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SLICKLINE CONNECT
Down Hole Tools
Bailers

The removal of sand, sediments, deposits, scale or other material and objects from well bores which may
have built-up in the tubing or above plugs or other flow control devices is an integral element of Slickline
operations. The material can be in the form of a ‘bridge’ in clear tubing or it can occur on top of a plug or flow
control device preventing access to equalise and fish the device. The removal of these materials is usually
accomplished using a range of tools known as bailers. The types of tools used depend on the nature of the
sand or debris and how it occurs in the well bore.
Bridges can develop and become pressure barriers in tubing when the material is packed down sufficiently
that it is difficult to bail and may require tools to break it up. Under these circumstances bailing becomes
problematic as the bridge may also have a differential pressure across it which must be managed.
Slickline is limited in the volume that it can recover by bailing and larger volumes are more efficiently
removed using coil tubing

Types of Bailers: -
Pump or Sand Bailers are most effective removing sand, scale or deposits from the well bore. Sand
bailers have a piston which is moved up and down which sucks in sand on the upstroke

Hydrostatic Bailers are used for removing sand, debris and deposits from the top or inside of a fish
using differential pressure

Sample Bailers as the name implies are used to capture material samples from a well, generally the
samples will be taken from the ‘casing’ below the tubing shoe. The sample will be used for analytical
purposes and compared to previous samples and the depth the sample is taken will be recorded and
also compared to previous sample depths, thus used to monitor the amount and rate that the
formation is producing sand

Drive Down Bailers are highly effective in removing just about any object from a well bore, from
packer rubber, metal objects, wire nests or even small pieces of wire

Dump Bailers are used to place small volumes of cement, acid or other liquids or materials at a
precise depth in a well, for example cement would be placed on top of a through tubing bridge plug to
ensure pressure integrity

Bailer Checks & Shoes

Bailer Checks are designed to allow material to be drawn or forced into the bailer tube and then to retain it
inside the bailer while it is recovered to surface.

When the material being bailed is relatively loose then a plain flat shoe can be used, however when the
material is hard packed then there are a variety of bailer shoes which can be used to break up the material to
improve bailer recovery

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Ball Check & Plain Shoe

The most commonly used check used for bailing

sand or other soft small deposits which will pass
through the small area around the ball

A Plain / Flat Shoe is typically used with all

bailer types

Flapper Check

The flapper check is a full bore opening and is

used to bail larger sized material and objects

Junk Catcher

Junk basket checks permit larger items of debris

to be recovered, when used with a hydrostatic
bailer

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Mule Shoe

A Mule Shoe improves the break up and

penetration into hard or compacted material

Chisel Shoe

A Chisel Shoe is used to break up solid, hard of

compacted materials and improve bailer
penetration and material recovery

Snorkel Shoe

A Snorkel Shoe provides deep penetration inside a

device in the tubing, for instance enable the
removal of sand from inside a lock mandrel to
permit access to an equalising assembly

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Serrated Shoe

A Serrated Shoe is another shoe option which

can be used to break hard packed materials

Maxwell / Otis Style Hydrostatic Bailer Shoe

Sand / Pump Bailer

A sand or pump bailer is used to remove sand or sand bridges in the tubing or from above a device set in the
tubing. When the bailer is in contact with the sand by stroking the piston rod upwards causes the sand to be
sucked up into the bailer tube, a bottom sub with a check device retains the sand in the bailer tube. It will
require a number of piston strokes to fill the bailer tube, the number required is usually establish by trial and
error over a number of runs and depends on the nature of the sand or material that’s being bailed. A number
of runs will determine the recovery per run, the number of piston strokes required to fill the bailer and
length of bailer tube that should be used. The bailer tube length can be adjusted by adding or removing tube
sections.

Sand / Pump Bailer Components: -

Bailer Tube, retains the bailed material. It can either be a single section (standard 5’ long) or
multiple sections depending on a number of factors such as the rate of material recovery, rig up
height etc.

