SPE 93866
Deepwater Subsea Well Intervention – The Future Solution
A.J. Dick, Expro Intl. Group PLC
Copyright 2005, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2005 Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference and
Exhibition held in Jakarta, Indonesia, 5 – 7 April 2005.
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Abstract
The Expro Group has embarked on the development of
subsea intervention technologies that extend far beyond
the limits of current technology. This paper provides an
up to date picture of this development, the markets that
will be served and how this ground breaking innovation
can now deliver operators with the capability to produce
subsea assets by reducing CAPEX and efficiently
controlling wells remotely without concern of lower field
recovery (<20%) rates. Expro can achieve this by swiftly
mobilising solutions, which are low cost (up to 75%
savings on current rig solutions) whilst also highly
reliable.
Applications of this solution fall into several key
categories:
1. Subsea Wells - whether vertical or horizontal trees,
the technology being developed can enable
improved subsea well intervention, a primary
concern being prohibitive costs offsetting
intervention that reduces absolute recovery
2. Deepwater - increasing the subsea sector's growth
whilst providing new challenges that further highlight
the need for more cost effective solutions
3. Extended Reach - when subsea wells and tie-backs
become prohibitively risky and costly, there is
increasing demand for extending from existing
templates, Rigless intervention solutions may tip the
balance back.
4. Low Cost Wells - as above, why invest in a smart
well when a low cost simple intervention can provide
the necessary solution.
In summary, this paper will give a high level overview of
the challenges ahead and the way forward - Expro's
vision, incorporating the engagement of key ‘supermajor’
players / technology users through a Joint Industry
Project (JIP).
Subsea Completion Technology
Subsea completions are now a firmly established
requirement of the offshore oil and gas production
business. With around 2300 subsea wells to date
having been completed utilising this technique (source:
Quest Subsea Database), and with current forecasts
indicating that a further 2000 (plus) wells will be
commissioned in the next five years, the subsea well
population is clearly growing significantly.
Subsea completion technology has proved its economic
value in the development of hydrocarbon reserves in
deeper water and in areas remote from established
offshore infrastructure. Reducing the initial capital cost
of developing reserves using subsea technology has
proved attractive in the exploitation of small and medium
sized offshore accumulations in all parts of the world.
This economic advantage, combined with the
technological advantages of subsea completions, has
seen the technique used extensively in Brazil, Norway
and the UK. It is also proving to be the method of choice
in key deepwater provinces such as West Africa and the
Gulf of Mexico.
The majority of subsea X-mas trees currently in use are
of the first generation dual bore, or vertical, type. This
type of tree requires that the well is drilled and cased to
total depth (TD), and the completion string installed prior
to the removal of the drilling blowout preventer (BOP)
and installation of the X-mas tree. In order to achieve
this, dedicated dual-riser and pressure control
equipment is required to ensure the safe installation of
these systems. The dual bore moniker refers to the fact
that the tree is penetrated by two off-set vertical bores
that allow access to the production tubing, and to the 'A'
or production annulus. Well fluid is excluded from the
environment by two valves in each of the vertical bores.
In recent years, significant numbers of wells have been
completed using horizontal subsea X-mas trees. This
type has a single vertical bore allowing access to the
production bore of the well, with a side exit for fluid
2 SPE 93866
production. The wellbore is isolated from the
environment using one or two plugs set (usually with
wireline) in the tubing hanger and/or in the tree cap. The
horizontal tree system is more compact than the dual
bore version, allows for larger completion sizes (the
completion is run through the drilling BOP and hung-off
in the tree), and does not require dedicated running or
intervention equipment. Since the drilling BOP can be
installed on top of the horizontal X-mas tree, all
completion installation and intervention work can be
conducted using this BOP as the primary pressure
control and containment system.
Subsea Intervention Economics
The economics of subsea development have been, and
remain, compelling. Lower capital costs and shorter
development times to first oil have provided significant
benefits to the net present value (NPV) of deepwater
and small to medium sized offshore reserves. In
addition, larger bore completions made possible by
recent advances in subsea tree technology have
enabled operators to optimise the location, numbers and
configuration of development wells drilled in these
reservoirs. Operating expenditure for such wells, if
intervention operations are required, is very high and
risk-prone (both technically and commercially).
Operators, wisely, attempt to limit the number of
interventions in subsea wells to an absolute minimum.
However, current evidence demonstrates that subsea
developments will be abandoned with significantly lower
recovery factors than those offshore assets developed
using fixed structures with surface or 'dry' trees. This
may partly be due to the less attractive properties of the
reservoirs and fluids developed using subsea
technology, as well as to additional back pressures
introduced into the system by the subsea architecture.
There is a strong argument that there is an additional
reduction in recovery factors caused by the inability to
intervene in the wells on a regular basis, as one can
when dry tree developments are undertaken.
Intervention covers a wide range of well operations from
tubing recovery and renewal requiring a rig, right through
to simple mechanical reconfigurations of the well using
slick wireline (plugs, sliding sleeves etc.).
Most well operations involve the use of wireline of some
type, or possibly the use of coiled tubing. Such
operations include well surveying (pressure/temperature,
production logging, thermal neutron) and mechanical
well reconfigurations or repairs (plugs, sliding side doors,
reperforating, zone isolations) performed on either slick-
or electric-line.
The key issue in the development of such intervention
technology is to remove the necessity to use a high cost
semi-submersible or drillship type rig, and to remove the
need to new-build a boat type vessel to deploy the
technology. The ability to use a wider spectrum of
existing vessels would result in significantly decreased
costs due to lower vessel day-rates. The trade-off
against these savings is the limited heavy-duty
