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A-ell-Completion Data + J

S. F. BOWLBY*
ARS TRACT
htating that ulodertl trchnic[uc and c q u i p ~ l ~ e l l]la\ t e o l a field accordir~g to the I I I ~ Srceeut
111t~11t ~ ad~a~lcez
d o i l lllau to attempt c o r ~ ~ p l e t i o unsh i e h would
c ~ ~ a b l cthc illtechnique, aud illustrates the lrlarlller ill which such
have- bec.11 iulpobsiblc a few >Care ago-particularl? on data nlay be recorded graphically i n order that they
account o f the greater depths to which ruploration uon I Irlay have the greatest utility. In the kecpiug o f records
i- carried. as nc.11 a* that t,pc.s o f rc.cr\oirs n h i r h arc. ;IIIC~ thr arscmbli~lg o l data. usability s l ~ o u l d 11t. thcb
e ~ ~ c o ~ u r t c r e d - t h c author prc.se11t~ thc t,l)e. o f data kcsyl~ote ill all irlstanct.~.
which artL rrt1uirt.d for the 111o.t t . c t ~ ~ ~ t , ~ ~clt.rc.lol)- ~irnl I

I n i'ecent years iin[)i.oven~e~tts in drilling and coml)le-


tion technique, a s well a s the introduction of electrical
: heen negligible, a s it is evident t h a t it is no longer
I l~ossible to drill a well into such a reservoil and
measui,ing tlevices, have placed a t the disposal of tho I
1,i.oduce i t by rule-of-thumb practices of long standing-.
oil industl,>- a set of tools \~*hichrequires ap1)reciahlc These l~racticesstill a r e used in many cases. Hoivever,
coi~i~elation and accuracy in o ~ , d eto
r be of inaxiinuni use untler the difficult conditioils n~entioned,the effo1.t~of
I
a n d 111,ofit--more so because of the conditions of greater i' t l x operator to obtain a profitable well will result
depths to which exploration and exploitation ~ i o ~a rve
being carlied. Furthermore, stringent curtailinent of
1)roductioii tends to obliterate and cover up c1.roi.s
1 successfully only a f t e r he has taken full advantage 02'
the help offered by niodern science.
A better understanding of the reservoir and its con-
v-hich sometiines a r e niade i l l co1nl)lction in-acticc, in tc?iits, obtained through early and detailed obserratiolls
spitc of tlie most slrillful engineering technique; and 1 and proper interpretation, has made it possible to take
it is ~ i o tuntil large investments have been matie t h a t 1 immediate action in determining the best coml~letioti
such c , i ~ o r shecolne erideiit. I ~)i.ocedure. Although considerable imf)roveinent still
111 the (;ulf Coast al,ea in articular tlie difriculties ill- call he niade in the accuracy of deter~ninationsof thc
11e1.rnt to gi.eatctu tlepths a r e complicated f u r t h e i by the i content of i,ese~voirs,present technique has inatle it
fact t h a t oil is found to satui.ate only a counl>arativel>-- / possible to obtain reliable figures for the ainount of oil
thiii sectioii of a salnd hotly, is r~vcrlainallnost colril)letely ! in place, arid has s h o ~ v nt h a t appreciable quantities of
by gas, aud underlain by \vatel. on all points of tlie 1 water a r e present in the void space of niost oil-bearing
accumulatioi~. These thin oil colunrns, as they oftell a r e I formations. -4s a consequence, i t is anticipated nolv t h a t
called, require sl~ecialatt,ention; because, eve11 if i t is 1 the improved methods of completion and production mill
1)ossiblc for a n operator to tl(:velol), on a \vide s l ~ a c i n g
pattri 11, 111s propet.t~eswl~icli a r e elnblaced h > such a
~~esci,voiu, the coinl)letion technique should he such t h a t
tlie niasinium t11,ainage- both vertical a n d lateral-limy
i
I
1
recover a f a r g r e a t e r percentage of the oil underground
t h a n formerly was considered possible. This is particu-
larly t r u e with regard to the exploitation of high-pi'es-
sure gas-distillate zones, where, if propel. action is take,,
be ol)taiilril. If tlel-t:lol~ment 1)roblems of this n a t u r e
liad ai.iseir a fell- years ago, before the present 1.efi11e-
1 without delay, i t is possible to recover and sa1.e close
to 100 per cent of all hydrocarbons present-therel~y
mei~tx in ineasun~iilg tlevices ant1 com[)letion ~ ) r a c t i c e natural resources to the fullest extent.
liad 11ec.11a.dopted, tlie chariccs of success n-ould have I t follows t h a t a standardized procedure f o r taking
a ~ l d1,ecording d a t a should be developed in each field:
but i t is evident also t h a t no stringent rules can be
I laic1 down a s to t h e aniount and n a t u r e of the d a t a to be
i assembled and preserved, a s this will vary considerably
1 with the coilditioi~sencountered. I n detemlining the na-
1 t u r e of the d a t a to be obtained early in the develo11-

