OTC 15182 New Well Intervention Technology That Will Enable Increase In Recovery Rate

by Hans Jrgen Lindland and Olav Inderberg FMC Kongsberg Subsea AS, Colin Headworth Subsea7 and Arnfinn Braut, Halliburton
Copyright 2003, Offshore Technology Conference This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2003 Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston, Texas, U.S.A., 58 May 2003. This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC Program Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the Offshore Technology Conference or its officers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Offshore Technology Conference is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented.

Abstract This paper describes development of new subsea well intervention technologies that will support increased reservoir recovery. Subsea lubricator for seven inch and 10.000psi applications operated from dynamically positioned vessels has been developed and are now ready for use in the North Sea. Composite materials for wireline cables with high electrical current transfer capabilities and composite risers and coil tubing are also described in the paper. The working process using systems approach and Hazop/Hazids etc are focused upon. Introduction When an oil field has produced oil and gas for many years and finally is closed down, there is still much oil left in the ground. Generally for oil fields between 60-70% of the original reserves in a reservoir remains permanently in the ground. The last years advancements in seismic,-reservoir,-and well technology have lead to a tremendous increase in reservoir recovery rates. For the offshore industry especially fields with platform based (dry wells) have seen this effect. Subsea completed wells are currently lagging somewhat behind in this development trend. This paper describes new intervention equipment that will enable increase in reservoir recovery rate. Earlier Subsea well intervention Subea wells are mainly maintained/ intervened due to reservoir reasons. These vary from field to field due to the different reservoir conditions, the nature of the produced or injected fluid(s), the configuration and status on the equipment installed, etc. One of the main categories being to gain information of the production condition down hole or stimulate the well production. The wells are normally maintained so that optimal well performance is met. This also includes any modifications of

the well/ completion to enable proper drainage of the reservoir(s). Data acquisition is required to diagnose the well in case of unexpected performance, verification of the composition and rates from the different zones open to production, etc. This is especially important in order to enable best possible reservoir production management , and in some cases preparation for heavier intervention operations. Traditionally the well maintenance or workover operations have been divided into 2 categories, "heavy" and "light" interventions. Typical categorising of well intervention work as being discussed in connection with the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) is shown in figure 1 where: A- are mainly wireline operations B- are work over riser operations C- are operations including using marine riser & BOP

Well Intervention Vessels

VESSEL(A)
Light intervention

VESSEL(B)
Medium intervention

VESSEL (C)
Heavy Intervention

Fig. 1 Intervention Classification

Recent initiatives have been launched to enable more cost effective intervention methods. The use of monohull vessels that are available in the market at a substantial lower rate is the key to more cost effective solutions. -"Heavy" interventions usually mean operations requiring the use of a heavy (18 3/4") drilling Blow Out Preventer (BOP) for pressure control. Removal of Christmas Trees, tubing replacement, sidetracking (are typical examples of "heavy" intervention operations" today. This will change over time as capabilities of lighter systems are further developed. Several semi

OTC 15182

submersible drilling rigs are operating in the North Sea, able to perform this type of operation. -Light" interventions are commonly used to describe those operations that may be carried out inside or through the Christmas Tree and completion tubing, i.e. wire line or coiled tubing operations. The requirements put on the surface support will vary from region to region. The environmental conditions on the NCS with wind, waves etc. and the local regulations differentiating sharply between cold interventions and hot interventions, where the latter means penetrating well barriers, are making some of the requirements on vessels for this service more extensive than in other regions. Several operators in the UK sector have performed many of their wireline (both slick and electric line) operations in subsea wells using the "Stena Seawell" monohull vessel for more than 10 years. This vessel was also used successfully September 2000 in the Norwegian Sector on the 5subsea completions on the Heidrun field.(Ref SPE -2001 paper 68409) Halliburton has similarly used a subsea lubricator system successfully in the Far East (OTC 1998 paper 8589). It is, however, a different case working with 7 and 10K completions due to the size and weight of the equipment required. The weight of a complete stack for subsea wireline operations is in the order of approximately 50-60 tons. Economical incentives for improved reservoir recovery There are today on the NCS 17 fields developed with subsea wells. The recoverable reserves according to Norwegian Petroleum Directorate is 5.7 Billion bbl of oil at an estimated recovery of 38 %. An 8% increase in recovery from these fields (bringing the level up to the average recovery rate for platforms wells) would equal 1Billion bbl of oil. An additional effect to the increased recovery is an expected increase in production rate due to better optimized wells. Cost effective and safe well intervention is one very important element to achieve this. Dynamically positioned vessels, small semis or mono hulls are believed to offer the needed change to reach such a goal. 7 subsea horizontal wells have become the standard for subsea wells on the NCS in the latter years. The wells have often a very long reach, penetrating several reservoir zones. The need for well interventions in such wells are higher than for traditionally wells due to the complexity involved in producing several zones at the same time as well as optimizing overall field life. Light well intervention needs on the NCS is estimated to some 200 days per year from 2003. A major NCS Operator is already contracting suppliers to do light well intervention in the shelf. Suppliers combining forces and Technology to perform improved subsea well intervention services Doing intervention work on 7 subsea wells from dynamically positioned vessels is a challenge. Equipment, personnel and procedures all needs to be well integrated including a proper

