OTC 2871

SAFE, POLLUTION-FREE TESTING OF OFFSHORE AND ARCTIC WELLS

by B. P. Nutter, H. L. McGill, B. J. Scott

and H. D. Fry, Johnston Division of Schlumberger

© Copyright 1977. Offshore Technology Conference

This paper was presented at the 9th Annual OTC in Houston. Tex,. May 2,5, 1977, The material is subject to correction by the author, Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words,

ABSTRACT facilities it can clearly be seen that a complete

and accurate evaluation of the reservoir during
Well testing offshore and in reInote areas the initial testing can prevent a financial disaster.
such as the Arctic incurs a substantial respon- For this reason the well test must be complete in
sibility to provide cOInplete test results with Inaxi- defining the properties of the reservoir fluid, the
Inum safety and environmental protection. This flow rate, the reservoir pressure, permeability,
paper describes the new developments in a rapidly damage, extent of investigation, depletion, and
advancing technology for testing in these high cost reservoir anomalies. The initial testing should
operations. Major eInphasis is placed on producing also determine the effectiveness of stimulation
good results to allow Inaking correct decisions in treatment in increasing production rate.
these high investInent wells. The subject Inatter
reviews iInportant aspects of both offshore and Many offshore testing operations can involve
reInote area well testing. Recent new develop- up to as many as 100 people on the rig and equip-
Inents included are surface instrUIIlentation which ment costs exceeding the 50 million dollar range.
Inonitors early downhole flow rate for better For this reason it is of paramount importance that
engineering of the test, safe provisions for wire- the well test be conducted with maximUIIl safety of
line and coil tubing operations, testing with liInit- personnel and equipInent.
ed fluid production, and new downhole pressure
actuated tools for high flow production type test- Due to the close attention which is given to
ing. Accessory equipment for wireline operations offshore and Arctic well operations by environmen-
and future developments are also included. talists, governmental agencies, and the fast and
growing concern of the general public, the well
INTRODUCTION testing operations must be pollution-free for maxi-
mUIIl protection of the environment.
The continuing search for oil and gas,
necessary for easing the worlds energy shortage, High rig costs exceeding $50,000 per day
has led the petroleUIIl industry to the more hostile during offshore well testing operations, due to
environments such as deep sea operations of the extra personnel, equipment, emergency standby
Outer Continental Shelf and the remote frozen facilities, etc. require maximUIIl system reli-
areas of the Arctic. When testing these wells ability and minimUIIl rig time consUIIlption.
during the drilling or initial completion stage,
substantial emphasis must be placed on providing This paper summarizes and reviews those
complete test results with maximUIIl safety, steps which have been taken by the energy com-
protection of the environment, and at minimUIIl panies, drilling contractors, and the service
rig costs. cOInpanies in an effort to achieve all of the above
mentioned objectives in well testing operations.
The commercial value of the well must
be clearly and accurately defined. If we consider OFFSHORE TESTING FROM FLOATERS
development well costs such as drilling and
production platforms, gathering and pipeline During the past 20 years the exploration for
oil and gas has moved farther offghora I11to wAtal'
References and illustrations at end of paper.

