ADVANCED PERFORATION TECHNOLOGY FOR
REMEDIAL & CASING RECOVERY APPLICATIONS
Alex Lucas, TOTAL Upstream Danmark A/S
Craig Smith, Owen Oil Tools (UK) Ltd
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EVOLUTION & CHALLENGE OF ANNULAR CEMENT REMEDIATION
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● The move away from section milling in favour of Perforate, Wash and Cement (PWC) techniques for
annular remedation has brought a step-change in remediation efficiency over the last decade
● Remediating well-bonded annuli can however still be challenging and may result in failure (see SPE
Aberdeen 2017 & SPE-191528 from 2018) with a costly recovery, often requiring section milling
● Can we develop a solution to enable successful remediation via Perf & Wash, regardless of the
degree of annular bond?
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NEXT STEP: ENHANCED PWC – TOTAL “PERFORM” PROJECT
• Aim: to decouple annular status from ability to successfully execute and
provide reliable sealing independent of annular condition.
• The PERFORM project (PERFORate ReMediate). 3 main components:1.Optimised hydraulics – CFD modelling to determine what is optimal
2.Enhanced gun system – develop new gun system to ‘pulverise’ annular cement
3.Enhanced circulation – new generation Perforate, Wash & Cement tools
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+ +
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PART 1: OPTIMISED HYDRAULICS
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● Validus Engineering supercomputer simulation of 243 parameter combinations (perforation density, perf size, flow rate, rheology and inclination) and
‘Design of Experiments’ statistical method used to evaluate 5948 designs to determine optimal hydraulic parameters.
● Optimal hole size and shot density recommended.
● Cementing analysis revealed:
• Vertical wells suffer significantly more from contamination than inclined due to ‘intermittent’ filling in vertical hole.
• High contamination risk caused by spacer/mud displaced out of rathole upwards through the cement column above.
• Very important to displace all mud out of the rathole before moving the tool to avoid contamination. Sufficient perforations should be left below
the tool when commencing cementing to permit efficient rathole filling, and rathole length should be minimised.
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PAC Family Solutions
• Used to establish communication between the inner
tubing/casing without damaging the casing behind it.
• Available from 1 9/16" through to 7” Gun sizes, ranging
from 4 – 18spf. Maximise phasing options up to full
360deg
• Large test database and run history portfolio spanning
over 7 years to cover various casing sizes, grades,
weights & phasings for optimal well solution
PART II: ENHANCED PERFORATING – OWEN PAC FAMILY
Example: B C and D-Annulus Target
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OWEN PAC / SYSTEM DESIGN SOLUTIONS
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Current improved methods • Wireline P&A activity:
• Circulation communication
• Circulation stuck pipe
• Plug punch and cut
• Cement and sidetrack
• TCP P&A activity:
• Large area of flow wash design
• Perforating system design for swab cup and Jet PWC
• Circulation PAC single & multiple annuli
• Casing recovery support - section mill
• Casing recovery support - wash tool
‘Pulverizor’ technology (Patent Pending)• ‘Rubbelisation’ of cement zones for:
• Optimised Perforate & Wash
• Optimised casing recovery
• Retrieve stuck completions
• Squeezing/injecting of sealing materials
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TEST VESSEL UK TESTING
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ACTIVATION
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POST ACTIVATION
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• ~1750 psi hydro pressure prior to
detonation.
• 12644 psi peak pressure.
• All shots successfully penetrated.
• No damage to 13-3/8” casing.
• 0.4563” average EH.
• Flow out of annulus observed – hydraulic
communication established.
• Full circumferential cement damage
observed, further broken up after pressure
testing vessel to 1000 psi.
RESULTS
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PART III: ENHANCED CIRCULATION – RIG TEST
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● Eccentric vessel logged courtesy of Baker following perforating.
● Installed test vessel at NORCE Ullrigg test rig facility, Stavanger.
● Washed vessel courtesy of Archer at 1600 lpm, STPmax 70 bar.
● Able to circulate accross full 10m fullyeccentric interval.
● Best washing at end with most rubbelisation.
● Washing improved with additional passes
(Flow/STP).
● Cuttings very fine.
● Cement placed as per plan, cured overnight.
● Tagged and drilled out hard cement.
● Re-logged vessel.
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BAKER CBL DATA: BEFORE PERF / AFTER PERF / AFTER PWC
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● Before perforating: ca. 2 – 6 mV CBL
response
● Vessel cemented in controlled conditions
at NORCE with standard 1.90 SG / 16 ppg
G-class slurry
● Definitively well bonded cement
● Following perforation: ca. 60 – 80mV in the
top half, ca. 25 – 40 mV in the bottom half
● Significantly debonded cement
● After cementing: ca. 10 – 20 mV over
the majority of the vessel.
● Substantially remediated cement!
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● WellstrømAS designed a bespoke tool concept for TOTAL based on an electrical heater (preferred due to improved control, feedback, verification and re-melting capability)
● Rawwater/Wellstrøm plug design is the first qualified to DNV-RP-203 – Jul 2013, ISO 14310 (V0) & Oil & Gas UK guidelines with an 'anticipated' 3,000-year-life cast metal seal.
● Testing at Owen Oil Tools demonstrated a high ΔP plug could be formed in Pulverized cement, remelted and reset using electrical heater element under simulated downhole conditions.
FURTHER APPLICATION 1: EUTECTIC ALLOY SEALING
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FURTHER APPLICATION 2: CASING RECOVERY
● Full-scale casing recovery test February 2021 for TOTAL unfortunately cancelled.
● Further opportunities & collaborations being sought.
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FURTHER APPLICATION 3: RIGLESS THROUGH-TUBING
● Proposal to further develop ‘Pulverizor’ system for a through tubing 3-1/2” or 4-1/2” x 9-5/8”
application for fully rigless annular remediation on e-line
● 2.125” & 3.125” gun concepts under development.
● TOTAL and Owen Oil Tools invite participation from industry peers to further advance the concepts
shown today.
TOTAL wishes to thank all those whose contributions made the “PERFORM” project possible:
Johan Kverneland – TOTAL R&D & E&P Norge
Stanley McCombie & the team @ Owen Oil Tools UK
Bjørn Tore Torvestad & Thore Andre Stokkeland & the team @ Archer
Björn Ullbrand & the CFD team @ Validus Engineering
Kjetil Jonsson – K2 Oilfied Services & Expro
Gert Rege & the team @ Wellstrøm
Steve Smith, Scott Ingram & the team @ Baker
Frank Økland @ Toolserve
Dave Gardner & the team @ NORCE
QUESTIONS & THANKS