functionality of such an intervention system.
Developing the Technology – JIP Scope
The JIP was set up in early 2004 to investigate the
feasibility of developing a lightweight (wireline) subsea
well intervention system, suitable for deployment from a
wide range of (low cost) surface vessels, of the type
shown in Figure 1. The intention is that the combined
intervention and deployment system will provide a new
standard in the provision of cost-effective well monitoring
and remedial services. The system will also serve as a
platform for the deployment of new, high value well
intervention services.
The development programme has been organised into a
series of projects, each forming part of the phased
development / engineering of the system. These are
being run as individual projects, with Expro managing
and engineering each phase. The basis of the overall
JIP was an initial concept developed by Expro based
around the perceived technical requirements for a
deepwater intervention system.
Phase I (Project 1)
Technical feasibility
Initial commercial viability
Scope and operational envelope
Operator functionality
Functional and technical specification
Initial HAZOP/ HAZID and reliability analysis
Concept Refinement
Intellectual property aspects
Phase II (Project 2)
Detail design and engineering
Detail HAZOP/HAZID and reliability analysis
Subcontractor identification and scope
Phase III (Project 3.0)
Construction and testing
Phase III+ (Project 3.1)
Operations
Phase I (Project 1) was undertaken with three major
operators of subsea assets. At time of writing, this
phase is now complete and a detailed workscope has
been identified, together with costings and timings, to be
undertaken during Phase II. It is likely that Phase I
partners will participate in the next phase, but there is
also the possibility of other operators joining at this
stage. It is expected that the second phase will take
approximately 14 months to complete, so consequently it
is likely that the first system will be available in the first
half of 2007.
SPE 93866
The results of the first phase have been extremely
encouraging and the JIP participants are confident that
the proposed system will deliver a significant positive
change to current subsea well intervention practices.
With this in mind, let us now look in more detail at the
system being proposed.
System Description
The subsea intervention system has been designed to
meet the intervention requirements of the large number
of existing (or legacy) wells, as well as meeting the
intervention needs of the operator community. Figure 2
shows the intervention system installed on a horizontal
subsea X-mas tree. In general the system can be
divided into 4 sub-systems or packages:–
1. Well Control Package
This package provides the ability to close the well so
that the upper package can be removed from the
well in the event of a system malfunction or
emergency. It provides two testable barriers, and
can (through the use of the appropriate cross–over)
be used on any make or type of X-mas tree. The top
of this package has a standard connector allowing a
BOP, lower marine riser package or high pressure
riser to be connected to the X-mas tree from a
surface vessel.
2. Tool Carrier Package
The system will have the potential to deliver a full
suite of well intervention tools in one run, without
recovery to surface of the intervention package
during the operations. The tool carrier package
contains up to eight wireline tools for use during the
well intervention. The tools are held around the
periphery of the carrier on hydraulically activated
clamps. When a tool is selected, the hydraulic ram
presents the tool onto the well centre-line where it is
made up onto the running tool / well conveyance
tractor in the above package. The hydraulic clamp is
then released and the tool can be run into the well.
The different wireline tools can be multiply
interchanged onto the downhole conveyancing tool
during a single run of the intervention system. The
package will include well maintenance and
reconfiguration tools plus well / reservoir
measurement and monitoring tools.
3. Wireline winch and tractor package
This package contains an in-line wireline winch
attached to a well tractor that is contained within the
pressurised lubricator section. The whole system is
maintained at well pressure therefore minimising the
risk of well fluid escaping to the surrounding
environment. The novel winch design (with the
wireline spooled around the central wellbore)
3
minimises geometry problems that may occur during
spooling and keeps the system’s centre of gravity
close to the centre-line of the well. The well tractor
is attached to the wireline and is used to push (or
pull) the wireline tools in the more highly deviated
sections of the well. On the lower end of the tractor
is a quick-connect – release system for connecting
to the wireline tools held in the tool carrier package.
4. Subsea Power Pack
This is a stand-alone power pack to provide
hydraulic and electrical power to the intervention
system via a single electrical umbilical from surface.
The intervention system is targeted at applications in
water depths of up to 10,000 feet (3,000 metres), with a
pressure rating of 10,000 psi, which will enable
interventions on large bore subsea wells. The combined
stack of packages will be in the region of 45 feet high
and approximately 60 tonnes in weight, so will be both
compact and relatively lightweight. The whole system
can be deployed from readily available platform supply
2
or anchor handling vessels with more than 500m of
deck space and dynamically positioned (DP) class 2
capability, using a heave compensated A-frame (as
shown in Figure 3) or a high capacity heave
compensated crane. Such vessels are available in all
major offshore producing regions of the world. In
addition, a work-class ROV is required for system hook-
up.
The Commercial Case
Subsea wells represent a considerable investment, both
in terms of the wells themselves and the infrastructure
associated with each well. The ability to manage these
wells, and so optimise the economics and recoverable
reserves, is a fundamental requirement of any asset
development plan. New technologies are under
development that could assist this, the so-called 'smart'
completion technology that can be activated remotely
from surface. This technology is commercially unproven,
and does not address the problem of the current,
installed subsea wells. The management of these
subsea wells provides a real and immediate challenge to
the industry - a challenge which requires a realignment
of thinking on subsea well intervention.
The projected financial benefits include:-
• An increase in recoverable reserves by improved
well management.
• A subsequent increase in the NPV of subsea
projects since the initial Capital Expenditure
(CAPEX) requirements remain unchanged.
• The possibility of moving currently marginal reserves
into viable projects.
• Providing the catalyst for new, value-enhancing well
4 SPE 93866

