Fishing Best Practices Manual

Jarring Operations

REV. # DATE REVISIONS PREPARED CHECKED APPROVED

2001 Weatherford. All Rights Reserved.

October 18, 2000 Page 8-1
 Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................8-3
Bumper Jars (Mechanical and Lubricated) ...........................................................................8-3
Bumper Sub Operation....................................................................................................8-4
Hydraulic Up Stoke Jars .....................................................................................................8-4
Hydraulic Up Jar Operation.............................................................................................8-5
Mechanical Up Jar Operation..............................................................................................8-6
Accelerator Jars.................................................................................................................8-6
Hydro-Mechanical Dual Acting Jars ....................................................................................8-7
Additional Jarring Procedures..............................................................................................8-8
Jar Failure..........................................................................................................................8-9
Pump Open Force...........................................................................................................8-9
Notes:..............................................................................................................................8-10

List of Figures
Figure 8-1: Hydraulic Jar Operation, 1 of 2 ................................................................................8-5
Figure 8-2: Hydraulic Jar Operation, 2 of 2 ................................................................................8-5

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Page 8-2 October 18, 2000
Introduction
Jars are used to release most stuck tool strings. They are available in a wide range of
sizes. Jars are normally full opening allowing fluid circulation and wireline tools such
as a free point tool or back off string shot to pass through them. Jars are run above
any tool that may stick or any tools that may require a bump down on to effect
release of a grappling device. They are capable of delivering an immediate high
impact blow in either direction, which enhances the chances of release. Jars work by
delaying the tripping action until the fishing string has stretched storing energy. The
energy is released when the jar trips or fires. The force of the jarring blow is
influenced by many of the following factors:
• Length of the jar stroke
• Hole friction
• Number of weight members above the jar [the hammer]
• The amount of stretch in the drill string
• The amount of overpull exerted prior to the jar tripping
• The upward movement speed of the hammer

CAUTION: Always get permission from the Company Man before any jarring operation is
started if there is a top drive on the rig. Jarring can damage the top drive.

• Jar Accelerator/Intensifier
• Jarring work string

Bumper Jars (Mechanical and Lubricated)

Bumper jars deliver a sharp downward blow to free a fish whenever needed. There
are two types of bumper jars the mechanical bumper sub, which is nothing more
than a slack joint, and the lubricated bumper sub. If pump pressure greater then
500 psi is expected, the lubricated bumper jar should be used because it is in a
closed housing protected by seal rings. When very high temperatures are expected,
the mechanical bumper sub should be used. High temperatures may destroy the
seals in the lubricated bumper jar. Splines built into the jar prevent internal rotation,
therefore high torque can be transmitted through the jar to effect release. Uses for
bumper subs include the following:
• Aid in the release of grappling tools (overshot or spears)
• Jar down on a fish to free it

2001 Weatherford. All Rights Reserved.

October 18, 2000 Page 8-3
 • To provide a means to move the work string approximately 18 inches if the
string is attached to a stuck fish.
• Help to get over the top of a fish.
• Apply a predetermined amount of weight to tools such as internal mechanical
cutters.
• To swage out collapsed casing.
• To run above a marine swivel to compensate for rig movement on floating rigs.
Some uses for lubricated bumper subs are as follows:
• Use a lubricated bumper sub instead of a mechanical bumper sub.
• More sealing elements, not as likely to wash out.
• In hot holes, a mechanical bumper sub is used, the heat will damage the packing
in lubricated ones.

Bumper Sub Operation

To operate a mechanical or lubricated bumper sub perform the following steps:
1. Close the jar mandrel and mark the pipe for reference.
2. Pick up on the string until the mandrel is fully extended. This is determined when
the weight indicator shows the free travel as the bumper sub is opening and then
a rapid gain is noted on the weight indicator when the mandrel is fully extended.
3. Drop the string as fast as possible and stop abruptly a few inches above the
referenced mark. The elasticity of the string, plus the law of inertia, will cause
the bumper sub to move downward rapidly, delivering a sharp blow to the fish.

Note: This procedure requires a little practice and finesse.

