Providing Integrity for an Angola Well Intervention Program

IPT Global’s services and technologies came together to deliver value to all stakeholders during a well intervention program in Angola, off the west coast of Southern Africa. The intervention services company (ISC) had an extensive program and its objective was to have its personnel perform the integrity tests with remote support from IPT, which includes our Field Advisors and Real-Time Operations Center (RTOC). The ISC’s goal was to demonstrate the ability to provide turnkey intervention services for various operators. IPT’s team worked with the ISC to create a custom operational support plan that consisted of in-house and on-site training, planning and test execution optimization, and remote support.

Pre-Deployment Training 

IPT provided pre-deployment training at its office for the ISC’s engineers and managers. The training focused on using existing test plans to run tests and publish reports. Several variations of the test plans were run using existing schematics. IPT provided setup guides for the digital acquisition (DAQ) unit and transducers, along with quick start guides to run various tests in SureTec. The participants were able to experience live data acquisition via the SureTec simulator, allowing them to become familiar with the SureTec interface during testing.

At the site, IPT’s Field Advisors trained intervention personnel so they could run SureTec with remote support from our RTOC. The training focused on using a testing matrix to guide testing efforts, leveraging the RTOC for remote support and publishing tests. IPT’s RTOC and engineers helped to manage the testing program with handover and record archival while transitioning between wells.

Well Planning and Test Execution

The operator planned 28 integrity tests, with specific criteria for each of the test types performed. IPT engineers created a test matrix for the ISC that included the operator’s criteria and a procedural reference for each test, making review and approval easier. The test matrix also helped ISC personnel to manage the testing program by making it easier to locate and run previously built test plans on the testing laptop. This allowed the company to focus on their operations and setting up the hardware rather than having to set up each test plan.

Completed tests and reports were uploaded to SureView for archival and traceability. SureView is a secure, web-based tool that also 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.

Remote Support

The ISC received remote support from our RTOC, which is staffed by engineers and experienced advisors (RTOAs) who monitor all pressure tests 24/7 and provide global technical support. Remote support ranges from assisting with data connections, networking issues, and basic software issues to advanced support such as:

• Reviewing the well information sheet for accuracy and completeness
• Reviewing the test plan to ensure all components are covered to the correct pressure and assigned to the appropriate systems
• Recording and comparing pressure, rate, and volume of each benchmark test to aid in detecting misalignments
• Recording all information in the report Project Summary to include test times, pauses, failed test comments and other significant information

IPT Delivered Value to All Well Intervention Stakeholders

The intervention program required 28 integrity tests with various operator criteria to be performed over a relatively short period. The ISC successfully executed the intervention program and achieved its primary goal of providing turnkey service with technology and remote support from IPT. SureTec’s digital accuracy, objectivity, and flexibility assured the integrity of all tested components according to the operator’s criteria. Our engineers performed post-test reviews to ensure that all components were tested to the proper pressure as dictated by the operator. Our RTOAs verified that test reports were published properly to assure the traceability of all integrity tests for hand off to the production team and to provide an auditable trail of compliance for local regulatory bodies.

In addition, the integrity tests had to be performed safely and efficiently to avoid costly rig-time delays. Preparation began with effective training of the intervention crew by our experienced trainers. Our engineers assisted the operator and ISC by building accurate test plans and creating a test matrix that reduced the possibility of delays due to human error and increased the efficiency of hardware setup by the production and intervention crews. Most importantly, the ISC was able to deliver the intervention program safely to protect people, the environment, assets, and the reputations of all stakeholders.

To learn more on how our integrity solutions can you provide you the assurance necessary for well interventions, contact us!