1
11le11tof a field, experience i s of first importance; and
the collectio~lof such d a t a should be under the i~nlnedi-
a t e dil,ection of a l~ersonnel of broad trailling---wen
though i11 r e c e ~ tyears the collection of this data 111s
becon~esome\vhat of a routine procedure.
I t i s f o r this pur1)ose t h a t the following surnunary of
d a t a which can be collected, and the manner in ~vliich
I
they may be l~reserved,has been prepared.
/ (;enerally sl~eaking,records may be of two k i ~ ~ ( l s :
first, the written record, providing the historical back- Until recently i t h a s been necessary, i n order to ob-
ground and including all minor details in the drilling tain the character and content of the formations pene-
of a well; and, second, the graphic record, of which the trated, t o take formation cores with the so-called
well logs and cross-sections a r e examples which, how- "conventional" core barrel, which i s attached to the
ever, have undergone considerable change and improve- drill stem and necessitates a round-trip each time a core
ment on account of t h e advanced technique and greater of a maximum length-seldom exceeding 20 ft.-is
variety of physical constants measured and recorded taken. Such procedure is, and always was, costly. The
thereon. Although the written record is necessary to steadily-increasing depth to which wells, particularly
provide all of t h e details concerning a well, neverthe- exploratory wells, now a r e drilled confronts t h e engineer
less, it is of limited value f o r comparative study and or geologist seeking information with ever-mounting
coordination of d a t a in undertaking difficult comple- cost of obtaining conventional cores. This cost factor,
tions-and i n this instance graphic records a r e indis- recognized a t a r a t h e r early date, i n t u r n h a s led t o t h e
pensable. development and general adoption of wire-line core
I n discussing well-completion data, it will be assumed barrels and practices-until a t this time wire-line cor-
t h a t all of t h e details a s to geologic correlation-such ing i n many instances entirely h a s replaced t h e old-
a s paleontology and structural correlation in connection time conventional core.
with the use of t h e electrical log-already have been Second only to accurate measurements in basic well-
undertaken, a n d t h a t the reader is familiar with t h e completion data, core analyses play a n important p a r t
gi,aphic formation symbols used i n the illustrations. in t h e essential information t o be assembled; and, a s
The primary considerations, therefore, hinge about: will be seen, t h e graphic presentation of such d a t a is
cr, d a t a necessary before t h e actual mechanical comple- of equal importance.
tion can be determined, which, f o r reference, will be I t h a s been general practice until quite recently to
called "basic completion data," and which a r e meant to examine a core a t t h e surface f o r i t s appearance, and
include also such infornlation a s i s necessary to deter- f o r its cut, smell, and taste, and subsequently f o r paleon-
mine well density required and, in general, all factors tological information. I t has become evident, however,
which may influence the development of t h e particular t h a t i n limiting core examinations solely t o these super-
s t r u c t u r e ; b, "actual completion data," pertaining to ficial points, the operator is not obtaining t h e maximum
the mechanical details; and, c , "performance data," information f o r the money which has been spent in cor-
which, of course, a r e proof of the conclusions reached ing-which, even with t h e general adoption of wire-
under u and b. line coring practices, i s still a r a t h e r costly procedure
when compared with drilling. Appreciably more d a t a
BASIC COMPLETION DATA on cores became available when those cores which con-
tained some evidence of petroleum were canned i n air-
T h e necessity of accurately locating a n y sub-surface tight containers and forwarded to a distant laboratory
point in a well, a s well a s the degree of accuracy of the f o r complete analysis. A t present the utilization of lab-
