Latest News

• Region: Asia Pacific
• Date: Oct, 2021

Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd and AccessESP have successfully completed a trial project using GoRigless ESP System technology, a proprietary through-tubing deployment and slickline-retrieval technology for AccessESP high-performance permanent magnet motors and industry-standard ESP pumps.

David Malone, CEO, AccessESP, commented, “We appreciate the opportunity to demonstrate the reliability and effectiveness of our technology in offshore Brunei. Our system allows the operator to perform well cleanouts and boost production with less cost and reduced environmental impact.”

AccessESP delivers advanced technologies that help oil and gas operators reduce intervention costs, maximise well productivity, and enhance reservoir recovery rates by achieving the technical limit in ESP performance.

By avoiding the cost and complexity of a heavy workover rig required for traditional tubing-deployed ESP system interventions, millions of dollars of workover costs are avoided, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, and recovery boosted.

• Region: All
• Topics: Decommissioning
• Date: Oct, 2021

3D at Depth Inc., an expert in commercial Subsea LiDAR (SL) laser technology has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent No.11,125,875 (“Underwater Optical Metrology System”).

The claims of the newly issued patent are directed towards systems for determining the location of underwater objects, making measurements between objects, and facilitating the positioning of objects underwater using optical and acoustical metrology techniques.

Through the combination of optical and acoustic technologies, 3D at Depth’s LiDAR can be used across the life cycle of the field from installation to decommissioning. The granting of this new patent benefits 3D at Depth in ensuring that its Subsea LiDAR (SL) technology and solutions continue to lead the field in providing precise measurement in underwater metrology while expanding and future proofing applications in the subsea LiDAR market. The patent award is part of a larger portfolio that demonstrates 3D at Depth’s achievements and contributions in developing subsea and surface measurement solutions to drive innovation and support customer requirements.

Carl Embry, Chief Executive Officer, 3D at Depth, stated “The award of this patent reinforces the strength of our technical service offering. In order for our clients to provide safe and reliable operations, they require accurate measurements and monitoring of their underwater assets. By using our survey services along with our advanced subsea LiDAR (SL) laser systems, we can reliably provide them with precise, repeatable and millimetric 3D point clouds, thus ensuring fast, accurate measurements”.

“Since we first commercialised subsea LiDAR in 2014, minimising time and increasing efficiencies for our customers’ offshore operations was a key driver in our innovations,” stated Neil Manning, Chief Operating Officer, 3D at Depth. “Our Subsea LiDAR’s field-proven benefits are now used across the energy and maritime sectors from offshore oil and gas to nuclear and renewables. These patents remain a cornerstone of a new generation of optical survey subsea measurement technology.”

• Region: Latin America
• Topics: Integrity
• Date: Oct, 2021

 Expro, a leading provider of energy services, has successfully deployed its Octopoda annulus intervention system to restore annulus pressure integrity and return a well to production in Colombia.

The Octopoda system reached 300 meters in the annulus, a world record depth, and sealed the C annulus of the well ‒ thus removing the risk of casing collapse and gas migration to enable the well to produce and significantly extend its production lifespan.

Alistair Geddes, Expro's Chief Operating Officer, said, “Everyone at Expro is proud of this outstanding achievement and the team's extraordinary performance to reach new depths. Not only is it Expro's first venture into the Latin American market using the Octopoda system, but a world first.”

“Octopoda is already proving itself as an innovative and cost-effective solution for solving well integrity issues across the industry. It enables our customers to prolong their well lifespan, making it economically viable to regain production from shut-in wells.”

The value-added intervention operation was completed at a cost that was estimated to be approximately 25% less than the cost of a conventional workover rig-enabled repair and the operation resulted in significantly lower carbon emissions than the conventional alternative.

Octopoda removed the need for a heavy workover rig to allow controlled circulation of annular fluids and the installation of a resin plug at the external casing shoe depth. This successfully sealed the annulus and enabled production to be resumed from the wellbore.

Utilising a unique design, Octopoda is deployed on annulus inlets, removing workover rig requirements, offering an alternative that can be rapidly deployed across all types of installations, onshore and offshore, to maximise operational uptime while reducing overall HSE exposure.

“Expro’s recent success with Octopoda shows the capabilities of this truly unique technology and our ability to optimise and expand the life of the growing number of aging wells around the world,” Geddes added.