management and remedial technologies that can be

launched from such a subsea intervention platform.
• Releasing costly high-specification drilling units back
to drilling.

Furthermore, reduced risk exposure in health, safety and

the environment (HSE) is anticipated, since fewer
personnel and vessels will be required.

Conclusion

Phase I of this project has already demonstrated that it is

technically feasible to develop an autonomous subsea
well intervention system suitable for deployment in a
wide range of water depths (300 – 10,000 ft) from a low-
cost, widely available monohull vessel. The proposed
technology (and its deployment system) can deliver
significant cost savings to lightweight well intervention
projects compared to current technologies, which in turn
will allow more cost effective lightweight well
interventions to be made. The technology will, through
the increased well intervention frequency, deliver:-

Increased subsea well productivity in mid-late

well life
Higher economic recovery per well
Improved well efficiency
Improved reservoir recovery factors

In addition the system will deliver a low cost method of

intervening in deepwater wells at depths exceeding the
capability of current open-water wireline solutions. The
ability to use a low cost, high availability vessel (the so-
called “vessel of opportunity”) will increase the
opportunity for performing well maintenance and
optimisation work, and decrease the execution cycle
time for subsea well interventions. Furthermore, costly
fifth generation and other high-capability rigs will be
released for well drilling and heavy-weight workover
operations.

In conclusion, lightweight, autonomous subsea well

intervention systems that offer a step-change in cost
effective well interventions will radically change the
production outlook of subsea wells. This will be
especially marked in the deep(er) water environment that
the industry is moving toward. The key to developing
such an intervention capability is the use of low cost
industry standard vessels that can be used to get the
intervention system to the well locations and to deploy
the system onto the wellhead. This will result in
significant lower intervention cost through the low vessel
cost and through the smaller number of days needed to
perform lightweight intervention work.
SPE 93866 5

Fig 1. Monohull Vessels enabling Subsea Well Fig 3. A-frame launched Subsea Well Intervention
Interventions System

Wireline winch and

tractor package

Tool storage
package

Work-class ROV

Hydraulic/electric
jumper to upper
k

Well control
package

Separate power unit

Hydraulic jumper to
lower package

Figure 2: shows the subsea intervention system, in

position on a horizontal X-mas tree.