Well Intervention
Selecting the right tool for the job
minutes reading time
Rod Gibbons
One of the biggest causes of well intervention project cost overruns starts when a minor job is poorly prepared, or there are wellbore suprises, which quickly spiral the operations and costs out of control.
By applying the same systematic approach to well interventions regardless of size, Ballycatter engineering helps ensure small simple jobs stay just that - small and simple. If things do go slightly wrong, that is the right time to call us - from stuck pipe, wireline fishing, coiled tubing failures, we have the experience and logical approach to keep things under control.
Other projects: Well Integrity
Diagnosing the symptoms of a well
There is a reason the International Well Control Forum issues different certificates for pressure control and drilling - they are significantly different.
Some of the most interesting well challenges we have encounterd has been on simple well interventions, from differential sticking of a coiled tubing across a fault in a slotted liner, to having a gas lift kickover tool stuck in a mandrel due to inaccurate well files, the challenges with well interventions are numerous and manageable.
The information used for (and gathered by) a well intervention can be imperfect, and it is important to take an open-minded approach when listening to what a well tells us during an intervention.
We have seen grains of sand stop the function of a packer, a piece of still the size of a pencil lead cause a downhole valve to be stuck for weeks. Oilfield equipment is designed to be robust but it sometimes fails and an intervention is required. Diagnosing possible failure causes and remediation options is core to proper well intervention execution.
Easily scale well activities
Whether it is running large diameter coiled tubing in a subsea extended reach well with a Light Intervention Vessel or slicklining a tubing plug in an onshore shallow gas well keeping options open when performing a well intervention is always worth doing.
Having planning and engineering tools that can scale up or down depending on the needs of the operating company is one of the key abilities of Ballycatter Engineering. Different companies are run differently and have different needs, and our experience as E&P company managers and engineers allow us to tailor a solution that fits the operating environment and always deliver high quality results.
"Plan for success and prepare for failure"
Ballycatter Engineering has planned, prepared and executed over 1 million hours of Well Interventions, and over that time we have learned some tips and tricks to keep activities running smooth and we have seen our share of unexpected events.
We are still learning, and well interventions have taught us to expect the unexpected, and in our work, we plan for success and prepare for failure. If you are considering a complex, or even a simple, well intervention, give us a call to help reduce risk and cost today.
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