Middle East

In an operational update from the SASB gas field well intervention programme, Trillion Energy International has noted the improved flow rates from the South Akcakoca-2 well.

“The fantastic response of South Akcakoca-2 once the water was lift off the perforations indicates that the reservoirs will produce the gas they contain once the water loading is removed. The wells are going to be perforated and monitored during clean up to evaluate the reservoirs response. The next phase of this project is to install the smaller production tubing (2 3/8”) to allow the wells to produce for a few years before water loading occurs again," Arthur Halleran, CEO of Trillion, said. 

The South Akcakoca-2 well was perforated over the intervals 2319.5-2323.5 (4.0 m), 2339.6-2341.3 (1.7m) and 2411.1-2412.8 (1.7m) for a total of 6.4 m (all measured depth MD). Well hole pressure (WHP) was 86 psi before perforation, the WHP increased to 1046 psi.

The well flowed continuously from early 9 July, and by 10 July afternoon the flow rate was 0.70 MMcf/d with a WHP of 140 psi. By 15 July, the flow rate was 2.88 MMcf/d with a WHP of 318 psi.

Monitoring of the South Akcakoca-2 well will be continued until it hits a stable point.

The production characteristics indicated that perforating the new zones blew the water out of the well, while also implying that the reservoirs that were water-blocked are cleaning up and producing gas.

Guluc-2 well was perforated over the intervals 3512-3514.5 (2.5 m), 3749.5-3751.3 (1.8 m), 3770.7-3772.4 (1.7m) and 3781.6-3783.3 (1.7m) for a total of 7.7 m (all MD). WHP was 650 psi and increased to 1243 psi before settling to 1098 psi.

Guluc-2 will be flowed to clean the water and perforation debris out and be capable of gas production, however, it will then be shut in while South Akcakoca-2 well gas production stabilises.

The increase in the WHP during perforation indicates gas flowed into the borehole from the new perforated zones.

Updated flow rates have yet to be established for this well due to the ongoing testing of SA-2.

The perforation operation is currently continuing ongoing on West Akcakoca-1 well after which it will perforate the remaining pay in Akcakoca-3.

SLB and TotalEnergies have announced a 10-year partnership to co-develop scalable digital solutions to enable access to energy resources with improved performance and efficiency while establishing a flexible framework to address key challenges including carbon capture, utilisation, and sequestration (CCUS). 

The companies will integrate advanced digital capabilities, including the use of AI with new and existing applications on SLB’s extensible Delfi digital platform. SLB and TotalEnergies will combine digital and domain expertise to accelerate the development and deployment of these solutions at scale, benefiting TotalEnergies’ global operations and SLB’s worldwide customer base.

The partnership will initially focus on subsurface digital solutions for reservoir engineering and geoscience modelling and interpretation, leveraging Delfi on-demand reservoir simulation (ODRS).

Rakesh Jaggi, President of SLB’s Digital & Integration business, said, “Collaboration and knowledge sharing are key for our industry to continuously develop more effective ways of unlocking energy access. With this visionary partnership, we are combining the know-how and expertise of both companies to accelerate the delivery of new digital capabilities that will benefit the whole industry.”

Namita Shah, President, OneTech at TotalEnergies, commented, “Through this digital partnership we will develop cutting-edge next-generation software, digital applications and new algorithms applied to geoscience.

“Thanks to these innovative modelling technologies, we will not only be better able to utilise the analyses of geological reservoirs and basins in the oil and gas sector, to reduce emissions, but also make further progress in geological carbon storage.”

Leveraging Halliburton's global reputation, Abu Dhabi-based energy tech provider AIQ has partnered with the oil service company's open architecture platform Landmark to expand access of its RoboWell autonomous well control (AWC) solution 

"The combination of AIQ’s AI technology and Halliburton’s extensive industry expertise will help enable greater efficiency and maximise value for our customers’ assets," said Nagaraj Srinivasan, Senior Vice President, Landmark, Halliburton Digital Solutions, and Consulting. “This project exemplifies how Halliburton’s open architecture can help support enhanced efficiency, optimised operations, and drive future growth in the oil and gas industry." 

Especially designed for gas lifted wells, RoboWell enables autonomous well operations to maximise production within specified conditions. The AI-supported advanced process control solution, which already has a market presence, boasts of a record achievement by up to 30% optimisation in gas lift consumption, with increased production of existing wells by 5%. Its well stability goals attained through real-time data utilisation also promotes not only good HSE practices but also reduced CO2 emissions. 

AIQ CEO, Christopher Cooper said, "This collaboration will help progress our shared vision of how advanced AI solutions can transform the energy industry globally. Collaborating with Halliburton is part of AIQ’s wider strategy to accelerate the availability of our transformative AI products globally to support the sector through autonomous and other AI-based innovations."

The well control solution will now be made available through Halliburton’s Landmark iEnergy hybrid cloud to customers worldwide. 

Landmark’s iEnergy is designed to deploy, integrate, and manage sophisticated exploration and production (E&P) applications, and connect assets in public or private cloud environments.