007

--=--~-~- --.-~-
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 depths and hostile enviromnents making drilling for good fluid recovery and anticipated high sur-
from a jackup or platform type rig impossible face pressure which can be expected during the
in many cases and impractical for economic flow test. Knowledge of the flow rate is also use-
reasons. As a result of this evolution the era ful for estimating the duration of the shutin time
of the floating drilling vessel began. Floating necessary to obtain a satisfactory pressure build-
drilling operations today have not only become up.
economically feasible but are considered to be
safer and more reliable than many land opera- Monitoring of the surface flowing pressure
tions. (1) A new generation of well testing during the longer production type test can be
systems was developed specifically for floating continued following the closed chamber portion.
operations with emphasis placed on maximum The instrument package provides continuous
results, reliability, safety, enviromnental digital read-out, print-out, and strip chart record-
protection, and system redundancy. (2) This ing of the surface pressures, Figures 5, 6, and 7.
new generation of tools, for discussion purposes,
is divided into three basic systems: (1) surface, SURFACE CONTROL EQUIPMENT
(2) subsea, and, (3) downhole. (See Figure L)
Modern surface equipment has been devel-
SURFACE SYSTEM oped that is capable of handling H 2 S at large flow
rates with wellhead pressures of 10,000 and even
In this paper the surface system described 15, 000 psi. The necessity to safely and rapidly
is all the equipment relating to the testing opera- control high pressure well fluids has resulted in
tions which is located above the rotary table, (see the use of various fail-safe surface valves that
Figure 2). The system consists of the testing can detect unsafe conditions, such as excessive
control head, manifold, production testing equip- pressure, and automatically shut the well in.
ment, burner, and new surface instrumentation.
Figure 2 shows the location of the multiple
SURFACE INSTRUMENTATION manually operated and fail-safe valves that are
used to control the well at the surface.
A new technique developed in Canada,
requires that the well be shut in at the rurface Starting with the control head we have a
during the early stage of the test. 3)(4) 5) manually operated master valve located below
The analysis of the resulting increase in sur- the fail- safe pres sure opened swivel flow sub.
face pressure with respect to time indicates This flow sub includes a swivel to permit rotating
the type of fluid entering the test string and the drill pipe without breaking the flow hose loose.
the flow rate. The fail-safe valve portion of this flow sub consists
of a mandrel that is spring-loaded closed and is
The Teleflow, closed-chamber, technique held open for flow by nitrogen or hydraulic pres-
utilizes an ultrasensitive surface instrument sure. This valve can be rapidly closed by bleed-
package (Figure 2) which instantaneously deter- ing off this pressure thereby sealing off any flow
mines downhole flow rate and type of fluid being to the flow hose.
produced by accurately .measuring and analyzing
the surface pressure build-up. During the past The pressure opened swivel flow sub, or a
year approximately 75 field jobs have been con- pneumatic surface safety valve, or both, in par-
ducted with the prototype equipment in the allel can be controlled by anyone of the following
Permian Basin area. pilots to provide an automatic shutin system.

As formation fluid is produced in to the Well Head - High or low wellhead pressure
empty pipe string, which is shutin at the surface, upstream of the surface chokes, shuts in
the air column is pressurized as illustrated in with excessive pressure or loss of pressure
Figure 3. The rate of surface pressure in- due to flow hose or other equipment failure.
crease (dP/dt) during the initial flow period
indicates the flow rate and the type of fluid Separator - High or low pressure pilots
being produced downhole (see Figure 4). When shuts the well in before back pressure or
the well is shutin on bottom for the initial shut- rupture disc settings are reached.
in period, the surface behavior of pressure
change (dP/dt) distinguishes between single Separator - High or low liquid levels shut-
phase and multiphase flow. Also, during the in before liquids can exit through gas out-
initial shutin pe riod, the dP / dt resulting from let or gas through liquid outlets.
blowdown through a critical flow prover distin-
guishes between single and multiphase flow and Heater - Gas pilot flame out shuts off gas
determines accurately the gas -liquid ratio. In supply to heater and shuts well in.
addition to these benefits the data gathered dur-
ing the early part of the test can be used to Heater - Shut in of well from any other pilot
determine the minimum flow times necessary shuts off gas supply to heater.

508

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 Heater - Fusible loop around heater shuts during running, testing, and retrieving unles s the
the well in in the event of excessive heat line pressure is bled off to effect valve closure.
or fire. Disconnection is accomplished by pressuring an-
other line after valve closure is accomplished.
Gauge Tank - High liquid level shuts the
well in before tank overflows. Additional The use of coiled tubing for nitrogen un-
safety on tank consists of COZ fire extin- loading of the well during testing in the Santa
guisher actuated by a pull cord in event of Barbara Channel, offshore California, presented
fire, and flame arrestor on tank vent to special problems. While the coiled tubing was in
prevent possible flash back of flame from the tubing string no surface master valves or
gas flare. downhole valves could close and seal. This led
to the development of a tubing shear system in
The above safety features when combined the subsea master valve that, when power closed
with well-trained and experienced operating per- by application of pressure to a third line in the
sonnel result in a high level of efficiency and hose bundle, was capable of cutting either 3/4"
safety in testing operations. or I" coiled tubing and subsequently effecting a
seal. This system was used in floating testing
The disposal of produced oil, water, mud, operations witnes sed by U. S. G. S. personnel in
and gases must also be achieved safely and with- offshore Santa Barbara.
out pollution. Development of efficient oil burn-
ers capable of burning several thousand barrels The same closure problem exists if wire-
of oil per day in a smokeless, non-fallout manner line tools are used while the test string is in the
are being used successfully in most offshore areas. hole. The system is also capable of shearing
Other areas such as Arctic and certain offshore wireline, up to 5/16" diameter, and effecting a
areas may require the use of tanks to store seal afterwards. This permits the safe use of
recovered fluids for later disposal. wireline equipment during testing operations.

