We were getting ready to run a standard pump down perforating job on a horizontal well. The crew was sharp, the wireline truck had just been serviced, and the wireline tools were assembled and tested. It looked like a smooth job on paper. But things changed fast when we started pulling out of the hole …
In the world of wireline perforating, you’re always one step away from either flawless execution or a frustrating misrun. I’ve been on both sides of that line, but one incident made sure I’d never leave detonator checks to assumption again. This was a standard cased hole wireline operation—horizontal well, multi-stage plug-and-perf, classic pump down perforating …
If you’ve spent enough time in the wireline business, you know that sometimes it’s not the high-tech logging cable, the fancy surface readout, or the latest wireline control systems that fail—it’s something much smaller. In this case, it was a cracked port plug. And that tiny failure caused a full misrun. We were midway through …
There’s a certain rhythm to wireline logging—a sequence of checks, measurements, and confirmations that keeps everything aligned downhole. For years, we relied on marker joints to correlate depth for plug setting, perforation services, and cased hole logging. Then came the job where that rhythm broke. No marker joint. No fixed reference point. And no room …
Wireline logging requires accuracy, attention, and repetition. But even with the best wireline tools, advanced logging cable, and seasoned wireline control systems, human error still finds a way in if you let your guard down. It happened on a horizontal well, during a routine pump down perforating run. Everything looked fine at first. The wireline …
In this industry, you learn fast that it’s not always the electronics, pressure, or explosives that shut down a wireline operation. Sometimes, it’s something as simple as the cable itself. I found that out the hard way during a routine cased hole logging operation that turned into a troubleshooting nightmare—all because of crossed armors. We …
In wireline, precision matters. There’s not much room for error when you’re handling downhole tools, managing wireline pressure control equipment, and running high-stakes perforation wells. One job taught me that in the clearest way possible. It all came down to a small but critical component—the bleeder disc retainer nut on a setting tool. We were …
In wireline, it’s never just the big failures that cause the most damage. Sometimes it’s the small, overlooked steps that turn into a complete operational shutdown. One of the most memorable experiences I had as a wireline engineer came during what was supposed to be a routine pump down perforating job. Everything looked good: the …
In wireline, the real learning doesn’t happen behind a desk—it happens in the field. You figure it out while troubleshooting a short mid-run, assembling cased hole wireline toolstrings in the middle of a pump down job, with the pressure of a ticking clock and a client waiting on results. That’s where the true wireline training …
I’ve been in the field long enough to know that sometimes, the most dangerous mistakes in wireline operations aren’t the big mechanical failures—they’re the small ones that slip through because someone didn’t double-check. And I’ve seen firsthand how that one unchecked detail can turn a routine wireline well logging operation into a downhole nightmare. We …
