$20,000/day production reinstated following 6 hour operation
Platelets® seal 3mm outer annulus to conductor leak
- Client Major Operator
- Leak Location Outer Annulus - Conductor
- Location North Slope, Alaska
- Nominal Bore 9 5/8 inch casing
Challenge
An oil production well was shut-in following the identification of a shallow leak from the outer annulus to the conductor, resulting in annulus fluid discharge to the environment. Costly and time-consuming work would normally be required to excavate and remove the conductor casing in order to patch the leaking casing.
Solution
A set of tailored diagnostic flow tests were carried out using Telepath® to profile the leak, identifying a leak with an equivalent diameter of 3mm and an approximately round geometry. A single type of Platelet/® was selected for the seal, and a small number displaced to the leak via the annular wing valve.
Outcome
Annular pressure rose as soon as the Platelets® reached the target depth. The operation stopped the annulus to conductor communication, and the well passed an MIT at 1,800 psi to reinstate full service qualification. The solution was achieved without having to excavate and remove the surface conductor, or pull the tubing and cut and pull the casing.
The upside
$20,000/day production was regained quickly. A costly excavation workover was avoided and replaced with a simple injection process. HSE exposure was greatly reduced compared with excavation. The well was brought back to a serviceable state in a much shorter time frame than a conventional process: the entire operation was carried out in six hours, with only a few minutes required to deploy the Platelets®, compared to six weeks for excavation, the only other alternative approach to repairing the integrity of the well.
