Drilling & Completion Tech Digest

CHEMICAL INJECTION SYSTEM WITH CAPILLARY INJECTION STRINGS INSTALLED IN OFFSHORE WELLS

BJ Services Company has successfully installed the first InjectSafe chemical injection system with DynaCoil capillary injection strings offshore in two wells in Europe. Installation allowed the company to inject foaming agent directly downhole through the capillary string without compromising the integrity of the surface-controlled subsurface safety valve (SCSSV).

The foaming agent, which foams condensate produced from the well, prevents liquid from accumulating in the well and enables production to flow continuously, resulting in an increase in overall gas production rates.

BJ carried out the project in the North Sea with operational support from its base in Aberdeen.

The chemical injection system allows wells to retain SCSSV integrity and operability by preserving the existing control line function, while allowing injection of fluids directly to the wellbore below the SCSSV. The system is run in conjunction with capillary injection tubing using specially engineered capillary tubing equipment. This equipment is designed specifically for running small-bore tubing into wells and features a small wellsite footprint to reduce impact upon other platform operations.

The method of installing the system is usually straightforward. The existing tubing-retrievable SCSSV is locked open and the chemical injection system, featuring the FlowSafe SCSSV and capillary string assembly that is long enough to reach the predetermined depth, is run in the well on wireline, then set and locked in place.

A stinger attached to the upper capillary string is then run into the well, using a special injector head, until the stinger locates in the downhole receptacle within the SCSSV system. This establishes fluidic communication from the surface, around the safety valve, and to the bottom of the well, enabling chemical or foamer injection to take place.

Integrity, through the capillary string, is maintained by four check valves located within the system. These prevent any backflow from the well being able to reach surface through the capillary string. Two are located in a bottomhole assembly, one within the SCSSV body and one inside the stinger.

The recent installation is the first time that BJ Services has employed this technology offshore in Europe.

“By installing this system offshore, we can economically treat wells prone to production-related issues such as liquid loading, salting, waxing, scaling and hydrate problems,” said John Anderson, region vice president – Europe & West Africa for BJ. “These conditions can now be treated without pulling the tubing to install a capillary string, which would be a more expensive and time-consuming option,” he added.

The system allows effective downhole treatments by enabling the installation of small-diameter capillary strings within the production tubing to apply specialty treatments to enhance production without compromising the capability of the SCSSV. The capillary strings can be run to depths of 22,000 ft (7,000 m).

RECORD SET ON US LAND 2-SECTION LATERAL

Baker Hughes recently used the INTEQ 4 ¾-in. X-treme motor technology and the CoPilot service to drill the fastest two-section lateral to date in 6.42 days for a Williston Basin operator. They then deployed the first Baker Oil Tools Frac-Point extended stage system, enabling the operator to frac the well with 18 stages using new frac sleeve technology. Real-time data helped to optimize the drilling parameters to realize the full potential of the motor technology. The additional bending moment information contributed to improve wellbore quality, eliminating unnecessary slides, reducing the number of localized doglegs, and allowing the 18-stage completion to be run.

Baker Hughes also recently successfully installed the first BOT 9 ^5/8-in. “Float-In” liner hanger on Sakhalin Island, Russia. This was a critical milestone in a challenging project due to the significant extended-reach well profile. The liner had a length of 2,911 m (9,587 ft) and was installed at a total depth of 6,603 m (21,663 ft) with 83° inclination.

TECHNOLOGY MAPPING UNDER DEVELOPMENT

A technology mapping capability is being developed by the Industry Technology Facilitator and OTM Consulting. It will allow users to understand how their technology needs fit in with the global “landscape” of existing, field-trial-ready and emerging technologies. The companies hope this will help to accelerate the uptake of new technology and enable greater collaboration and end user input to the development of new technology, as well as allow R&D budgets to be targeted more effectively. The technology mapping function will be integrated into a knowledge base called TechnologyTradingPost.

DOE AIMS TO TURN OILFIELD CO-PRODUCED WATER INTO ENERGY SOURCE

A US Department of Energy (DOE) collaboration is trying to generate electricity from a geothermal source stemming from oilfield operations. The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Geothermal Technologies Program will merge and leverage research capabilities to demonstrate low-temperature geothermal electric power generation systems using co-produced water from oilfield operations at FE’s Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC).

EERE is providing funding for the purchase of a geothermal electricity producing unit. RMOTC will serve as a testing facility for geothermal technologies. The system will turn otherwise discarded water into an energy resource. With an estimated 10 barrels of hot water co-produced along with each barrel of oil in the United States, there is significant resource potential for this technology. The electricity produced will be used to power field production equipment.

Operational and performance data will be collected and made available to industry and the public highlighting the potential of geothermal renewable energy from co-produced water.

HIGH ARTIC ENERGY SERVICES ACHIEVES A MILLION MANHOURS WORKED WITHOUT LTI

On 30 September, High Arctic Energy Services Papua New Guinea (PNG) passed one million manhours without a lost-time incident. During this time, the company has:

• Driven in excess of 840,000 km without serious vehicle incidents.
• Conducted 36 rig moves, including separate Leap Frog and main rig package moves. Three of the rig moves were fly moves.
• Skidded the rigs three times to the next well on the same location.  A number of other skidding has taken place to move the rig off the well to rig down.
• Drilled nearly 23,000 m of hole.
• Submitted 21,161 stop cards (13,525 safe, 7,636 unsafe).
• Submitted 4,745 hazard cards (4,736, or 99.8%, have been closed out).

ACOUSTIC OPTICAL FIBRE SYSTEM INSTALLED IN CBM WELL

Fibre optic sensing systems company Fotech Solutions installed the world’s first dedicated downhole distributed acoustic optical fibre system using the company’s new Helios monitoring solution in August 2009. The distributed acoustic monitoring system was installed in a coal-bed methane well in Scotland for Composite Energy. The system can be deployed in a range of applications, including reservoir surveillance, production monitoring, integrity assurance, flowline movement, flow assurance and leak detection.

NEW SERVICE TO ALLOW REAL-TIME FRACTURE CONTROL

Baker Hughes Inc and BJ Services Company have launched the IntelliFrac service to enable operators to monitor fracture dimensions during stimulation treatments and to allow real-time control of fracture operations. Fracturing and production enhancement services will be provided by BJ and advanced microseismic services by Baker Hughes.

During hydraulic fracturing operations, the new service monitors and measures the microseismic events that indicate key fracture properties, including azimuth, height, length, volume and complexity of the induced fractures. By understanding hydraulic fracture propagation, operators can make better on-location treatment management decisions and in turn reduce well completion and stimulation risk and uncertainty. Once the microseismic data set has been gathered and processed, operators can use the data to optimize field development plans and potentially reduce the number of wellbores required to develop the field.

ABRASIVE CUTTING TOOL USED SUCCESSFULLY IN GOM

InterMoor, an Acteon company, has completed its sixth job in the Gulf of Mexico using the Scimitar Abrasive Cutting Tool, where the abrasive is introduced at the cutting head versus a slurry mix (abrasive mixed at the high-pressure pump). The tool uses ultra-high pressure water to move abrasive at transonic speeds to cut virtually any type of material. It was adapted from a pneumatic tool to a hydraulic tool that centralizes inside of the pile or caisson. The company also recently sold its 100th Permanent Chain Chase (PCC), which assists with installation and recovery of anchors from the seabed. It has a lifting capacity of 150 tons.