1. The SPE Foundation through member donations
Primary funding is provided by
The SPE Foundation through member donations
and a contribution from Offshore Europe
The Society is grateful to those companies that allow their professionals to serve as lecturers
Additional support provided by AIME
Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program

2. Improved Recovery and Reduced Cost with Intelligent Interventions
(Make your wells intervention friendly)
Brian Schwanitz
Welltec
Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program

3. Introduction: A case for regular interventions
Unconventional resource wells (shale gas, shale oil, coal gas, etc)
- Have steep declines. Few operators have planned workovers!!
Intelligent wells are designed to be Intervention-less.
- But is this realistic? They have no plans for workovers!!!
Why do Subsea wells have 25% – 35% less recovery than platform wells?
- Due to less interventions
- Wait for wells to die before doing anything
Interventions
All wells decline once they are on production. The decline can be extended out in time by doing interventions more often, while the wells are still flowing, instead of waiting for the well to die before doing interventions.
BPD
Normal Decline
Years

4. Agenda What is an “Intelligent Intervention”
The Industry Moves To Electric Line (E-Line)
Mechanical Services
Examples of Intelligent Interventions
New Technologies to Watch
Who has interventionless well that doesn’t need interventions????

5. What are Intelligent Interventions?
Using Electric Line for surface monitor and control - diagnostics
Interventions that are faster, safer, with smaller footprint, performing more services, for less cost and risk
Performing interventions with the well still flowing, rigless, riserless
Four Companies Offer Electric Line Mechanical Services

6. Movement is from Heavy to Lighter, Faster, Interventions
Snubbing/HWO
Coiled Tubing
Electric Line
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction Albert Einstein

7. What problems can be solved with E-Line Tools
Water shut off - hydraulic stroking tool
Cleaning Fill - Vacuum Bailers
Multilateral Locator
This is a birds eye view of the equipment to do a down hole water shut off m of straddle were set in 4 runs using the Well Stroker and Tractor. The water was shut off and the oil production went from 200 cubic meters to 900 cubic meters per day.
Milling Scale

8. More interventions can happen on E-line
Interventions by Type
Number of interventions
Mechanical Services on Tractors Introduced
Down hole Tractors Introduced
Transforming offshore intervention operations from heavier methods to lighter methods, improving safety- a step change, reducing POB, reducing number of lifts dramatically ……eliminating Snubbing in 2004, and reducing Coiled Tubing activity by more than 60%. The lighter method of robotic electric line tractor based conveyance and intervention methods have also enabled a transformation in the number of interventions performance reference 1996 to 2002, note that in 2003 a further step change was enabled by the introduction of robotic intervention tools, not only has the number of interventions been transformed and more than tripled but also the scope of what is been done during interventions has been broadened significantly to include robotic milling, cleaning mechanical manipulation services in conjunction with logging and other surveillance activities conducted during intervention campaigns.
Source: Company analysis, Statoil, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate
Note: Riserless Light Well Intervention (subsea well intervention) using tractor technology
Source:

9. Down Hole Tractor 4 ½” OD – 17 “
There are 4 types of Strokers with force that ranges from 8000 lbs when it is set low to 33,000 lbs for the XS (extra strength). The Stroking arm can be set as little as a few inches or go up to 52 inches with the XR (extra reach). 9

10. Down Hole Tractor Sizes
Open Hole
2 1/2”
3 1/8”
2 1/8”
CT Tractor
4 1/2”
Well Tractors come in 4 sizes now. In Brazil we have the 318 and 218 tractor sizes. The newest tractor is the 412 which is for Open Hole and very large pipe.

11. E-Line Hydraulic Stroking Tool
There are 4 types of Strokers with force that ranges from 8000 lbs when it is set low to 33,000 lbs for the XS (extra strength). The Stroking arm can be set as little as a few inches or go up to 52 inches with the XR (extra reach).
Stroker Tool Sizes
Diameter: /8” 3-1/8” /8” XR /8” XS
Length: ft 15 ft ft ft
Weight: lbs lbs lbs lbs
Stroke Force ,000 lbs 20,000 lbs ,000 lbs ,000 lbs
Completion ID – 3.2” ” ” ” 11

12. An Intelligent Shifting Tool
Closed
Open
There are 3 sizes of Well Key tools. The tool opens and closes on command and avoids hanging up in profiles or shifting hardware that should not be shifted.
Key Tool Sizes
Diameter: /8” /8” 3-1/2”
Length: ft ft 11 ft
Weight: lbs lbs 160 lbs
Pressure: K psi K psi 25 K psi
Temp Rating: o F o F 400o F
Completion ID: – 5.5” – 5.7” 3.6 – 6.2”