Bottom Sub & Shoe, has a check device and is threaded to the lower end of the tube. There are
various types of shoes that can be used depending on the condition of the material being bailed

Top Sub, threaded to the top of the bailer tube, the top sub has a hole through which the piston
rod passes

Piston Rod, at the top end a fishing neck and tool string connection sub is threaded and pinned
to the piston rod, at the bottom end is a floating piston and valve assembly, the piston is
generally a loose fit in the bailer tube.

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Sand Bailing Operations

Before running the bailer, it should be checked, inspected and functioned. Check the pump
bailer for a smooth stroke movement with the piston should move freely inside the cylinder. Too
much piston drag will tend to lift the bailer from the top of the sand or debris. Check the top and
bottom subs are fully tightened.
1. RIH, stop the tool string 20’ above the target depth
2. Note static and dynamic weights
3. Slowly lower the tool string at 50 fpm until a tension loss is observed and stop
4. The bailer shoe will be in contact with the sand, the mechanical jars and bailer
piston will be closed
5. Pull up slowly, opening the mechanical jars and picking up the bailer piston rod,
carefully note the depth
6. Close the jars and the bailer piston rod, then pull up to open the jars and bailer,
starting the bailing operation, repeat ten times
7. After ten bailer strokes, pick up open the jars and bailer, check the depth and pull
the tool string upwards free from the sand, if a tension over pull is observed it will
indicate the sand bailer has worked down into the sand
8. Pull up slowly and check dynamic tension, there may be an increase in weight which
will indicate that the bailer has recovered sand
9. Always repeat steps 3 to 8 to ensure a maximum amount of sand is recovered

10. Pull out of the well

11. Check the contents of the bailer and assess the volume / weight and type of
material recovered
12. Inspect the bailer shoe for signs of a contact with a solid object and redress if
required
13. Re-run the sand bailer following steps 1 to 11 above. Continue until there is either
no further material recovery or the tool string freely passes the bridge
14. At the conclusion of the bailing operation a gauge cutter (up to drift diameter)
should be run to the target depth to verify the tubing is completely free of any
obstructions before continuing downhole operations Sand/ Pump
Bailer

Caution - Sand Bailer Operations

1) When bailing sand from the top of a plug the bailer shoe will provide a first indication that the top of the
plug has been reached. Always dress (file off marks from previous runs) the lower shoe of the bailer prior to
running. The shoe can provide clues or impressions of the downhole situation and conditions
2) Always assume the bailer contains trapped pressure and take precautions accordingly, use a screw driver
or a length of shear stock to move the ball or flapper check off of its seat as a way of determining if pressure
is trapped in the bailer
3) Hard packed sand bridges create the conditions for differential pressures. Caution must always be
exercised and well head pressure should be monitored throughout the bailing operation. A method that can

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be used when a differential pressure is expected across a bridge is keep the tool string moving upwards at
the top of the bailer stroke until there’s confirmation of no pressure change
3) Whenever a tool string drops through a bridge, stop immediately and pull up above the bridge. Then,
lower the tool string slowly, if the tool string is held up continue bailing. If the tool string runs down without
being held up, stop again below the depth of the bridge and pull up again through the bridge, repeat at least
two times to confirm the tubing is clear
4) It is possible to bail down through a bridge and for residual sand to still be plastered to the
tubing. This residual sand my collapse at some point on top of the tool string, trapping it. It is
important to keep working the tool string up and down through the bridge until it is
confirmed that all sand has been removed
5) The wire can cut a key slot in a residual bridge, to such an extent that the rope socket can
become trapped below the bridge, it is important to keep working the tool string up and
down through a bridge until all of the sand has been removed
6) Materials such as sand, scale or other deposits bailed from a well may well be
contaminated with TENORM. Standard practice should be to check the bailer before breaking
it out from the tool string with a radiation contamination meter

Hydrostatic Bailer
The hydrostatic bailer uses a differential pressure to suck in debris into the bailer tube. It’s
the instantaneous equalisation of the atmospheric pressure in the bailer with the tubing
pressure that sucks any loose material into the bailer tube, the check mechanism in the
bailer shoe ensures the material is held in the bailer tube for recovery to surface.