various means of obtaining depth measurements, re- oratories brought directly to the well makes i t pos-
cently h a s been discussed a t some length in a paper sible to make use of these d a t a without a n y delay. How-
entitled "Well-Depth Measurements," by C. E. Reistle, ever, a s the costs of coring in a n y case still a r e im-
Jr. and S. T. Sikes, J r . , dated May 25, 1938.* Of all portant factors in drilling costs, there is a growing
of t h e basic d a t a which a r e necessary t o effect a satis- tendency to rely on t h e electrical log with i t s recent im-
factory completion, particularly the selective comple- provements in lieu of coring and, in case of doubt a s to
tions which now a r e being undertaken, accurate mea- the contents of the horizon penetrated, rely on cores
surements a r e probably t h e most important. The impor- taken from the walls of t h e hole with devices which a r e
tance of proper measurements i s recognized fully when now available. Although the idea of side-wall coring
one considers the attention t h a t mechanical depth-mea- in itself is not new, the devices by which such cores may
suring devices a r e receiving. It i s the writer's opinion be taken, and particularly the technique of operation,
t h a t , even though mechanical devices f o r recording have improved to a considerable degree.
depth are, on the whole, largely satisfactory, never- With the growing use of core analysis in basic com-
theless t h e drill-pipe and sand-line measurements still pletion data, a s well a s a factor in forecasting the
should b'e regarded a s the standard of comparison- performance of the reservoir itself, attention is drawn
inasmuch a s conditions beyond t h e control of the opera- t o the physical constants i n a core which may be
t o r make i t possible to e r r when using mechanical analyzed with accuracy. Foremost among these are,
devices. of course, permeability and porosity-the l a t t e r deter-
I n indicating measurements on the graphic record, mining t h e maximum amount of void space t h a t hydro-
a s well a s in the written record, the maximum amount carbons c a n occupy in a u n i t volume of formation, and
of possible e r r o r should be apparent a t once; e. g., permeability indicating the resistance to extraction of
in Fig. 1, the possible discrepancy of the depth a t which oil-and possibly having a direct influence on the degree
t h e electric log w a s r u n and t h e electric-log depth mea- of saturation of the oil-bearing formations. Aside f r o m
surement itself a r e shown. these two main points i n core analysis, the other major
' I ' r ~ s c n t e da t t h mid-year
~ meeting of the American Petroleum ones may be enumerated a s follows: oil saturation,
I n s t i t u t c , Wichita. Iians.. 31.25 1038 1 Drilling and P r o f l ~ ~ c t i o n
I'rrrctirc, 1838, SO. w a t e r saturation, chloride content, solubility in hydro-
chloric acid, grain size, and colloidal content. rZny one hest in Fig. 2 on the right-hand side of the log-gives
or all of the foregoing analyses to which cores lend a ready reference of basic core data to be used in formu-
themselves niay become of first importance, depending lating actual completions. Particularly in limestone
upoil t h e problem under consideration; and because reservoirs, where porosity and permeability vary con-
electrical logging is affected by these constants also, side1,ably over a short vertical interval, frequently it is
they a r e of certain ustx a s ail aid in interpreting the desirable to include with the graphic log a permeability
electrical log. .4ny or all of these points also lend them- profile (see Fig. 1) a s a distinct aid in a selective
selves to graphic presentatioil. completion; and, further, a s a n aid in correlating
Advances constantly a r e being nladr in core-analysis "pay streaks" within the reservoir.
technique, and a t least one private laboratory operating The electrical log now is used in the majority of areas
or1 a service basis contends that, by coml~arison, in ~ v h e r eexploitation or exploration is carried on, except