Hydraulic Up Stoke Jars

There are two basic types of jars, mechanical and hydraulic.The terms mechanical
and hydraulic refer to the method of tripping the jar. Hydraulic jars use hydraulic fluid
to delay tripping the jar.
Tripping is delayed until a sufficient pull-load (stretch) is applied overcoming the
trapped oil in the jar. The jar then trips applying a high impact blow to the fish. When
overpull is applied to the jar, the time delay is provided by hydraulic fluid being forced
through a series of small jets (Figure 8-1). As the hydraulic oil is metered through the
jets, the piston is slowly moving upward until it reaches an enlarged fluid bypass. This
allows a rapid release of the fluid and the jar fires (Figure 8-2). The jar firing delay is

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Page 8-4 October 18, 2000
 determined by a combination of load applied and time. Do not exceed the
manufacturers recommended maximum jarring load and do not exceed the tensile
strength of the fishing tools or work string.

Note: A computer program is required to precisely determine optimum jar

placement in deviated holes.

Large Bore Area Pressure Housing

Hydraulic
Fluid Pressure
Piston

Inner
Mandrel

Figure 8-1: Hydraulic Jar Operation, 1 of 2

Large Bore Area Pressure Housing

Pressure
Piston

Inner
Mandrel

Figure 8-2: Hydraulic Jar Operation, 2 of 2

Hydraulic Up Jar Operation

To operate a hydraulic up stoke jar perform the following steps:
1. Close the jar mandrel and mark the pipe for reference.
2. Pick up 20,000 lbs. over pull and let the jars bleed open.

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October 18, 2000 Page 8-5
 3. Take a significant over pull and mark the pipe for reference.
4. Close the jar mandrel again (the previous mark should be at the rotary).
5. Pull up approximately 1/2 of the jar manufacturers maximum jarring load and wait
for the jar to fire.
6. Slack off slowly (this saves the seal integrity) to cock the jars.
7. Check to see if any progress has been made by the position of the referenced
mark on the pipe.
8. Continue jarring, while raising the overpull in 10,000 lb. increments every 15-
minutes until the maximum jarring load is reached.
9. Continue jarring at the maximum jar capacity until the fish is freed, the jars wear
or a decision is made to do something else because of a lack of progress.

Mechanical Up Jar Operation

Mechanical jars have a preset load setting that causes the jar to trip. They are
sensitive to load only and not time. One must pull the preset load before the
mechanical jar will trip. Since hole friction can account for up to a 50% loss in the
pull, mechanical jars are not recommended in holes with an angle greater than 30
degrees. In cases where two jars are run, the mechanical jar would be the upper jar.
To operate a mechanical up stroke jar perform the following steps:
1. Close the jar mandrel and mark the pipe for reference.
2. Pick up on the string until the predetermined load is achieved. The jar will then
fire.
3. Remember, the mechanical jar is fired only by pulling the correct over pull.
4. Time has nothing to do with it.

Note: Jarring should start in the opposite direction to that which got the string
stuck.

Accelerator Jars
Accelerator jars are know as accelerator, intensifier, booster and slinger jars. This
manual uses the term accelerator jars. The accelerator consists of an outer barrel
and an inner mandrel. The inner mandrel slides in and out of the outer barrel. The
two are connected by an interference fit between a piston chamber on the outer
barrel and a piston in the inner mandrel. The piston chamber contains a solid, a fluid
or a gas that acts as a spring. When a force is applied to the accelerator, the tool
opens. The extension is dependent upon the applied force. When the extended force

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Page 8-6 October 18, 2000
 is released (the hydraulic jar fires) the tool closes under the spring force of the
substance inside the piston chamber. The following are some of the uses for the
accelerator jar:
• Intensify the jar blow
• Compensate for the lack of stretch in a short workstring
• Compensate for slow contraction of the drill string caused by high side-wall
friction.
• Act as a reflector to the shock wave traveling up the workstring protecting the
surface equipment and work string.