13. Surface read-out (position & force)
Stroker arm fully extended
Sleeve starts to move
Shear pins break
Key releasing sleeve
Sleeve is moving
Surface Read Out of the Stroker arm Position and Force

14. System Integration Test (SIT) to shift ICV
Left to right: Tractor, Stroker, Key tools
E-line tools inside ICV
Hydraulic key tool 14

15. Animation – Shifting a Sliding Sleeve15

16. Vacuum cleaning in liquid filled pipe

17. Animation - Cleaning Fill Off a Ball Valve

18. Cleaning in a Dry Gas Well
E-Line Tractor combined with cork screw bailer

19. E-Line Milling Tool Features
Always run in conjunction with a Tractor or Stroker
Removes scales, cement, valves, nipple profiles, plugs, etc
Near bit stabilizer may improve drilling rate
Involves much planning and often pre-job testing
Milling Tool Features
Diameter: 2-1/2” 3-1/2” *
Length: 10 ft 10.4–12.2 ft
Weight: 70 lbs 95 lbs
Pressure: 25,000psi 25,000psi
Temp Rating: 400°F 400°F
Completion ID: 2.6 in 3.6 in*
Tensile Strength: 36,000lbs 42,000 lbs
Comp. Strength: 30,000 lbs 50,000 lbs
*3-1/8” Well Miller and RCB also available 19

20. Animation – Milling Scale
Tractor + Scale Miller well flowing

21. Animation – Milling and Cleaning – same run

22. Surface Test: Drill thru Cement Plug

23. Video – Cutting Pipe
Pipe Sizes 4” – 5 ½”

24. 4.5” tubing retrieval for Sakhalin Energy
Very fine debris

25. New Technologies to watch that will make a difference
Better measurements to assess problems
Fiber Optics data acquisition when needed
Simple wells can be made ‘smart’ at a later date
Set metal expandable patches– E-line and CT
More mechanical services; stroke, clean and mill
Fiber Optic
cable
So then if you look ahead for the IW solution, the technology will of course continue to develop
Improved reliability to reduce failures
Most likely the umbilical’s to surface moving towards inductive coupling across hangers, across SSSV etc. and then onto to wireless systems.
More sensors, higher proportion fiber optic
The downhole hardware will be replaceable to reduce Capex risk (requires tractor intervention)
So then if you look ahead for the autonomous robotic solution
Will contain downhole power supplies and transmission to surface, capable of milling, lifting, cleaning, data acquisition, pulling etc.
With subsea intervention moving from LWI to skid mounted, back of supply vessel deployment, delivering autonomous robotic solutions cheaply
Reduced Capex and reduced Risk
So in summary, I can see convergence of these two technologies  - IW and the autonomous robotic solution.
The advantage of the autonomous Robotics is its flexibility to travel the length of the well, pump, repair and replace.
E-Wireline operated ICV`s and frac ports
E-Line Setting of Internal Patch

27. Relative Cost of Interventions/Workovers
Land
Platform
Offshore Rig
RLWI
Relative Cost
Subsea Interventions have biggest need for cost reductions
Riserless Light Well Interventions (RLWI) have large impact on subsea wells
Reduced operation cost
Reduced operating time
Reduced HSE risks
Enables more frequent
interventions
WOW = Waiting on Weather
Subsea Wells

28. Keeping up production through regular Interventions
One North Sea platform production by source
BBL/day A
Light Well Interventions gave a 39,000 bbls/day increase
Source:
Note: Year not disclosed for confidentiality reasons

29. Intervention Strategy with the Future in Mind
Design intervention friendly completions:
- Minimize ID restrictions, which limit options to
- Accommodate new technologies
- Be aware of developments in the “pipeline”
Fiber optics, metal to metal patches, wireless robotics,
ICD’s when needed, etc.
Accurate diagnostic data is imperative
Must know the problem to solve the problem
Avoid “fixing” something that’s not broke
The Correct Intervention Strategy :
CT for handling pumping jobs
E-Line for data collecting, selective cleaning, shifting, milling
Riserless workovers (subsea)
Have contingencies planned and tested before completion
Who has interventionless well that doesn’t need interventions????

30. Thank you for your time
Questions