Scribd
Upload
131 views2 pages

Uses of Packers

The document discusses the uses and components of packers used in oil and gas wells. Packers are used to provide a seal between the tubing and casing, support the tubing string, allow for optimal flow rates, protect the casing from corrosion, separate production zones, and facilitate well control and artificial lift. Packers have four key components - slips, a cone, packing elements, and a body. Packers can also be classified as either retrievable or permanent, with permanent packers only removable by milling and retrievable packers removable through tubing manipulation but possibly requiring resetting.

Uploaded by

Vivek Apte
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
131 views2 pages

Uses of Packers

The document discusses the uses and components of packers used in oil and gas wells. Packers are used to provide a seal between the tubing and casing, support the tubing string, allow for optimal flow rates, protect the casing from corrosion, separate production zones, and facilitate well control and artificial lift. Packers have four key components - slips, a cone, packing elements, and a body. Packers can also be classified as either retrievable or permanent, with permanent packers only removable by milling and retrievable packers removable through tubing manipulation but possibly requiring resetting.

Uploaded by

Vivek Apte
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Uses of packers

In addition to providing a seal between the tubing and casing, other aspects of a packer are as follows:

 Prevent downhole movement of the tubing string, generating considerable axial tension or compression
loads on the tubing string.
 Support some of the weight of the tubing where there is significant compressive load on the tubing string
 Allows the optimum size of well flow conduit (the tubing string) to meet the designed production or injection
flowrates
 Protect the production casing (inner casing string) from corrosion from produced fluids and high pressures
 Can provide a means of separating multiple producing zones
 Provided the tubing string and packer maintain integrity, well control is focussed on the tubing flow,
allowing the downhole safety valve to shut-off flow fron the reservoir.
 Hold well-servicing fluid (kill fluids, packer fluids) in the casing annulus.
 Facilitate artificial lift, such as continuous gas lifting through the A-annulus.

Packer components
Packers have four key features:

 Slip
 Cone
 Packing-element system
 Body or mandrel.

The slip is a wedge-shaped device with wickers (or teeth) on its face, which penetrate and grip the casing wall
when the packer is set. The cone is beveled to match the back of the slip and forms a ramp that drives the slip
outward and into the casing wall when setting force is applied to the packer. Once the slips have anchored into
the casing wall, additional applied setting force energizes the packing-element system and creates a seal
between the packer body and the inside diameter of the casing.

Packer classification
Production packers can be classified into two groups:

 Retrievable
 Permanent.

Permanent packers
Permanent packers can be removed from the wellbore only by milling. The retrievable packer may or may not
be resettable, but removal from the wellbore normally does not require milling. Retrieval is usually
accomplished by some form of tubing manipulation. This may necessitate rotation or require pulling tension on
the tubing string.

The permanent packer is fairly simple and generally offers higher performance in both temperature and
pressure ratings than does the retrievable packer. In most instances, it has a smaller outside diameter (OD),
offering greater running clearance inside the casing string than do retrievable packers. The smaller OD and the
compact design of the permanent packer help the tool negotiate through tight spots and deviations in the
wellbore. The permanent packer also offers the largest inside diameter (ID) to make it compatible with larger-
diameter tubing strings and monobore completions.
Retrievable packers
The retrievable packer can be very basic for low pressure/low temperature (LP/LT) applications or very
complex in high pressure/high temperature (HP/HT) applications. Because of this design complexity in high-
end tools, a retrievable packer offering performance levels similar to those of a permanent packer will invariably
cost more. However, the ease of removing the packer from the wellbore as well as features, such as
resettability and being able to reuse the packer often, may outweigh the added cost.

You might also like