“Octopoda is the latest example of Expro’s commitment to investing in innovation, developing new technologies and working towards reducing our own and our clients’ carbon footprint.”

• Region: All
• Date: Oct, 2021

To best meet customer needs, you must be a solution provider, not just a product provider. Parker LORD’s attitude is, and has always been, to collaborate with customers to find an approach that meets their needs quickly and easily.

They have proven this mindset yet again by finding a better process for working with customers on gimbal assembly design.

Parker LORD gimbal pads and assemblies for offshore oil rigs and intervention vessels are designed under strict process and quality controls to ensure each part performs consistently. They can accurately and dynamically model the stiffness of any gimbal system in any plane of rotation. A step beyond competitors, this new tool incorporates feedback from customers in real time to create tailored solutions. The result is a product designed to handle extreme loading and environmental conditions for improved pad life.

The flexible design tool introduces a process unprecedented for the oil and gas industry, creating solutions through working closely with the customer, instead of only using existing catalog parts. Traditionally, the customer and supplier might have limited interaction during the ordering process. Using this flexible design tool, placing an order becomes a collaborative partnership where Parker LORD engineers and the customer work together to solve problems. Additionally, the tool can accommodate design changes dynamically, allowing for multiple design versions.

To make this work, the first things Parker LORD want to know about a customer’s gimbal assembly is how it is intended to be used, the range of expected limitations and the maximum stiffness needed. From there they work together to produce a solution.

In one example, this fast-moving live design process allowed them to identify, analyse and quote four different systems as the project scope changed over a three-week period. The customer was struggling with how to add a much-needed gimbal assembly to an existing bid and through these conversations they created a solution that was within budget.

The design tool allows system level rotational stiffness calculations in any direction. This graph below shows the relative pad positions and corresponding system rotational stiffness in each plane from center. Asymmetric, or non-uniform spacing can also be evaluated using this tool. 

It takes innovation to work on a solution. Sometimes the solutions can involve renting a part instead of buying it or designing a part to specifications that will then bring it into budget. The market collapse is forcing rig and vessel operators to think differently. Flexibility and elegance around the design are now key.

Fill out this form and a member of Parker LORD’s engineering team will contact you to talk through how their flexible design tool can help you when ordering your next gimbal assembly.

Learn more about the new Parker LORD flexible design tool at https://www.lord.com/industries/oil-and-gas/offshore/drilling-rigs/gimbal-bearing-assemblies-and-pads

• Region: All
• Date: Oct, 2021

Expro Group, an international energy services company with market leadership in well access and well flow optimisation, has completed its previously announced merger with Frank’s International N.V., a global oil services company offering a broad range of highly engineered drilling and completions solutions and services.

Mike Jardon, Chief Executive Officer of Expro, commented, “This is an exciting day for Expro and Frank’s as we bring our companies together to create a new global leader with the breadth of capabilities and expertise across the well lifecycle to better support customers. I would like to thank everyone at Expro and Frank’s for their great work in completing the transaction, planning for a successful integration, and positioning the combined company for long-term success.

“This is where the talented teams come together and we look forward to continuing to deliver cost-effective, innovative technologies and solutions, and best-in-class safety and service quality performance to our customers, all while advancing our commitment to creating a more sustainable business and lower carbon future.”

The merger will build on Expro’s strong position within the oil and gas market with accolades including:
• A leading position in large addressable markets, balanced business mix and global operating footprint;
• The ability to deliver cost-effective, innovative solutions to an expanded customer base
• Material exposure to an expected increase in production enhancement activity and an opportunity to capture significant cost and revenue synergies.
• Robust technology portfolio and innovation pipeline to capitalise on the digital transformation, facilitate the energy transition, and deliver on the promise of a lower carbon future.
• A strong financial profile, which reduces risk and increases strategic flexibility.
• Dedication to governance best practices.

"With our broad portfolio of services and solutions, enhanced scale, global operating footprint and strong, debt-free balance sheet, Expro is well positioned for an expected industry recovery and is well positioned to deliver compelling value for shareholders,” Jardon added.

The combined company has assumed the Expro Group Holdings N.V. name.

