SPE 63129
Low-Frequency Downhole Vibration Technology Applied to Fishing Operations
Carl W. Stoesz, Baker Oil Tools, SPE, Joe P. DeGeare, Baker Oil Tools
Copyright 2000, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2000 SPE Annual Technical Conference and
Exhibition held in Dallas, Texas, 1–4 October 2000.
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Abstract
This paper discusses the development and the recent,
successful application of downhole vibration technology as an
effective, economical technique for extracting sand- and gravel-
stuck tubing, pipe, and liners from wellbores. This paper shows
how equipment previously considered immovable can be
extracted by applying low-frequency vibration at the point where
it is stuck. Furthermore, the paper describes how downhole
vibration fills a technological gap between single impact jars,
washovers, milling operations, and surface vibration,
accomplishing these extractions at considerable cost and time
savings over other approaches. Testing and field runs in which
liner lengths ranging from 60 to 725 ft were successfully
extracted are presented, demonstrating the efficiency of the new
technology. Application identification also is addressed.
Introduction
The occurrence of stuck pipe has been observed in the industry
since man first drilled or bored holes in the earth. We have faced
this problem of tools becoming stuck in the hole, obstructing
drilling and workover progress. At times, this can cause an
operator to side track, abandon or move off for a period of time,
which in turn is lost time and lost production. This industry-
wide problem has been estimated to cost operators over one
billion dollars per year in lost rig time, lost production, and the
cost of fishing operations and lost tools. It has caused them to
re-drill or abandon wells1,2. Many conditions can cause objects
to become stuck in a wellbore: differential sticking, under
gauged hole, poor hole cleaning, mechanical sticking. But most
stuck pipe occurrences have been attributed to human error. In
this paper, our main focus is on gravel-packed liner removal and
sand stuck liners and tubing. Further development and testing of
downhole vibration tooling for an open hole environment are
needed to address the above mentioned items.
Current technologies to recover stuck objects consist of but
are not limited to: impact tools (jars), washover operations, and
milling tools. All of these operations have been in the industry
for many years and have a varied success rate depending upon
time allowed. In a jarring operation, you may possibly recover a
stuck object within a matter of minutes to possibly days of rig
time. Washover and milling operations can also consist of many
days of rig time depending upon the fish to be removed. You
also have additional risk factors that should be evaluated during
washover and milling operations: type of sticking, hole cleaning
capabilities, hole angle, depths, material to be removed.
In the late 1980s, Tri-State Oil Tools started working with
Mr. A.G. Bodine on vibration technology. Mr. Bodine obtained
United States Patent 2,972,380. It became the basis for stuck
tubular extraction utilizing vibration. Starting in 1991, Tri-State
Oil Tools began the operation of what is today called the
“Surface Oscillator” or “Surface Resonance Tool”.
Although the tool allows for remote operation, its 120,000-lb
hook load limits depth. The Surface Oscillator is a portable tool
consisting of four main components: oscillator, power pack,
hydraulic hoses, and control panel, although you must also have
a special work string.
With a success rate exceeding 90% in recovering liners,
tubing, and drill pipe ranging in lengths of 30 to 700+ feet, the
Surface Oscillator or Resonance Tool became a new method for
operators to save rig time and cost of rental equipment (i.e., jars,
drill collars, handling equipment, drill pipe or work strings and
fishing tools).
A typical job for the surface tool would take only a matter of
minutes to free the stuck object. Should the stuck liner or tubing
not become free within 30 minutes, additional measures would
be applied.
Several factors motivated the development of the new Down
Hole Vibration Tool (DHVT). The primary focus was to lower
the cost associated with the recovery or removal tools and
reduction of the high cost associated with stuck objects. A
2 CARL W. STOESZ AND JOE P. DEGEARE
secondary consideration was the design of a tool that would be
operational in highly deviated wells. At one time, it was thought
that a surface tool could have a high success rate in highly
deviated wells. Data tracking has shown that this is not the case.
Jars also have difficulty in highly deviated wells. Being able to
place the vibration downhole closer to the stuck point would be
a substantial savings in cost of operation, and would potentially
have a higher success rate in removing stuck pipe.
Down Hole Vibration Tool
The DHVT is activated at a pump rate of approximately 1.0
bpm. At this point the tool will operate at a frequency of
approximately 12 Hz. This will change when increasing pump
rate. The vibration transfer into the stuck pipe or stuck device
will not start until overpull is applied.
Testing
Testing was carried out both at a test rig and in the field. At the
test rig the primary objective was to establish the effects of the
