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Perforating

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDxlCU2rdkg
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Perforating
The connection between the Wellbore & the Reservoir

• The fate of a well hinges on years of exploration,

months of planning and weeks of drilling. But it
ultimately depends on performing the optimal
completion, which begins with the millisecond of
perforating.

• Profitability depends on this critical link between the

reservoir and the wellbore
Charlie Cosad (Schlumberger)
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Objectives

• Perforations made by explosive charges lowered into

the well & detonated at the required depth
• Perforations are essentially holes in the casing. They:
– Provide sufficient connection between wellbore &
all desired reservoir zones
– Allow selectivity between reservoir zones
– Allow efficient hydrocarbon recovery:
• maximise Profitability (NPV)
• The important issues are:
Completion Efficiency + Safety + Costs
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Perforation Objectives

1. Perforations bypass near wellbore formation damage

2. Perforations allow Selectivity between intervals to:
– control flow from different layers
– control flow from incompatible hydrocarbon zones
• incompatibility may be fluid type and/or pressure
• incompatibility may be current or occur in future
– control well treatments
• stimulation or other well intervention
– avoid weak zones (both sand and chalk formations)
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Perforating History

Open Hole Completion

• Early days: Well shooting:- nitroglycerine

Cased Hole Completion

• Before 1930’s :- mechanical perforating

• 1930’s:- bullet perforations

• 1948:- shaped explosive charges

• 1958:- hydraulic, abrasive jetting

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Perforating History
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The Shaped Charge

• Shaped charges consist of a case containing the
booster or primer explosive, main explosive & liner
• The charges are connected by the detonating cord
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The different types of explosives used in shaped charges

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Design of the shaped charge

• Flat end: spreads the force of the explosion over a wide

target area-limited perforation
• Conical shaped: concentrates the force of the explosion and
provides greater penetration
• Metallic conical liner (addition liner): increases penetration
depth
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The Shaped Charge

• Key Points:
– depth of penetration and hole diameter
(size of charge)
– damage to casing and cement (gun type/design)
• Other Applications for shaped charges:
– cut / sever tubing and casing
• Alternatives to shaped charges:
– Hydraulic jet (abrasive)
– Chemical Perforator
– Mechanical Punch / Perforator
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Shaped Charge Detonation

• Detonation takes 100 - 300  sec
– fast pressure wave & no thermal effects
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Shaped Charge Detonation

• The jet has a velocity of
~ 20,000 ft/sec and an
impact pressure on the
casing of > 5 x 106 psi
• Causes the casing to
become plastic and flow
away from at the jet's
Shock wave by jet causes substantial
impact point
permeability reduction in the zone
• The formation material is next to the perforation tunnel
not vapourised, but is
mechanically crushed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDxlCU2rdkg
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Creating the Perforation

• Penetration depth proportional to jet diameter,

Max penetration=Min jet diameter
• Penetration depth and diamete proportional to Angle of
the cone and the choice of liner material
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Factors Affecting perforation depth and diameter

• Charge size, shape and liner characteristics all influence
the perforating charge's performance

Natural flow

Low angle

Gravel
packed and
propped
High angle hydraulic
fractured
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Shaped Charge
Detonation
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Formation Damage in Shaped Charge Perforations

• The rock is not

vapourised during the {“Carrot” or

process of creating the residue from slug}

perforation.
• The shockwave created
by the penetrating jet,
shatters the grains and
reduces the porosity, or
compacts, the formation
rock as it penetrates
Several zones with degraded
Porosity and Permeability
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Factors Influencing Charge Performance

1. Gun Size/Explosive Charge Size
• Perforating gun size dictates the maximum weight of
explosive for each shaped charge
• In general, both the entrance hole diameter & the
penetration will increase as the gun diameter (and
weight of explosive charge) increases
For a constant weight of explosive:
• Shaped charges can be designed to allows greater
perforation penetration at the expense of a smaller
entrance hole diameter (or vice versa)
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Factors Influencing Charge Performance

2. Wellbore Fluid Pressure, Temperature and Density
• Impact of well pressure on charge performance is small
with respect to penetration
• elevated well temperatures and extended exposure times
will significantly degrade the charges with consequent
poor performance.
– Solution: Employing a high temperature explosive (HMX or
HNS) for the main charge

short exposure
time associated
with wireline
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Factors Influencing Charge Performance