• Region: All
• Date: Oct, 2021

Jonathan Owens, Director Oil and Gas Division, Parker LORD, explains why oil and gas companies are turning to well intervention to maintain production levels and the new technologies entering the market to facilitate this.

With thousands of subsea wells around the world, the task of staying efficient remains challenging. Using deepwater well intervention systems, oil and gas companies can obtain higher profits from under-performing wells, a needed option with today’s oil price fluctuations and profit-focused environment. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant decreased demand has brought extra challenges to develop methods to keep wells as efficient as possible, while minimizing capital investment.

Many wells are 20–30 years old and are operating at decreased production rates. To keep maintenance costs in check, operators are turning to well intervention to extend the productive life of aging wells and to repair damaged or underperforming wells.

New systems continue to be developed to keep the industry operating with increased efficiency.

Quick Design Gimbal Assemblies

Gimbal pads and assemblies, located beneath the spider on offshore rigs, provide the necessary compliance between the riser system and vessel to protect drilling equipment from excessive stress and fatigue damage. Parker LORD gimbal pads are designed under strict process and quality controls to ensure each part performs consistently. The resulting product is designed to handle extreme loading and environmental conditions for improved pad life.

An innovative and flexible design tool is available that can quickly generate a new bespoke gimbal assembly design. This tool calculates the system level performance of the gimbal in real time with regards to stiffness, weight, size, and can even tailor stiffness in certain directions. Using this tool, a new design can be produced in just minutes or hours to meet customer needs. Previously it could take weeks to months to produce a design. This process is a dramatic step-change versus what has traditionally been available to the offshore industry – creating customizable gimbal solutions rather than just offering standard products that might not adequately solve the problem.

To make this work, it is important to know how a customer’s gimbal assembly is used, what the limitations are, and the maximum stiffness needed. From there, while working collaboratively with the customer and their constraints, the flexible design tool can outline a solution and identify system trade-offs early in the design process.

As an example, this fast-moving live design process allowed for rapid identification, analysis and quoting on four or five different gimbal systems for a customer as the scope continuously changed over a period of three weeks. The customer was struggling with how to afford the gimbal assembly and through these conversations a solution could be created that was within budget in addition to meeting their technical requirements.

Intervention System Flexible Joints

An important option when maintaining a deepwater well is to use an intervention system flexible joint. It is a softer, more flexible stiffness transition versus the traditional tapered stress joints. In deepwater operations, a flexible joint allows a lower bending moment at the wellhead, so it works well in rougher weather and more dynamic sea states.

To use an intervention system flexible joint with an existing riser system, simply bolt the mating flange on and it will attach to the existing system. The flexible joint provides pressure containment redundancy with a separate seal bearing and load bearing. It improves reliability over a single-bearing design. The seal bearing is optimized for high-pressure containment and fluid resistance. An integrated pressure transducer provides a full-time condition-monitoring system that provides an alert when the first barrier is damaged so appropriate actions can be taken. This failsafe is unavailable on a stress joint or a conventional flexible joint.

In the event of a drive-off or drift-off scenario, a flexible joint in the riser system allows the vessel a wider range of motion without excessive bending of the riser. A flexible joint allows for the critical unlatching at the wellhead even at 10 degrees offset.

Our approach to intervention riser flexible joints has been field proven in basins including Brazil, the North Sea, and West Africa. Over the past four years, Helix Energy Solutions has adopted our intervention system flexible joints on a number of vessels, including the Q7000, the Siem II and the Well Enhancer.

With our product well established in the deepwater intervention space, we have recently found a new application in the newly emerging deepwater mining sector. Working closely with a new customer, we have made slight modifications to the existing flexible joint design to accommodate the requirements of DNVGL RP0034 (Steel Forgings for Subsea Applications - Technical Requirements) and are actively working towards the delivery of our next two flex joints for a subsea mining application slated for 2022.

As the economy continues to struggle, it’s necessary to look to intervention systems to make deep water wells more efficient and productive.

• Region: North Sea
• Date: Oct, 2021

In order to accelerate the pace at which well P&A technology is qualified and commercialised, the Net Zero Technology Centre has launched an industry collaboration initiative with the ultimate goal of improving industry performance.

Supported by the Technology Leadership Board (TLB) and Oil and Gas UK (OGUK), the approach will enable new technologies to be trialled and tested in multi-operator collaboration field trials, enabling faster, lower-cost and wider industry adoption.