I 1
Conlpletiou Record-Limestone Reservoir.
FIG. 1

a great number of cases it now is able to forecast with in those a r e a s where i t is either non-diagnostic due
some degree of accuracy the gas-oil ratio of a particu- to peculiar local conditions, or i s not recognized a s a n
l a r well, and possibly the productivity index a s well. economic necessity. Rather recent developments in
Several operators a r e attempting to make analyses electrical logging have increased its value appreciably,
upon fragmentary drill cuttings, although such work so t h a t i t s use made possible not only a considerable
a s yet appears to be inconclusive. A t the risk of un- advance in completion technique, but in drilling prac-
necessary repetition, it should be stressed t h a t unless tice itself by facilitating t h e adoption of "slim-hole"
cores a r e subject to some sort of analyses other t h a n drilling methods.
those of a superficial nature, a n operator is not receiv- Although there is a vast amount of quantitative a s
ing the most f o r his money. well a s qualitative research work yet to be done in
A method of indicating the cored interval and core electrical logging, nevertheless, the improvements-
recovery itself is shown on the left-hand side of the especially i n connection with the lateral investigation
graphic log in Fig. 1 , a s well a s in some of the diagrams, commonly known a s t h e "third" and "fourth"
other illustrations in this paper. I n this method, curves-materially have aided in the difficult comple-
the yecovered portion is shown solid, and the non-re- tions which now a r e being undertaken; and in many
covered portion is left blank. This manner of record- instances it i s entirely because of the able assistance
ing, when accompanied by the indicated content-shown of such devices t h a t these completions may be effected.
Porositu R esistiviSy

Well-Completion Record-Sand Field.


