Primary funding is provided by

The SPE Foundation through member donations

and a contribution from Offshore Europe

The Society is grateful to those companies that allow their

professionals to serve as lecturers

Additional support provided by AIME

Society of Petroleum Engineers

Distinguished Lecturer Program
www.spe.org/dl 1
 Improved Recovery and Reduced
Cost with Intelligent Interventions
(Make your wells intervention friendly)

Brian Schwanitz
Welltec

Society of Petroleum Engineers

Distinguished Lecturer Program
www.spe.org/dl
2
Introduction: A case for regular interventions
• Unconventional resource wells (shale gas, shale oil, coal gas, etc)
- Have steep declines. Few operators have planned workovers!!
• Intelligent wells are designed to be Intervention-less.
- But is this realistic? They have no plans for workovers!!!
• Why do Subsea wells have 25% – 35% less recovery than platform wells?
- Due to less interventions
- Wait for wells to die before doing anything

Interventions
BPD

Normal Decline
3
Years
Agenda

• What is an “Intelligent Intervention”

• The Industry Moves To Electric Line (E-Line)

Mechanical Services

• Examples of Intelligent Interventions

• New Technologies to Watch

4
What are Intelligent Interventions?
• Using Electric Line for surface monitor and control - diagnostics
• Interventions that are faster, safer, with smaller footprint, performing
more services, for less cost and risk

• Performing interventions with the well still flowing, rigless, riserless

• Four Companies Offer Electric Line Mechanical Services

5
 Movement is from Heavy to Lighter, Faster, Interventions

Snubbing/HWO
Coiled Tubing
Electric Line

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a
lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. Albert Einstein 6
What problems can be solved with E-Line Tools
Water shut off - hydraulic stroking tool
Cleaning Fill - Vacuum Bailers

Multilateral Locator

Milling Scale 7
 More interventions can happen on E-line
Interventions by Type
Number of interventions

Mechanical
Services on
Down hole Tractors
Tractors Introduced
Introduced

Snubbing/RAS Coiled Tubing WL Tractor RLWI

Source: Company analysis, Statoil, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate 8
Note: Riserless Light Well Intervention (subsea well intervention) using tractor technology Source:
Down Hole Tractor

4 ½” OD – 17 “

9
Down Hole Tractor Sizes

Open Hole 2 1/2”

3 1/8”
2 1/8”

CT Tractor
4 1/2”
E-Line Hydraulic Stroking Tool

Stroker Tool Sizes

Diameter: 2-1/8” 3-1/8” 3-1/8” XR 3-3/8” XS
Length: 15.3 ft 15 ft 22 ft 13.7 ft
Weight: 180 lbs 220 lbs 240 lbs 250 lbs
Stroke Force 12,000 lbs 20,000 lbs 20,000 lbs 33,000 lbs
Completion ID 2.2 – 3.2” 3.2 - 6.85” 3.2 - 6.85” 3.45 - 6.85”
11
An Intelligent Shifting Tool

Closed

Open

Key Tool Sizes

Diameter: 2-1/8” 3-1/8” 3-1/2”
Length: 12 ft 11 ft 11 ft
Weight: 80 lbs 160 lbs 160 lbs
Pressure: 25 K psi 25 K psi 25 K psi
Temp Rating: 400o F 400o F 400o F 12
Completion ID: 2.4 – 5.5” 3.2 – 5.7” 3.6 – 6.2”
Surface read-out (position & force)

Stroker arm fully extended

Sleeve starts to move

Shear pins break

Key releasing sleeve
Sleeve is moving

13
 System Integration Test (SIT) to shift ICV

Left to right: Tractor, Stroker, Key tools

E-line tools inside ICV

14
Hydraulic key tool
Animation – Shifting a Sliding Sleeve

15
Vacuum cleaning in liquid filled pipe

16
Animation - Cleaning Fill Off a Ball Valve

17
Cleaning in a Dry Gas Well

E-Line Tractor combined

with cork screw bailer

18
 E-Line Milling Tool Features
• Always run in conjunction with a Tractor or Stroker
• Removes scales, cement, valves, nipple profiles, plugs, etc
• Near bit stabilizer may improve drilling rate
• Involves much planning and often pre-job testing

Milling Tool Features

Diameter: 2-1/2” 3-1/2” *
Length: 10 ft 10.4–12.2 ft
Weight: 70 lbs 95 lbs
Pressure: 25,000psi 25,000psi
Temp Rating: 400°F 400°F
Completion ID: 2.6 in 3.6 in*
Tensile Strength: 36,000lbs 42,000 lbs
Comp. Strength: 30,000 lbs 50,000 lbs

*3-1/8” Well Miller and RCB also available

Animation – Milling Scale

Tractor + Scale Miller

well flowing

20
Animation – Milling and Cleaning – same run

21
Surface Test: Drill thru Cement Plug

22
Video – Cutting Pipe

Pipe Sizes 4” – 5 ½”

23
4.5” tubing retrieval for Sakhalin Energy
Depth Comments

2327 Collar

2329 Collar

2333,6 Collar

Force > 10,000N (2248lbs)

Proposed coefficient of friction = 0.25
Force required to "lift" cutter free = 562 lbs

4 1/2" Tubing

2341 Cut Depth

2346 Collar

2350 packer

9 5/8" Casing Very fine debris

 New Technologies to watch that will make a difference

• Better measurements to assess problems

• Fiber Optics data acquisition when needed
• Simple wells can be made ‘smart’ at a later date
• Set metal expandable patches– E-line and CT
• More mechanical services; stroke, clean and mill
Fiber Optic
cable

E-Wireline operated ICV`s and frac ports

E-Line Setting of Internal Patch 25

26
Relative Cost of Interventions/Workovers

Subsea Interventions have

biggest need for cost
reductions

Riserless Light Well

Relative Cost

Interventions (RLWI) have

large impact on subsea
wells

Land Platform Offshore RLWI

• Reduced operation cost
Rig • Reduced operating time
• Reduced HSE risks

Subsea Wells Enables more frequent

interventions
27
 Keeping up production through regular Interventions
One North Sea platform production by source

Do nothing Do regular intervention Drill new wells

BBL/day
120000

100000

80000

60000

40000

20000

0
February
January

September

October
May

June
March

July

August
April

November

December
Light Well Interventions gave a 39,000 bbls/day increase 28

Source:
Note: Year not disclosed for confidentiality reasons
Intervention Strategy with the Future in Mind
• Design intervention friendly completions:
- Minimize ID restrictions, which limit options to
- Accommodate new technologies
- Be aware of developments in the “pipeline”
Fiber optics, metal to metal patches, wireless robotics,
ICD’s when needed, etc.
• Accurate diagnostic data is imperative
- Must know the problem to solve the problem
- Avoid “fixing” something that’s not broke
• The Correct Intervention Strategy :
- CT for handling pumping jobs
- E-Line for data collecting, selective cleaning, shifting, milling
- Riserless workovers (subsea)
- Have contingencies planned and tested before completion

29
Thank you for your time

Questions