The Oil and Gas Authority has identified that well P&A represents circa 45% of UKCS decommissioning costs, or an estimated UK£23bn spend over the life of a basin, but technology best practice and innovation could help operators reduce this cost and deliver CO2-compatible well P&A techniques.

Over the next two years the well P&A collaboration initiative has committed to increasing the number of technology field trials, in low access cost land wells. This will support the validation and qualification of alternative P&A barrier materials, inspection and verification technologies and other P&A enabling technology streams to expand the reach of the rigless well P&A approach.

Keith Hogg, Project Manager – Emissions Reduction, The Net Zero Technology Centre commented, “This collaboration could be a true game changer in the way we approach technology development in the wells P&A space. It has the potential to accelerate the progress of technologies being field trailed and tested making them available to operators far more quickly.

“The success of this new collaborative approach has been driven by the commitment of the operators; Spirit Energy and Harbour Energy who participated in the first project together. It is this proactive attitude and willingness to collaborate and share information that we need other UK operators to replicate, as this is key to the future of this collaboration and meeting our industry commitment to a minimum of 35% cost reduction and 50% emissions reduction in well P&A by 2035.”

The wells P&A collaboration initiative will be managed by the Net Zero Technology Centre and overseen by a multi-operator steering group, with backing from Spirit Energy, Repsol and Harbour Energy already secured. The steering group will review up to five technologies per year, conducting a minimum of three field trials for each. The ambition for the initiative is to have six technologies qualified and adopted by 2025.

Carlo Procaccini, OGA Head of Technology and Co-Chair of the TLB, said, “Reducing well P&A cost has long been identified by the TLB and the OGA as a very important priority for our industry. Novel technologies have the power to achieve that. The TLB has been proudly supporting the efforts by the Net Zero Technology Centre, Spirit Energy, Harbour Energy and other partners to bring an ambitious field trial programme to life. Now is the right time to expand this programme to more operators and technologies to accelerate testing and adoption of a fuller portfolio of critical technologies for P&A efficiencies.”

Mike Richardson, Industry Technology Sponsor, Spirit Energy added, “Our industry has struggled to be truly collaborative in the past but this is a fantastic opportunity for operators to work together, reduce costs, accelerate new technology have a better range of plugging solutions available…. all at the same time!”

• Region: All
• Date: Oct, 2021

The Parker LORD Noise, Vibration and Harshness Division of Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technologies, has developed a proprietary flexible design tool that quickly and easily provides new gimbal assembly designs for offshore oil rigs and intervention vessels.

Parker LORD gimbal pads and assemblies are designed under strict process and quality controls to ensure each part performs consistently. Parker LORD engineers can accurately and dynamically model the stiffness of any gimbal system in any plane of rotation. Using the new flexible design tool, they can now provide a new gimbal assembly design – specifically for the customer’s needs – in minutes or hours instead of the weeks or months previously required.

“We provide innovative solutions by listening to our customers and leveraging nearly a century of experience,” said Scott Reinbold, Lead Engineer, Parker LORD and Designer of the tool. “Our ability to customize offshore oilfield solutions using new tools and capabilities raises the bar and changes expectations. Previously, it was unheard of to be able to make changes on the fly. With this new tool we can collaborate with customers and update designs in real time to adapt to changing project parameters.”

The flexible design tool introduces a process that is unprecedented for the oil and gas industry, creating solutions through working closely with the customer, rather than only using existing catalog parts. Traditionally, the customer and supplier might have limited interaction during the ordering process. Using this flexible design tool, placing an order becomes a collaborative partnership where Parker LORD engineers and the customer work together to solve problems. Additionally, the tool can accommodate design changes dynamically, allowing for multiple design versions.

The gimbal assembly design process considers all aspects of the part including angles, planes of rotation and elastomer selection. The resulting reduction in design time will help to lower costs, reduce maintenance and increase safety.

Once the design is finalized, Parker LORD can use advanced modeling techniques to predict the gimbal system performance characteristics and provide a safe operating envelope for various angles and loads, enabling the end user to optimize operations offshore.