SUBSEA EQUIPMENT The response times required for valve

closure and disconnection are not as critical on
Subsea Master Valve an anchored floating rig in relatively shallow water
Testing operations from a floating vessel depths of 300 - 800 feet. Here the conventional
also require that a means be provided to rapidly hose bundle and air-driven surface pumps can
shut the well in and permit moving off location provide valve closure in 15 - ZO seconds and dis-
with the well under complete control. Shutin connection in less than 1 minute. This time can
could be necessitated by a leak in equipment be decreased by the use of surface accumulators
such as flow hose or other surface equipment. to a 5 second valve closure and Z5 - 30 seconds
Disconnection would be required if loss of anchor- for valve closure and disconnection.
ing occurred or if the riser angle exceeded certain
limits, usually eight to ten degrees on a dynam- When water depths exceed 1000 feet the
ically positioned floating drillship. dynamically positioned drillship becomes more
efficient due to the problem of anchoring in
This shutin and disconnection is provided water depths over 1000 feet. Here closure and
by a hydraulically operated subsea master valve disconnection times are a function of riser angle
and latch assembly that is landed in the BOP and become very critical. An example of this
stack. The tool string below this subsea master is the requirement, on a recent drillship, that
valve is spaced-out, landed, and sealed by pipe emergency disconnection be accomplished in 10
rams in the BOP stack so that no relative motion seconds in water up to 4500 feet deep. These
of the drilling vessel is transmitted below the times can be achieved only through the use of
BOP stack. A hydraulically operated latch downhole power storage to effect the valve
connects the test string above the subsea master closure and disconnection" when actuated by a
valve to the surface equipment above the rig floor. pilot signal from the surface.

The valve opening, closing and latch dis- Retainer Valve

connection are controlled with a high pressure The use of the subsea valve in deep water
hose bundle connected to the hydraulic latch at has led to the necessity of an additional valve
the lower end and to an air-driven hydraulic that is run just above the hydraulic latch assembly.
pumping console at the surface. The pumping This valve has been designated a "Retainer Valve"
console controls the application of pressure to since its primary purpose is to retain fluids in
the various lines through four-way quick action the test string from the surface down to the hydrau-
valving. lic latch assembly in the event that a disconnection
is made. The retainer valve is designed to function
The valves are normally closed reqUlrlng in conjunction with the valve that is left in the BOP
hydraulic pressure to a line to maintain them stack. In other words, it is opened by line pres-
open. The valves remain open with line pressure sure with spring closure and extra power closure

