New Slickline Smart-Release Tool Mitigates Wire-Recovery Issues in Extreme Well Conditions

Abstract

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.