Expro has officially completed its acquisition of Coretrax, marking a significant milestone in the growth of both businesses.

The acquisition will allow Expro to expand its portfolio of cost-effective, technology-enable well construction, well intervention and integrity solutions, while Coretrax will be able to accelerate its technology application globally.

John Fraser, CEO of Coretrax, highlighted how this acquisition marks the start of a “brand-new chapter” for the company by uniting with Expro to expand its capabilities: “Completing this agreement means both organisations working in sync to take on the most complex well challenges. We are proud of our innovation-led approach, strong customer base and performance history as we join forces with Expro to create greater value for customers around the globe.”

Michael Jardon, Chief Executive Officer at Expro, added, “We expect the acquisition to accelerate the growth of Coretrax’s innovative, high value-adding drilling optimisation, well integrity and production enhancing technology solutions by leveraging Expro’s global operating footprint.”

As the oil and gas industry is increasingly seeking sustainability, well intervention remains an obvious choice.

According to Jenny Feng, Supply Chain Analyst, Rystad Energy, operators will look to "ramp up production from existing fields, and well interventions will be a vital piece of the puzzle. As a quick, efficient, and cost-effective method of maximising existing resources, interventions are going to be a hot topic in the years to come." As per the research body’s prediction last year, spending on interventions stands close to nearly US$58bn. With sustainability the focal point, this amount sets the bar for a surge in the coming years as the number of wells ready for intervention is projected to reach 17% by 2027, equating to a total 260,000 wells globally. 

Middle East and North Africa's (MENA) eagerness to take up intervention activities is well evident as companies such as Coretrax is showing increased interest in the fossil fuel-driven region. “The Middle East is a key growth area for Coretrax... As operators remain focused on maximising recovery efficiently and sustainably, our expandable technology is ideally placed to support this demand," said John Fraser, Coretrax CEO, while marking the company’s first deployment of ReLineWL straddles in 2022 for a major Saudi operator. 

In another multi-year contract in the Middle East signed as recently as October 2023, the well integrity and production optimisation leaser will be delivering production enhancement across a multi-well campaign. It will also be supplying expandable tubulars to support brownfield optimisation. With advanced tools such as ReLineMNS and ReLineHYD expandable casing patches under the brand name, the company will effectively help isolate trouble zones and stimulate production on the operator’s existing wells. 

Companies from the region are leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI and ML), and coming up with groundbreaking digital innovations in the intervention space. AIQ's autonomous well control solution called RoboWell that has been deployed by ADNOC in its North East Bab (NEB) assets remains one such instance. Expro, which is an active player in the MENA region, has come up with a tool called Galea, which is a completely automated well intervention system that can perform a variety of slickline operations, offering easy alternative to conventional methods. 

The Middle East and North Africa Well Intervention Outlook attempts to reflect on these industry developments, as OWI MENA 2024 gears up to return in Abu Dhabi from 17-18 September. 

Read the full report here.

Well integrity and production optimisation specialist Coretrax has strengthened its portfolio after acquiring a complementary suite of well intervention technology from Wireline Drilling Technologies.

The significant investment has expanded Coretrax’s offering. Since completing the acquisition, the firm has signed a global route to market agreement with a supermajor to support its well intervention requirements internationally and secured additional work in the Middle East with an existing client.

The company has already integrated the new assets and software, which include wireline pump units, drilling units and tractor modules into its existing technology portfolio. The additional equipment boosts Coretrax’s current well integrity offering, enabling the business to access and address damaged wellbores, and support highly deviated wells more efficiently.

John Fraser, CEO at Coretrax, said, “This investment demonstrates our continued drive to enhance and improve our services, positioning Coretrax as a full turnkey solution for
all wellbore entry and remediation operations. The additional technologies have integrated seamlessly into our portfolio of tools and are supporting several new contracts including a global supermajor and an ongoing long-term project in the Middle East.

“As the industry remains focused on extracting maximum recovery from existing wells, demand for wireline applications has increased as operators realise the cost and sustainability
benefits they bring across well intervention, frac plug drilling, well conveyancing and lateral drilling. Our recent investment will undoubtedly open up new markets for the business and we are excited about the opportunities this will bring.” 

Plexus Holdings, an oil and gas engineering services business, has completed an agreement with SLB, a global technology company driving energy innovation for a balanced planet, to replace their existing surface production wellhead licence.

The new licence has a wider field of use for a cash consideration of US$5.2mn. It will provide SLB a perpetual royalty free licence for Plexus’ POS-GRIP technology and HG seal technology along with any improvements or derivates to the technology for surface wellhead production applications. The scope of this includes oil and gas production and storage applications, CO2 storage, hydrogen storage and water and cuttings reinjection.

In addition, the agreement includes a non-exclusive licence to SLB for Adjustable Surface Production Wellheads, and HG Trees with the potential to generate royalties for Plexus from such special applications of the POS-GRIP technology.