A hydrostatic bailer is used to remove debris from the top of a device such as a plug set in
the tubing, usually to clear access to allow equalisation across the device or to latch a fishing
neck. Conventional sand or drive down bailers will be used to remove the sand or debris
down to the top of the plug.

Modern bailers have adopted a different design approach to try and eliminate the possibility
of trapped well pressure inside the bailer. The old style Type B Otis hydrostatic bailers uses a
shear disc to actuate the bailer and were fitted with an seal ring (automatic pressure relief
valve) and a manual pressure relief screw to relieve trapped pressure. Both pressure relief
mechanisms are unreliable and prone to being stuck or plugged by sand resulting in trapped
well pressure inside the bailer. In modern hydrostatic bailers the shear disc has been
replaced by a shear piston which has o’rings to provide a pressure seal and the pressure
relief valves by relief plug which provides communication to a pressure relief port after the
bailer is activated.

Hydrostatic Bailer Components: -

Top Sub, incorporates the fishing neck and tool string connection and is
Hydrostatic
connected to the top of the relief plug assembly Bailer

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Relief Plug Assembly, the relief plug sits in a polished bore in the relief plug sub, an o’ring
provides a pressure seal, the top end of the relief plug is located in a guide bore in the top sub,
the relief plug sub has a pressure relief port
Bailer Tube, the top of the bailer tube is threaded to the bottom of the relief plug assembly, it
can be either a single section or multiple sections
Shear Piston Assembly, is connected to the bottom of the bailer tube and contains the shear
piston which is pinned in a polished profile providing the lower pressure seal and the actuator
plunger
Bottom Sub & Bailer Shoe, the bottom sub and bailer shoe are connected to the actuator
plunger, jarring down forces the plunger upwards, shearing the pin in the shear piston

Operations
Before running the bailer, it should be checked, inspected and redressed, the relief plug and shear piston
o’rings changed, all threads cleaned and greased, the movement of the actuator plunger checked, a new
shear pin installed in the shear piston and the bailer shoe redressed and all marks and indentations from
previous runs removed. Check all assemblies are fully tightened.

It is always good practice to have an example (exact copy) of the device that’s in the well to ensure the bailer
shoe dimensions (OD / ID) are compatible with the device and to compare to when inspecting the bailer shoe
post run.
1. RIH, stop the tool string 20’ above the target depth
2. Note static and dynamic weights
3. Slowly lower the tool string at 50 fpm until a tension loss is observed and stop
4. The bailer shoe will be in contact is in contact with the device in the wellbore, the mechanical
jars will be closed
5. The shoe of the Hydrostatic Bailer is in contact with the object in the well bore
6. Pick up the tool string until the jars are fully open, carefully note the depth
7. Jar down, maximum two times
8. Pick up to open the jars, check the depth, and pull the tool string upwards free from the device
9. Pull up slowly and check dynamic tension
10. Pull out of the well
11. Check the contents of the bailer, assess the volume / weight and type of material recovered and
note in the operational sequence of events.
12. Check and assess the condition and marks on the bailer shoe
There should a clear indication of the device in the wellbore, the types of marks
observed maybe gouges, impact damage or rolled back edges of the shoe
Use the bailer shoe as an impression block to determine the condition of the device
in the well bore
Always redress the bailer shoe every run

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13. Re-run the bailer following the steps above. Be prepared to change the configuration of the
bailer by changing the shoe or check device or adding tubes to extend the bailer and improve
material recovery per run

Caution - Hydrostatic Bailer Operations

1) A hydrostatic bailer is designed to work on solid objects only, a solid base is required to shear the pin

2) A hydrostatic bailer must never be used for general bailing operations or to replace of a sand or pump
bailer. The forces generated by the instant equalisation of the atmospheric pressure in the bailer with the well
bore pressure will ‘suck’ the bailer and tool string into the sand, resulting in a very difficult fishing operation.