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 available through a second line. The retainer
valve will withstand differential pressure from
above or below and therefore prevent the escape
of gas or oil into the riser upon disconnection
or into the sea if the riser is subsequently dis-
connected to permit moving off location.
Once disconnection is made, the trapped
gas can be safely bled off at the surface and the
valve can be re-opened to permit reverse circula -
tion, prior to retrieving the test string. This
again is a safety feature and prevents pulling a
wet string with possible pollution of the ocean
environment, and other safety hazards.
Lubricator Valve
Another valve that has evolved in the basic
valve and retainer valve family is the lubricator
valve. This valve is run 60 - 90 feet below the
rotary in the riser pipe and utilizes a separate
two hose bundle for opening and closing a ball
valve. The function of the lubricator valve is to
provide an atmospheric pressure lubricator
section for the introduction and running in of
wireline tools. This atmospheric pressure
section is formed when the lubricator ball valve
is closed and any pressure above it is bled off
at the surface. This system eliminates the
neces sit y for suspending a conventional lubricator
section up 30 - 60 feet into the derrick. Resulting
difficultiess and safety hazards associated with
introducing and running wireline tools from a
position high in a moving derrick are eliminated.
The lubricator valve is a pressure-
balanced design and will remain in its last pres -
sured position in the event of a 10Ss in hydraulic
control pressure. This is an important safety
feature to prevent a C1OSed valve from opening
or an open valve from closing with a Ioss of
hydraulic pressure. If such an accidental open-
ing should occur while wireline tools were being
introduced into the atmospheric chamber a
severe safety hazard would be created.
The lubricator valve also has a pump to
kill feature that permits pumping the valve open
with pressure from above even if hydraulic control
were lost.
The use of a lubricator valve just below
the rotary provides additional safety in running
wireline tools, can also temporarily shut the
well in in the event of a failure in any surface
equipment, permits testing of surface equipment
above, and eliminates rigging up of tall lubricator
sections in the derrick.
The design of all tools are for H2S service
and have a 3. OT!i. d. with a working pressure
rating of 10, 000 psi. Additional features of the
subsea master valve are as follows:
510
1) Short valve length of 3-1/2 feet normally
permits closure of blind rams above as
an added safety feature.
2) Valve permits pumping through to kill in
event of a failure of ability to open valve
hydraulically.
3) Valve is spring-loaded to a closed position
in case of hydraulic hose pressure loss.
4) Rotation to disconnect is possible if hydrau-
lic pressure is lost.
5) Maximum hydraulic line pressure of
4, 000 psi permit flowing with tubing pres -
sures up to 10, 000 psi.
DOWNHOLE TEST SYSTEM
As previously pointed out, when testing from
a floating vessel, the pipe string is landed in and
is supported by the ocean floor BOP stack. This
operating procedure brought about the development
of the balance slip joint tools run down hole in the
string so that the lower portion of the pipe string
would be supported by the packer with a controlled
amount of weight, A down hole testing valve s ys -
tern was also developed with the main control
valve operated by applying pump pressure to the
well annulus from the surface thus eliminating up
and down movement as well as rotary motion of
the pipe string. To achieve the objectives of
reliability, safety, and redundancy in the well
testing operations the system consists of three
downhole valves which can be closed to prevent
formation fluid flow into the test string as follows:
The Pressure Controlled Test Valve? the
primary control valve in the string, closes when
annulus surface pressure is bled off or when
annulus surface pressure becomes exces sive.
The Redundant Hydrostatic Reference TOOI
is closed by lifting the test string.
The Slip Joint Safety Valve CIOSes in the
event that portion of the test string between the
balance slip joints and the BOP parts and moves
down hole.
Three types of these downhole valve designs
are available to satisfy the various testing condi -
tions (see Figure 8). A plot of flow rate versus
pressure drop for the types of valve systems is
shown in Figure 9.
1) For medium flow rate well tests whereby
bottom hole samples of formation fluid
trapped at flowing pressure conditions
for analysis is required, the dual valve
sample chamber type tool is available.
2) For high flow rate well tests (100 MMCF/
day or 15, 000 bbl. /day rates) the high flow
rate sleeve valve system is available.
3) For the high flow rates and through the
tool wireline operations the fullbore valve
system is available.
These tool systems are designed for H2S
service in accordance with NAcE.MR-0175
s pacifications, therefore complying with reg -
ulations such as the U.S. G. S. Order 14 for sour
gas service. Although the Pressure Controlled
Test tool system was designed mainly for running
well tests from floating vessels it is also ideally
suitable for testing in highly deviated weUs where-
by valve control by pipe manipulation is virtually
impossible. It has also found a place in Arctic
operations due to the reliability and redundancy
of the system.
PREDEPARTURE CHECK-OUT
In an effort to achieve maximum reliability y
and success ratio in these costly offshore and
Arctic well testing operations, predeparture
check-out tests of critical downhole tools such
as the Pressure Controlled Test Valve have
become standard operating procedure. Special
test kits consisting of pressure pump, test adap-
tors) valves> gauges> and etc. are furnished
with each test string. The test procedure permits
simulation of all downhole pressures such as
hydrostatic mud pressure, formation pressure,
and pump pressure, whereby the integrity of all