3. Gun Clearance

• Variable clearance
(gun / casing wall
stand-off) gives
different perforation
lengths
• Effect is greatest for
small diameter guns
A magnetic positioning device is used to orientate the gun so as
to ensure there is a minimum clearance between the perforating
charges and the casing wall.
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Factors Influencing Charge Performance

4. Compressive Strength of Formation Rock

• The charge penetration reduces with increasing rock

compressive strength and formation insitu stress

5. Strength of Casing and Radial Support by the Cement

Sheath
• A thick casing constructed from high grade tensile steel will
absorb more perforation energy than a thin, lower strength casing
•Also perforating reduces the structural integrity of the casing-
modern guns minimize it
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Perforating when failure is the objective

Static underbalanced: fluid column creates a static hydrostatic pressure in the well less
than reservoir pressure
-production is often disappointing for removing debris fro tunnel
Dynamic underbalanced (DUB): transient flow occur in gun system.
-can be used for underbalanced, balanced and overbalanced
Overbalanced: hydrostatic pressure in the well greater than reservoir pressure
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Pure perforation
The PURE process uses customized perforating designs, specialized shaped charges
and fit-to-puposes gun configurations to generate a large dynamic underbalance
from modest static underbalanced or overbalanced pressures. Immediately after charge
detonation, pore pressure drops and reservoir fluids decompress around new
perforations, casing a sudden fluid influx.
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Perforation+Surging

Kc-crushed zone permeability

K-formation permeability

Brady field historically had perforation in excess of +20.

Pure technique yielded a perforation skin -1.17 (flow rate exceeding 5MMcf/D)
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Failure crushed zone

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Failure crushed zone

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Perforation+Surging+Gravel packing technique

TRUST
*Unconsolidate rock
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Perforation+Surging+Gravel packing technique

TRUST
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Types of Perforation Charges and their application

Productivity Index value obtained by
• well test, Production Logging survey
• Straight and Vogel type IPR (formation/fluid properties)
-n/a field data
-design new well
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Shaped charge performance

• Shaped charge performance is determined by:
(1) Perforation Penetration Length
(2) Perforation Diameter
(3) Perforation density
(4)Perforation phasing
(5) Flow rate and properties of the produced fluids
(6) Burr height on the inside of the casing around the
perforation entrance hole
(7) Impact on casing integrity
• Charge size & shape & conical liner characteristics
influence shaped charge performance
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Perforation Phasing effects well productivity
- 0o Phasing Reduces Well Productivity
SHOT density-Distance between adjacent
perforations-number of shots per unit length of gun Hydrocarbons have
a more tortuous
Low density (<1 shot/ft) path to reach the
wellbore. This is
High density (>12 shot/ft) contrary to the idea
of 360radial flow -
Zero phased thus there is a
perforations ‘mechanical skin’

BP Well Productivity School

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Example: 4 shots per foot fired at 0° or 90°

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Sample
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Perforation
Phasing &
Density
effect well
Productivity
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Influence of Perforation Density and Vertical &
Horizontal Permeability on Well Productivity
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Recommended perforation
length = 150% of
Formation Damage
Sufficient
Perforation
Penetration
bypasses
Formation
Damage
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Perforation Density and Phasing

Practical issues are:
• Perforation Gun OD & Casing ID
• Clearance
• Formation properties
• Permeability Anisotropy,
• Formation Productivity etc.
• Completion Design
• Gravel Pack
• Limited Entry etc.
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Assessment of Perforating Charge Performance

An objective standard to evaluate charge performance can,
however, offer a means of comparing charges and provide a
baseline for modelling programs that predict penetration
geometry and inflow performance
API Recommended Practice No 19B edition
• Section I testing - assesses the perforating charge & gun
performance under preset firing conditions
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Assessment of Perforating Charge Performance

• Section II testing –charged are fired into sandstone at
ambient temperature. Both confining stress and wellbore
pressure are initially set to 3000 psi and pore pressure is
vented to atmospheric condition. Stressed rock provides a
significant qualitative improvement in realism compared to
Section I.
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Assessment of Perforating Charge Performance

• Section III heat test- evaluates

performance degradation of a
gun system resulting from
thermal effects.
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Assessment of Perforating Charge Performance

• Section IV - assesses flow performance by perforating a
confined rock sample in single shot laboratory gun.
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Assessment of Perforating Charge Performance