3) Always assume the bailer contains trapped pressure and take precautions accordingly

1) Check the pressure relief hole in the top sub, verify the relief plug has moved upwards

2) Check if the lower check device (ball, flapper etc.) can be moved off its seat, this is a good
indication there is no pressure trapped in the bailer

3) Break out the top and bottom subs, if there is any resistance it may indicate trapped pressure,
stop, repeat the checks above do not proceed until it is confirmed there is no trapped pressure

4) Materials such as sand, scale or other deposits bailed from a well may well be contaminated with
TENORM. Standard practice should be to check the bailer before breaking it out from the tool
string with a radiation contamination meter

Sample Bailer
A sample bailer is a short drive down bailer used to collect sample of material from the tubing or fill
from HUD

Sample Bailer Components: -

Top Sub, complete with tool string connection and fishing neck
Bailer Tube, different lengths, threaded both ends with a pressure relief hole at the
top
Bailer Shoe, containing a check device

Typically sample bailers are manufactured with a mule shoe. A mule shoe will break up the material
being bailed and ensure the bailer can penetrate the material to obtain a sample of it. The sample
bailer is jarred into the material in the well bore forcing the material into the tube where it is
retained by the check device.

Operations
Always inspect and redress the bailer shoe prior to running. The shoe will provide clues or
impressions of the downhole situation and conditions. Ensure any residual bailed material from Sample
Bailer
the previous run is removed, check the operation of the check device, clean and grease the top
and bottom sub threads and make them up securely.
1. RIH, stop the tool string 20’ above the target depth

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2. Note static and dynamic weights

3. Slowly lower the tool string at 50 fpm until a tension loss is observed and stop
4. The bailer shoe will be in contact is in contact with the device in the wellbore, the mechanical
jars will be closed
5. Pick up the tool string until the jars are fully open, carefully note the depth
6. Jar down 3 times
7. Pick up, open the jars, check the depth, and pull the tool string upwards free
8. A tension over pull will indicate the drive down bailer has entered the material
9. Pull up slowly and check dynamic tension
10. Repeat steps 3 to 8
11. Pull out of the well
12. On checking the contents of the bailer, assess the volume / weight and type of material
recovered and note in the operational sequence of events.
13. Check the bailer shoe and redress if required

Caution – Sample Bailer Operations

1) Always assume the bailer contains trapped pressure and take precautions accordingly
2) Materials such as sand, scale or other deposits bailed from a well may well be contaminated with TENORM.
Standard practice should be to check the bailer before breaking it out from the tool string with a radiation
contamination meter

Drive Down Bailer

A sample bailer is a common example of a drive down bailer. In general drive down bailer are made for bailing
and fishing operations and can be used to recover a multitude of materials, deposits and objects from the well
bore. Often drive down bailers are locally manufactured to meet a specific need and can be as simple as a
bailer tube with a fishing neck and tool string connection. When a drive down bailer is used for sand or other
material bailing a check device will be included. A drive down bailer can be made to run in specific completion
and may be manufactured up to full drift ID, depending on the completion jewellery.

Drive Bailer Components: -

Top Sub, with tool string connection and fishing neck
Tube, variable length, threaded both ends to accept the top and bottom subs. The tube will
have a hole at the top of the tube to ensure that there can be no pressure trapped in the tube
when the bailer is recovered from the well
Shoe, can be a separate component or part of the bailer tube, depending if a check device is
being used

The shoe can be one of several configurations, chisel, mule shoe, serrated or plain. The shoe is designed to
break up the material being bailed. A drive down bailer is jarred into the material in the well bore forcing the
material into the tube where it is retained by the check device.

