable in hole and maximum
safe pull using the following information:

Tool Stuck at 15700 ft

Fluid Level 7200 ft
Type of Cable 1N32PP
Weight cable in air 188 lbs/Kft
Weight cable in water 155 lbs/Kft
Weak Point 2788 lbs

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 Best Practices

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Best Practices to Prevent UPO
 Check the weakpoint rating in your cablehead
 Ensure your tension device is fully functional and
confirm it is reading correctly
 Inspect the cable armors for brittleness and diameter
before building a cablehead (WL_PC)
 Ensure the cable has been properly serviced (cable LTP
is in date)
 Follow the winch running procedures (WI-31)
– Set the Relief (Bypass) Valve
– Run in the right gear and at a sensible speed

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Best Practices to Prevent UPO
 Run the Winch in second gear
– First gear is for logging slowly while deep in the well
– Do not rig down in first gear, and do not surface tool string in first
gear.
 Avoid over-runs and over-pulls
– Maintain normal cable tension between 80% and 120%
of static tension at depth
 Use a head catcher and/or tool trap when you are using
PCE
 Always have a competent and experienced person
supervising the winch running
 Focus on running the winch

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Winch Operations
 Winch-operator must be familiar with winch controls
 Good communication established with all personnel
 Secondary depth control must be utilized
 No distractions while operating the winch
 Verify tension alarm system is operational
 Ensure winch gear setting is correct
 Use bypass/relief valve while pulling out of the hole
 Slow down for restrictions
 Notify District Manager before exceeding MSP
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Unintentional Pull-Off Consequences
 Safety Issues
 Loss of direct revenue
 Loss of future revenue
 Damaged and/or lost equipment
 Associated costs

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WIRELINE - UNINTENTIONAL PULL-OFF © 2016 Weatherford. All rights reserved.
 Questions?

WIRELINE - UNINTENTIONAL PULL-OFF © 2016 Weatherford. All rights reserved.