Learn more about the new Parker LORD flexible design tool at https://www.lord.com/industries/oil-and-gas/offshore/drilling-rigs/gimbal-bearing-assemblies-and-pads

• Region: Latin America
• Topics: Integrity
• Date: Sept, 2021

Across three packed, entertaining days, attendees of the Offshore Well Intervention Latin America 2021 conference were treated to a host of presentations and panel sessions featuring industry experts exploring the latest trends, technologies and opportunities shaping the region’s offshore oil and gas industry.

The shift to reducing carbon emissions and increasing longevity of wells is being embraced by operators across the world and it is no different in Latin America. Speakers at the conference discussed how this was a region well positioned to take advantage of the blossoming well intervention and P&A markets and acknowledged the cascade of associated new technologies which have found a home in the region’s waters.

Offshore Network has selected and reported on key sessions from across the conference, which you can find below:

-Secure and efficient P&A of Wells: Artur Barbosa, Business Development Manager at Archer, gave a presentation on secure and efficient P&A of wells, which focused on the company’s Stronghold Barrier setting and Barrier Verification systems, part of its suite of recovery and P&A solutions.

-Sand control simplified: Bhargava Ram Gundemoni, 3M Global Solutions Specialist, showcased how operators can enhance their oil and gas production and how better sand control can lead to better productivity and profitability.

-Accurate tube integrity diagnostics using ‘pulse’ electromagnetic technology: Maxim Volkov, the Principal Domain Champion at TGT Diagnostics, spotlighted how ‘tube integrity diagnostics’ are pivotal to successful well operation, and how ‘Pulse’ electromagnetic (EM) technology can deliver the most accurate metal wall thickness measurements in all completion types, including specialised alloys with high chrome and/or nickel content.

-Bringing RLWI to Brazil: Martin Tardio Velasco, Regional Subsea Services and Wellheads Director at Baker Hughes, led a panel of experts to explore how the uptake of riserless light well intervention (RLWI) in Brazil could be developed, what benefits it could bring to the industry there, and what are the obstacles standing in the way.

-Challenges to integrity and future transformative technologies: Representatives from MADCON Corporation, EV, Quartic Advisory, Petrobras and PetroRio made up a panel to discuss the past, present and future of well integrity and transformative technologies in the pipeline.

-Brazil ripe for well intervention wave: A panel of industry professionals discussed how the Brazilian market is responding to an international drive to well interventions and decommissioning activity.

-Driving forward P&A in Latin American waters: Industry experts explored how new technologies and techniques for cost-effective and efficient decommissioning processes could be deployed, while ensuring compliance with P&A regulations.

• Region: Latin America
• Date: Sept, 2021

A panel session on P&A and Regulation at the OWI LATAM virtual conference explored how new technologies and techniques for cost-effective and efficient decommissioning processes could be deployed, while ensuring compliance with P&A regulations.

The session was moderated by Carl Roemmele, Subsea Intervention Director, Baker Hughes. Speakers were Carlos Eduardo, Manager – Technology and Reliability Subsea Wells, Petrobras; Marcelo Matos, Wells P&A Technical Advisor, Petrobras; Joao Guandalini Batista, Wells Technology R&D Manager, Repsol Sinopec; and Katherine Beltrán Jiménez, Research Scientist, NORCE.

Eduardo started by outlining the “strong, robust” processes whereby Petrobras evaluates new technologies to address problems and challenges, with KPIs to determine which to develop and proceed with. The company works with research departments such as NORCE, other service companies and operators to develop these technologies and test them in the field. He added that there is considerable scope for developing new technologies to enhance P&A activities and speed up processes, given the challenges of P&Aing Brazil’s subsea wells, many of which are old.

Being in close contact with the market as well as operators is key to keeping on top of new developments, he said. “We need market knowledge; research departments such as NORCE are key to improving our activities.”

He added that the focus of the company’s development portfolio has been on technologies for well construction rather than P&A. “We need to think more about P&A; we as operators have to establish what our challenges are and where we want to go.”

Marcelo added that there are synergies to be explored with other operators given that they face common challenges in P&A. However he felt “industry can’t wait for the operators to take the lead in development; services suppliers need to play a key role and take the lead, discussing with operators their needs.” He commented that P&A activity in Brazil has been increasing in the recent past due to Petrobras activities and the entry of other operators into the market and the country has a good record in terms of successful P&As.