consideration of the capabilities of the Dynamic Positioning (DP) system of the vessel. FMC Kongsberg Subsea and Halliburton in Norway have signed a cooperation agreement that will provide a full range of light and medium well intervention services carried out from DP vessels. This cooperative agreement covers the Norwegian Continental Shelf and may be extended to other territories. The intervention services need to cater for an understanding reaching from the reservoir, down hole, subsea and on to the support vessel to supply the integrated service required. An overall systems capability is required to ensure the correct solution to the identified well/reservoir challenges. A systems approach as advocated in the ISO standard 13628-7 for riser based intervention is required. (Ref. fig. 2) it is of outmost importance to ensure the required safety and efficiency. The integration of the traditional different spreads brought onboard the vessels is required in order to respond to the situations that can occur when operating in pure thruster based DP mode. The required response time being considerably shorter if station keeping capacity is lost. The Oil and Gas Industry is in need for standards and norms for this type of operations. These are as any well intervention operations safety critical and need to be closely controlled. ISO and API are co-operating closely in the subsea sector and the writing of such standards are going to be initiated shortly. HAZID & HAZOP exercises are important to perform at suitable stages to ensure the right design and operational procedures are adopted. The two companies have actively been working to include Halliburtons experience in FMC Kongsberg Subseas equipment

OTC 15182

INPUT Design principles Operational principles Safety principles Operational requirements System and component functional requirements Barrier requirements DP system response OUTPUT System description System schematics C/WO riser modes of operation Control system modes of operation including Shut-in and disconnect sequences OUTPUT System drawings Component design specifications Material selection Global riser & riser less operation analysis Control system response analysis Outline test programme External interface plan INPUT System definition System design Vessel operating philosophy Riser less & Riser operating philosophy OUTPUT Design analysis Manufacturing and fabrication documentation

Design Basis

line well operations i. e. standard wire line operations can be carried out. FMC Kongsberg Subsea have developed and are testing a seven inch 10.000 psi subsea lubricator system for water depths down to 500m, actively involving Halliburton expertise, equipment and personnel. The system consists of The subsea stack consists of several modules that can be run together or independently installed and retrieved from the seabed. Fig 3 .show the system.

System Definition

System Design

System Review NOT OK

OK Detail Design

Pressure control head (PCH) and grease injection

Verification NOT OK OK Manufacture and Fabrication

Upper lubricator package (ULP)

Verification NOT OK OK NOT OK Testing Verification

INPUT Component design specifications Design analysis Manufacturing and fabrication documentation System integration testing including eventually vessel INPUT As built documentation Manufacturing and fabrication documentation Documentation from integration testing Marking Storage and Shipping Inspection, maintenance, reassessment and monitoring

Lubricator (LUB)

OK

Documentation

Lower lubricator package (LLP)

.
Fig. 2 Systems approach
Lower intervention package (LIP)

Halliburton personnel have been permanently located at Kongsberg involved in the final design of the equipment. FMC Kongsberg Subsea and Halliburton teams are currently (End 2002) preparing for the first jobs with a main focus on safe operations and technical success (do it right the first time). A joint familiarisation and training programme have been established to ensure that the personnel will work as a fully integrated team. Equipment description The principal driving force behind carrying out wireline operations using subsea lubricator is the potential cost savings. Subsea lubricator jobs can be performed using Dynamically Positioned vessels (DP) instead of using large drilling rigs designed for more complex operations and heavy equipment handling. The main task for the subsea stack is to enable well intervention without rigid connections between vessel and seabed and to avoid circulation of well fluids to the surface vessel. The system is equipped for both braided wire and slick

Fig. 3 7 & 10K Riser Less Well Intervention (RWI) stack

The purpose of the LIP assembly is to provide the barriers required during intervention. It is designed to interface both conventional and horizontal trees and can be adapted to trees from different suppliers. The main barrier element in the LIP is a shear ram with capacity to cut wireline tools, coil tubing and other equipment as foreseen to be run in the well. Two 7 gate valves are included in the LIP (one under and one above of the ram) as working valves to achieve double block when opening the lubricator for tool change out. The LIP assembly is designed as a modularized system with emphasis on safety, reliability, flexibility and user friendliness and with functionality to enable required circulation of fluids without the need for bringing hydrocarbons on to the supporting vessel.

