Single-String Installation

In most small-diameter, rotary-drilled wells completed in unconsolidated sediments,

the screens are attached directly to the bottom of the casing. Screens that are smaller in

diameter than the casing can be welded or threaded directly to the casing by mounting a

cone adaptor or flared weld ring to the top of the screen. Screens that are the same size

as the casing can be welded or threaded directly to the bottom of the casing.

The casing and screen are then set in the hole and the drilling fluid is thinned. If the

drilling fluid is not thinned, the fluid may not enter the screen as it is lowered into the

borehole. High differential pressures can then be created, which may be sufficient to

collapse the screen. Under these conditions, it is prudent to fill the screen with water

when it is placed in the borehole. For naturally developed wells, the formation is

induced to cave in around the screen and casing immediately after the screen is set.

When wells are filter packed, the pack material is placed before the formation is

induced to cave.

A string of casing and well screen is a slender, flexible column with a high ratio of length

to diameter (Figure 14.13). For a 200 ft (61 m) string that is 12 in (350 mm) in

diameter, the ratio of length to diameter is 200 to 1, which is about the same as a 12-in

(305 mm) length of 1/16 in (1.5 mm) wire. A string of casing and well screen of this

slenderness has little column strength without lateral support. When the casing and

screen are installed in an open hole without side support from the subsurface

formations, it is always best to suspend the string from the surface during installation

without resting the column on the bottom. As soon as lateral support is attained from

the subsurface formations or by placement of the filter Pack or formation stabilizer, the

full Weight of the column may be released safely. Failure to observe this precaution may
result in a collapsed or crooked well. Centralizers are extremely effective in maintaining

proper alignment, and are recommended for all screens that are more than 20 ft (6.1 m)

long.

Figure 14.13. Long strings of screens must be handled with care both before and after

being placed in the ground.

To prevent clay-rich material above the aquifer from sloughing next to the screen

during natural development, a formation stabilizer is often installed (Figure 14.14). The

formation stabilizer holds the clay in place until the materials cave against the stabilizer.

The size gradation of a stabilizer should be similar to the formation material or a little

coarser. In most cases, however, a formation stabilizer is not needed if the borehole is

only slightly larger than the screen and the top of the screen is placed 3 ft (0.9 m) or

more below any clay zone. If a formation stabilizer is not used and there is a large

annulus, shale catchers can be mounted on the casing to prevent sloughing.

Figure 14.14. A formation stabilizer can be placed next to the well screen to prevent

uncontrolled sloughing of the formation against the well screen.

FILTER PACKED WELLS

Many wells drilled by cable tool or rotary methods are designed for a filter pack,

thereby altering the screen installation process. Filter-packed wells differ from

naturally developed wells in that an envelope of specially graded sand or gravel is

placed around the well screen to a predetermined thickness. This takes the place of the

graded zone of permeable material that is produced by the natural development

process. Both types of wells, when properly constructed, are efficient and stable. The
geologic conditions, availability of suitable filter pack materials, drilling method, and

type of screen determine whether a filter pack should be used.

The thickness of the filter pack is a primary factor in the effectiveness of the

development procedures taking place at the interface of the pack and formation. The

minimum practical thickness for the pack is 3 in (76 mm). Filter packs thicker than 8 in

(203 mm) are not recommended, because the effectiveness of the development

procedures may be impaired.

Selection and Placement of Filter Pack

It is important to select a filter pack that will not segregate, because sand pumping can

result if fine and coarse particles become separated during placement. It can be

demonstrated that a round particle of a given size and density falls through water four

times faster than a round particle half as large and with the same density. If filter pack

material that is uniformly graded from 1/16 in (1.6 mm) to 1/8 in (3.2 mm) is allowed

to fall through water as separate grains, the 1/8-in grains will reach the bottom of the

well in one-fourth the time required for the 1/16-in grains. Thus, well-sorted filter pack

material is less apt to segregate than is pack material with a wide range of particles

sizes. Sand and gravel mixtures with uniformity coefficients greater than 2.5 are difficult

to place without undesirable separation of coarse and fine fractions (see Chapter 12).

All filter pack materials should be treated with a bactericide, usually chlorine, before

placement to insure that the well does not become contaminated. All water used in the

filter pack operation and any tools or pieces of installation equipment should also be

treated with a 50 mg/l free-chlorine solution before use. Whenever possible, the drilling

fluid should be thinned before placing the pack material.

Use of a tremie pipe to install the filter pack will minimize the tendency for particle

separation and bridging; this is the preferred method for filter pack placement,

especially for packs with high uniformity coefficients. A string of 2-in (51-mm) or larger

pipe is lowered into the annular space to be filter packed. The filter pack material is fed

into a hopper at the well head (Figure 14.15). A liberal supply of water should be

introduced with the filter pack to help prevent bridging of the material in the pipe. A

typical ratio of water to pack material is 5 to 10 gal ( 19 to 38 l) for each 1 ft 3 (0.03 m3)

of pack material when a 2-in (51-mm) tremie pipe is used. The tremie system is

practical for placing the filter pack in shallow to moderately deep wells [to 2,000 ft {610

m)]. In some cases, filter pack material may be pumped through the tremie pipe along

with the water stream instead of being driven by gravity.

