Innovations at the Wellsite: Wireline Electrified

By Lucas Gjovig, GO Wireline, LLC

At a trade show, one of my managers grabs me and says excitedly, “Have you seen the Tesla Truck?” My mind immediately turned to Elon Musk breaking the window at the debut of his angular abomination of a pickup truck, Tesla's Cyber Truck. My manager says, “No, the wireline truck that runs on batteries!”

ESG initiatives and regulation in service companies and E&P companies have been encouraging a move away from diesel power to lower emission solutions. Wireline has not been immune to these pressures, and solutions have increased in popularity and use over the past several years. For those traditionalists who grew up in the industry driving diesel powered units around the country, this change can sound scary. But for many, like my manager, the electric units are pretty cool to see and play with in person.

To be fair, Texas Wireline, a Fort Worth-based wireline truck manufacturer, was not undermining the Tesla trademark by coining the phrase for their wireline truck that utilizes batteries as part of their electric drive solution. But the analogy my manager used of Tesla and the excitement that electric solutions create in many people are real. Clean. Powerful. Fast. Efficient.

The wireline industry has already seen its share of industry changing technological advancements to meet the needs of widespread horizontal completions. The industry innovated the wireline from a steel cable and grease injector to a greaseless cable with a control head that allowed us to run cleaner, faster and with less friction. We evolved from pressure activated switches to IP addressable switches to shoot multiple clusters more reliably. Perhaps electric powered wireline units are destined to take the same trajectory, to quickly become the norm rather than the exception, or maybe they will hold a niche market.

The advantages to the E&P customer are the same as with an electric frac fleet – reduced emissions and noise, and an argued increase in efficiency. For the wireline company, there is an argued economic advantage even if the customer is not requiring it. The savings in diesel and the lower cost to maintain electric motors over diesel motors has return on investment that cannot be offhandedly dismissed. But when it comes to emissions reporting, the devil is in the details. If a generator is used for power, look closely at the diesel usage and emissions of that generator versus a tractor to see actual emissions reductions.

However, the technology is continuing to evolve and there are many options available to wireline companies seeking to make the jump. Not every option is going to be practical for every job. More manufacturers are innovating in the space, and wireline companies are also developing in-house solutions.

Legacy wireline units are traditionally powered by their tandem diesel engine tractors, which drive a PTO powering hydraulics. A hydraulic generator provides electric power for the cab over hydraulic power for the operation of the wireline drum.

The most straight-forward way to convert a legacy wireline unit from diesel to electric is through an electric motor to power a hydraulic pump. The hydraulics on the legacy unit remain relatively unchanged. Some units will still allow for the tractor to provide power via the PTO as an alternative if an electric power supply is not available or fails. The source of electric power to the motor, whether a generator or shore power, can also supply the needed power for the recorder cab.

The conversion components can be mounted within the wireline truck or on a trailer. The same electric over hydraulic system can be used to power the crane hoisting the pressure control equipment and sheave, along with other ancillary hydraulic equipment on location, such as quick attach well locks or wireline rams.

In new build wireline units, the trend is to eliminate hydraulics altogether and use a direct-drive electric motor powering the wireline drum. This approach has been engineered to provide the power and speed of a traditional hydraulically driven drum, if not more. While there is arguably a different “feel” to operating an electric direct drive drum, the units are increasingly popular with crews, particularly due to their quietness.

By freeing the wireline unit from a diesel tractor, options that depart from the traditional tandem tractor and wireline cab are increasingly available. There are currently options on the market for wireline units as gooseneck trailers, on tracks like a tank, and in modular skid units where multiple wireline drum units can be controlled by a single operating cab.

As mentioned at the beginning, manufacturers are also harnessing batteries as an option for flexibility and security. Should the primary power source be lost, the wireline truck can still run-on battery power – perhaps allowing a tool to be pulled from the hole where it would otherwise be stuck until power was restored. One manufacturer’s system has an option to use a small diesel motor to recharge the battery pack using a fraction of the diesel required to power a tractor and PTO setup in a legacy unit. This allows the unit to easily be used where there is no shore power to location.

With innovation comes new issues. As a safety matter, electrical grounding and bonding between the truck, ancillary equipment such as the crane, and wellhead are important to consider. And while an electric motor requires much less maintenance than a diesel motor, it would be a misnomer to say the systems are fully maintenance free. Show me something that needs to be regularly greased, and I will find you an oilfield hand ready to ignore it until it starts squealing.

Beyond safety and maintenance, the standard in wireline perforating technology on completion sites is the use of IP addressable switches. Grounding issues can impact the telemetry used to address the switch from the wireline unit through the cable.

However, fully electrified units are adding features meant to enhance safety. This includes remote control packs that allow the wireline engineer to operate the drum while outside the truck when picking up or laying down tools. This allows the operator better visibility and communication with his or her team on the ground and the crane operator.

Further, greater technology is being employed in the drive systems, providing more data on run performance, and even seeking to automate aspects of a run in an effort to reduce human error in operations. A tech can easily adjust the torque and speed limits of the drum, allowing the wireline provider or E&P the ability to engineer limits into the operating system of the truck.

While we might blame ESG initiatives in both government regulation and corporate investment for the move from diesel to electric, the advantages the technology brings to performance at the wellhead looks to stand on its own. While it may not be a universal option at this time, it is an option that should not be dismissed.

Lucas Gjovig is co-owner and COO of GO Wireline, LLC based out of Williston, ND, and serves on the Energy Workforce & Technology Council Advisory Board. He is also an attorney, pilot, husband and father of five.