DHVT on 180 feet of sand-stuck tubing. The length of sand-
stuck tubing was determined based on similar tests pulling 60 ft
and 90 ft of sand-stuck tubing with a less powerful version of the
tool. Additionally, a comparison was carried out to determine
the effect of a standard hydraulic jar on the same tubing.
Field runs were conducted in Bakersfield, California to learn
how effective the tool could be in actual well conditions. Five
wells were selected as candidates. On four of the wells, the
working string was 2-7/8”, 8 Rd tubing. For the other well, 3-
1/2” drill pipe was used since it was readily available. Although,
based on testing it has been determined that unless you plan on
running jars in conjunction with the DHVT the use of high
tensile work strings would not be needed.
Rig Testing
Test 1
The Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) consisted of an overshot,
ported sub, DHVT, oil jar, 90’ 4-3/4” drill collars, 14’ 3-1/2” I.F
drill pipe to surface, and a Kelly.
In the first test, 180’ (6 joints) of 2-7/8”, 8 Rd. tubing were
placed inside of 7” 26lb casing where it was sanded up. The
tubing was run one joint at a time with new, dry 12/20 screened
sand (Figure1). The annulus was then filled with water to
surface. The sand was allowed time to settle, after which the
BHA was run in and the fish was engaged with an overshot.
With the string in neutral weight, the pumps were started and the
DHVT put into operation for several minutes to vibrate and pack
the sand. After giving the sand time to settle, a 40k overpull was
taken to set the overshot and verify that the string was indeed
stuck. The jars were fired at 60k and any movement of the string
noted. Without resetting the jars, pumping started at 2–2.5 bpm,
activating the DHVT. A 4-6k overpull was placed on the string
and any movement of the string was recorded. Jarring and
vibration was alternated to observe the effects each retrieval
device had on the fish. We allowed the string to settle for an
hour and then overnight, and repeated the operation.
SPE 63129
To minimize the duration of the test, it was assumed the fish
was free to come out of hole after 3’ of movement.
To observe the effects of the distance from the catch device
to the DHVT, 2 joints of PH-6 and a joint of 2-7/8”, 8 Rd.
tubing (90’) were inserted between the overshot and the DHVT
(Figure 2). The fish was caught as before and vibration
commenced. After vibrating on the fish and observing any
movement, the 2-7/8”, 8 Rd was removed and an attempt to
move the fish was carried out. No jars or drill collars were
included into this string due to the depth of the well.
Field Tests
Field testing was planned to give us an opportunity to evaluate
the performance and to help determine which applications would
give the tool the best chance of success. We looked for shallow
wells that needed liners extracted or had sand-stuck tubing or
pipe. Bakersfield, California and the surrounding area were
selected for the abundance of wells that fit these criteria. Three
of the five wells merit a detailed look:
• Kern Front, Bakersfield CA
◊ TOL: 1804
◊ BOC: 1815
◊ Close tolerance adapter on top of liner
◊ 98’ 6-5/8 24# drilled in slotted liner
◊ Liner foamed just prior to arrival on site
◊ No previous attempts to pull liner.
• Midway Sunset, Bakersfield CA
◊ TOL: 434
◊ BOC: 474
◊ 750’ 5-1/2 17# slotted liner, bridged at top
◊ Liner bridged off during attempt at gravel pack
operation. Potential pack-off length, 36’. Jarred on
liner for 1.5 hours prior to arrival.
• Kern Ridge, Lost Hills CA
◊ TOL: 636
◊ BOC: 649
◊ 58’ 6-5/8 28# slotted liner.
◊ Washed out liner to BOW with tubing 2 days prior
to run. Well dialog run previous day to confirm
liner I.D. and depth.
◊ No previous attempts to pull liner
Results
Analysis of data taken during operation reveals the operating
characteristics. The tool operates at pressures from 1,000 to
1,500 psi at flow rates of 1 to 3 bpm. The operating frequency
is 12-18 Hz.
Rig Testing
Test 1
For this test, the sand was allowed to settle around the fish for
only an hour. Hydraulic jars moved the fish uphole seven inches
after being set off three times. With the DHVT the fish was
moved seven inches up within a minute of operation. The fish
was vibrated back to its original position (down 14”) within two
minutes.
SPE 63129 LOW-FREQUENCY DOWNHOLE VIBRATION TECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO FISHING OPERATIONS
After the sand settled overnight, the jars were not able to
move the fish. The DHVT moved the fish six inches in less than
one minute with a pump rate of 2.5 bpm while maintaining a 4-
8k overpull on the string. Another attempt with the jars was
performed with no movement of the string. Vibration was used
a second time with a 4-8k overpull, and the fish moved three feet
in two minutes. Jars were tried for a third time and no
movement was noted.
Test 2
With 90 feet between overshot and the DHVT, the DHVT was
unable to move the fish, now stuck to a depth of 177 feet.
However, after removing the joint of 2-7/8”, 8 Rd. from the
string, the fish was moved three feet in two minutes using an
overpull of 4-8k lbs.
Field Tests
Field testing was successful in three out of the five wells that
were attempted. On the successful wells, movement of the stuck
liners was seen almost immediately and was clearly visible as a
