Job Planning and Record Keeping
In fishing jobs, the customer is looking to you to provide an assessment of the problem and a plan for resolving the problem. They will need you to respond as quickly and as efficiently as possible so that they can resume productive operations. You will earn their confidence by being professional, thorough, and precise in your planning, coordination, and execution of fishing operations.
At the end of the job, the customer will expect to be charged a fair price for fishing services. In order to satisfy this need, you will need to plan an efficient operation and keep accurate records of equipment used and services performed.
Topics
1. Job Planning
2. Scheduling Personnel and Equipment
3. Management on Location
4. Determining the Amount DOK Required to Reach the Fish
5. Determining the Kelly Bushing (KB) Measurement
6. Maintaining an Accurate Fish Location
7. Maintaining the Tally Book
8. Post-Job Procedures
- Job Planning
A successful fishing jobs start with excellent job planning. You will need to do extensive research about the fish and hole conditions before the job is even started. Appropriate paperwork must be maintained throughout all phases of the job, including the planning stage.
Proper preparation ensures that:
1. The best option for fishing is determined
2. Time and money are not wasted on an unfishable job
3. Equipment, personnel, and other assets are available when needed.
In planning for a job, you will need to:
1. Gather important information about the job
2. Determine the dimensions of the fish
3. Develop a fishing plan
4. Obtain approval for the fishing plan
5. Schedule personnel and equipment for the operation.
Several important details should be obtained about the company, job location, well parameters, work string, fish, and the operation at the time of the incident. Important questions to ask include:
1. What are the hole size, angle, and depth?
2. What are the size, weight, and depth of all casings and liners?
3. What are the connections on the work string and drill collars?
4. What is the depth and condition of the top of the fish?
5. Does the job require jars? Are there jars in the hole? If so, are they working?
Additionally, you should request that a copy of the bottom hole assembly (BHA) be faxed to you. This document will list everything that is included in the BHA along with the specifications for each part. This will be especially important for you to be familiar with because it is often what you will be fishing out. When you have gathered all of the job information, research previous fishing jobs with similar characteristics. The documentation from these jobs may help you to anticipate problems that may be encountered and learn about some of the best practices that have been used.
It is very important to determine all possible dimensions of the fish. This can be done by obtaining a complete well profile, if one is available.
The following information should be included in the well profile:
1. OD, ID, and length of the fish
2. OD, ID, and length of the fishing tool assembly
3. OD, ID, and length of the work string
4. location of the top of the fish
5. tensile and torsional strengths of everything that is run into the hole. The strength of the fish must be either memorized or noted in a readily accessible location. You may need to pull this information quickly and not have the time to calculate or research maximum pull values. Remember that pull strength is 80% of the tensile strength. Other resources for information about the fish include the composite catalog, technical manuals, and manufacturer’s drawings. These resources can provide you with the critical points of recovering, burning over, or milling up the fish. One of the first steps in planning a fishing operation is studying how the manufacturer recommends releasing or picking up the
specific tool.
Important: You should have an exact replica of the fish (e.g., same type packer, etc.) delivered to the location. It is far more valuable than drawings, specification sheets, or photos.
2. Scheduling Personnel and Equipment
When determining the personnel and equipment requirements of the job, consider previous jobs and possible complications of the job. You may decide to obtain standby commitments for assets that might be required to
successfully complete the job if the operation does not proceed as initially planned.
The phone number of a contact person on the rig should be secured in case of any delay or problem lining up the tools. Get good directions to the rig or boat dock and give the company man a reasonable ETA.