FIG. 2
'RACTICE
---

T11t.1I. 1121s bec~liargumellt a s to the choice of scales measure of the permeability of the possible procluci~lg
I!. I:(, used for the dctail log of the producing sectio11, horizon. If the d a t a concerning the water lel-el up011
a1111this choice tlel~entlssomewhat ulion t11c scale of the the electrical log a r e confirmed by drill-stem testing,
ovcb~,allelectrical Log itself. Sincc its inception, the the latter need not be repeated until wells a r e c!rilled
clc.ctrica1 log has been furnishtd to tlic ol~c:~.ator trll a in a different structural unit of the field-and 11ossibl;\
sc.alc, of 1 :1(JO ; and a s thest, logs llavc, bee11 uscd 111.i- not then.
marily f o l geological col.relatio11, this scnlc ~voulrlseem The foregoing paragraphs have gix~enconsidei~atiortin
to t ~ re~ltirclysatisfactory. Ho\\-ever, it is to(] small a a general way to the more common basic comlrletion
stair, £01 detailccl study rll' thc, llrotiucirig i ~ l t c ~ , v a l . d a t a and the manner in ~ v l ~ i cthey h should be recol~detl.
Hc~cause this is true, tlir ~ ~ r o d u c i l isp' c t i o ~ ~i~lust be There are, however, ii~stanceswhen special co11side1,:t-
lopg:.cll oil a l a r g e ~ .scale, a i ~ t lit is the \vrite~,'sol~inioil tion is essential. I n linlestoiie producing areas it is
that a scale lnf 1:20 ha? the greatcbst utility with regard believed by some that, \vl~eii coring the l~roclucing
t c ~t~asiccoml~letiondata. This scale, ill mall>-instances, section, the reco\-eries a r e a p t to be selective-the morc-
ivi7l t.11o blc. a co~,l,clatjo~l n-ilhi~ltllc. lu.orluci~lgsc.c.tjo~l r ~ o ~ . o usections
s sul~posetllybeing lost through disinte-
itself. thet~chyg i ~ i n g:i twttc~t u n t l ~ ~ ~ ~ s t a ~to l d ~.rsel.voir
ilig gration while cutting, so t h a t only the tlenscxr, lesa-
ai~onlalit~s.F o r c ~ x a i n l ~ lt( ~l , ~ inil~t.~.viou.-
i ~ ~ s t r a t a , the l~oi,oussections a r e l,ecoveretl. This actually has 11i.ovetI
ide~ltitya ~ l t l\-aluc of a.llicli 1n:l)- )I(& !ost in ~liagnosiiig to t ~ ethe case in some instances; and in order to inl-
?,(.sc,l.\-c~ir conditio~ic ,11! t l i ~ s~nall-scalcl log. Inny h~ 1ll'ove the inforination a s to the character of the 1x11-
:.eadily discer~lit)l(xu11o11the largt,-scale- log. ducing section, dldling-time curyes a r e used, indicatinp
.~Itliouglithc i~~t:.c~.lrl~et>itiol~ of t l i r , c~lecil~icnl log is the actual time r1ecessai.y to drill 5-ft. (10-ft.) i l l
I I I itst.lf a sc[ial.atcLsul).irct, sevc~.al oilit its i l l this con- ~el,\.als. These curvcs, when constl~ucted ulloll a c o ~ i -
Iirctloli a]'!- \\,o~.tliyof coi~sirlcratitrilh ~ r c .I'hc so-called venient scale and iilcluded with the gi.aphic logs, a,<
~l[.l~o.it)-cul.vc. \I-hicii is 1111tainccl11). i.ecol,di~~g the sho\vn in Fig. 4, give some indicatioii a s to the locatic>~~
cslc~ct!-ic. ~ L I , . Icilt ~c.t~cl.at(.(l
! ~ yillfiltration, is actually and extent of the actual l)roduciiig sectior~.
a nllsllonlc~l~-as it vrlatc> 1.:1tlit~1. to l)c~~.~nt~al)ility. This As the fo1.1nations found ill limestone producilig areas
is found to I]? true i l l mail> fielcls n11ci.c thc: so-called a r e indurated, theit cuttings lend themselves \\.ell 10
~nicroscol~iclithological deternlinations, so that a l s l ~
ulron this ]]asis the amount of ~~orous-and, hence.
]~roducing-section may be determinetl to some t,xtent.
cclnltriilt~d~,esistivityof filritlatio~lsand their contents. This is particularly t r u e if the information so o1)tained
Tlicsc d i a g r a n ~ s ,includi~lpt lhe tllii.tl arid f o u r t l ~curves, is indicated ul)on the graphic recortl, a s shown 011 the
:lr:.c ~lcl,t~n(le~it some\vhat u!)oil the: i.t~sistivity of the right-hand side of the formation log in Fig. 4, where