Batista stressed that P&A is a “multibillion liability for operators; we are hungry for solutions. We are working together to establish partnerships; we need to be more collaborative.” Repsol Sinopic is involved in P&A activities in Brazil in partnership with one of the operators, he said. He agreed that service companies need to be more proactive in bringing new technologies to operators and sponsoring feasibility studies and research to assist with the international approval and regulator approval process.

Roemmele raised the question of how receptive operators are to new technologies versus tried and tested technologies. Eduardo agreed that introducing new technologies is a step-by step process, given the risks compared with established technologies. Jiménez commented that the two main challenges with testing new technologies are ensuring that new technologies comply with market regulations, and finding operators to test them. NORCE tries to ensure that when testing new technologies the risk is reduced to the operator, she added.

Gamechanging technologies

Asked which technologies would be gamechangers for P&A, Jiménez highlighted three specific topics that are leading development. “The first is logging; there is a big trend for logging tools and processing of logging and data interpretation and diagnosis; the second is rigless P&As; and the third is new materials, for example new cement recipes, polymers, nano materials.”

Marcelo highlighted the benefits of a risk-based approach to P&A. “We have a very developed engineering process, and today we can have a better understanding of the risks,” he said. This could enable operators to challenge the validity of prescriptive regulations and requirements, a “hot topic for operators”, he added.

Discussing new and alternative materials, Eduardo said Petrobras is actively exploring and testing new methods and materials, but underlined the need for research to ensure that their longevity could be relied upon.

Marcelo added, “Alternative materials are already a reality; they are not widespread in the industry but some operators are using new elements when they need to or at the end of a qualification process.” He highlighted a case in the Gulf of Mexico where an operator had to execute a P&A using resin. “We are seeing increasing utilisation of bismuth alloys as a barrier.” He suggested that the usage of alternative materials could be accelerated. However, Jiménez pointed out that new materials could be more expensive.

Turning the discussion to total cost of field ownership, a current focus for the industry, Roemmele asked whether there is a vision for the future of P&A at the well drilling stage.

Jiménez underlined the “change in mentality” needed in drilling for abandonment. “We need to think about the abandonment phase at the well drilling stage, not just about getting the well to produce quickly,” she said, suggesting that the design of wells could be changed so that it is easier to abandon at a later stage. She expressed the hope for “more disruptive change in the way we abandon wells” and more new technologies implemented in the field.

Marcelo said that Petrobras’s vision of the future is of a “self abandonable well, where the completion would carry the materials and technologies required for you to just push a button, and achieve a permanent barrier.” This would mean the P&A cost for the well would be zero, but “there is a long road before we achieve that.” Marcelo foresaw a step change in P&A cost reduction thanks to new technologies and techniques.

Critical role of data

Eduardo raised the challenge posed by the possibility of changing regulations in the future, and it was felt that data and digitalisation has a critical role to play in this context. “If regulations change, we can use data to design a new reality,” said Batista. He explained how Repsol is embedding sensors in the well to monitor conditions and provide data, leading to a predictive approach for well integrity and enabling a true risk-based P&A design.

“More sensors equals more data equals easier decisions,” said Roemmele, pointing however that access to data is often a challenge, and data is not always transferred when ownership changes.

Roemmele raised the issue of carbon capture and storage (CCS). “Could this be a future opportunity and do we have enough knowledge to use some of these wells to reverse the flow?”

Batista underlined the link between P&A and CCS issues and challenges, and felt geothermal offers particularly strong potential. However he urged a cautious approach; while the idea of re-using the well is attractive, and would effectively reduce P&A costs, it could pose engineering challenges; efforts would be needed to ensure the integrity of the well, after years of use, possibly in difficult conditions, would be up to supporting a new application. “More data and more interventions are needed to better understand the real condition of the well,” he suggested.

Echoing this caution, Marcelo questioned whether a well built for a different purpose with different technologies 25 to 30 years ago would be usable for the next 30 years or more, and whether CCS made sense in the Brazilian scenario, given the location of fields in deep water far from shore. Jiménez agreed a regional approach is needed, commenting that while Norway, with its focus on reducing emissions, is leading CCS research, the infrastructure needed to compress and transport CCS may not make sense in Latin America. She further pointed out that further research is also needed on the behaviour of CCS and its reaction with cement.

