Advances in inflatable packer technology have been made in response to the demands of increasingly severe application environments resulting from deeper and deeper underground mining activities, often in remote locations. These include the development of tools to enable deep high pressure permeability testing and hydraulic fracturing activities such as pre-conditioning for block caving, rockburst mitigation and stress testing. In some cases, oilfield type equipment has been adapted for deep underground drilling activities requiring high pressure waterflow control. All of this was implemented using an Australian developed inflatable packer technology. Future developments of this technology may play a role in shale oil and gas exploration and production as well as hard rock in situ leach mining.
Current market conditions in the oil industry call for cost effective well intervention methods to optimize production in wells completed with Insertable Progressing Cavity Pumps (I-PCPs). Rigless rod-string conveyance of I-PCP's traditionally rely on Pump Seating Nipples (PSNs) or mechanical-set I-PCP anchoring devices in wells without PSN's. Although the installation of an I-PCP on a PSN is a reliable method, it requires a PSN to be originally installed within the production tubing, which limits the I-PCP setting depth to the location of the PSN. Rod-string conveyance of mechanical-set I- PCP anchoring devices is limited by the rod string's effectiveness to transmit the required axial loads to setting depth, which becomes increasingly challenging in extended-reach conditions. Other challenges with I-PCP installations include location of previously installed PSN's and positive anchoring to facilitate disengagement of the rotor without unseating the I-PCP for flush-by operations. An inflatable packer anchoring device has been developed to simplify rigless installation of an I-PCP without the need of a seating nipple. The device relies only on hydraulic pressure while eliminating the need for axial loads during its setting sequence. The rod string deployed inflatable packer I-PCP anchoring device incorporates inflatable packer technology in conjunction with a hydraulically-actuated slip mechanism. It is equipped with seal cups and a shearable intake sub to obtain the required pressure competence to confirm tubing integrity and enable its setting sequence while maximizing flow-through capability after it is set. The system can be retrieved by applying overpull to shear its release pins allowing the inflatable packers to deflate and the mechanical slips to retract. The first installation of this system proved its optimal functionality by successfully setting an I-PCP in 3-1/2" production tubing in a vertical well in Oman's Sadad field. The I-PCP was deployed on rod string in conjunction with the inflatable packer anchoring device to setting depth. The system was set by applying pressure with a flush-by unit pump via the tubing-rod annulus, and the well was immediately placed into production. The objective of this paper is to provide a technical explanation of this innovative and unique technology, share the lessons learned from its first installation, and discuss its potential to improve the current capabilities of I-PCP technology while reducing operational cost and optimizing PCP/I-PCP completion design.
An offshore well located in Indonesia required rigless installation of an insertable progressive cavity pump (I-PCP) as a cost-effective solution to restore production while eliminating the need to retrieve the upper completion for extensive maintenance. The well had been previously completed with a conventional progressive cavity pump (PCP) as an integral part of the completion and was placed offline for approximately one year due to mechanical failure of downhole components. Typical I-PCP anchoring methods were not feasible alternatives for this application. A pump-seating nipple (PSN) insertable seal stack could not be used due to the lack of a PSN at the required I-PCP setting depth, and a mechanical J-slot anchoring device could not be deployed because rod conveyance from an offshore barge is subject to constant heave, which results in fluctuating axial loads and rod position, which would pose the risk of prematurely activating a mechanical J-slot anchor during deployment. An inflatable packer anchoring system was selected as a solution to the operational challenges encountered in this application. The system comprises inflatable packer technology, a hydraulically-actuated anchoring slip mechanism, seal cups, and a shearable intake sub. Conveyed on sucker rods, the system provides the required pressure competence to confirm tubing integrity and enable a complete hydraulic setting sequence. The first ever offshore installation of this system proved its optimal functionality by successfully anchoring an I-PCP inside 3-1/2" production tubing riglessly from an offshore barge. The system was set by applying pressure via the tubing-rod annulus, and the well was immediately placed into production. After being shut-in for more than one year, this unique solution provided the well operator with a safe and low-cost alternative to reestablish production while eliminating the need for a workover rig. The objective of this paper is to provide a case study analysis of the first offshore deployment of this technology, discuss its potential for optimizing PCP/I-PCP completion designs, and explain the economic and operational benefits of associated rigless well intervention operations in comparison to current alternative methods.
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