WORKOVER OPERATIONS

Workover operations are major remedial operations sometimes required to

maintain maximum oil producing rates. If, for example, a well begins to produce
an excessive amount of salt water, a service rig is moved onto the well, and
operations to reduce the saltwater production are begun.

It may be first necessary to "kill" the well with some fluid, such as drilling mud,
saltwater, oil, or possibly a special workover fluid, which has sufficient
hydrostatic pressure to counteract the formation pressure when the hole is filled
with the fluid. If the salt water is coming from the lower part of the reservoir, it is
usual to squeeze-cement the perforation with either a low-pressure or a high-
pressure squeeze.

If the high-pressure squeeze-cementing technique is used, a special packer is run
on the bottom of the tubing to protect the casing and other equipment at the
wellhead. If the low-pressure or "bradenhead" squeeze-cementing method is used,
then a packer is not required, since the pressures applied will not exceed the
working pressure of the wellhead equipment and casing. After the cement has set,
it may be necessary to drillout the cement from inside the casing and reperforate
the casing at the desired intervals, since the cement will have sealed off all the old
perforations.

If a well is producing with an excessive gas-oil ratio, it may be possible to reduce
the gas-oil ratio by the same squeeze-cementing and reperforating technique.
Where there is more than one producing interval in the wellbore and a lower zone
has been depleted, a plugback to a high zone is in order. The plugback can be
accomplished with a cement plug in the casing or with a bridge plug-a mechanical
device which can be set in the casing to effectively seal off all production below
the point at which it is set.

The so-called permanent completion permits all workover operations to be
conducted with wireline equipment, eliminating the need for workover
rigs.Permanent completion equipment features special types of valves which can
be opened and closed by wireline equipment. A complete line of equipment has
been designed for this type of workover operation, and even cementing and
reperforating can be satisfactorily accomplished with it.