drop in weight on the weight indicator.
All the wells attempted were relatively shallow, around
3,000 feet or less. Clear operation of the tool was observed at
the surface as indicated by vibration felt in the workover rig.
Kern Front, Bakersfield CA
A 43k overpull was taken on the string to verify that the Host
spear was set and that the liner was truly stuck. The pump was
started and adjusted to 3 bpm. After several minutes the DHVT
began operation. The weight indicator began to show a loss of
weight almost immediately. The liner was extracted by keeping
a 30 - 40k overpull on the string as the liner was worked free by
the DHVT. After 30 minutes, the liner had been moved 25 feet.
The pumps were stopped to remove a joint of tubing. Flow was
again established and the liner pulled completely free 10 minutes
later. There was no damage to liner, spear, tubing or rig.
Midway Sunset, Bakersfield CA
Results on this well were truly amazing and well demonstrate the
effectiveness of down-hole vibration. The fishing operator
originally caught the liner in the first joint and had problems
with the spear coming free during jarring. He then put a joint of
drill collar between the spear and the stop sub to catch the
second joint of the liner. Jarring was continued. A DHVT was
called on site after it was evident that after 1.5 hours of jarring
another approach should be tried. After running in hole with an
11k working string, a 49k overpull was taken to set the spear 12
feet into the first joint. Pumping was begun at about 2 bpm.
The weight indicator showed a dropoff of weight almost
immediately, settling down to the weight of the working string
and the liner, 25k. On pulling out of the hole, it was observed
that jarring had split the first 4-5 feet of the liner at the first joint
(Figure 3). There was splitting in the second joint of liner as well
(Figure 4).
Kern Ridge, Lost Hills CA
The liner for this well was old. It was expected that this liner
would be aged permanently into place, or have nothing left. A
44k overpull was taken to set the spear and see if the liner would
3
come free. Pumping was initiated at about 3 bpm. After several
minutes the weight indicator began to show a dropoff of weight.
However, once the liner began to move, it moved rather quickly,
coming free after 5 minutes of vibration. Once out of the hole
the liner’s true condition could be seen. There were large
gaping holes throughout the length of the liner (Figure 5).
The bottom 8-10 feet of the liner were filled with sand that
had resettled from the washout run 2 days prior. The spear had
caught in the adapter on the first joint. The liner appeared to be
very fragile. It is possible that one hit with a jar would have
parted the liner or split it, making further recovery attempts very
difficult. As it was, there was no damage to the liner, spear or
rig associated with the vibrator.
Additional Field Tests
The DHVT was not successful in two of the 5 wells. In the first
unsuccessful well, vibration was utilized for 6 hours with
overpulls of 38k to no effect. A 3-1/2” jar, 8 drill collars,
accelerator and 2-7/8” drill pipe were brought in and the liner
was successfully removed in 30 minutes. The jars were set off at
80 to 90k with 100 to 110k lbs. overpull after jarring. The
second well had problems with a pump that was not capable of
providing the flow rate and pressure required to operate the tool.
No attempt was made to jar on this liner.
Conclusions
In all fishing operations there are risks and costs associated with
each decision3,4. Several issues remain to be determined from
additional field testing. These include the amount of time spent
vibrating in an attempt to extract stuck pipe, whether to vibrate
first on tubing, run jars first, or run jars in conjunction with a
DHVT. Proper job planning and evaluation will be helpful in
identifying those wells that can best be aided by downhole
vibration. Data collection will help establish a data base of
knowledge from which to draw5.
A reduction in operating time is common with vibration
methods6. In all successful cases, results have been seen in a
matter of minutes after operation began. As movement of the
fish progresses, it moves faster and faster. Movement stops when
vibration stops. The fish moves as long as there is enough
vibration energy to overcome friction. This is a clear indication
that continuous energy input is required to keep the fish moving
uphole. The fish can move because of reduced friction between
the fish and the surrounding medium7. Vibration of drilling pipe
has been reported by Rockefeller8 as reducing friction by a
factor of up to 100. This translates into lower overpulls,
resulting in reduced tension on the rig and string.
Jar placement in the work string is exceptionally important.
Several papers have been written emphasizing proper jar
placement in the string9. Computer programs have been written
for both jars and surface resonant systems to best simulate the
cumulative effects of wave propagation through the string to
estimate forces. From testing to date, the most effective position
in the string is as close to the stuck point as possible. While not
always possible with jars, and never possible with surface
resonant systems, it is possible to place a DHVT immediately
above the catch device.
4 CARL W. STOESZ AND JOE P. DEGEARE SPE 63129

