When oil wells can no longer flow naturally at the desired rate, artificial-lift methods are often employed. Most mechanical installations of artificial-lift equipment require a complete workover of the well, involving pulling the well apart and rerunning the completion with additional artificial-lift components. These methods can prove prohibitively expensive and/or risky, and they may not pass the economic hurdle for implementation. A tubing punch and packoff gas lift system, also known as an "econo-gas lift" or retrofit gas lift system, may provide a less risky and more economically viable means of bringing dead wells back on production or optimizing flowing wells. To the best of our knowledge, the use of retrofit gas lift systems has been untested in a tension-leg-platform (TLP) environment and poses a new set of challenges as compared to its use onshore or in shallow-water locations. A case of the gas lift retrofit of an oil well on a TLP in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) demonstrates the usefulness of the proposed method. This paper shows how a retrofit gas lift system was used for capturing remaining reserves from a loaded TLP well. The specific case relates to the Shell Ursa A9 well, and this paper presents the new technologies employed and the successes and challenges associated with bringing the well back on production.
Traditional slickline work usually encompasses basic mechanical manipulation for downhole intervention work. In the recent past, a variety of battery-powered downhole tools have emerged in the market, providing additional deepwater solutions for the industry. These tools include the extended-reach downhole power unit and the smart release tool. The downhole electrical power unit is an electro-mechanical setting tool that uses a timer activation switch to begin the setting process for a variety of downhole tools. The smart release tool provides a timer-based mechanism to release the deployment wire from the downhole toolstring, eliminating the exposures associated with dropping a cutter in the event of a stuck tool. These tools can be conveyed on slickline for a variety of intervention solutions, including setting tubing plugs and packers, pulling subsea tree plugs, setting pressure gauges in tubing profiles, and providing a mechanical release in highly-deviated, extended-reach wellbores. This paper discusses specific well-intervention case histories using the downhole electrical power unit and the smart release tool. In the first case history, the downhole electrical power unit was used to set a packer assembly during a safety- valve repair. The smart release tool was used to soft set memory pressure gauges in wells without functioning, permanent downhole gauges, eliminating the need for jar action that could damage the gauges. Adaptations were made to the existing tool designs to respond to the well-specific challenges. These case histories demonstrate applications in which the electro-mechanical timer-activated tools have provided solutions for deepwater Gulf of Mexico well-intervention projects. The discussion includes lessons learned from previous project designs, development of operational best practices, and possible future applications to extend the role of slickline in deepwater operations. Applications may include the use of the downhole power unit to set packers and bridge plugs in conjunction with memory logging tools to correlate depth, as well as continued use of the smart release tool to minimize risks associated with downhole mechanical evaluation and memory data acquisition.
Traditionally, when wells in extreme environments required service, slickline, which had always been considered as the most cost-effective service option, was unable to provide the services because the available slickline tool options could not maintain integrity in the extreme well environments now being explored and developed. To address the requirements of the new scope of conditions in extreme environments, new methods that would meet a greater scope of needs were developed. The innovations include prejob wire-tension-modeling software and a state-of-the-art timed-release tool that provides successful intervention in difficult scenarios that normally could not have been considered as slickline candidates. This paper will discuss these developments and how they have enabled slickline to be a more cost-efficient alternative for the operations that had to be performed by other service options when intervention was required in extreme depths or in or highly deviated wells.A tool that can be timed to release the wire from the tool string at the rope socket without surface intervention has been developed to reduce the risks associated with stuck strings and dropping of conventional wire cutters. In addition, pre-job wire-tension modeling software is now available. How the newly developed slickline techniques can be used to mitigate the risks associated with the challenges created by the extremely deep and highly deviated wells will be discussed along with the enhanced cost efficiency and safety provided by these innovations. Implementation of the smart-release tool into the tool string will also be discussed.
Traditionally, when wells in extreme environments required service, slickline, which had always been considered as the most cost-effective service option, was unable to provide the services because the available slickline tool options could not maintain integrity in the extreme well environments now being explored and developed. To address the requirements of the new scope of conditions in extreme environments, new methods that would meet a greater scope of needs were developed. The innovations include prejob wire-tension-modeling software and a state-of-the-art timed-release tool that provides successful intervention in difficult scenarios that normally could not have been considered as slickline candidates. This paper will discuss these developments and how they have enabled slickline to be a more cost-efficient alternative for the operations that had to be performed by other service options when intervention was required in extreme depths or in or highly deviated wells. A tool that can be timed to release the wire from the tool string at the rope socket without surface intervention has been developed to reduce the risks associated with stuck strings and dropping of conventional wire cutters. In addition, pre-job wire-tension modeling software is now available. How the newly developed slickline techniques can be used to mitigate the risks associated with the challenges created by the extremely deep and highly deviated wells will be discussed along with the enhanced cost efficiency and safety provided by these innovations. Implementation of the smart-release tool into the tool string will also be discussed.
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