Summing up, Roemmele concluded that Brazil and Latin America already have a good record in terms of successful P&As, and that openness to new technologies and techniques, supporting new research, risk-based modelling, sharing data and collaboration between regulators, operators and service companies are key to successfully driving forward P&A in the future.

• Region: Latin America
• Topics: Integrity
• Date: Sept, 2021

During a virtual webinar at the OWI LATAM 2021 conference, Maxim Volkov, the Principal Domain Champion at TGT Diagnostics, spotlighted how ‘tube integrity diagnostics’ are pivotal to successful well operation, and how ‘Pulse’ electromagnetic (EM) technology can deliver the most accurate metal wall thickness measurements in all completion types, including specialised alloys with high chrome and/or nickel content.

On the importance of wall thickness measurements, Maxim explained that such figures can help deliver a safer and more precise calculation of burst pressures for tubing and perhaps more importantly, casings. Well operators need to maintain wells within the ‘Maximum Allowable Wellhead Operating Pressure’ (MAWOP), and calculating the most accurate burst pressure figures are key to achieving this.

In terms of conventional technologies, such as multi-finger callipers, flux leakage tools, ultrasound inspection, and older EM tools, there is a general lack of accuracy or capability to assess casing behind tubing. This is traditionally solved by pulling the tubing out of the well using expensive rig or hoist operations to expose the production casing as the primary metal surface. This obviously disrupts well operations and requires significant resources and energy utilisation.

New electromagnetic surveys provide a more efficient solution, and are able to supply wall thickness estimations of multiple casing strings up to 20” diameter, to an acceptable level of accuracy.

‘Pulse’ technology

The ‘Pulse’ platform is one of four technology platforms that make up TGT’s ‘True Integrity’ diagnostic system. Pulse is used by analysts and operators to provide an accurate barrier-by-barrier assessment of up to four concentric tubulars from a single through-tubing deployment. And unlike conventional systems, it works in all completion types, including dual string and corrosion resistant alloys.

Pulse combines advanced electromagnetic sensing and measurement technology with powerful modeling and analysis capabilities. Pulse features multiple coil sensors, each optimised by length and geometry to engage with a particular tube size. This enables it to assess the electromagnetic signature of each tube and establish wall thickness variations.

Using electromagnetics to diagnose the condition of multiple tubulars is the most reliable solution currently available for tube diagnostics. The technique is sensitive to metal only, and is free from scale or cement influence, helping it provide a reliable wall thickness assessment where the other technologies fail.

Also, EM diagnostics can be deployed while the well is active, with minimal impact on operations and cost.

Pulse deployment

Pulse can be deployed in multiple configurations with multiple sensors optimised for different tubing and casing scenarios. Short sensors can target tube diameters up to 4 1/2", with long sensors targeting up to 13 3/8" in diameter, and extra long targeting up to 20".

Coils transmit a repeating EM pulse and record the electromagnetic response, with each coil sensor capable of registering responses from different layers of casing and tubing in the well.

Multiple coil sensors are optimised to scan a different radius, enabling operators to determine which layer is being affected by corrosion and to what degree.

Pulse diagnostics delivers accurate results up to ±0.25mm for first tube, ±0.75mm for second, ±1.5mm for third, and ±3.6mm for the fourth metal barrier.

The utilisation of Pulse technology is helping the industry to keep wells safe, clean, and productive.

• Region: Latin America
• Date: Sept, 2021

At the Offshore Well Intervention Latin America conference, a panel of industry professionals discussed how the Brazilian market is responding to an international drive to well interventions and decommissioning activity.

David Carr, Senior Vice-President at Helix Well Ops (UK) Ltd, opened the session with a video discussing the recent developments in the international offshore community. He noted that despite the last 12-18 months being one of the most challenging in living memory, well intervention activity has suffered less than most and, according to RigLogix, in a period where drilling activity reduced by almost 35%, well intervention activity only declined by around 21%.

On top of this, Carr continued, there have been positive signs from within the industry with companies such as Harbour Energy, Equinor, C-Innovation and Petronas planning or conducting significant intervention work. Carr added, “In Latin America operators have returned to profitability but drilling activity has not really increased ‒ partly due to the need to pay off debt and the turn to renewable energy. However, depleting reserves need to be replaced and intervention is the lowest cost and risk way of doing this. More and more companies are entering the riserless light well intervention (RLWI) space, resulting in more innovations arising in the market. Additionally, oil and gas regulators are gaining greater powers to enforce policies to maximise economic recovery and ensuring operators fulfil their decommissioning obligations.”