"SLB's leading technology position will be further enhanced by this new technology, providing our customers with additional rig time savings through ease of installation and enhanced seal integrity assurance for onshore and offshore applications, commented Badri Mani, Director of Surface Production Systems, SLB. “We are very excited about the prospects for this technology."

According to Plexus, the combination of its technology with SLB’s manufacturing quality, technical expertise, innovation and global support structure will ultimately bring value and efficiency to operators across the globe.

Ben van Bilderbeek, CEO of Plexus, added, “This new licence agreement is a further validation of Plexus' IP by this leading energy technology company and recognises the contribution our leak-proof POS-GRIP wellhead equipment can make to the oil and gas industry's ESG and NetZero goals. Not only does the agreement further reinforce our growing relationship with SLB, but it also enables Plexus to continue to operate in the surface production wellhead sector on a limited basis, whilst focusing on the 'preventative' aspects of POS-GRIP metal seal technology."

Welltec sees great prospects in the Middle East for its recently launched Welltec Expandable Anchor (WEA).

The Welltec Expandable Anchor (WEA) was a key focus at the company’s stand at ADIPEC 2023, where Completion, Intervention, and New Energy & Climate Technology solutions were showcased, all with optimisation and efficiency as core design principles.

Engineered and rigorously tested over the past couple of years, the WEA is a 4-in-1 life-of-well completion system for anchoring in cased hole. Firmly rooted in proven metal expandable packer technology, it provides industry-leading reliability, efficiency, and flexibility, as explained by Kevin Wood, Sales Director for Completions in the Middle East.

“The WEA has three key benefits. It is reliable, with essentially no moving parts; it’s basically a metal expandable sleeve that is secured onto a casing. It is efficient, as it is slimline and full bore, so operators can circulate fluids or cement at high rates compared to other products. It can also be rotated when run in hole making for efficient installation in deviated and challenging wells. And it is flexible; one particular size of WEA can cover multiple casing grades and we can also add or take away modular parts, depending on the environment in the well.”

The product is available in a full range of sizes, with key completion applications as a liner hanger, tieback liner, inner-string packer, and casedhole plug. All versions of the product are qualified to the API 19LH V1 standard and are fully compatible with Welltec’s Metal Expandable Packer (MEP) portfolio.

The WEA clearly addresses a market need, as illustrated by several installations taking place immediately after qualification, with a requirement from one Middle East operator for product delivery within eight weeks. Facilitated by its in-house design and manufacturing capabilities, Welltec was able to deliver the solution in seven weeks.

Prospects in the region are very encouraging, Wood said, “ADIPEC has been big for us; we signed a two-year call-off contract with ADNOC Onshore for the WEA technology which can address several of the challenges they face on some wells.

“The products covered under the call-off agreement are for the prevention of sustained casing pressure – this is annular casing pressure that can makes its way back to surface, a challenge which has cost the industry around US$75bn since 2009,” he continued. “Around 35% of wells globally exhibit gas pressure in the annulus, and the only way to deal with that is to flare it off, or vent it off, both of which are harmful to the environment. That’s where this anchor and our technology come in. It’s a life-of-well solution, providing a barrier in the well. It’s important that when a well comes to the end of its life, it is decommissioned correctly. The problem with cement is that over the life of the well it expands and contracts, which creates leaks through the cement. Using the Welltec Annular Barrier, which the anchor is incorporated with, gives you a fully qualified barrier that you can abandon above, thereby future-proofing the well for abandonment.”

This in effect helps reduce emissions. The emissions reduction angle certainly chimes with ADIPEC’s central theme of decarbonisation. Wood stressed the company’s commitment to the energy transition, which is “in our DNA – it’s not just a buzzword for us”. He explained that Welltec is playing a key role in Project Greensand, which involves the long-term storage of CO2 by injecting it into depleted reservoirs in Denmark. To support this, and similar projects, Welltec’s New Energy & Climate Technology segment has already constructed an advanced testing facility in Denmark that enables full-scale downhole components to be tested against real-world CO2 well-type environments including high pressures, temperatures, and flow rates.

“The test loop and background to Project Greensand have opened up a lot of conversations here, especially with COP28 coming up,” he said.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Welltec is active in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the latter of which provides a manufacturing hub supporting regional activity, and keeping lead times to a minimum. Wood commented that this has been a “huge success”, and expansion of the hub is on the cards. “We can not only deliver quickly compared to our peers, we can also manufacture in the region.”

As far as future product development goes, Welltec has a couple of technologies in the field-trial phase. One is the Isealate Springblade Patch, a unique relining and repair solution for downhole applications. The first in-field deployment successfully took place in Europe in October.

“We also provide a service that can radially expand an existing casing string: the Saturn Expander. This can be utilised in wells where there is casing pressure,” said Wood.

“It expands the casing, compresses the cement on the outside, and cures any microannuli or leaks you might have.

“These solutions are coming to fruition now, and there is a lot of interest in the region, particularly given that many wells here suffer from casing pressure.”