New electro-mechanical perforating technology reduces cost and increases safety in workover operations

Tubing punch enhances safety by eliminating the use of explosives, and is more cost-effective than e-line soft-shot methods.

Riyadh A. Bargawi, Saudi Aramco; Doyle Dean, Jack Clemens and Clem Whitmire, Halliburton

Wells in Saudi Arabia, onshore and offshore, often require workovers due to the corrosive environment to which the downhole equipment is subjected. When the workover jobs required a single hole to be punched in “soft” tubing using traditional methods, high failure rates and inherent delays in mobilizing explosives often severely compromised job economics.

This article presents several case histories in which a new slickline-deployed electro-mechanical tubing punch was used. Although the workover requirements in each well were different, and the jobs were conducted in both onshore and offshore environments, all required a single hole to be drilled.

The case histories will discuss the advantages provided to the operator through use of the new electro-mechanical tubing punch. These included:

• 100% perforating reliability
• Reduced rig time by eliminating mobilization of explosives and other equipment, if failures occurred
• Reduced costs compared with electric-line “soft-shot” methods
• Ability to deploy on slickline, E-line or Coiled Tubing (CT)
• Simplicity in operation.

Enhanced personnel and environmental safety advantages include elimination of explosives, use of alkaline or lithium batteries, use of mono-conductor line and use of CTU pressure-switch adapter.

The new method successfully resolved the problems experienced with all previously used conventional mechanical perforating methods. Although run in highly corrosive downhole conditions, the perforating tool had 100% success in perforating the “soft” tubing. A thorough follow-up inspection of the tool showed that it had sustained no damage.

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