mud fluid in t h r \vt,ll. ?'lic~.c.fo~~e, the 1,esistivity of the the amounts of l~orosityhave been estiinated b~ tht:
muc!. :IS \vc~11 ;IS t l ~ etc~1iil1t.1.atu1.c~ at \ v l ~ i c lsucli
~ niea- obserl-er in each 10-ft. sample. The synlhol on the left-
sut,t.n~c~rlt is ~ n a t l r shoultl
, alil~eal oil the log along with hand side of the log in the same illustration sho\vs th(6
other basic data. Onra of the p~.ir~cipal 1,easons f o r the 1,c~latire a1nou1it.i of good a ~ ~ poor
d l)orosit>. These
adol~tionof the third a ~ I'ourtll ~ d curves was to rectify data, i l l con,iunctio~l \\,it11 the drilling-time curve>,
the! c f T t ~ t sof infiltration from the drilliilg fluid b!. lnea- should give a fairly-good indication a s to the l o c a t i o ~ ~
su~.iilgformation rc~sista~~cct in a larger electrical field and extent of the oil-bearing s t r a t a , through inference:
a~ltl. lieilcr, a t greater laLei.nl lrel~et~.atioll.As the t h a t all porous sections will contain oil or gas.
a n ~ o u ~ of r t such infiItl.ation is d c l ~ e ~ l t l eulroi~
i ~ t the cliar- In t r u e lin~estoiieproducing arcas a stucly of insoluble
acteristicc of the (11.illi11p fluid, its 1)i~oljertiesshould residues f o l l o \ ~ i n gdigestion of the formation sample 11,
tic illdicatetl also ul)oll the g!.aphic lop. hydrochloric acid offers considerable possibilities f o r
X l ~ h o u p h the elect~,icallog canilot tiifferentiatc re- corielation xvithin the reservoir itself, even though thc
lialjly hetween g a s a i ~ r loil, ~t does give a n indication of a c c u i n u l a t i o ~of
~ oil in sonle cases ]nay he ind(bpendc~~t
the \vatci le\-(.I ir! inally cases; ant1 its use in this of local stl,ucturc.
rrJsl1ect Jias I~rcome rnt11c.r ye11'tal. Ho\\-ever, the
Temperature surveys ha\-e a specializetl al~pllcatioli
lily1.iad of variah1c.s \\-liicli ai-fect the rc:sistivity diagram in the co~npletion l~roblem. Although generally useful
pl,ecludes 100-l~er-centaccutxcy i l l such intcl.l~rrtation.
in locating g a s and water, they a r e particulai.ly he111
Expei.ience she\\,$ it to b(, good c111e1.atingpractice to
ful in the foregoilig case of a lilllestone producir~gsec-
car1.y one of the en1.1)- \\-ells in a ne\\:ly-discovered field
tioil, in indicating the 1-ertical esteiit of the gas call. a s
tlo\.-11 lo the \vatel. lel.el--t~.sting progressively a t short
sho~vilin Fig. 5. Generally, t h e electrical log in linle-
i ~ ~ t ~ ~ . mice\ a l s thc
, oil c o l u m ~h~a s been entered, with
stone areas has proved to be of less utility than i t 1 t h t ~
c11,ill-stem testiilg ecluil)n~ellt(see Yip. 2 and 3 ) . This
coastal or sand producing areas. It is hoped, Ilo\x-e\.c~.
c~clui~~meiit, a s \veil a s t h t tecll~~icluc~ of ol~eration,h a s
becon~eacccl~tetiso ~ . c i l c ~ . a l lthat y it i,q s ~ l l e l f l L I 0to
~~ t h a t resea~,chwhich now is being undertaken \\-ill iiv-
gi\ e it f u l t h e r consitleratioll here. Each drill-sten1 rest l)l.ove eithei the interpretation o~ the charactt~c or'
ho\veve~..sl~ouldal)lltx;ll.ili c~l111il)lete detail in the graphic logs in limestone areas. Strangely enough, there already
a r e limestoile 1)roducing areas (e. g., Rodessa tl.encl)
:.i.col.cl a s \\-ell a s the \vrit:c,n record; and although not
i.~~clicatc,rl in the accoml,al~yiupsketches, it is suggested tvhere the electrical log h a s almost a s inuch utility as
t h ~ ~ \\-hen
i. testing in tl~c: oil colunl~l,the l~ottom-hole ill sand areas, and in such cases (see Fip. 1 ) is clssential
c rinc1icatocl alho, a > thtbsr data a1.t. a
t!c,:\-jllg r l l , e ~ s u ~t. ~ ill effecting a selective completion.
Porosity Resistivity
-150 -140 420 -100 -BO -60 -40 -20 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 12 16 18 hlorm~lCurve