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When the a drive down bailer is being used to fish objects such as wire or cable, packer rubber or other non-
standard objects there would be no requirement to incorporate a check device and the bailer tube would be
modified with internal barbs (similar to a wireline grab) to improve the capture and retention of the material
being fished.

Operations
Always inspect and redress the lower shoe of the bailer prior to running. The shoe will provide clues or
impressions of the downhole situation and conditions. If the bailing operation is clear sand or debris from the
top of a plug, the shoe will provide the first indication that the top of the plug has been reached. Remove any
residual bailed material from the previous run, check the operation of the check device (if being used), clean
and grease the top and bottom sub threads and make them up securely.

If the drive down bailer operation is to recover sand or another material from the wellbore then the same
operational steps and precautions applied to sand bailing operations should be employed.

If the drive down bailer is being used to fish wire or cable or other objects then the operational steps and
precautions will depend on the nature of the fish and will have been established before running the bailer and
will meet the specific requirements of the job and may vary each run depending on recovery
or changes in the fish

Dump Bailer
A Dump Bailer is used to ‘spot’ cement, acid or other chemicals at a specific depth in a well. A
dump bailer requires a solid object to jar down against to release the substance from the
bailer tube.

Dump Bailer Components: -

Top Sub, with tool string connection and fishing neck which is threaded and
pinned to the bailer tube
Bailer Tube, non-pressure containing usually equipped with hole at the top of the
tube, the hole is also used to fill the dump bailer. The length of the bailer can be
varied considerably and will often depend on rig up capacity
Bottom Sub, consist of a shoe, plunger and body which is threaded to the bottom
end of the bailer tube. The plunger is pinned to the bottom sub. The top of the
plunger will be used to shear a disc, usually glass which permits the bailer to
dump its contents

Operating Principle
The fluid / material conveyed into the well is released at the target depth by jarring down
against a solid object. Jarring down will shear the pin between the plunger and bottom sub,
which in turn frees the plunger to move upwards to break a glass disc which has been installed
between the bottom sub and the tube. On breaking the glass disc the fluid / material in the
bailer tube flows downwards from the bailer onto the target.
Dump
Bailer
A Slickline dump bailer operations are limited by the volume of liquid that can be conveyed

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per run, for instance, a 4” OD x 5ft bailer tube has a volume of 8.5lts, (for comparison, one meter of 4.50”,
#12.75 tubing is 7.9lts). It is always the best option to run the largest OD and longest bailer possible for the
completion and rig-up.

Operation
The bailer must be cleaned, checked, inspected and redressed prior to running. The glass disc sits in a recess
between the tube and the lower sub with an o’ring which must be inspected and changed if required. Residual
materials from previous runs must be removed from the tube and bottom sub, all threads cleaned and greased
and the bailer re-assembled with a new shear pin and glass disc.

After reassembly, the bailer is re-connected to the tool string and suspended below the lubricator assembly
with the top of the tube at working height. The bailer is filled from the top through the hole in the bailer tube.
Depending on the type of fluid / material being run, there will be precautions required for the handling and
transfer of the fluid / material to the bailer, which may include the requirement for special PPE and / or
breathing apparatus.

Any chemicals present at the work site must be accompanied by a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), their use will be
controlled through the job program, the PTW and will be discussed at the Pre-job Safety Briefing and Tool Box
Meeting

1. Run the dump bailer to 20’ above the target depth

2. Note static and dynamic weights
3. Slowly lower the tool string at 30 fpm until a tension loss is observed and stop
4. Pick up until the jars are fully open, make a note of the depth
5. Jar down a minimum of 3 times
6. Pick up, open the jars, check the depth
7. Pull up slowly and check the dynamic tension, there will be a observable reduction in the pulling
weight when the dump bailer has been successfully emptied
8. Pull back to surface, redress the bailer for the next run taking the necessary precautions

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