Part 1

Introduction
By
Prof. Abdel-Alim Hashem

Objectives
• Define completion
• Describe the process
of completion
• List and define the
different types of
completion
• Describe surface
control equipments
• Define subsea
completion
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 Surface and Subsurface Equipment
Oil Well After Completion Tubing
hanger

Well Head
X-mas Tree

Hydraulic
Control Line

Safety Valve
Production
Tubing

Reservoir
Gas Lift
Valve

Packer Perforation

Pump Out
Plug Sump

Introduction
• After drilling confirms the presence
of an oil or natural gas reservoir,
the hydrocarbons are brought to
the surface.
Safety Equipment

• Once the design well depth is PLATFORM

reached, the formation is tested

and evaluated to determine SEA BED
30’’ CASING
whether the well is to be completed 20’’ CASING
13 3/8’’ CASING
for production, or plugged and
abandoned. Production casing (9 5/8) 7’’ LINER

Downhole Equipment

• Decision based on the information

available on reservoir RESERVOIR

characteristics.
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 Introduction
• To complete the well production,
casing is installed and cemented,
and the drilling rig is dismantled
and moved to the next site.
Safety Equipment

• A service rig is brought in to PLATFORM

perforate the production casing

and run production tubing along SEA BED
30’’ CASING
with downhole equipments. 20’’ CASING
13 3/8’’ CASING

• The installation of surface safety Production casing (9 5/8) 7’’ LINER

equipments takes place and Downhole Equipment

production begins.
RESERVOIR

What is Completion?
• Well completion creates a
dependable pathway to the
surface for the hydrocarbons.

• Once the well is drilled, it has to

be made ready for the safe and
efficient production of oil.

• The term ‘completion’ describes

the assembly of down hole
tubulars and other safety
equipments that is required to
enable the safe and efficient
production of oil or gas from the
well after it has been drilled.
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 Well Completion Activities
Well completion activities include:

– Conducting drill stem test

– Setting production casing
– Running production tubing along with
downhole equipments
– Installing surface safety equipments
– Starting production flow

If it is decided that the well will not be completed,

then it will be plugged and abandoned.
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Conducting Drill Stem Test

• To determine the potential of a
producing formation, the
operator may order a drill stem
test (DST).
• The DST crew makes up the
test tool on the bottom of the
drill stem, then lowers it to the
bottom of the hole.
• Weight is applied to the tool to
expand a hard rubber sealer
called a packer.
• Opening the tool ports allows
the formation pressure to be
tested. This process enables
workers to determine whether
the well can be produced.
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 Setting Production Casing &
Perforation
• Production casing is the final
casing in a well.

• It can be set from the bottom

to the top.

• Sometimes a production liner

is installed.

• This casing is set the same

as other casings, then
cemented in place.
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Drilling the Well and Setting the

Casing
BOP
PLATFORM

SEA BED
PRODUCTION TUBING 30’’ CASING

20’’ CASING
13 3/8’’ CASING

9 5/8’’ CASING

GAS
O
WATIL RESEVOIR
ER

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 Drilling the Well and Setting the
CasingPLATFORM WELL HEAD EQUIPMENT
Only this casing
is visible
from outside
SEA BED
PRODUCTION TUBING 30’’ CASING

20’’ CASING
13 3/8’’ CASING

Production casing (9 5/8)

9 5/8’’ CASING

7’’ LINER

GAS
O
WATIL RESEVOIR
ER
BACK
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Running Production Tubing Along

With Downhole Equipments
• A well is usually produced
through tubing inserted down
the production casing.

• Oil and gas is produced more

effectively through this smaller-
diameter tubing than through
the large-diameter production
casing.

• Joints of tubing are joined

together with couplings to
make up a tubing string.

• Tubing is run into the well

similar to casing, but it is
smaller in diameter and is
removable 12

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 Installing surface safety
equipments
• Though the tubings
and downhole
equipments are
present in the well,
production cannot
start without installing
surface control
equipments.

• They are required to

prevent uncontrolled
oil flow out of the well. 13

Starting Production Flow

• Production flow is started by
‘washing in’ the well and
setting the packer.

• The pumping in of water or

brine to flush out the drilling
fluid is called washing in.
Usually this is enough to start
the well flowing.

• If this does not work then the

flow might be started by
pumping high-pressure gas
into the well after setting the
packer.

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 Downhole Equipment

• The parts of a downhole

Hydraulic Control Line
equipment are:
– Hydraulic control line
Safety Valve
– Safety valve
Gas Lift Valve
– Gas lift valve
Packer
– Packer
Pump Out Plug – Pump out plug

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Well Head
• The surface termination of a wellbore that
incorporates facilities for installing casing
hangers during the well construction phase
is the well head.
well head
• It is a means by which the production tubing Sections
is hung, the Christmas tree and the surface
flow-control facilities are installed, in
preparation for the production phase of the Flanges
well.

• The BOP also sits on top of well head.

• The well head is installed on top of the

casing before starting to drill. It has two or
three sections.

• Each section has two flanges to facilitate the 16

connections at both the ends.

8
 Components of a Well Head
Surface Control Equipments
• Each well head section
has three components:
– Casing Bowl
– Casing Hanger
– Tubing Head

17

Components of Wellhead
Casing Bowl
• The casing bowl consists of
heavy fittings that provide a
seal between the casing and
the surface.

• It also supports the entire Sealing

length of casing that is run all
the way down the well.

• This piece of equipment

typically contains a gripping
mechanism that ensures a
tight seal between the head
and the casing itself.

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 Components of Wellhead
Casing Hanger
• This is the sub-assembly
of a well head that
supports the casing
string when it is run into
the wellbore.
• The casing hanger
provides a means of
ensuring that the string is
correctly located and
generally incorporates a
sealing device or system
to isolate the casing
annulus from upper well
head components.

19

Components of Wellhead
Tubing Head
• The tubing head is a
well head component
that supports the
tubing hanger and
provides a means of
attaching the
Christmas tree to the
well head.

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 Components of Wellhead
Tubing Hanger
• The tubing hanger is a device
attached to the topmost tubing joint
in the well head to support the
tubing string.
Anchor bolts to
hold tubing
• The tubing hanger is located in the hanger in place

tubing head, with both components

incorporating a sealing system to
ensure that the tubing conduit and
annulus are hydraulically isolated.

• The tubing hanger assembly

supports the weight of the tubing
string and seals the annulus from
the upper well head and Christmas
tree components.

• It also provides connections at the

surface, which controls the flow of
fluids out of the well.
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Well Head Sections

Tubing hanger
comes here Anchor Bolts
Well Head

C Section

30” Casing Remains

Production Casing
Outside
(9 5/8”)
terminates here

1.5 m B Section

A Section

20” Casing Terminates Here

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 X-Tree
• The assembly of valves, spools,
pressure gauges, and chokes that
are fitted to the well head of the
completed well is called a Christmas
Tree.
• It is used to control the flow of oil
through the tubing hanger.

• The function of a christmas tree is to:

– Prevent the release of oil or gas from
an oil well into the environment
– Direct and control the flow of
formation fluids from the well

• When the well is ready to produce oil

or gas, valves are opened and the
release of the formation fluids is
allowed through a pipeline leading to
a refinery.
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X-Tree Components

Crown/ Swab Valve

Wing Valve

Oil which
flows from the tubing
Upper Master Valve
is diverted through this
pipe to the main header
and from there Lower Master Valve
to the process platforms
Tubing hanger comes up
Top part of the C-section to this point
of well head

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