• Section V – provides a procedure to quantify the amount of
debris that exits a perforating gun following detonation and
retrieval.
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API Recommended Practice No 19B, Section 1

The test is carried out as follows:
• Cement a casing into a drum with concrete (minimum
cure 28 days & compressive strength of at least 4000 psi)
• Downhole firing is simulated by positioning the
perforating gun with the expected eccentricity
• Several charges with the required phasing are detonated
simultaneously and the following measurements made:
(1) The burr height on the casing
(2) Average diameter of the perforation
(3) Length of the perforation
• Gun position & clearance for all shots is also recorded
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API Recommended
Practice No 19B, Section 1
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API Recommended Practice No 19B, Section II

• Section II simulates the downhole conditions in laboratory
• Convert the perforation lengths measured in the standard
target to downhole penetration lengths by correcting for:
• Casing
•Cement
• Rock strength
• Wellbore pressure
• Gun clearance
• Insitu rock stresses

Typical Perforation Lengths

Charge Size 6.5g 22g
Soft Formation 10” 17”
Hard Formation 3” 7”
Section 4 measures linear core flow efficiency
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Gun Performance Summary
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Perforating Gun Types

Classified depending on operating conditions:
• Wireline or Tubing Conveyed
• Perforating carried out prior to or after running the final
completion string
• Retrievability to surface of gun and charge carriers after
perforating operation completed
• Pressure in the wellbore at the time of perforating, either:
- less than reservoir pressure (underbalanced perforating)
or
- greater than reservoir pressure (overbalanced perforating)
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Perforating Gun Types
Tubing conveyed
guns may be:
• Left insitu
• Dropped into
casing rathole or
• Recovered prior
to running the final
completion string
•Also Coiled Tubing
conveyed guns
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Perforating Gun
Types
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Surface Wireline Equipment

The wireline is wound onto a reel on a
self contained skid with independent
power supply for drum rotation &
measurement of cable length & tension
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Wireline Gun Types

• Casing & Through Tubing wireline guns are

available as:
• Retrievable or
• Expendable
• Gun length is determined by the maximum
allowed weight (depends on wireline diameter)
or lubricator length
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Surface Wireline
Equipment mounted
on a Xmas Tree
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Gun Type
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Wireline Conveyed Perforating

Key Points
• rapid - limited exposure of explosive to high
temperature
• repetitive (limited perforating gun weight allowed)
• rig not required
• often daytime only
• guns retrieved (allows inspection of performance)
• radio silence previously required
• GR and/or CCL used for for depth control
• limited underbalance available to clean perforations
• maximum 65o well deviation for wireline operation
• debris can accumulate between perforating runs when
using expendable guns
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Wireline conveyed Through-Tubing Gun

Through-Tubing Guns are:

• Smaller diameter (13/8 - 3½ in.) guns & smaller charges
• Underbalance perforating possible since completion
(Tubing, Packers etc.) already in place
• Underbalance only achievable while running first gun
when multiple perforating runs required
• Guns may be damaged or blown up the wellbore if too
high an under-balance pressure (drawdown) is used
• Perforate lower interval first
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Expendable Wireline Perforating Guns

• Expendable Guns self-destruct on detonation
– Aluminum or cast steel bodies shatter during the
perforating process
• Only connectors & depth correlation equipment
retrieved to surface
• Gun consists of a number of charges strung together
- no rigid carrier strip or tube is used
• Charge case designed to fragment on detonation -
friable material used (e.g. ceramic or aluminium).
• Charge case must be sufficiently strong to protect the
charges during handling operations
• Tend to create greater casing damage than other guns
– It absorbs less of the reaction from the detonation than
the steel tube of a retrievable gun.
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Expendable, Wireline, Through-Tubing

Perforating Gun
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Charge for Expendable, Through Tubing Gun

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Retrievable, Wireline, Through-Tubing

Perforating Gun
• The carrier strip with charges is inserted into a
steel carrier tube
– The tube is sealed to protect the charges and
electrical connections from the well fluids while the
gun is run downhole on the wireline.
• The diameter of a retrievable gun's steel tube
slightly increases after firing.
– guns maximum allowable diameter to be ½ in.
smaller that the tubing's minimum diameter.
• Scallop gun was developed to provide
improved perforating performance compared to
a simple, metal tube  thinner tube’s wall 
reduce energy consumed to perforate steel tube
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Wireline conveyed Casing Gun

