D&C Tech Digest
Sleeves open after 10 months in Permian well
An operator in the Permian Basin recently ran two Halliburton RapidStart Initiator sleeves, designed for selective multistage frac and plug-and-perf operations, in a cemented long-string horizontal application. The operator, working out of Midland, Texas, needed a pressure-operated toe sleeve that could run in a cemented long-string horizontal application. To ensure well integrity, they wanted to perform a casing test prior to opening the sleeve. From there, they would establish a flow path from the casing ID to the formation, allowing them to pump the first stage of the frac job, then pump down the frac plug and perforating guns for the second stage.
Two RapidStart Initiator sleeves were installed at the toe and left in the well for 10 months before operations began. The operator was able to successfully pressure-test the casing and open the sleeves despite the extended time that had elapsed since installation. These sleeves helped to eliminate the need for tripping in the hole with coiled tubing and tubing-conveyed perforating guns, or tractor-conveyed wireline perforation guns.
The sleeves provided an interventionless means of establishing an initial flow path from the casing ID to the formation. Prior to running in the hole, the sleeves were pinned according to the operator’s requirements. By applying absolute pressure in the casing ID that exceeded the predetermined shear pin value, the sleeves successfully opened. Halliburton cement wiper plugs and micro matrix cement retarder chemicals were used as part of the displacement to keep any remaining cement sheath from setting inside the sleeve.
Plug and abandonment technique used to cut four eccentric casing strings with single hydraulic cutter
A new technique developed by Energy Fishing & Rental Services (EFRS) has been used to cut totally eccentric 5-, 7-, 10 ¾- and 16-in. strings in a Gulf of Mexico well with a single cutting tool. The technique was developed in response to a problem faced by an operator during a plug-and-abandonment (P&A) operation.
Because all four casing strings were cemented together, conventional multi-step cutting, using graduated-size cutting tools and knives, was impossible. EFRS used a combination of specially fabricated cutter knives and an EFRS-designed procedure that used the correct combination of pump pressure and torque monitoring to cut all four totally eccentric inner strings using a cutter that typically could not have been used in this application.
All four eccentric casing strings were cut using an EFRS 3 ½-in. OD two-blade internal hydraulic casing cutter. The quick visualization, development and execution of specific procedures to complete a difficult job has created a new option for overcoming similar problems in P&A work.
Subsea Services Alliance developing riserless abandonment system
The Subsea Services Alliance, a contractual collaboration between Helix Energy Solutions Group and Schlumberger, recently announced that the group is developing the first Riserless Open-water Abandonment Module (ROAM).
The 18 ¾-in. large-bore system will enhance well abandonment capacity from a well intervention vessel by allowing tubing to be pulled in open water in a safe and environmentally contained manner.
“The ROAM system will support open water well abandonment operations while employing well control and environmental protection measures,” said Owen Kratz, President and CEO, Helix.
The ROAM system will be engineered and built at the OneSubsea manufacturing facility in Aberdeen. The system, which will complement existing intervention riser systems and subsea intervention lubricators, is expected to be available to customers in Q3 2017.
New GE R&D center to focus on digital technologies
A new research and development (R&D) center in Oklahoma City is allowing GE to collaborate with the oil and gas industry on new digital technology and hardware. The 125,000-sq-ft center includes 400-ft and 60-ft test wells and two 30-ton overhead cranes for moving large testing equipment.
At the center opening in October, GE also unveiled a prototype drone that has been engineered to detect emissions precisely and cost effectively, to help operators reduce environmental impact and improve operational efficiency. Southwestern Energy Company piloted the technology to detect emissions from oilfield equipment at well sites in Arkansas in July.
GE has established several new programs and partnerships with industry and academia at the R&D center, including Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma. The company also has R&D agreements in place with several operators that are active in North American shale plays.
FEI ships 1,000th Helios DualBeam System
FEI recently announced that the 1,000th Helios DualBeam system has been shipped since the devices were introduced in 2006. The 1,000th system was manufactured in FEI’s Brno plant in the Czech Republic and was shipped to a semiconductor customer that is utilizing the system for advanced failure analysis on sub-20-nanometer semiconductor devices.