Figure 14.15. A filter pack can be placed in the annular space between inner and outer

casings by using a small hopper attached to the top of a tremie pipe. Water is introduced

into the tremie to prevent bridging of the pack material. (Lang Well Drilling)

During installation of the pack, the tremie pipe is raised periodically as the filter

material builds up around the well screen. The tremie pipe or a weighted line inserted

through the tremie can be used to feel the top of the filter pack and to measure the

depth to the pack as the work progresses.

Another method to determine whether the filter pack has been placed correctly involves

using a short piece of telltale (tattletale) screen installed above the production screen.

In the filter pack operation, filter pack and water are pumped directly into the annulus,

with the return flow passing into the screen and then to the surface through the drill

pipe or casing used to suspend the screen assembly. The top of the casing must be

sealed tightly to the drill pipe so a pressure gauge can be used to estimate the level of
filter pack around the screen. As soon as the level of the material reaches the top of the

production screen, the pressure increases somewhat. This is followed by an abrupt

pressure rise when the material fills in around the telltale screen. Because filter pack is

still falling in the borehole and will add to the filter pack around the screen, the operator

stops the filter-pack feed at the moment the filter pack reaches the top of the telltale

screen. Knowing the volume of filter pack in suspension and the volume of water in the

annular space, the operator can calculate the depth to the top of the filter pack material

after all of it has been carried into the space around the riser pipe above the telltale

screen.

Figure 14.16. Continuous-feed hoppers facilitate the installation of large volumes of

pack material. (W. Hoffstetter)

Filter pack is often placed into largediameter wells by reverse circulation of the fluid in

the well as filter pack material is fed into the annular space by a continuous-feed hopper

(Figure 14.16). In this procedure, the borehole is kept full of fluid. Filter pack material is

carried down by the water as it flows outside the inner casing and screen. As filter pack

fills the space around the well screen, the transporting water passes through the screen

openings and is drawn upward. Some drillers use a stinger pipe that forces the water to

flow all the way to the bottom of the screen before returning to the surface (Figure

14.17). Use of the stinger pipe is especially advantageous for long screens, where it will

reduce bridging and segregation of the filter pack particles.

Figure 14.17. When filter packing a long screen, a stinger pipe is installed to force water

to flow to the bottom of the screen.

Contractors can also use direct circulation of clean water to reduce bridging problems.

Circulation continues at a slow rate into the screen and up the annulus so as not to

restrict gravity flow of pack material. This is a good method to use when a pack is

contaminated inadvertently by organic material or contains too much fine material. The

uphole velocity will float the organic material or fine sediment to the surface and

thereby reduce development time. Care must be taken to avoid removing the filter cake

because the borehole may become unstable.

A more elaborate method of placing filter packs in relatively small-diameter, deep wells

has been used in the oil well industry for many years. The filter pack is pumped in with

water or thin drilling fluid by an installation device called a cross-over tool. The cross-

over tool gets its name from its arrangement of passages and ports. For water wells, the

cross-over tool is generally used for deep installations where the annulus is small.

Figure 14.18 shows the important features of the tool and the paths of flow when the

filter pack is being placed in a typical well. The cross-over tool is connected between the

drill pipe and the top of the riser pipe. The screen is suspended from the tool as the

assembly is lowered into the well on drill pipe. The top of the riser pipe may be sealed

to the casing with a suitable packer after the pack is placed.

Figure 14.18. Essential features and of cross-over toll used for setting well screen and

placing filter pack in a deep well. (Suman et al,. 1983)

During the operation of the cross-over tool, the fluid and filter pack pumped down

through the drill pipe discharges below the special rubber packer while the return flow

is conducted up through the packer into the annular space around the drill pipe. Pump

pressure forces the fluid to move through the screen openings and into the stinger pipe

connected to the lower end of the setting tool. The stinger pipe extends to within 3 ft
(0.9 m) of the bottom of the screen so that the flow deposits the filter pack initially at

the bottom of the hole. Fluid friction and pressure in the circulating system increase

slowly as the filter pack material builds up around the well screen. The pressure

increases suddenly when the filter pack material reaches the top of the screen. Careful

observation is necessary to interpret the pressure-gauge changes correctly and to

estimate the volume of material in transit.

Although this description of the operation of a cross-over tool may indicate that the

procedure is rather simple, it actually requires elaborate and expensive equipment as

well as considerable skill. Every phase of the operation must be coordinated properly to

assure continuous flow of the filter pack material at a rate that will not plug the drill

pipe or bridge in the hole.

Filter Pack Procedures for Wells Drilled by the Cable Tool Method

Several different casing arangements may be used for filter packing wells drilled by the

cable tool method. In one type of installation, the screen is connected to an inner casing,

centered in a larger borehole, and surrounded by filter pack material (Figure 14.19).

The inner casing will become part of the completed well structure and may

accommodate the pump. In deep-well installations, the in-