The DHVT has advantages over current methods:

• Vibration is effective in situations where jars are not
• When used alone on a tubing string, costs are reduced
• Can be used in conjunction with jars, if desired
• Operational in deviated wells
• Portable, easily shipped along with the rest of the fishing
tools
• Tool operation not dependent on being in the neutral
position in the string.
This is exciting new technology that has operating
characteristics somewhere between a jar and surface resonant
systems. The full range potential of downhole vibration
technology has not yet been fully explored. While not the
ultimate, final solution, to the problem of stuck pipe, it is
expected that the use of downhole vibration technology in
fishing operations can reduce costs by extracting pipe that
could not be extracted by other methods. Research and
development of down hole vibration are continuing as we move
forward with expanded field testing.

References
1 Wisnie, A.P. and Zhiwei, Z., Quantifying Stuck Pipe Risk in Gulf
of Mexico Oil and Gas Drilling, SPE No. 28298.
2 Bradley, W.B. et. al., A Task Force Approach to Reducing Stuck
Pipe Costs, SPE/IADC No. 21999.
3 Scholfield, T.R. et. all., A New Fishing Equation, SPE No. 22380
4 Adkins, C.S. Economics of Fishing, JPT, May 1993, pp 402-404.
5 d’Almeida, A.L. et. al., A Fishing Operations Expert System,
SPE/IADC No. 37590
6 Gonzalez, O.J., Retrieving Stuck Liners, Tubing, Casing, and
Drillpipe with Vibratory Resonant Techniques, SPE Drilling
Engineering, September 1987, pp 245-256.
7 Bernat, H., An Innovative Technology for the Recovery of Stuck
Down Hole Members.
8 Rockefeller, W.C., Mechanical Resonant Systems in High-Power
Applications. ASME, 67-VIBR-51.
9 Kalsi, M.S., et. al., Transient Dynamic Analysis of the Drill string
Under Jarring Operations by the FEM, SPE Drilling Engineering,
March 1987, pp 47-55.

Appendix
Acronyms
BHA- Bottom Hole Assembly
BOC- Bottom of Collar
BOW- Bottom of Well
DAQ- Data Acquisition
DHVT- Down Hole Vibration Tool
Rd. - Round
TOL- Top of Liner
SPE 63129 LOW-FREQUENCY DOWNHOLE VIBRATION TECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO FISHING OPERATIONS 5

3-1/2” DRILL PIPE 3-1/2” DRILL PIPE

DOWN HOLE
VIBRATION TOOL
DOWN HOLE
VIBRATION TOOL

DRAIN SUB
DRAIN SUB

2-7/8” TUBING

OVERSHOT
OVERSHOT

2-7/8” TUBING 2-7/8” TUBING

SAND
SAND

Figure 1
Working String and BHA for Test 1 Figure 2
Working String and BHA for Test 2
6 CARL W. STOESZ AND JOE P. DEGEARE SPE 63129

Figure 4
Figure 3 Split in second joint of liner caused by heavy
Split in first joint of liner caused by heavy jarring jarring
SPE 63129 LOW-FREQUENCY DOWNHOLE VIBRATION TECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO FISHING OPERATIONS 7

Figure 5
Aged liner pulled using a downhole vibration
tool