Testing Tubing while POOH

[Grunt2Engineer]

Hello all,

This is my first post and I can guarantee I will have plenty more with ignorant questions and absurd proposed methods.
I will be recompleting a rather old well (last wellbore diagram was in 2010). I have watched a rig test tubing before but cannot recall the most efficient method.
Tubing is 2-3/8" 4.7# N-80, Packer is 4-1/2" Arrow-Set 1-X.
I will need to unseat and POOH w/ packer anyway to set CIBP & cement in the 4-1/2" casing.
Is their any method that would allow me to test tubing integrity using rig pump and pumping down casing and capping each joint of tubing with bull plug and pressure gauge?
Or another variation using the wireline truck? As always I am trying to do this safely and cost-effectively.

 

[sraesttam]

Are you trying to verify that you just don't have a hole in your tubing or trying to verify tubing integrity for an upcoming pressure pumping job? Do you have open perfs above the packer? Can you just hook up a rig pump / kill truck to the backside and test the casing, packer, and tubing at the same time? Are the casing and tubing pressures equalized?

Since you have an arrowset packer (that can be set in compression, neutral, or tension) it is likely that this equipment was run with an on/off tool and a profile nipple. This is usually done so that you can set a plug in the profile nipple, release from the on/off tool, leave the packer in the hole to act as a plug, and pull the tubing. This works out really well when you don't need to release the packer.(The plugs are set and removed with slickline.) You could install a plug in the profile nipple, pressure up on your tubing, and test it that way. Though, by the time you round trip slickline twice you could just pay for a regular hydrostatic test truck since you're pulling the tubing anyway. The advantage to this method is that you can do it without a rig on location. I only go through the trouble of setting a plug in the profile nipple on injection / disposal wells so that I can determine if I have a hole in tubing or a leaking packer / hole in casing so that I can develop a game plan before the rig arrives.

Another thing you could do is to put a seat nipple at the bottom of your tubing string when you run in (if you're making a bit trip / scraper run), drop a standing valve, load and test your tubing, and pull the standing valve with the sandline so that you don't have to pull wet tubing.

If I'm about to acidize a well under a packer through the existing production tubing (not a work string or brand new tubing) I always recommend hydrotesting the tubing in the hole to a higher pressure than the pop off valve set pressure. I think of this as designing safety into the job.

I have never seen each joint capped to test tubing that is not laying on pipe racks. Though, I'm sure it happens somewhere in the world.

My standard procedure is to EMI scan tubing out of the hole and hydrotest back in so that I have covered all of the bases. I think the going rate in west Texas is about $7 / joint for EMI testing and $1200/day for hydrostatic testing. By hydrotest I mean using a tubing testing truck that has "testing bars". The test bars are lowered into each stand of pipe while it's in the slips and then a hose is connected and the joints are pressure up to 5,000 - 8,000 PSI for a few seconds. They run the test bars in the tubing while the elevators are heading up so it doesn't burn a lot of rig time.

I hope this helps.

 

[Grunt2Engineer]

Thank you sraesttam.

The one I witnessed was in fact a hydro testing truck which is why I remember it being easier than capping each joint.

A recent workover by another company that we work alongside at times said they used an EMI scan and would recommend the scan over the hydro test. We are in South Texas, so I am sure the rates are somewhat similar.