Hydro-Mechanical Dual Acting Jars

The Bowen hydro-mechanical drilling jar is a dual acting combination tool. The
hydraulic mechanism is used only during up jar operation. The down jar is a friction
mechanical system. The metering action of the hydraulic mechanism is controlled by
ports on an insert within a piston. This configuration differs from other types, such as
the Dailey Jars.
The Dailey hydraulic jar consists of an inner mandrel and an outer mandrel. The
inner mandrel has two pistons that seal on the outer mandrel. Between the two

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October 18, 2000 Page 8-7
Additional Jarring Procedures
The correct use of jars and the correct application of jarring is critical to freeing stuck
pipe.
the natural instinct of a driller is to jar up if the string becomes stuck when pulling out
of the hole. If the string is packed off above a stabilizer, jarring up may make the
situation worse by compacting the pack-off.
One reason for the jars not firing is miscalculating the required pull at the surface to
fire the jars. All jars have a firing force window for each direction that they fire in.
A dual acting jar (one that can fire up or down) will have an up jar force and a down
jar force envelope. The firing force envelope consists of two forces, one to cock the
jar and one to fire the jar. A dual acting jar will therefor have two force envelopes,
one for up jarring and one for down jarring. The jar envelope forces must be
considered at the jar and at the surface. The jar firing force at the jar is known. It is
the drillers job to determine the required firing force at the surface.
For example, a compression force of 5,000 pounds is required to cock the jar
in order to fire up. This is to overcome internal friction. Once cocked, the jar
will fire when the force at the jar reaches the predetermined firing load, lets say
90,000 pounds. This is for a mechanical jar. To fire down at a predetermined
load of 20,000 pounds, 5,000 pounds must be applied to overcome internal
friction, plus another 20,000 to fire the jar. The fixed limits of 90,000 and
20,000 are typical of mechanical jars.
A hydraulic jar will fire as long as the jar's internal friction is exceeded. The time
required to fire is inversely proportional to the force applied; the greater the force, the
shorter the waiting time. We have only considered the forces at the jar so far. Only
the driller knows the force at the surface and must estimate the force at the jar.
It is usually easy to see on the weight indicator when the jars are opening or closing.
The measured weight indicator needle will stop moving for a few seconds while the
string is still being moved up or down. This is a good indicator that the axial neutral
point at the jar has been reached. This is often observed while drilling vertical wells,
but can be difficult to observe in highly deviated, extended reach or horizontal wells.
If this neutral weight is observed on the weight indicator, it is easy to determine
surface jarring forces. The measured weight at which the neutral point is observed is
recorded. The up trip force (mechanical only) is added to this value along with any up
drag.
When stuck, any pull on the string results in an increase in drag over and above the
normal up drag. The full amount of overpull at the surface will not reach the jar. In
deviated wells this must be compensated for by additional overpull. If the pumps are
running, then the pump open force must also be subtracted from the firing force if
jarring up, and added to the set down weight to cock the jars. The pump open force

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Page 8-8 October 18, 2000
 charts are found in the manual for the jar being used. The down trip force
(mechanical only), the down drag, and the pump open force are subtracted from the
neutral point reading.

Jar Failure
Jars thought to have failed in the field frequently test successfully in the shop. The
reason for this appears to be the inability to fire the jars, often in the down direction.
An estimation of the force required to fire the jars is not always performed correctly.
This section explains why jars fail and how to use the correct surface pull to fire the
jars. Common reasons for jar failure include the following:
• Incorrect weight applied to fire the jar, assumptions in calculations incorrect.
• Pump open force exceeds compression force at the jar (no down jar action)].
• The string is stuck above the jar
• The jar mechanism failed
• The jar was not cocked
• Hole drag is high enough to prevent sufficient force to be applied at the jar to fire
it (usually mechanical jars).
• The well path prevents compression being applied to the jar (no down jar action).
• The jar is firing but cannot be felt at the surface.
• Right hand torque is trapped in torque set mechanical jars.
• Not waiting long enough for the jar to fire.

Pump Open Force

The jar pump open force (also called the jar extension force) is the effect of the
difference in surface areas of the jar exposed to pressures on the outside and inside
of the jar. When a differential pressure exists, it causes a force that opens the jar.
The effect on jarring can be considerable, if for example 2,000 psi is trapped inside
the jar when the string is packed off below the jar the pump open force acts to:
• Assist in firing the jar up.
• Assist cocking the jar after firing down.
• Oppose firing the jar down.
• Oppose cocking the jar after firing up.

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October 18, 2000 Page 8-9
Notes:

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Page 8-10 October 18, 2000