All About Pipe Recovery Operations

A pipe can be stuck in a downhole or wellbore during the drilling process and workover operations that lead to increases in downtime and production cost of the task. 

When the pipe gets stuck then, a quick resolution is needed to get back the work at its speed. So pipe recovery should be made, which is a wireline process that is used in oil and gas fields to release the stuck pipe in a downhole. With the help of specialized tools, wireline techniques and professional oil field services the stuck pipe can be separated from the free drill string.

Reasons that lead to stuck of pipe in the wellbore are:

• Difference between the pressure of drilling fluid and downhole.
• When pulling up the pipe, due junk in the good hole it gets
• Insufficient hole cleaning after cutting and drilling process cause a hole to pack off and pipe gets stuck in well.
• The shale formation during drilling become unstable and finally fall into the annuls, which cause a jam in the pipe.
• Excessive rock stress can collapse the hole resulting in a stuck
• Key seating is also a major cause for mechanical sticking of the pipe.
• Increase of drag and pump pressure during drilling.

Ways To Prevent Or Release A Stuck Pipe from a wellbore

With The Help Of Electric Wireline:

It is the tool which provides pipe recovery services as with the help of this you can cut the portion of the stuck pipe in the well.

Before cut the portion of the stuck pipe, you should judge the place and position of the sticking tool with the help of wireline log tools.

Backing Off Pipe With The Help Of Indicator:

Backing off the string refers to separating of free pipe from the stuck pipe. If pipe gets stuck at some point in well then, put down the indicator tool to get the location of stuck string. This tool will work by measuring the tension and torque on every point of the pipe. At the location of stuck pipe it will give zero reading. Once you locate the position of the stuck portion, make it free from rest of the portion of the string with the help of back off methods.

Fishing:

It is an operation used to release or remove the stuck pipe and any other suspended material from well bore. There are many fishing tools available such as spear, overshoot, junk mill and boost basket that can help you to recover the stuck string with different methods.

A spear is a tool that can fit within the pipe and help to grip the pipe from inside. However overshoot tool grips the pipe from outside and help to bring it up from the well.

There are some preventive steps that you should follow to protect your string from getting stuck:

• Do not apply much force through a tight spot in well on drilling pipe
• Keeps the drill string moving as much as possible in open hole.
• Do regular wiper trips according to the hole conditions.
• Monitor mud chlorides and mud resistivity regularly to avoid any swelling inside the well.
• Remove the drill cuttings properly before insert string inside the well

You should follow the above mention tips to free the stuck pipe. Recovery operation can be done properly with the combined help of recovery and wireline log tools. Log tools will help in measuring the depth and location of the stuck string whereas the recovery tool will help to get back the string portion or to make the string free from the stuck pipe.

You should also take some preventive measure initially before start drilling or lodging to avoid any stuck problem in wellhole.