Mud Resiskivity 6.lOhmr @89'c


5G - 2.1

--
Sehl. m-2-37
FR. 6905
TD. 6922

Well-Completion Record-Sand Field.


FIG. 3
Well-Cornplction Rcrord-Limestone Field.
FIG. t
POROSITY CURVE RESISTIVITY CURVE

Well-Completion Record-Limestone Field.


FIG. 5
ACTUAL COMPLETION DATA sirable t h a t some standardized procedure be adopted
which i s readily understandable a s well a s usable.
Once t h e basic completion d a t a a r e in hand and have A s f a r a s completion d a t a a r e concerned, it is neces-
been set down progressively and graphically in the s a r y t o give only t h e following information on the
written record, the actual completion may he under- graphic record; and a simple procedure is suggested a t
taken. A s stated initially, d a t a pertailling to the actual the bottom of each of the illustrations, particularly
completion a r e those which involve the mechanical Fig. 4 and 5 :
details of completion itself-such a s setting and cement-
ing casing and testing thereof, the srlttiilg of screen ant1
1. Initial oil production.
2. Initial water production.
liners, production packer, etr., a s well a s shooting and
acidizing. F o r example, Fig. 1 s h o n s t h a t 7-in. casing
3. Initial g a s volume.
4. Choke size.
\\.as cenlented with 350 sacks of cement a t a depth of
.5. Completion date.
5,994 ft. Similarly, Fig. 4 sho\vs t h a t >;-in. casing was
set oil a shoulder a t 4,270 f t . ant1 cr:mented with 275 All other d a t a may be included in the written record,
sacks of cement, and thereafter t,lle shutoff was tested a s it is assumed t h a t more detailed d a t a will be in-
satisfacto1,ily f o r 30 inin. urtdcr 1,000-111. 11ressurc. A cluded in the symbols appearing upon the production
suggested graphic illustration for a liner setting is map.
givc.11 i l l Fig. 2, which indicates the arnoui~tof blank
CONCLUSIONS
and sr.r,cen, a s well a s the gage of the screen and its
location in the \\,ell. Fig. 2 is a n exan11)le showing actual Usability should be the keynote in assembling d a t a
conlpletion d a t a in connection with ?hooting and and keeping records, although admittedly we sometimes
acidizing. In this illustration thc ~)roductionbefore and a r e not aware initially what d a t a ultimately inay be-
after treatment is showr~; allti, i r ~thc case of shooting, come usable and valuable. The d a t a included i n the
the i i l t c r ~ a lshot is iildicatc8d on the right of t h e log. graphic 'ecord should be those only which have a cor-
The figures on the right-ha~irlside of the well column relative value either with regard to other d a t a or
indicate the riumber of feet of 11orous section i n each other wells; and the written record should be unstinting
10-ft. interval. I t should t ~ rrecognized~ that, from thc with regard to all factual details. This is evident
standpoint of analyzing rese1,voir ~erfot~inarlce a t a later when it is realized t h a t the facts a r e buried thousands
datrl, the productivity beforc a s n.c.11 as a f t e r shooting of feet in t h e ground, and may never be repeated in
ancl ncitllzing is of equal ilnpo~~taticr~ to the. c,ngineer exactly the same manner.
m a k ~ i i qsuch a study. The graphic recording of completion d a t a is of
'Lhr, data sti,esscd uiider this discussion iiiay not be growing importance, and thought should be given t o
l~articularlyllecessary ill effc~clingt h e com1)letion itself, standardized procedure f o r the industry to follow-
inabiliuch a s thr. procedure to he followeti has been keeping in mind t h a t only simple time-saving symbols
determined by the basic coi~rpletiond a t a ; nevertheless, should he employed. There a r e several good reasons
it i s of importance t h a t initially they be recorded why the proper recording of completion d a t a is im-
graphically, a s they will 1)e necessary a s a ready portant :
reference during the grotiuctivc, life o f the well and I. Technical-the graphic record i s a tool of t h e engi-
during the renledial wovk which is sure to corn^. neer and geologist and, therefore, should be com-
Here, a s well a s ill basic conipletion data, measure- plete and understandable t o all.
nieilts a r e of first i m ~ ~ o r t a n caes, it is essential t h a t all 2. Scientific-the proper recording of actual f a c t s gives
data he correlated with regard to depth. I t might be the research engineer a background of f a c t which
argued that, i l l planning a selective con~pletion, t h e will eliminate lost motion i n this direction.
final string of casing will I)(! set on hottoin and, there- 3. Legal-the graphic record, with the sub-surface de-
f o ~ ~ ally
, , e r r o r s which may t)r: madt, easily can l)e ductions to be made therefrom, is admitted a s
rectified. Greater flexibility in ~ ~ r o c e d u ris, e of course, evidence in conclusion.
one of t h e reasons f o r so setting casing; but t h e opera-
This paper i s intended only to convey certain sug-
to!, inlmediately is confronted with t h e necessity of gestions a s to procedure, particularly i n the matter of
accurate measurement in qun perforating. I t is the assembling d a t a and keeping records; and, naturally,
1vritt:r's suggestion that, in additiori to t h e excellent is not all-inclusive. I t i s hoped, however, t h a t i t may
measuring devices enlployed in such work, the actual enable f u r t h e r discussions along the same line.
perforating depth be checked from a fixed point, the
depth of which h a s been predetermined by drill pipe or
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
casing. When this is impossible, i t would seem advisable
t.11 stat a plug a t a l~ositivcpoint f o r reference. The writer wishes to acknowledge the helpful sug-
gestions of Dr. 0. Wilhelm and Mr. A. F. van Ever-
PERFORMANCE DATA dingen i n t h e preparation of this paper.

