Designed & Presented by

Mr. QUANG KHNH, HCMUT

12/2010 Quang Khnh HoChiMinh City University of Technology 1

Email: dqkhanh@hcmut.edu.vn or doquangkhanh@yahoo.com
 Introduction
The objective of perforating a well: to establish communication between
the wellbore and the formation by making holes through the casing,
cement and into formation in such a manner so as not to inhibit the
inflow capacity of the reservoir.

To optimise perforating efficiency, it is not solely down to the

perforating technique but relies extensively on the planning and
execution of the well completion which includes selection of the
perforated interval, fluid selection, gun selection, applied pressure
differential or underbalance, well clean-up, and perforating orientation.
Basic Perforating Methods
 Basic Perforating Methods
Conventional casing guns which are run into the well on electric
wireline with or without wireline pressure control equipment.

Through-tubing guns which are run into the well after the tubing has
been installed, again via wireline pressure control equipment.

Tubing-conveyed guns which are run on the bottom of the tubing

string and detonated using mechanical, electrical, or pressure-
activated firing mechanisms.
 Shaped Charge
It creates a very high pressure, but a highly focussed jet that is designed to
penetrate the casing, the cement and, as far as possible, into the formation.

Components of Shaped charge

Carrier gun arrangement

 Explosives
The main explosive charge is usually a desensitised RDX
(Cyclonite) type of explosive which besides being extremely powerful
in terms of the energy released per unit weight of explosive, also
reacts very quickly.
In fact, once the main charge is detonated the process is completed
after only 100 - 300 seconds. This fast reaction time is of
importance in that it concentrates the detonation energy of the
exploding charge to a very limited target area and also excludes any
thermal effects.
Explosive Group
Detonation process of shaped charge

The importance of using a

conical liner in a shaped
charge

Detonation process and deformation of the conical line

Detonation process of shaped charge

0 ms

4 ms

9.4 ms

16.6 ms
Detonation process of shaped charge

Perforating jet characteristic and

properties at impact with the target

Crushed zone and

compaction regions
around the perforation
tunnel
Typical Perforation

Outside of casing with small-diameter

perforation

Perforation length = 2 to 20 in (5 to 50 cm)

Entrance hole diameter = 0.2 to 1.0 in (0.5 to 2.5 cm)
Shaped charge casing
 Factors affecting the crushed zone
o (1) Size of perforation charge

o (2) Casing wall thickness and strength

o (3) Cement sheath thickness and strength

o (4) Grain composition, size and shape of the formation rock

o (5) Stress conditions in the near wellbore region

o (6) Proximity of nearest perforations in the same vertical plane.

 Factors affecting Perforation performance
The physical performance of a shaped charge is normally gauged from:

(1) Penetration length

(2) Perforation diameter

(3) Perforation hole volume

(4) Burr height on the inside of the casing around the perforation entrance hole.
 Factors affecting Perforation performance
However, charge performance will be a complex matter since it will be affected by charge
size, material and configuration, the dimensions and shape of the charge case and most
importantly the characteristics of the conical liner as well as the strength characteristics of
the formation and the wellbore conditions.

(a) Gun size/explosive charge size

(b) Wellbore fluid pressure, temperature and density

(c) Gun clearance

(d) Compressive strength of formation rock

(e) Strength of casing and radial support of cement sheath

 Factors affecting Perforation performance
Effect of gun size on entrance hole diameter and depth of penetration
Gun position in casing

Charge Standoff allows adequate space for the

liner to collapse and the jet to develop before it hits
the interior wall of the gun

Gun to Casing clearance negatively affects

perforation because the jet expands energy as it
travels through the completion fluid
Effect of gun clearance
 Effect of rock strength

Penetration reduction produced by high compressive strength of the

formation rock
Effect of rock strength

TEST in Berea SS
target (8,000 psi):

DOP = 5 in

Smackover
sandstone target
(22,000 psi)

DOP = 1.40 in
 Effect of other factors
In-situ stress: penetration is less in higher in-situ stress.

Sand grain size and distribution: penetration is less in coarse sand targets of the same
compressive strength.

Pore-saturating fluid: penetration is less in formation with gas-filled pores than in that with liquid-
filled pores.

Wellbore fluid: wellbore pressure can reduce penetration 22-28% for pressure as high as 15,000
psi.

Jet quality: straight and homogenous jet penetrates deeper.

Perforation Charge Arrangement
 Perforating Gun Types
Retrievable: the charges are positioned within a steel cylinder. Within the
carrier, each charge is surrounded by air at surface pressure, and is aligned
with a threaded port plug or a thinner portion of the carrier wall (scallop gun).

Semi-expendable: the charges are conveyed into the well on a retrievable metal
strip or wire carrier (used in through-tubing operations where gun size is an
important factor).

Fully expendable: the charge cases and carrier linkage disintegrate and only the
wireline is retrieved (again, used in through-tubing operations).
Perforating Guns

(a) threaded port plugs; (b) scallop gun).

 Retrievable vs. Expendable
Retrievable carriers:
Advantages: Reliable, strong, P&T resistant, clean, non-damaging, indicate
firing.
Disadvantages: difficult to run, smaller charges.

Expendable carriers:
Advantages: Cheaper, light & flexible, more penetration (comparable with same
retrievable gun).
Disadvantages: damage casing, less P&T resistant.
 Wireline Conveyed Casing guns
These guns are largely constrained by two factors:
(1) The gun diameter must be less than the casing
inside diameter. This allows a large diameter gun
to be used and hence large charges.
(2) The length of gun is defined by either the weight
which can safely be suspended by the wireline or
by the length of lubricator into which the gun will
be retrieved after perforating in underbalanced
conditions.
Wireline Conveyed Casing guns
Retrievable hollow carrier guns:
Casing ranges from 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm) up to 5 in. (12.7 cm).
A running clearance of 0.5 in. (1.3 cm) is a typical rule-of-thumb
allowance for trouble-free entry.
Common design: 4SPF.
Length limit: 30-40 ft for large diameter guns, and 60-80 ft for small
diameter guns.

