Intervention Barriers

Intervention Barriers
A barrier is defined as a means of

containing wellbore pressure and fluids.
Two effective barriers are required for most
intervention operations.
Consider when barriers are effective (and
when they are not) and how to back them
up for safety.
Must be rated to the maximum pressure
that can be encountered.
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Common Barriers
Kill weight fluid column (not just a fluid column) monitored and
tested
Pipe rams when pipe is in the well
Blind/Blind-Shear when no pipe is in the well
Master valve when pipe is not in the well
CT Flapper valves (dual flappers = one barrier)
Stuffing box/Stripper Rubber
Downhole plugs
Grease seal/ram for braided line (both are one barrier)
Barriers
1. Nipple
Down
Tree
2. Nipple
Up BOP
Barriers last steps

3-2006
Whats Left?
1. Hook up test and kill
lines.
2. Test.
TEST LINE
Hammer Union
& Bull Plug
Flanged Choke
Ported w/1-1/2
NP & Threads
& 2- 10K Needle Valves
Kill Weight Fluid

KWF = Formation Pore Pressure (psi) / (0.052 * TVD to mid perfs (ft))
where: KWF = kill weight fluid in ppg
TVD
The kill weight fluid must occupy both

the annulus and the tubing with no
voids or other fluids involved.
If the density and level of the fluid are
not monitored, can the fluid be an
effective barrier?
Difference between Surface and

Downhole Barriers
A surface barrier prevents escape of fluids
from the well.
A downhole barrier may also prevent crossflow between formations.
Multiple barriers
The barrier during drilling is a well
control barrier that has both hydrostatic
and mechanical control points.
A column of kill weight fluid, monitored
and tested, is a common active barrier.
Double Bariers
During wireline intervention, the
control method is pressure
control with two or more
barriers.
The barriers for wireline include:
1. Grease or oil seal on the wire
(for dynamic sealing);
2. Packoff for static application
3. Blind/Shear rams
4. Master valve (can cut some
wire, but poses a risk of valve
damage).
Stacked Barriers
Barriers for Intervention with
Coiled Tubing
Barriers include:
1. Stuffing Box
2. Coiled Tubing BOP
3. Annular Preventer (for
sealing around BHA string)
4. Pipe ram below circulating
cross or Tee.
5. Master Valves when CT and

BHA are above the top
Master Valve.
Producing Wells One Barrier

Barriers for Producing Wells usually only
one barrier for many areas:
1. Almost all flow/gathering lines,
separators and pipelines.
2. The flow cross, choke body and other

areas above the tubing hanger
3. Below the tubing hanger for gas lift
supply
4. At any open shoe with gas lift supply
5. Uncemented casing below the packer
10
Live Well Workovers

Top Hole - plug (WL or CT) set at or below
packer - top of well is isolated.
Used for:
press test
pickle/cleanout
tubing replacement
fluid unload/swap
equalizing plug
11
Typical Conditional Barriers

Considered a barrier during certain operations
but not at other times.
Examples:
Pipe rams barrier only when pipe is in the well
Blind ram, master valve, stripper rubber barrier
only when pipe is out of the well
Braided line rams barrier only with grease
injection
12
Layout for a CT BOP
13
Ram Internals
Ram blocks
Lower left slip blocks
Lower Right seal blocks
Upper Right shear or

cutter blocks
14
CT BOP w/ kill port
15
Rams are heavily greased

Cleaning?
Greased ram section in a BOP prior to the job. Effect of excess grease?
16
Open ram
17
CT Crushed by ram closure now, how do you recover it?
Rams for CT must:
1. Center the CT in the BOP body

2. Center the CT in the ram element
18
Accumulator
BOP accumulator pressure
source
19
What if the flow cross leaks?

Control point?
20
No secondary control below a

flow cross
21
One approach to control
22
Stacked BOP
An effective
BOP rig-up.
Note dual valves
and flow control
below the flow
cross.
23
Develop Both Sides?

