Well Interventions may be performed to add or restore production or to fix a well integrity issue. Expected production gains from deep and ultra-deep subsea wells must justify the cost of offshore intervention vessels and crews. Light well interventions are more common and cost-effective because they can be performed with minimal shut-in of the well. Light well interventions include, but are not limited to, acid stimulation; sand, scale, or hydrate removal; and gas lift remediation. In light well interventions, tools or sensors are lowered into a live well using slickline, wireline, or coiled tubing while pressure is contained at the surface. Service companies can perform light well intervention operations through subsea wellheads using riser or riserless methods while using a ROV to perform the operation and guide the landing of the well intervention equipment as shown in the stimulation example below.
Each intervention program has specific objectives, operational steps, and associated risks. To enhance the safety, reliability, and assurance of the program, IPT offers integrity testing and assurance for a wide range of systems and components.
Subsea well interventions involve many challenges and require comprehensive planning to mitigate risk. IPT’s SureTec application is a single solution that handles all facets of integrity test planning for intervention operations. Interventions require a large number of integrity tests with varying criteria to be performed over a relatively short period. SureTec improves efficiency and project management, and it reduces risks by allowing operators to use consistent and stringent criteria for validating integrity-critical WBEs.
SureTec’s planning tools allow designers to build interactive schematics, wellbore diagrams, and test plan steps for stump, BOP, deck, coil tubing, positive and negative (inflow) test plans. SureTec’s Schematic Editor provides drag-and-drop components that accurately depict the operation of surface and subsea equipment. These schematics are integrated seamlessly into test plans that clearly identify test criteria and precisely simulate valve states and pressurized paths as shown in the following figure.
IPT’s support includes a Real-Time Operation Center (RTOC) staffed by engineers and experienced advisors (RTOAs). Our engineers assist operators and intervention service companies by building test plans in SureTec that accurately represent their testing program. An engineering team member can also create a test matrix that provides a snapshot of all tests and criteria as well as guidelines that help the production and intervention crews with hardware setup. Our RTOAs are responsible for reviewing intervention test plans to ensure all critical components are tested to the appropriate pressure.
IPT’s support includes a Real-Time Operation Center (RTOC) staffed by engineers and our Field Our Field Service Quality Advisors (FSQAs) or trained intervention service company personnel use SureTec to perform pre-deployment activity testing of the well intervention equipment, the manifold, and other surface iron to assure that the intervention tools and well control components work properly prior to their deployment on the vessel. SureTec provides component integrity assurance with high digital resolution and stringent test criteria. Digital resolution and sensor accuracy are vital because high measurement sensitivity is required to detect small pressure changes in control lines, and small-volume cavities and annular spaces.
Upon the vessel’s arrival at the well, our FSQAs or trained rig crew use SureTec to ensure the integrity of the system that will connect to the well as this system will protect people, equipment, and the environment during the latch up phase.
During installation on the seafloor, the tree cap is removed, and the well stimulation tool is connected (latched) to the subsea tree. After the well access tool is latched up (e.g., a stimulation tool), IPT performs a connector test to verify the integrity of the system.
During intervention operations, integrity tests must be performed thoroughly and efficiently because any avoidable delay in critical path operations can increase risk and be costly for both the intervention service company and the operator. Efficient testing of critical components requires the ability to connect to various sources and run multiple tests simultaneously. SureTec receives data from multiple sources such as the IPT transducer, ROV transducer, ROV control system, and Workover Control System. Users can enter Multi-Test mode to execute up to four test plans simultaneously, each with a different pressure source and test criteria. Users can start, stop, and restart analysis for each test independently.
After the intervention is completed, the operator also needs traceability of all integrity tests to hand off to the production team and to have an auditable trail of compliance with local regulatory bodies. When each test is completed or stopped, SureTec generates a standardized, detailed report of each test step, including pressure graphs, schematics, and complete documentation of tested components. Our RTOAs review the test files to ensure all tests passed and all components were tested to proper pressures. They also verify the integrity of barriers before the intervention team departs.
The documented data and lessons learned from each intervention fosters an environment of continuous improvement and delivers the highest-level integrity assurance to operators, production operations, and intervention service companies.
Operators’ intervention and production teams can use IPT’s SureView application for report archival and traceability over the entire lifecycle of the well. SureView is a secure, web-based tool that provides real-time status of pressure tests, test data organization and retrieval by well and date, advanced data analysis, and remote viewing of active tests. SureView’s interactive search features simplify retrieval of historical test data for review and analysis.
IPT’s comprehensive planning, test execution, and reporting tools combined with our team of experts contribute to better management and mitigation of potential risks leading to improved performance and greater assurance of well integrity during well interventions. Contact us to discuss your well interventions.
IPT is committed to providing best-in-class customer service and support. If you need help choosing a solution that’s right for you, or if you need a hand from a pro in our 24/7 Real-Time Operations Center, we’re ready to serve you.
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