Expendable and semi-expendable guns:

Casing ranges from 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm) up to 4 in. (10 cm).
Length is much longer (up to several hundred of feet).
Wireline Conveyed ThroughTubing guns
Be run in after the well mechanically complete & the equip
pressure tested, the well can be perforated under drawdown.
Wireline Conveyed ThroughTubing guns
Through-tubing guns have smaller diameters than casing guns to
allow passage through tubing or small-diameter casing strings.

Carrier swelling (due to the force of explosion) may be reduced

by maintaining a minimum hydrostatic pressure on the gun during
firing (0 and 500 psi in liquid and 500 to 4500 psi in gas-filled
boreholes).
 Tubing-Conveyed Perforating guns
TCP:
o the assembly of a perforating gun on the end of drill pipe string, production tubing or coiled
tubing and its lowering and positioning in the wellbore prior to detonation.
o The technique has increased rapidly in both application and development during the 1970s and
is now widely employed.
o After detonation, the gun can either be pulled from the well or detached to drop into the wellbore
sump below the perforated interval.

Deployment Options
o Running the guns with a conventional drill stem test assembly.
o The gun could be run attached to the base of the completion string tailpipe below the packer.
The string would be run into the hole, landed off, the packer set and the gun detonated under
drawdown. Normally, the guns would be detached and dropped into the sump.
o Running and retrieving the gun on coiled tubing using a CT deployment system
Tubing-Conveyed Perforating guns

Common configuration
for TCP system
 Tubing-Conveyed Perforating guns
Firing Options: When the gun is in position, it can be detonated by:
(1) Mechanical firing: A bar or go-devil can be dropped down the tubing onto a plunger which contacts a blasting
cap on top of the gun.=> unreliable if debris is allowed to accumulate on top of the firing head.
(2) Hydromechanical: the annulus can be pressured up and the pressure routed through a bypass valve above the
packer, onto a series of shear pins on the firing head. Once a differential pressure is exerted sufficient to
shear the pins, the firing pin is driven down against the detonator. => more reliable than in deviated wellbores
(3) Wireline firing: a special wet connect is run on wireline after the guns are positioned. -> attaches to the firing
head which can then be fired by passing an electrical current down the cable from surface.=> besides surface
pressure being created on successful firing, there are also electrical indications at the surface.

TCP Gun Disposal:

o After detonation the gun can be dropped. However, if it is decided to flow the well either before detaching the
gun, or if it is intended to retrieve the gun, a vent assembly or perforated joint must be provided below the
packer where fluid can enter the flow string.
Tubing-Conveyed Perforating guns
Advantages:
o Combines large gun size with high negative pressure
differential.
o Allows easier perforation of long pay intervals.
o Allows easier perforation of highly deviated wells.

Disadvantages:
o Impossible to confirm individual charge detonation.
o Needs significant rat-hole to receive guns after firing,
unless guns are to be retrieved.
o Added expense, particularly when perforating a few
small zones over a large interval.
 API Testing Procedures
Section 1: The surface field test is carried out in a section of casing cemented inside a
concrete drum.

Section 2: The laboratory flow test is carried out using a Berea sandstone target that is
cemented inside a core holder designed to permit flow through the perforation.

Section 3:The elevated temperature and pressure test involves (a) firing a gun into a steel
target after exposing the gun to rated temperature conditions for a specified time period; (b)
testing the resistance of gun components to automatic self-detonation; (c) confirming
satisfactory detonation transfer between guns; (d) testing the pressure resistance of gun
components.

Section 4:The flow test is an optional test that measures perforation flow performance on a
Berea core or other rock sample, under simulated, site-specific downhole conditions.
Section 1 Testing

Measured values:
casing hole diameter
(short axis, long axis,
average)

total penetration

burr height

depth to debris or
bullet
Section 1 Testing

Courtesy of Schlumberger
 Section 2 Testing
Performance in stressed Berea sandstone targets (simulated
wellbore pressure test conditions)
Effect of overburden or confining stress to be evaluated. The data
from this test can be extrapolated to penetration in any reservoir of
knowncompressive strength using:

Ct = Compressive strength of test material, psi

Cf = Formation rock compressive strength, psi.
Pt = Penertration measured in API test, inches.
Pf = Penetration predicted for formation rock, inches.

The core flow efficiency (CFE):

ko = original target permeability measured prior to perforating (saturated with salt water and then flowed with kerosene, generally 100 to
300 md for Berea)
kp = perforation permeability measured after perforating and backflow using kerosene
ki = effective permeability of a Berea sample with an "ideal" (drilled) perforation of the same length as that in the perforated target
Section 3 Testing
Temperature/Time test of explosive components.

Obtain hole size, penetration in steel targets and

compare them with performance at ambient
conditions.

Evaluate systems liability at rated

pressure/temperature.

Seal failure, hardware deformation, and collapse at

1.05 times the rated pressure.
Section 4 Testing
Flow performance of a
perforation under specific
stressed test condition.
Flow test of a confined rock
target.
Single shot.
Data obtained:
Core Flow Efficiency (CFE).
Permeability Reduction
Factor (PRF).
Perforating Gun Design

(courtesy of Schlumberger)
 Operational Considersations
Surface Pressure Equiptment
Depth Correlation
Safety Procedures
Gun Length/Perforated Interval
Perforating Multiple Zones
Temperature Effects
Casing Damage
Gun Orientation
Charge Quality