May be practical for high
risk wells.
24
Unusual Cases
When running a BHA that cannot be sealed
with a pipe ram or cut with a blind shear. Is a
special barrier needed for the BHA?
When changing the elements on a ram or
stripper rubber. Is a backup needed?
25
The Two Barrier Rule

Barriers may be the same in some instances.
Both must be capable of controlling the full
well pressure.
Many barriers are conditional may need
back-up.
26
Some Special Cases

Snubbing or hydraulic workover The two (minimum) pipe rams are
barriers, but a blind-shear is required for a second barrier while pipe is in
the well.
What is needed when an pipe ram element has to be changed?
A second blind or blind-shear or master valve or other device is required
when pipe is out of the well.
27
Hydraulic Workover Units
28
Pipe ram elements
Pipe seal
elements
29
Hydraulic Workover BOP set

Hydraulic
workover unit
showing the
gas bypass tube
between pipe
rams.
30
Special cases, continued

Large BHA or BHA that cannot be cut.
Annular preventer?
Downhole valves (SSSV as a barrier????) SSSVs
are not a good barrier if an object can be dropped
from the tool. A dropped object can breach/break
the seal offered by flapper type SSSV.
Pressure operated downhole valves
31
Special cases, continued

Fracturing Tree Saver
Hydraulic deployment
Second set of valves temporarily replaces
wellhead valve control
Stinger with seal isolates and locks-out wellhead
valves
32
Tree Saver isolates existing wellhead with hydraulically

deployed stinger with external seals and second set of valves.
Frac Iron
Connection
Hydraulic cylinders
Tree saver inserted

and locked down.
Remote operated
master valve
Manual operated
master valve
Mandrel or stinger with

seals on exterior
Hydraulic pistons
Vent
Valve
Existing master
valve on well
Well master
valve is closed
33
Special Cases, continued

What is stability of the barrier?
To outgassing (seal face failure)

To high or low temperatures (does it weaken barrier?)
To corrosion (components weakened by attack?)
To erosion erosion of sealing surfaces
To high or low pressure spikes
To high or low tensile loads
34
Special Example - Inflatable Packers
Are they barriers?

What is the reliability?
Do they stay put?
Has a great deal to do with how much they
are expanded and where they are placed.
Good reliability when set in pipe
Good reliability when placement slide is
short (less than 1000 ft)
Good reliability when expansion from initial
to set is less than 2x.
35
Quiz - Barriers
1. What type of equipment must not be
sheared in a well control attempt?
2. What type of event or action may render
the following barriers useless?
a. Blind ram, no pipe in the hole.
b. Pipe ram w/ pipe in the hole.
c. Stripper rubber on Coiled Tubing.
d. Grease injector with E-line in the well.
e. Flappers on coiled tubing.
3. For each challenge in problem 2, what is a

36
37
Quiz Barrier Failure Recovery from Problem

#2.
Failure Type
Blind Ram, face seals destroyed.
Pipe Ram, w/ pipe in hole, no seal.
Stripper rubber leaking on CT
Grease leaking on E-line grease injector, not
holding pressure.
Flappers not preventing backflow on
cleanout.
Cause
Recovery

Intervention Barriers

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Intervention Barriers

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Intervention Barriers

A barrier is defined as a means of

Barriers last steps

Kill Weight Fluid

The kill weight fluid must occupy both

Difference between Surface and

5. Master Valves when CT and

Producing Wells One Barrier

2. The flow cross, choke body and other

Live Well Workovers

Typical Conditional Barriers

Layout for a CT BOP

Upper Right shear or

CT BOP w/ kill port

Rams are heavily greased

CT Crushed by ram closure now, how do you recover it?

Rams for CT must:

1. Center the CT in the BOP body

What if the flow cross leaks?

No secondary control below a

One approach to control

Develop Both Sides?

The Two Barrier Rule

Some Special Cases

Hydraulic Workover Units

Pipe ram elements

Hydraulic Workover BOP set

Special cases, continued

Special cases, continued

Tree Saver isolates existing wellhead with hydraulically

Tree saver inserted

Mandrel or stinger with

Special Cases, continued

To outgassing (seal face failure)

Special Example - Inflatable Packers

Are they barriers?

3. For each challenge in problem 2, what is a

Quiz Barrier Failure Recovery from Problem

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