A client in Ohio, working in Utica shale, needed to complete a second stage frac in an extreme lateral. Unfortunately, after a clean flush on the first stage, the second stage frac was screened out, so the operator would start the frac with 40-50 mesh instead of 100 mesh. To reach the second stage, the perforating guns needed to be conveyed to 27,518 ft total measured depth across an extreme lateral of 19,460 ft.

Rather than use a snubbing unit to complete the job, the client contacted Welltec for a wireline solution. Welltec offered the Well Tractor® as a conveyance solution because of the tool’s long history of driving tools through highly deviated wells and pushing through extreme environments.

When investigating feasibility, modelling indicated that three-wheel sections of the 318 Well Tractor XR would be able to complete the operation. Ultimately, Welltec opted to use four-wheel sections of the tractor to optimize pulling force.

When ready, the tool string with the Well Tractor was run in hole. When perforating the stage after the frac screen-out, the Well Tractor conveyed the tool string across the 19460 ft lateral over top of 25,000+ lbs of 40/50 mesh sand.
The second stage was successfully completed.

Welltec’s wireline solution proved to be technically efficient and dependable. The Well Tractor averaged a speed of 27 fpm and was recorded at 35 fpm at over 20,000 ft MD.

Additionally, the wireline operation proved more cost effective to the client by preventing multiple rig-downs and rig-ups of equipment, and the wireline tool string was run in hole faster than a snubbing unit would be capable of achieving.