seals and system functions are completely check-
ed prior to running the job. This test procedure
is used in the service locations as part of the
routine maintenance program. Predeparture
check-out tests are repeated at the welIsite prior
to running the tools in the hole. In multiple test-
ing operations the check-out procedure is repeat-
ed for each and all subsequent runs. Not only has
the reliability y and success ratio been improved
by the predeparture check-out test procedure but
it has also been very useful in pin-pointing prob -
lems during trouble-shooting activities.
This downhole testing system, controlled
by pump pressure applied at the surface, has
been used extensively in such areas as the North
Sea, Santa Barbara Channel, Gulf of Mexico,
Mediterranean Sea, and Southeast Asia for the
past 5 years with a high degree of success.
Recent applications have been in Arctic operations
and offshore Eastern Canada. Successful test-
ing operations were conducted, last year, in the
Santa Barbara Channel, on the deepest well ever
drilled from a floating vessel. This test re-
moved previous questions as to the depth lim -
itation of this type of equipment since it per-
formed successfully at a depth in excess of
1 !3, 000 feet, hydrostatic pressure of 15,000 psi,
and bottom hole temperature of 35 O°F.
Many successful testing operations have
been conducted with the test system in deviated
wells up to 75° off the vertical.
LIMITED FLUID ENTRY TESTS
As well as being a valuable asset in conven -
tional well testing operations as pointed out pre -
viously in the paper, the T.eleflow (closed-chamber)
Test Technique also has tremendous applications
in those operations such as the Arctic, wells drill-
ed in densely populated areas, and/or wells which
may produce H2S gas. In many of these situations
flowing of the well, at the surface, may be com -
pletely prohibited for safety and environmental
reasons. The Teleflow Test, in these situations,
permits a well testing operation whereby the well
is shutin at the surface for the entire duration of
the test. Surface dP/dt analyzes type of fluid
produced into the closed test string and the flow
rate. Bottom hole shutin pressure build-up curves
combine d with the T eleflow data allows complete
reservoir analysis without producing fluid at the
surface. At the conclusion of the test all forma-
tion fluid produced into the test string can be
pumped back into the reservoir thus permitting
safe and pollution-free removal of the tools from
the well.
CONCLUSION
The formation test has long been and contin -
ues to be recognized as the best method for op -
timum reservoir evaluation. New computerized
surface instrumentation for measurement and
analyzing fluid type and flow rate permits en-
gineering of the test for maximum results. This
new technique also makes reservoir evaluation
possible on wells which are not allowed to produce
at the surface.
Improved subsea valve system allows wire-
line and coil tubing operations to be conducted
with complete control of the we 11, and provides
rapid emergency disconnect from ocean floor
wellhead without pollution of the environment.
A downhole package of high flow rate,
fullbore, control valves permit long range pro-
duction testing while maintaining downhole closure
for safe well control and for formation pres sure
buildup analysis.
The complete test system (surface, subsea,
and downhole) is designed for H2S service and
complies with U. S. G. S. Order 14. Predeparture
check-out procedure has made testing operations
possible with a very high degree of success. Re -
dundant and fail-safe design of all components in
the system permits testing of offshore and Arctic
wells with complete safety and environmental pro -
tection.
511
 REFERENCES 3. Alexander, L. G., llE~aIuation by Closed-
Chamber Drill-Stem Well Testing”, paper
1. Harris, L. M. , ~lDesign for Reliability in 24th. Annual Technical Meeting of the
Testing from Floating DriIling Vessels”, Petroleum Society of CIM, Edmonton,
SPE 4302, presented at the Second Annual Alberta, Canada, May 9-11, 1973.
European Meeting of SPE, London, England, 4. Alexander; L. G. , IfPlanning and Interpret-
Apr. 2-3, 1973. ing Closed-Chamber DST IS”, World Oil,
2. Stewart, D. I. , Fordham, P. A. , Kisling, Vol. 179, No. 7, Dec. 1974, pp. 63-66.
J. w. , and Nutter, B. P. , “A System for 5. Alexander, L. G. , llTheory and Practice
Formation Evaluation Under North Sea of the Closed-Chamber DrilJ.-Stem Test
Conditions”, presented at the Second Annual Method”, SPE Annual Fall Meeting,
European Meeting of SPE, London, EngIand, New Orleans, La. , Oct. 3-6, 1976.
Apr. 2-3. 1973.

SURFACE CONTROL VALVES

LUBRICATOR VALVE

--
RETAINER VALVE

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SUB - SEA MASTER

SLIP JOINT SAFETY

VALVE

VALVE

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PRESSURE CONTROLLED

‘ALVE

Fig. 1 - Floating test system.

r-PRESSURE OPENED FLOW SUB

J
~
TELEFLOW
L PNUEMATIC
:lJ~J$~E
OIL

VALVE
GAS

Fig. 2 - Surface test system.

512
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Fig. 3 - Teleflow type curves, Fig. 4 - Teleflow principle.

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Fig. 5 - Tel efl ow instrument van. Fig. 6 - Tel efl ow instrument package.

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 Surface pressure continuously displayed on
large, easily read digital display.
/

Digital Log of surface pressure,

Continuous analog strip log for_
elapsed time, and change of pres-
easy, visual readout of surface
‘sure with respect to time printed
pressure history.
out with variable update time,

-_
---, ,-“. [ --? 4
\

Keyboard for communication with Teleflow

Computer. Calculations performed automat-
ically include gas and. liquid rate, total liquid
produ~tion and GOR for walls with or without
water cushion.

Fig. 7 - Teleflow computor and recording package.

,/– k PIPE STRING

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—— .—— . —

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