Performance records and d a t a , of course, a r e kept DISCUSSION


automatically during the l ~ f eof a well. However, a s
f a r a s completion d a t a a r e concerned, such d a t a should M. E. Montrose (Lane-Wells Company) : This is
be very brief; and ~t is sufficient t o say t h a t it is de- one of the well-prepared papers giving valuable informa-
tion on "well-completion data." Importance of reliable 6, electric-logging measurements which may vary with:
measurements quickly is recognized in the "selective a, cable diameters, b, speeds of running in or out,
completion of oil wells," which calls for setting casing c, stretch in new rubber cables, d , well curvatures;
through producing zones, cementing, and then gun per- 7 , gun-perforating measuring-line depths which must
forating for production. Frequently the zones to be have definite relationships to drill-pipe, electric-logging,
perforated are extremely thin, and a t great depths. and tubing measurements.
Although drill-pipe measurements generally are ac- Our direct experience with wire-line depth measure-
cepted a s accurate, there are several factors which may ments-involving particularly electric-logging and gun-
cause errors of drill-pipe depth measurements, such as: perforating cables-has resulted in detailed and pro-
1, adding or omitting a full joint, stand, or sub; 2, gressive research, the result of which steadily is elimi-
wrong point taken a s zero; 3, reading or calling num- nating measuring difficulties on electric-logging and
bers incorrectly; 4, calling "inches" when tape is divided perforating problems with special reference to "well
into decimals, or vice versa; 5, precision of measurement, completions by the selective technique."
the human element, pull on tape, wind effect, etc.; and, Some companies have adopted a program of welding
6, whether pipe is measured on the rack or in the
a steel ring or baffleplate a t or near the bottom of
elevators.
the casing string so that, regardless of whether the
In selective well-completion work the importance of
cement finally is drilled out with drill pipe or tubing,
"wire-line" measurement * also is present. Consider
the number of different measurements involved in prac- the final bottom of the well is a t the steel ring or
tically every well, for example: baffle. This point then becomes the permanent bottom
Drill-pipe depths: 1, the original depth of the hole; a s f a r a s measurement records are concerned. From
2, the casing depth; 3, the height of cement before the information I have been able to obtain from opera-
drilling out; 4, the final drilling depth, which may be tors using this practice, i t appears that this practice
determined from measurements on drill pipe or tubing- has been a satisfactory means of settling many ques-
the latter frequently bringing on erroneous depth due to tions of measurement discrepancies, and agreeably has
tubing stretch and,/or makeup a s compared with drill been accepted a s a permanent well-bottom measurement.
pipe. I t is understood that this procedure is for wells that
Wire-line depths: 5 , piano wire-line measurements; are "selectively completed," i. e., when blank casing is set
-
through the producing zone, cemented, and then gun
Also, C. IZ; Reistle Jr. and S. T. Sikes Jr. "Well-Depth
~ l e a s u r e m e n t s , ~ r i l l i n ba n b Production. ~ r a d t t c c~ S 80.
Q perforated for production.

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