22 Well Servicing November/December 2012

D
ownhol e wel l bor e
envi ronment s can
contain some very nasty,
corrosive uids and gases; the most
common being Hydrogen Sulphide
and Carbon Dioxide. Hydrogen
Sulphide (H
2
S) aggressively attacks
the iron in metal causing pitting
and stress cracking as depicted in
Figure 1. In the case of standard
GIPS wireline (Galvanized Improved
Plow Steel) the H
2
S initially reacts
with the Zinc coating (galvanization)
and then attacks the steel wire. In
high enough concentrations, the
wire can become as brittle as a
glass rod as shown in Figure 2.
Under these circumstances, it can
be very difcult to retrieve the cable
because the armor strands can
break as they go over the sheave
or through the ow tubes resulting
in the possibility of dropping tools
downhole. In addition, in rare
occasions the H
2
S will permeate
the plastic and quickly destroy
the copper conductor, electrically
shorting the cable. Most of us
have either heard or experienced
stories similar to this. The age-
old questions are where can I use
a GIPS cable, and when do I have
to use a sour service alloy cable?
And the answers are
Most wire manufacturers will
tell you that there is no safe
limit for using a GIPS wire in a
sour gas well and that is not a
bad recommendation. However,
we all know that GIPS cables are
used regularly in wells containing
low amounts of H
2
S and other
corrosive conditions in the oil and
gas industry. Under any corrosive
conditions it is imperative to use
a corrosion inhibitor to protect
the cable. Operating a GIPS cable
under any corrosive conditions is
typically done in cases where the
wireline operators are familiar with
the eld and have seen little or no
effect on the structural integrity of
the wireline. Again, the question
arises how do I know that without
the experience?
The reason this question cannot
be easily answered is because there
are many factors that inuence how
corrosive the uids in a particular
well will be. Each of the factors
in the list below accelerates the
chemical reaction. Together many
act as a catalyst increasing the
corrosive nature of the uid or gas:
H
2
S (ppm)
Cholrides (ppm)
CO
2
(%)
Wellbore temperature
Exposure Time
Wellbore Pressure
Water Cut
Acid
pH
Accurate information
There is software that can predict
the corrosive nature of the uid
on a relative basis whereby you
can determine what material
should be used in a particular
well. However, like all software,
the output is only as good as the
input. Many times it is difcult
to assess current uid analyses
from a well, or the information at
best is an educated guess, based
on information from nearby wells.
In some cases the information
is completely inaccurate. Many
times the corrosive effects of the
well will not manifest for several
days, making it very difcult to go
back to the owner of the well for
compensation.
When deciding if a GIPS cable can
be used, it is clearly important to
Corrosive Environments
and Wireline
By TERRY MOFFATT and TERRY MADDEN
Quality Wireline and Cable Inc.
_______________________________________
Figure 1
Figure 2
Broken armor wires from H
2
S embrittlement
Well Servicing November/December 2012 23
have the most current, accurate
information possible. If you trust
the information, there are some
old school rules of thumb that
may be used. Typically, the people
using these rules of thumb have
some experiential knowledge that
compliment the formula.
Rules of thumb
The two most common rules of
thumb are noted in Chart A for H
2
S
and CO
2
.
Keep in mind that these rules
of thumb do not take into
consideration all of the factors
discussed earlier, and should only
be used in conjunction with eld
knowledge. If using a GIPS cable
in any corrosive environment, it
is strongly recommended that you
use a good protective grease on a
well seasoned line.
Material composition
The armor wires of wireline cable
typically come in four materials:
GIPS, S75 (UNS N08926), S77 (UNS
S31277), and MP35 (UNS R30035).
GIPS is your common every day
wireline while S75 and S77 are
alloy lines, which contain a smaller
amount of iron making them less
vulnerable to attack by corrosive
uids and gasses. MP35 is an alloy
which contains almost no iron and
is extremely resilient most hostile
chemicals that may be found in
downhole oil and gas environments.
All sour service cables use a nickel
plated copper conductor that is
very resistant to corrosive uids.
If a GIPS cable cannot be used,
then a sour service cable must be
selected. Selecting the appropriate
material for sour service lines is
best done by applying a quality
software program combined with
personnel experienced with sour
service cables and their application.
Add it all up
I n concl usi on, downhol e
conditions can be highly corrosive.
Understanding the wellbore uids
and conditions will improve your
chances of making the correct
decision about what type of wireline
cable to use. Although there are
rules of thumb available to
determine if a GIPS cable can be
employed, these rules of thumb
should be used with caution and
experience. If an alloy cable is
required utilize a good software
in conjunction with an expert in
sour service wireline selection and
application.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Terry
Moffatt, P.Eng., ME, PET, is president
of Quality Wireline and Cable Inc.
His experience includes co-founder
and president of Wireline Works
Inc.; and president and founder of
PROMORE Engineering Inc. He has
20 years experience in the design
and installation of permanent
monitoring systems using wireline,
and in the manufacture of electro-
mechanical wireline.
Terry Madden is the U.S. sales
manager of Quality Wireline and Cable
Inc. His experience includes 28 years
at Maddens Cable Service Inc. where he
managed a service center and installed
and troubleshot wireline. He also spent 2
years in technical sales at Wireline Works
Inc. His expertise is troubleshooting
wireline cable eld problems.
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CONCENTRATION OF H
2
S
If H
2
S (ppm) X BHP = 0.05 or greater do not use GIPS
Example: H
2
S = 8ppm = .000008 or 8 x 10 -6
Bottom Hole Pressure = 6,000 psi
TEST: 0.000008 x 6,000 = 0.048 In this example a GIPS cable may be suitable
CONCENTRATION OF CO
2
If Percent CO
2
x BHP(psi) = 130 or greater do not use GIPS
Example: CO
2
= 2% = 0.02
Bottom Hole Pressure = 6,000 psi
TEST: 0.02 x 6,000 = 120 In this example a GIPS cable may be suitable
CHART A