What’s a Slickline?

Print anything with Printful



A slickline is a cable used by oil and gas companies to insert and remove tools during well maintenance. It is tightly woven and can withstand pressure without breaking. Slicklines can be used in active or inactive wells and can carry various tools. Staff members inspect the line for damage and learn how to operate it on the job.

A slickline is a cable well that operators can insert into an oil or gas well to place and remove tools and equipment during well maintenance and service. When not in use, it stays tightly coiled on a drum that operators can turn to unwind lengths of line or to take the line back. Slicklines are used by oil companies and well maintenance companies. They are not electrical in nature, differentiating them from fixed lines, which are capable of transmitting data from inside the well.

The slickline is tight and tightly woven. The design resists tension to allow you to pull very hard on the line without risk of breakage. Tools and well parts can shift during work and this can create the need for a firm tug to remove them. The slickline must be able to withstand the pressure without snapping, as a break could result in equipment being lost down the well. This could force operators to lower another slickline to recover them.

This line can pass through the control box of an active or live well without breaking the internal pressure. A slickline allows operators to work on a well while it is in active production and can maintain efficiency. It can also be used in a destroyed well that is not actively producing oil, such as during a workover, where personnel perform critical maintenance to ensure a well can continue to produce.

Slicklines can carry a variety of tools along with weights to check their performance inside the well. The process of conducting trades with a slickline may be known as slicklining. It can be performed on land or at sea, using a variety of equipment and support personnel. While the line is in operation, staff members will inspect it for signs of damage or compromise to prevent losses and accidents. The line also typically passes through a cleaning system on its way up to remove debris from inside the well. This keeps operations cleaner and limits exposure to environmental hazards such as chemicals that may be present within the well.

Staff can learn how to operate a slickline on the job. Oil and gas well workers typically start out in starting positions to gain safety skills and learn about different worker positions through observation. As they develop experience, they can work their way through different roles on the well and will receive training from more experienced mentors.




Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN


Skip to content