Lucas Mota, Manager of Financial and Physical Planning at Petrobras, noted that his company has made a strong statement in maximising their portfolio value with a focus on deep and ultra deep waters and already there have been key intervention targets identified in order to keep up with production targets. He added, “Petrobras has a strong workover portfolio so we are looking closely to new technology and opportunities to get the most out of our producing fields. The pandemic has affected the scenario for workover activities and we have seen reductions but we have gained back momentum and expect to be back to pre-pandemic levels starting in 2022. Being resilient, being cost effective, and introducing new technology will be paramount for making sure we meet production targets and keep extraction costs low.”

David Dempsie, P&A Task Force Leader of Global Drilling & Completions at Repsol, noted that in general terms operators are constantly looking for the “the best bang for their buck” and the benefits of intervention is we typically understand better objectives and targets and are therefore more sure of outcomes.

“To further increase production, the ability globally to drill becomes hard at times. Licences to drill take more time whereas interventions are faster to react and they align well with many regulatory requirements. Such a period of uncertainty with oil prices means relying on high cost drilling activities is not always appropriate anymore whereas intervention is much more cost effective.”

Providing a detailed update on the state of the offshore oil and gas market in Brazil, Mariana Franca Operational Safety & Environmental Superintendent at ANP, noted that even in the most challenging times, oil production has increased ‒ as was the case in 2020 which has been maintained across 2021. She noted that as a regulator, her company is working to incentivise operators to increase the recovery factor and that they have witnessed a decrease in drilling in this time. There are also hopes that plug & abandonment (P&A) activities will increase as operators take their liabilities more seriously.

A decommissioning wave on the horizon?

On the subject of P&A and decommissioning, Dempsie said that generally as the industry and fields of a region mature, the companies active in there mature. While there is a tendency to delay such operations companies can no longer afford to do so due to environmental concerns.

“As confidence grows and the number of P&A operations increase, it has an effect on operators and service providers to do more. When this happens, abilities increase and costs decrease. The appetite is starting to be there. Overall, this has somewhat been kicked down the road but it can go no further. People need to understand they have reliability to do better.”

“In Brazil the deepwater elements pose unique challenges but subsea contractors confidence builds the more work that is performed and this will allow greater progression and natural growth will come as one operator to another does more. P&A, when I arrived in the market, was something for my grandchildren but it has crept up. It is a market which will grow as Brazil invests and will strengthen operators to create a more sustainable business plan.”

To encourage more activity of this type, Franca stated that new well integrity management system regulation was published in 2016 which addresses P&A obligations as before it was old fashioned. With the new system, they are aligning Brazilian regulation with best practices. Now, for example, liabilities are harder to be extended and there is a maximum period of three years for well to be idle without monitoring well integrity.

Building on these comments, Mota said that for his company decommissioning and enhancing production is of paramount importance. They have a five year plan amounting to US$4.6bn and more than half of that is being spent on well intervention costs with around 500 well interventions planned in the next ten years. They are also targeting efficiency in these activities. The company currently has achieved 40 days per abandonment well and is aiming to reduce this to 30 days per well.

Reducing costs

One of the main issues relating to P&A, decommissioning and well intervention is they can carry weighty costs for operators. The panellists addressed this concern, noting some trends which could reduce costs and encourage more of these activities in Brazil.

For instance, Mota noted that RLWI is being taken up more around the world and is a method which can bring reductions ranging from 40-50% in time and costs. There is a lot of interest in this in Brazil and from his company.

Dempsie added that collaboration is key to this and many operators are looking to work together on P&A and intervention campaigns to capture value on these necessary operations. He said, “This has worked well globally under various guises and it suited the economic needs of many organisations.” Rig clubs, for example, have been looked at elsewhere and could really help companies share risks and shoulder costs in Brazilian waters.

Additionally, as the panellists touched upon, the continued development of new technology is enabling operators to better understand when wells require P&A and intervention work and is allowing them to carry it our more safely and for less money. This will only encourage those active in Brazil to pursue such activities more aggressively.