SPE-182823-MS

Pinpointing Irregularities in a Well’s Integrity: Case Study

Ibrahim Al-Thwaiqib, Ahmed Ghanmi, and Abdullah Al-Mulhim, Saudi Aramco; Mustafa Bawazir, Schlumberger

Copyright 2016, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Annual Technical Symposium and Exhibition held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, 25–28
April 2016.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect
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Abstract
Although early corrosion detection may allow preventive maintenance to reduce the risk of environmental
damage and surface incidents (explosion, fire, leakage, and related consequences), many of the wells
producing today were completed decades ago, when corrosion control and monitoring were not a primary
concern. Even with today’s technological advances, corrosion cannot be completely prevented, but it can
be controlled and minimized through proper planning, monitoring, and maintenance.
Middle Eastern operators have experienced varying degrees of casing completion failures in recent
years due to common highly corrosive, water-bearing zones across shallow depths. The electromagnetic
(EM) pipe inspection tool provides critical monitoring for evaluating casing integrity by locating,
identifying, and quantifying damage and corrosion. Failure to address potential corrosion attack can
impact well profitability as operators must respond by implementing extensive and potentially expensive
restoration methods. Not only does mitigation increase operating expenses, it may force operators to
shut-in well production for unplanned periods of time.
The immediate aim of the examples presented in this paper is to understand the levels of corrosive
damage that are present in the wells; that have serious repercussions on the flow efficiency of completions.
This assessment of well integrity investigations is used to identify any extensive corrosion in the outer
casing before it penetrates through the inner casings. The provided field examples were logged rigless to
establish the condition of multiple pipes. Corrosion intervals were suspected of being responsible for
reducing well performance and killing the wells. Casing metal loss (ML) evaluations assisted in
identifying which wells need workover attention to avoid excessive loss in production, environmental
pollution, repair costs, or accidents.

Introduction
Casing and tubing corrosion costs the oil industry billions of dollars annually—and this estimate does not
include the cost of ⬙lost hydrocarbons⬙ underground through corrosion-induced leakage and crossflow.
Corrective actions at the well and reservoir levels can be minimized by monitoring of the wells and
reservoir with a comprehensive analysis and diagnosis of existing or potential issues (Al-Mulhim et al.
2015). During each stage of a well’s life (Fig. 1), engineers must consider operational factors to keep
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corrosion at bay and minimize the threat of production leaks entering the surrounding environment
(Abdullah et al. 2013).

Figure 1—Corrosion consideration at each stage of the asset life cycle.

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This paper will introduce cases to diagnose the integrity of downhole completions. An electromagnetic
(EM) tool is required to assess the corrosion impact on the existing pipes. The log result will help in
evaluating the remaining life of tubing/casing pipes and in identifying potential problems. Future logging
requirements and remedial action plans are initiated based on the logging results.

Field Background
Field-X represents one of the most mature areas in the Ghawar field, the largest field in the world. It was
discovered in 1948 and placed on production in the early 1950s. It produces Arabian Light oil with a
gas-oil ratio (GOR) of 550 SCF/STB. The field is under peripheral injection waterflood. Water injection
distribution on the periphery varies with withdrawals. Water sources are primarily seawater from the
Arabian Gulf and reinjected produced water. Produced water and seawater are injected through separate
systems.
Although the field has maintained the capability of producing at high oil rate, water production has
been successfully reduced and stabilized at approximately 46% after implementing water management. In
1991, an active water management strategy was initiated to minimize water production while maximizing
oil production at lowest cost. This strategy was implemented through the following four field practices:
cyclic production modes, rigless water shut-off jobs, horizontal drilling sidetracks, and partial penetrated
wells (Al-Mutairi and Al-Harbi 2006).

Electromagnetic Inspection Tool Technology: Investigate Corrosion in

Downhole Pipe
The EM thickness is an in-situ measurement of the thickness of a casing or tubing string using an EM
technique. The tool delivers valuable monitoring data even while running in hole. A continuous log of the
average pipe inner diameter and total metal thickness is recorded. The result is presented as a type of
casing-inspection log, giving an estimate of ML and detecting corrosion. In the usual method, a coil
centered inside the casing generates an alternating magnetic field. Another coil further up the tool
measures the phase shift introduced by the casing. This phase shift depends on the casing-wall thickness
and internal diameter, as well as the casing conductivity and magnetic permeability. The effects change
at different frequencies, so that by varying the frequency the thickness and internal diameter can be
uniquely determined (Brill et al. 2012).
Logging techniques for monitoring downhole corrosion include ultrasonic, EM, and mechanical
methods that yield detailed information about the location and extent of a corrosion event (Fig. 2). The
EM tool enables multiple casing string assessment without the costly removal of the production tubing.
It can be used to evaluate corrosion in any environment, including inside gas-filled tubulars (Al-Yateem
et al. 2013).
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Figure 2—Impact of corrosion on casing integrity.

