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As the scope of deepwater operations increases, the need for cost-effective well servicing is paramount, particularly because of the continued challenges associated with current volatile commodity pricing. One of the first requirements on any subsea deepwater intervention with a horizontal wellhead production tree is pulling the subsea horizontal tree isolation lock mandrel plugs, commonly referred to wellhead or crown plugs. This can be a "show stopper" event if not planned correctly. Because of the critical nature of this action, the majority of operators follow a two-prong approach, with a primary plan of action and a contingency procedure, to help ensure barrier removal proceeds as planned. Although successful removal of the crown plugs is the principal concern, it needs to be completed cost-effectively for the intervention to obtain approval. The advent of digital slickline (DSL) allows surface readout (SRO) monitoring during the removal and installation of these barriers to provide an increased level of confidence during this important phase of the operation. This paper outlines case studies of the real-time sensors available with the RF communication DSL system that was highlighted previously (Heaney et al. 2018) for pulling and setting these wellhead or crown plugs in deepwater Gulf of Mexico interventions using the traditional jarring approach. Two brands of crown plugs are available on the market, and although both pull the same, there is a difference in the installation procedure and each plug or lock has a unique SRO digital signature. Additionally, the straight pull battery operated extended-stroke downhole power unit highlighted in McDaniel et al. (2008), Clemens et al. (2014), and Babin et al. (2015) offers a cost-effective contingency that can be deployed on the small-footprint DSL unit. This setup allows starting the operation using the traditional jarring approach, and if required because of high hydrostatic forces, the operation can easily move to a straight pull contingency without rigging down the DSL unit for maximized wellsite efficiency. New developments as the downhole power generator was ported to DSL are discussed, notably on- command motor controls and SRO, which was traditionally only available in memory. A downhole anchor was added to the toolbox, which can be run in combination with the downhole power generator to expand effectiveness, as new production trees might not allow for a no-go landing shoulder. To address the increased water depths, the 3.59-in. extended-stroke downhole power generator was upgraded to 80,000 lbf pulling force.
As the scope of deepwater operations increases, the need for cost-effective well servicing is paramount, particularly because of the continued challenges associated with current volatile commodity pricing. One of the first requirements on any subsea deepwater intervention with a horizontal wellhead production tree is pulling the subsea horizontal tree isolation lock mandrel plugs, commonly referred to wellhead or crown plugs. This can be a "show stopper" event if not planned correctly. Because of the critical nature of this action, the majority of operators follow a two-prong approach, with a primary plan of action and a contingency procedure, to help ensure barrier removal proceeds as planned. Although successful removal of the crown plugs is the principal concern, it needs to be completed cost-effectively for the intervention to obtain approval. The advent of digital slickline (DSL) allows surface readout (SRO) monitoring during the removal and installation of these barriers to provide an increased level of confidence during this important phase of the operation. This paper outlines case studies of the real-time sensors available with the RF communication DSL system that was highlighted previously (Heaney et al. 2018) for pulling and setting these wellhead or crown plugs in deepwater Gulf of Mexico interventions using the traditional jarring approach. Two brands of crown plugs are available on the market, and although both pull the same, there is a difference in the installation procedure and each plug or lock has a unique SRO digital signature. Additionally, the straight pull battery operated extended-stroke downhole power unit highlighted in McDaniel et al. (2008), Clemens et al. (2014), and Babin et al. (2015) offers a cost-effective contingency that can be deployed on the small-footprint DSL unit. This setup allows starting the operation using the traditional jarring approach, and if required because of high hydrostatic forces, the operation can easily move to a straight pull contingency without rigging down the DSL unit for maximized wellsite efficiency. New developments as the downhole power generator was ported to DSL are discussed, notably on- command motor controls and SRO, which was traditionally only available in memory. A downhole anchor was added to the toolbox, which can be run in combination with the downhole power generator to expand effectiveness, as new production trees might not allow for a no-go landing shoulder. To address the increased water depths, the 3.59-in. extended-stroke downhole power generator was upgraded to 80,000 lbf pulling force.
Digital slickline (DSL) using radio frequency (RF) communications for on-command surface controlled explosive trigger tools has been available for years (Heaney et al. 2018). Unfortunately, the non-explosive electro-mechanical downhole power unit (DPU) setting tool could only run in timer mode, and all key performance indicators (KPI), including motor current & voltage, force and rod position were only available in the tool’s memory. The expansion of DSL services led to the development of a powered mechanical platform, and the primary tool upgraded was the DPU to an elite downhole power unit (EDPU). This enhancement allows for on-command surface control and real-time KPI sensor data that was formerly only in the tools memory. Also available are the real-time DSL data, including; casing collar locator (CCL), pressure, temperature, inclination, relative bearing, axial & radial vibration, and battery voltage & current that helps corroborate a successful plug set. Case histories presented will show how all the surface readout (SRO) data provide conclusive confirmation in-situ that the barriers set as planned, and provide a repeatable signature of a mechanical plug set. We will also show examples of plugs that exhibit the expected digital signature but did not pass a mechanical integrity test to confirm adequate isolation. Additional tools in the powered mechanical toolbox include an on-command release tool (ESRT) and a downhole anchor tool (EDAT). All devices can be run in combination if required, and each apparatus has a unique address with individual surface commands. The EDAT & EDPU combination expand intervention services with an extremely high push & pull force, which allows for pulling of subsea crown plugs, heavy-duty fishing, pulling retrievable plugs and many other applications. The EDAT can be set up to run in industry-standard 3 ½, 4 ½, 5 ½, and 7inch pipe sizes and can be modified to allow pulling of oversized crown plugs those outside diameters (OD) are more significant than the dimensions of 7inch pipe.
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