How Does a Retrievable Bridge Plug Work?

How Does a Retrievable Bridge Plug Work?

How Does a Retrievable Bridge Plug Work?

Oil and gas drilling has become safer and more efficient with advances in downhole tools. One essential tool is the bridge plug. These workhorses can seal off a lower section of a well while oilfield service companies work on upper sections, or they can permanently close spent wells.

For drilling and maintenance, retrievable bridge plugs make work more efficient and cost-effective. After all, if you can reuse a tool you use all the time, rather than having to replace it with every job, your equipment costs will go down. Retrievable bridge plugs are durable and reusable. But how does a retrievable bridge plug work?

Retrievable Bridge Plug Parts

Retrievable bridge plugs include slips (sometimes bi-directional), a mandrel, and sealing elements. The elements create the seal between the plug and the casing in the well. Retrievable bridge plugs are designed with the ability to release the slips so the workers can pull the plug back up out of the well bore.

How Do You Set a Bridge Plug?

Retrievable bridge plugs can be set by wireline means or strictly mechanical means. Using one of these methods, workers will attach an adapter or tool to the bridge plug, ensuring they apply the manufacturer’s recommended level of torque.

Once the plug is securely attached to the wireline or setting tool, it is lowered into the required depth in the hole. Once it is deep enough, the setting tool is functioned to set the retrievable bridge plug securely into the casing ID.

Ways To Retrieve a Bridge Plug

The next inquiry many people have is related to how to retrieve the bridge plug once they have it set. A key function of how a retrievable bridge plug works is the ability to pull the plug when necessary. Depending on the style of retrievable bridge plug used, the slips release with a valve that equalizes pressure. This enables you to pull the plug back up out of the hole using a compatible tool that attaches or screws onto the top of the plug.

Contact Silver Fox for all your downhole tool needs. We’ll explain how each of our retrievable bridge plugs works. And we can help you determine which tool will do the job you need to do, at the price point that’s right for your budget.