The EM pipe inspection tool can be used in many different circumstances:

● Corrosion on outer string
● Corrosion on the outside of single strings
● Restrictions preventing running ultrasonic tool
● Gas in the well
● Time lapse applications
● Scale preventing logging with multi-finger calipers and ultrasonic services

Field Examples
The four field examples discussed in this paper are from a carbonate reservoir. They are suffering diverse
corrosion severities/classifications, including medium, high, and extreme. The four wells were determined
to be good candidates for a workover and/or restoring well performance.
Example Well A — Extreme Metal Loss
Well History Well A was drilled and completed as an open hole vertical oil observation well.
Logging Results Extreme massive ML at C21 ft (89% in three casing strings) was identified by the EM
corrosion log (Fig. 3).
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Figure 3—Well A: EM corrosion profile.

Remedial Actions and Well Monitoring During the workover operations, the inner casing strings were
pressure tested, which resulted in detecting a leak between C00 ft and C50 ft in the 9-5/8 in. casing, which
is the same depth area with high ML discovered by the rigless corrosion log job. The leak was cured by
squeezing cement and extending the 7 in. liner to the surface. After that, ultrasonic and cement bond logs
were run, which showed that the well is generally healthy in terms of corrosion and cement behind casing.

Example Well B — Very High Metal Loss

Well History Well B was drilled and completed as an open hole vertical oil observation well.
Logging Results The EM log run showed a total ML of 48% in three casing strings at a depth of E09
ft (Fig. 4).
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Figure 4 —Well B: EM corrosion profile.

Remedial Actions and Well Monitoring After one year, ultrasonic logging measurements indicated the
7 in. casing was experiencing external pitting corrosion. This was followed by repairing the casing and
replacing the damaged tubing.

Example Well C — High Metal Loss

Well History Well C was drilled and completed as an open hole vertical power water injector well.
Logging Results The well was logged recently. The EM log identified 39% ML in three casing strings
at a depth of B28 ft (Fig. 5).
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Figure 5—Well C: EM corrosion profile.

Remedial Actions and Well Monitoring The planned workover objective is to perform preventive
maintenance to resolve casing corrosion issues.

Example Well D — Medium Metal Loss

Well History Well D was drilled and completed as an open hole vertical water disposal well.
Logging Results The EM corrosion log was recorded and identified 23% ML of three casings at a depth
of A82 ft (Fig. 6).
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Figure 6 —Well D: EM corrosion profile.

Remedial Actions and Well Monitoring The well is being monitored for any leakage that might result
from corrosion development.
Conclusions
● Early monitoring and classification of downhole corrosion is crucial for future logging require-
ments and remedial action plans. Table 1 summarizes the ML classifications of the four wells.
● EM logging is an efficient method to scan a variety of completion problems.

Table 1—Corrosion classifications.

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● The corroded interval for the four example wells was clear (i.e., the downhole corrosion interval
was successfully identified).
Recommendations
● Combining cement evaluation, multi-finger calipers, and production logging services with the EM
logging tool for completion and pipe inspections is highly recommended to assist in leak detection
and corrosion investigation.
● Imaging with the EM tool can locate corrosion of the liner external wall that cannot be detected
by multi-finger caliper tools.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Saudi Aramco and Schlumberger management for permission to present
and publish this paper.

Abbreviations
CSG Casing
DVP Differential Valve Packer
DVT Differential Valve Tool
EM Electromagnetic
EOT End of Tubing
GOR Gas-Oil Ratio
ML Metal Loss
PKR Packer
TBG Tubing
TOL Top of Liner
WTEP Downhole Well Temperature

References
Abdullah, D., Fahim, M., Al-Hendi, K. et al,. 2013. Casing Corrosion Measurement to Extend Asset Life. Oilfield Review,
Autumn, 25 (3): 18 –31.
Brill, T., Demichel, C., Nichols, E. et al,. 2012. Electromagnetic Casing Inspection Tool for Corrosion Evaluation. Paper
IPTC 14865 presented at the International Petroleum Technology Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, November 15-17.
Al-Mulhim, A., Al-Thwaiqib, I., Bogari, A. et al,. 2015. Integrated Production Logging Approach for Successful Leak
Detection between Two Formations: A Case Study, 2015. Paper SPE 174835 presented at the Annual Technical
Conference and Exhibition held in Houston, Texas, USA, September 28 –30.
Al-Mutairi, S.M. and Al-Harbi, M. 2006. Water Production Management Strategy in North ‘Uthmaniyah Area, Saudi
Arabia. Paper SPE 98847 presented at the SPE Europec/EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition, Vienna, Austria,
June 12-15.
Al-Yateem, K., Kohring, J., Qahtani, H. et al,. 2013. Proactive Detection of Subsurface Casing Leaks through Profiling
the Associated Metal Loss Utilizing Electromagnetic Technology. Paper IPTC 17170 presented at the International
Petroleum Technology Conference, Beijing, China, March 26-28.