Unity completes thru-tubing well isolation project in Italy

Well integrity specialist Unity completed a thru-tubing well intervention in Central Italy for SMAPE, engineering a custom inflatable cement retainer to achieve well isolation after standard cementing and mechanical options fell short.

The job followed conventional cement squeeze operations that failed to isolate a thief zone behind a slotted liner that was absorbing cement. The well’s geometry ruled out standard mechanical isolation equipment, since any retainer had to pass through a 2.188-inch nipple restriction before expanding and setting inside a 3.958-inch ID above the thief zone, with a low fluid level adding further complexity to the job design.

Unity’s thru-tubing team built a custom 2.125-inch inflatable cement retainer, modifying the bottom-hole assembly with a dual check valve system and shear disconnect and topping the assembly with a cement plug so the rig crew could release from the retainer immediately after the squeeze.