WELL HEAD EQUIPMENT:

 Wellhead equipments are attached to the top of the various casing strings lowered
in a well in order to support the tubular strings, hang them, provide seals between
strings and control production from the well.

 These equipments are covered by American Petroleum Institute (API)

Specification – 6A.

 Once the well has been completed, the wellhead is attached to the top so as to
control the flow of fluids. The wellhead is made of :
 The casing head to which the casing is attached

 The tubing head which supports the tubing

 The Christmas tree which comprises various valves and gauges

Christmas tree (X-mas tree) :
Christmas tree (X-mas tree) :
• A Christmas tree is the most important well control equipment used in well
completions. It consists of an arrangement of valves, spools, flanges, and connections to
control the flow of fluids from the well. Based on application and environment of use,
several types & configurations of Christmas trees are available.
• A christmas tree is usually the first device encountered by workover crew. Many
types of christmas tree are available.
• Each well is unique and requires specific types of tree. In spite of the wide variety of
trees available, they share certain basic components:

Pressure gauges

• Pressure gauges are installed to monitor tubing pressure and casing or annular
pressure.

Gauge flange or cap

• The gauge flange seals the top of the tree and has a fitting for a pressure gauge.
When the gauge flange is removed, the tubing becomes accessible for bottom hole test
or installing lubricator equipment.
 Christmas tree (X-mas tree) :

Crown or swab valve

• The crown valve shuts off pressure and allows access to the well for wire
line, coil tubing or any other well interventions jobs to be carried out.

Flow or cross tee

The flow tee allows tools to be run into the well while the well is producing.

Wing valve

• A wing valve is used to close well and carry out most routine operations.
• A wing valve shuts in the well for most routine operations. Wing valves are
the easiest valve to replace on the tree.
Choke

• The choke regulates the flow from the well.

• Choke controls the amount of flow from the well.

Master valves

Master valves are main shut-off valves. They are kept open for most of the
period during a well’s life and are used as little as possible, especially the
lower master valve, to avoid wear or damage to them.

Tubing hanger

The tubing hanger supports the tubing string, seals of the casing annulus,
and allows flow to the christmas tree.
Casing valve

The casing valve gives access to the area between the tubing and the casing.
Casing hanger

The casing hanger is a slip-and seal assembly from which the casing string is
suspended.

Casing

Casing is a string of pipe that keeps the wellbore from caving in and prevents
communication from one zone into another.
Tubing

Tubing is a string of pipe through which produced fluids flow.

Backpressure Valve (BPV)

The BP valve is installed in the tubing hanger and facilitates the removal or
replacement of X-mas tree without killing the well. It is also used to pressure
test the X-mas valves.
WELL HEAD ASSEMBLY :
CASING HEAD :

• The casing head is the lowest part of the wellhead assembly and is almost always
connected to the surface casing string. It supports subsequent drilling wellhead and
completion equipment.
Functions
◆ Provides for attachment to surface casing string.
◆ Supports blowout preventers while hole is drilled for next casing string.
◆ Provides for suspending and packing off the next casing string.
◆ Provides outlets for annular access.
◆ Provides for testing BOPs while drilling.

CASING SPOOL:

• The casing spool has a top bowl to accommodate the casing hanger.
• The spool also has a bottom bowl with a pack-off seal and a flange or clamp hub
for mounting it on top of a casing head or previous spool. Outlets are provided for
annular access.
• Multiple casing spools may be stacked to hang intermediate and production casing
strings.
CASING HANGER :

• The casing hanger is a wrap-around, slip-type, weight-set hanger.

• It may be installed through the BOP and is suitable for heavy casing loads.
The hanger supports casing weight and seals the annulus before the BOP is removed.
Weight is supported on a solid shoulder not on seal; therefore, it will not over-
compress the seal.
• The upper body diameter is larger to centralize and protect seals
• The elastomer seal is mechanically activated by cap screws.

LOWERMOST CASING HANGER:

• It seats in a bowl of a lowermost casing head or an intermediate casing head to
suspend the next smaller casing securely.
• Provide a seal between the suspended casing and the casing bowl.
• It is usually consists of set of slips and a sealing mechanism. It is latched around the
casing and dropped through the BOP’s to the casing bowl.
INTERMEDIATE CASING HEAD :

• It is a spool type unit or housing attached to the top flange of the

underlying casing head. It is composed of:
A lower flange
One or two side outlet
A top flange with an internal casing hanger bow

TUBING HEAD :

• Attached to the top flange of the uppermost casing head to provide a

support for tubing string .
• Seal annular space between the tubing string and production casing
string.
• It composed of:
A lower casing flange ( or threaded bottom which screws directly on the
production casing string)
One or two side outlet
Top flange with internal hanger bowl.
• The tubing head operates in a temperature range of -75°F to 350°F.
• The bowl profile is a taper for metal-to-metal seals in between two
straight bore seal areas, and a forty-five degree accessory shoulder
TUBING HANGER :
• Tubing hangers are installed in the top bowl of a tubing head. Tubing hangers
both suspend tubing and provide a primary annulus seal between the tubing and
production casing.
• Hangers are run through the blowout preventers and are landed in the top bowl of
the tubing head. Tubing hangers are available for any type of tubing completion.
• Tubing hangers also act as a means to access and manipulate additional smaller
tubing lines that are utilized downhole and extended to the surface on the outside of
the tubing string or strings.
• Packoffs allow tubing string manipulation for setting packers or displacing fluid
while sealing the annulus between the tubing and the production casing.
TUBING HEAD ADAPTER :
• The tubing head adapter provides a transition between the Christmas tree and the
tubing head. The bottom adapter connection matches the tubing head, and the top
adapter connection matches the tree.
• Tubing head adapters are available for all types of single- and multiple- string
completions, including those using electric submersible pumps, packers, downhole
control valves and gas lift valves.
• These adapters come with threaded, flanged or studded-flanged top connections.
Most tubing head adapters are available with hydraulic supply inlets for downhole
control lines.
MONOBLOCK CHRISTMAS TREE :
The component valves are integrated in one block. These trees area typically
manufactured from solid forged steel bodies by machining the internal.
Advantages are:
The number of leak path are reduced
Compact design facilitates the operation.
Installation and removal time is reduced.
Made of forged process, therefore has better corrosion resistance and impact
resistance.

Disadvantages:
Repair of monoblock X-mass tree is difficult

It is preferred in the following areas:

• High-pressure temperature gas/ oil well completion in onshore and

offshore.
• Sour oil/ gas well completion where small leak can endanger human life.

• Where platform space constraint ( in offshore) restrict the use of

conventional X-mass trees.

• Gas/ high GOR wells in a cluster where the x-mass tree are in close
proximity.