DRILLING PRACTICES
JARS AND ACCELERATORS
• Types of Drilling Jars
• Successful use of Jars
• Forces required to fire Jars
• Accelerators
• Jar and Accelerator positioning
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DRILLING PRACTICES
DRILLING JARS
• Two basic types of jar available
(1) Hydraulic: Impact is a combination of load and time.
(2) Mechanical: Impact is load dependant.
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DRILLING PRACTICES
Successful Use of Jars
Reasons a jar may fail to fire:
• Incorrect weight applied, calculations incorrect.
• Pump open force exceeds compression force to fire jar down.
• Stuck above the jar.
• Jar mechanism failed.
• Jar not cocked.
• Drag does not allow sufficient force to be applied to fire jar (usually mechanical jars).
• Well path prevents compression being applied to down jar action.
• Jar has fired but unable to detect at surface.
• Right hand torque is trapped in torque set mechanical jars.
• Not waiting long enough for jar to fire.
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DRILLING PRACTICES
Forces Required to Fire Jars
All jars have a firing force envelope for each direction they fire in:
The firing force envelope consists of two forces:
• One to cock the jar.
• One to fire the jar.
A dual acting jar has two force envelopes:
• One for down jarring.
• One for up jarring.
The jar envelope forces can be considered at the jar or at the surface.
The rig teams job is to estimate the surface firing force envelopes.
Forces applied to cock and fire a jar on the test bench are forces at the jar.
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DRILLING PRACTICES
Up Jar Envelope Jar Envelope
Ja
400
Jar fires
do r co
wn ck
ed
to
fir
up
e
200 600
Down Jar Jar
c oc k
Envelope ed
to f
ire
u p
o wn
res d
Jar fi
0 Weight 800
Indicator
X 1000 lbs
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DRILLING PRACTICES
Pump-Open Force Oppose cocking the
Assist firing the jar up
jar after firing up
Assist cocking the jar
after firing down Oppose firing
the jar down
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DRILLING PRACTICES
ACCELERATORS
The functions of a drilling accelerator:
• Compensate for lack of stretch in a short string.
• Compensate for slow contraction of the drill string due to drag.
• Act as a shock reflector to the shock wave travelling up the drill string from
the jar blow.
• To intensify the jar blow.
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DRILLING PRACTICES
JAR AND ACCELERATOR POSITIONING
Considerations:
• Likely places for sticking to occur.
• Most likely jarring direction required.
• Wellbore contact and differential sticking.
• Position of axial neutral point when drilling with max WOB.
• Depth of hole section.
• Drag in hole section.
• Minimum allowable measured weight for plastic buckling when not rotating.
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DRILLING PRACTICES
JAR AND ACCELERATOR POSITIONING
Guidelines for vertical wells:
(1) Jar must be placed above buckling neutral point even when max WOB is applied.
(2) There should be at least two drill collars above the jars.
(3) Jars should have differential sticking prevention subs fitted if this is a risk.
(4) No stabilisers should be placed above the jars.
(5) Use accelerators in shallow hole section. Ensure cocking and firing jar is possible
before running.
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DRILLING PRACTICES
JAR AND ACCELERATOR POSITIONING
Guidelines for Deviated and Horizontal wells:
(1) Do not run jars buckled. Avoid placing jars in the pressure area neutral point
(2) If using two jars or two jars with an accelerator, be fully aware how to use the system.
(3) Jars should have differential sticking prevention subs fitted if this is a risk.
(4) Calculate measured weight reading at the jar for cocking and firing as drag may
prevent seeing the jars open and close on the weight indicator.
(5) A common problem is getting sufficient force to a horizontally placed jar to fire down.
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