Casing Guns are:
• Large diameter guns (gun sizes of 33/8 - 7 in.) with
large charges (casing rather than tubing ID is available)
• Allow a minimum clearance of ½ in. for gun
expansion/deformation after firing
• Heavy (7 m. typical maximum length)
• Perforating long intervals is time consuming (expense)
• Cause minimum casing damage
• Allow high shot density & large charge size to be used
• Normally maximum of 500 psi under-balance wellbore
pressure or overbalance perforating possible
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Wireline Casing Guns
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Shaped charge for a reusable, port plug,
retrievable casing gun
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Perforation Completion Performance

• Charge performance (depth, diameter, efficiency)

• Geometrical flow effects to individual perforation
• Shot density and phasing
• Wellbore geometry (parallel / deviated to bedding
planes?)
• Perforated interval (partial penetration)
• Perforation clean up (overbalance / drawdown)
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Perforation Technique

Overbalance perforating (worst case)

• impair perforation with mud / completion fluid
solids as well as crushed zone etc.
• Often few perforations are open to flow.
Underbalance perforating (King, Tariq)
• Extended flowing of well to remove debris from
near perforations
• Well build up test possible during perforating
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Tubing Conveyed Perforating

• Firing head (contains
detonator) actuated by: https://www.youtube.com
– drop bar /watch?v=EdsngK1shu8

– hydraulic pressure or
– electrical signal e.g. wet connect
electric line or install detonator
by wireline
– A combination of these
• Ported Debris barrier allows
circulation to remove debris
from above firing head
• Downhole Test valve allows
fluid flow after perforating
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Tubing conveyed perforating gun can be run:

1. With a conventional drill stem test assembly
– The well is produced "clean" followed by killing the well,
retrieving the test string and the spent gun and running the
permanent completion.
2. On coiled tubing and retrieved
– it can either be a through tubing or a casing operation
3. Run the gun as part of the completion string.
– The gun is attached to the tailpipe below the packer.
– The well does not need to be killed
– The guns are normally detached and dropped into the sump
– Becoming more common  reduced rig time, lower formation
damage
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Tubing Conveyed Perforating
Advantages
• High power charges possible
• All perforation phasing
• All shot densities
• Long intervals (>1000m) can
be perforated in one run
• Under- or over-blance pressure
same for all perforations
– > 2,500 psi possible
• Gun can be run in highly
deviated or even horizontal
wells or through high doglegs
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Tubing Conveyed Perforating

Disadvantages
• Rig required - expensive for small or separated intervals
• Deepen well (sump) & drop guns or Production Logging
is not possible across completion interval
• Completion needs to be pulled if gun misfires
– rig time and cost
– safety (gun detonation during recovery)
• Well has to be killed for gun recovery (may lead to
impairment, but does allow inspection of gun)
• Performance of unrecovered gun not confirmed
• Explosive can degrade (exposed to a high temperature
for a long time prior to firing)
• Potential for completion equipment damage on firing
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Operational Considerations
• Surface Pressure Equipment
– Many perforating operations are conducted with under or
balanced pressure. Hydrocarbons and pressure will appear at the
wellhead after perforating, even if the well is not flowed.
– blow-out preventer and a lubricator are required
• Depth Correlation
– The GR log
– The CCL
– Neutron logs
– A very small radioactive source (or "pip")
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Perforating Gun
Depth Correlation

• Use CCL & short

casing joint positioned
just above the interval to
be perforated
• Compare with
reference Gamma Ray
(GR) log
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Safety Procedures
• Concern - accidental detonation by a stray electrical
current of a perforating gun using an electrical
detonation system
• Typical safety rules require:
(1) Radio silence on the rig and adjacent locations
(2) No welding, crane operation or other high current
activity
(3) Possible misfire: when retrieving the gun
(4) Safety shutdown systems are available to isolate the gun
• Also applies to Tubing conveyed perforating guns
systems using electrical detonation
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Examples OF "Special"
Perforating Gun Systems
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Stackable gun system allows Long zones perforated
simultaneously with Wireline Conveyed Guns
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A Wireline Through Tubing Gun that performs as a
Casing Gun

The Pivot Gun:

• The Pivot Gun has the
dimensions of a Through
Tubing gun with Casing gun
penetration
• Presents operational
difficulties
• Dual detonators, many
parts