Overview of High-Set Profile Nipples
In many basins, wells have been permitted to flow to surface up the casing prior to installation of tubing. This is especially common in high volume gas wells. Subsequently, operators snub tubing into the wellbore. These snubbing operations often require incorporation of Profile Nipples (X Nipples) into the tubing string. Ultimately, after such a snubbing operation, Profile Nipples may be set in the tubing string too high for effective plunger operations.
High-set profile nipples
JETTED, PADDED PLUNGER SOLUTIONS
Our 2-3/8” AXL Double-Pad & 2-3/8” Jetted Double-Pad plungers have mandrels, collars, & shoulders smaller than 1.875” in diameter. Additionally, the pads will collapse down to smaller than a 1.875” diameter. This means that (in the right configuration) we can run a Double-Padded plunger through an X-Nipple. Our preference is to use the Jetted Double-Pad plunger to do so, as gas pressure from below the tool, will inflate the pads out to contact the tubing wall during plunger rise. This is especially important if the Bottom-Hole Assembly is set at inclinations over ~15o.
Bottom Hole Assembly Solutions
In 2-3/8” tubing strings, an X-Nipple has an internal diameter of 1.875”. Several commonly used tools have smaller outside diameters than this measurement. Both “A” Stops (Tubing-Stops) & “F” Stops (Collar-Stops) will therefore fit through an X-Nipple. Additionally, when configured with a collet, our bottom-hole spring offerings will fit through the X-Nipple. We can therefore set a complete range of bottom hole assemblies on top of Tubing-Stops or Collar-Stops through an X-Nipple. A similar approach can also be employed in 2-7/8” tubing strings.
Most solid-body plungers rely on close contact between the plunger & the tubing wall to minimize slippage past the plunger. Our ported tools (including Vipers & Venturi Vipers) rely instead on a turbulent gas seal between the plunger & the tubing wall. This means we can effectively operate ported tools with a much larger gap between the plunger & the tubing wall. For example, our 2-3/8” Vipers & Venturi Viper plungers are not considered worn out until, either: The OD is less than 1.86” or the plunger no longer makes consistent arrivals. We have therefore proved successful in operating under-sized tools (1.870” OD Vipers & Venturi Vipers) in wells through high-set X-Nipples.
