FREE POINT LOCATION

TECHNIQUES FOR DETERMINATION OF FREE

POINT OF STUCK PIPE:
• ELECTRO LOGGING TECHNIQUE.
• THE DRILLER’S METHOD.
ELECTRO LOGGING TECHNIQUE:
• USES A WIRELINE TOOL TO DETERMINE THE
FREE POINT OF A STUCK STRING.
• IT WORKS ON THE PRINCIPLE OF DETECTING
STRETCH AT THE SURFACE WHEN TENSION /
TORQUE IS APPLIED.
• IF STRETCH IS NOT DETECTED THE PIPE IS
STUCK ABOVE THE TOOL.
• IF STRETCH IS DETECTED PIPE IS FREE ABOVE
FREE POINT INDICATOR TOOL

• THE FREE POINT INDICATOR TOOL IS USED TO

IDENTIFY THE POINT AT WHICH THE PIPE IS
STUCK.( ELECTRO LOGGING TECHNIQUE)

• IT CONSISTS OF A TORQUE AND TENSION

SENSOR POSITIONED BETWEEN TWO
ANCHORING DEVICES. DEPTH CONTROL IS DONE
BY CCL TOOL.

• IT IS RUN IN THE HOLE AND SET IN THE MIDDLE

OF A JOINT OF PIPE AND THE RESPONSE OF THE
PIPE TO THE APPLIED TORQUE AND TENSION
PROCEDURE TO RECORD FREE POINT:

• SET THE DRILL STRING AT ITS NORMAL BUOYANT

WT. OF ENTIRE DRILL STRING AND MAKE A MARK
ON THE PIPE AT THE ROTARY TABLE.

• THE LOGGING COMPANY WILL THEN CALCULATE

USING THEIR CHARTS THE EXTRA TORQUE REQ.
TO GIVE A FREE PIPE READING.

• FIND THE FREE POINT USING THE STRETCH AND

THEN CONFIRM THIS WITH TORQUE
MEASUREMENTS IN NORMAL WELLS.

• MIXING TORQUE AND TENSION WILL CAUSE

CONFUSION BECAUSE THE RESIDUAL TORQUE
MAY GIVE AN ERROR WHEN STRETCH
MEASUREMENTS ARE MADE.
• USE ONLY RIGHT HAND TORQUE.

• IN DIRECTIONAL WELLS TO RELEASE THE

RESIDUAL TORQUE IN THE STRING IT IS ADVISABLE
TO ROTATE THE STRING LEFT HAND A FEW TURNS
AFTER EACH TORQUE READING.

• CHECK THE SENSOR RETURNS TO ZERO WHEN THE

STRETCH / TORQUE IS RELEASED

• IN DIRECTIONAL WELLS HAVING HIGH FRICTIONAL

DRAG, TORQUE CAN BE TRANSMITTED DEEPER
THAN STRETCH.

• IN VERTICAL WELLS BACK OFF CAN BE

ATTEMPTED AT A 20 % REDUCTION IN FREE PIPE
READING
• IN DEVIATED HOLE THE PRIME CONSIDERATION IS
THE ABILITY TO TRANSMIT TORQUE TO THE BACK
OFF POINT AND THIS SHOULD BE CHECKED WITH
THE FREE POINT LOCATOR TOOL BY WORKING THE
TORQUE DOWN.
EXTREMELY CROOKED HOLE

FREE POINT • NORMAL STRETCH &

8250FT TORQUE 77 STRETCH & 72
77STRETCH
72 TORQUE TORQUE.
• AT 8375 & 8525 FT TORQUE
8375FT
60STRETCH
WAS RELATIVELY NORMAL.
70 TORQUE
• THERE WAS DECREASE IN
STRETCH.
8525FT
36STRETCH • FREE POINT WAS
71 TORQUE
DETERMINED AS 8250 FT
9000FT WHERE THE PIPE WAS FREE
0STRETCH
0 TORQUE
IN BOTH TORQUE &
STRETCH.
 PIPE CEMENTED OR SANDED UP
7060FT
78STRETCH
75 TORQUE • NORMAL STRETCH & TORQUE
78 STRETCH & 75 TORQUE.
• FPIT READINGS CAME DOWN
ABRUPTLY TO 0 AT 7100 FT.
• FREE POINT WAS
ESTABLISHED AS 7095 FT.

FREE
POINT7095FT
82STRETCH
75 TORQUE
7100FT
0STRETCH
0 TORQUE
DRILL COLLARS DIFFERENTIALLY STUCK
6000FT • NORMAL STRETCH & TORQUE
78STRETCH
68 TORQUE READINGS WAS ESTABLISHED
6250FT AS 79 & 69 RESPECTIVELY.
77STRETCH
70 TORQUE
• FREE POINT INDICATOR
READING AT THE TOP OF THE
FREE POINT DRILL COLLARS WAS 0
6995 STRETCH & 0 TORQUE.
79STRETCH
69 TORQUE

7000FT
0STRETCH
0 TORQUE
DRILLERS METHOD OF FREE POINT LOCATION

• THIS METHOD IS ONLY ACCURATE FOR LOW ANGLE

WELLS.

• WILL NOT GIVE CORRECT VALUE FOR HIGH ANGLE

WELLS(> 350) OR FOR CROOKED WELLS OR WELLS
STUCK AT A SHALLOW DEPTH.

THIS METHOD IS BASED ON THE LAW:

YOUNG'S MODULUS OF STEEL = STRESS / STRAIN

YOUNG'S MODULUS OF STEEL(CONSTANT) = 2.1X106

STRESS = LOAD/AREA, STRAIN =ELONGATION OF PIPE

FREE LENGTH
FREE LENGTH OF STUCK DRILL PIPE IS GIVEN BY:

L = 2.1 x 103 x A x e
P2-P1
WHERE:

L = LENGTH OF FREE PIPE (M)

A = CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF DRILL-PIPE (CM2)
e = DIFFERENTIAL STRETCH (M)
P2-P1 = DIFFERENTIAL PULL (T)

CONSIDERING A CORRECTION FACTOR OF 1.05 FOR

TOOL JOINT THE EQUIVALENT LENGTH (LEQ) OF FREE
DRILL PIPE IS GIVEN BY:

LEQ = 1.05 X L
METHOD OF APPLICATION OF THIS TECHNIQUE:

• PRIOR TO MEASURING THE DIFFERENTIAL

STRETCH THE STRING SHOULD BE THOROUGHLY
WORKED SO AS TO MINIMISE THE EFFECT OF
RESIDUAL STRESS IN THE STRING.

• A PULL (P1) OF 10-15T GREATER THAN THE AIR

WEIGHT OF THE DRILL STRING IS APPLIED TO THE
STUCK STRING AND A MARK IS MADE ON THE KELLY
OR PIPE AS THE CASE MAY BE.

• THIS PULL IS RELEASED AND EQUAL PULL (P1) IS

APPLIED ONCE AGAIN.

• ANOTHER MARK IS MADE ON THE KELLY.

• THE TWO MARKS DO NOT COINCIDE DUE TO THE
FRICTION IN THE HOLE.

• THE MID POINT BETWEEN THE TWO MARKS IS

TAKEN AS THE UPPER REFERENCE MARK A.

• A PULL P2 (P1+ 10-15T) IS APPLIED AND A LOWER

REFERENCE MARK B IS MADE FOLLOWING THE
STEPS MENTIONED ABOVE.

• THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TWO MARKS A AND

B IS MEASURED AS ' e '.

NOTE: THE PULL MUST BE WITHIN THE SAFE LIMITS

OF THE MARGIN OF OVER-PULL OF THE
STRING