OTC 15182

Lower lubricator package (LLP) The Lower Lubricator Package is the connection between the Lower Intervention Package and the lubricator tubular in the riserless well intervention stack-up. The LLP acts as the running tool for the LIP and cater for the connection for control umbilical, well kill hose, circulation hose and control module mounting base. Lubricator (LUB) The Lubricator Joints shall provide a temporary storage position for the tool string on the way down into the well or on the way out. The Lubricator maintains pressure control, hydrate control and circulation of well fluids are achieved by the functionality of the LIP. The Lubricator joints are to be assembled vertically in a handling system in moon pool and can cater for tool strings of a length of approximately 22 meters. Upper lubricator package (ULP) The ULP assembly is the connection between the Pressure Control Head and the Lubricator. The ULP includes a shear valve block with the capacity to cut all standard braided wires currently utilized in the marked. The ULP frame structure has a design for interfacing the handling system, and give support and protection for the ULP equipment and to avoid the umbilical to hook into the structure Pressure control head (PCH) and grease injection As part of the RLWI rig-up, the pressure control head (PCH) are connected on top of the lubricator and perform a pressure barrier and seal towards the well bore during wireline operations. The pressure control head works as a pressure barrier towards the well and creates a dynamic seal around a moving wireline. During braided wire operations, the pressure barrier is obtained by injection of viscous grease into a flow tube, creating a pressure higher than the existing well pressure. An additional upper stuffing box can be activated to work as a static seal on a stationary wireline. Well pressure is acting on the inside of the PCH, while hydrostatic pressure is acting on the outside of the head. The pressure differential over a 2m distance of (could be in the order of 200 bars between well pressure and hydrostatic) and this pressure difference is contained by the injected viscous grease into the flowtubes in which the wireline is moving. The grease pressure is higher than the well pressure - thus forcing the oil and gas to remain inside the PCH/well. The grease is supplied from the surface through lines in the umbilical. Changes in required grease pressure inside the PCH, as the wire goes into the well (cold) or is pulled out of the well (hot), need to be adjusted for quickly. The system is equipped with subsea grease injection pumps to ensure the required response time to the quick changing conditions. These subsea pumps are located in the LLP with pipes feeding grease to the PCH.

Umbilical system The main umbilical will be connected to LLP with a remote operated Multi Quick Connector (MQC) for the Emergency Disconnect function and lowered to the seabed together with the LLP/LIP assembly. It will be deployed through the moon pool. Alternatively, the umbilical may be deployed separately by use of a pod wire and clump weight and the use of umbilical jumpers for connection at the seabed. During deployment the umbilical can then be clamped to a pod wire for weight suspension. This will also prevent the umbilical to transfer any forces over to the LUB assembly, or to get in contact with the wireline. The pod wire will be passive heave compensated. Wireline System The wireline system has been developed to fit the requirements when being run in a subsea lubricator setup. Real time information and control links between the well control system for the subsea lubricator and wireline system ensures a co-ordinated operation. The movement of the wire in the sea, have been subject to a thorough analysis, as this is identified as one of the critical items of a successful operation. Well kill equipment The LLP assembly is equipped with a connector hub for connection of external well kill line. The requirement for well kill equipment (i.e. pumps, well kill fluid tank, hose, reel etc.) onboard during RLWI operations is dependant of the type of operation, and location specific issues, and must therefore be considered on a case to case basis. Qualification testing The equipment has been thoroughly tested at Kongsberg, refurbished and moved to Bergen for shallow water testing. A subsea well at 50 m water depth outside the quay side at Cost Center Base in Bergen is used to simulate real well conditions. The main reason for the shallow water test is to ensure proper functionality of the system under water. Among critical things to test, are pressure locks, short circuits and ROV access and operability. During the test a wireline unit will be used for simulating running of the wireline and tools in the hole. Establishing grease injection functionality and performance of the PCH is an important part to ensure safe operations offshore on live wells. The combined FMC Kongsberg Subsea and Halliburton team will handle the equipment during the shallow water test and thus be trained for the actual operation in the North Sea. First commercial job is planned for April 2003, onboard Prosafe Offshores vessel the MSV Regalia. The shallow water testing is just one stage in an overall testing / verification strategy. The testing starts at component subsystem level to be gradually performed on higher system levels without repeating earlier verifications if not required. A final test in a fjord is considered to incorporate the vessel in the overall integration. Considerations when using DP vessels Currently, subsea well operations are mainly (North Sea) performed using anchored drilling rigs. These rigs are well

OTC 15182

suited for drilling, completions and heavy workovers as they then will be over the well for an extended period of time, reducing the effect of transit and anchor handling to a relative limited part of the total time. Subsea well interventions inside the tubing, doing wire line or coiled tubing work the time spent will normally be in the order of 2-3 days pr job. DP vessels are thus ideal for such work since the time spent in transfer and for anchor handling is minimized, provided that proper upfront planning and preparations are performed. When performing a well intervention job the following activities are run in parallel: -wireline or coiled tubing operation in the well -control and monitoring inside the subsea well operating well control equipment, injecting methanol and grease etc. -operating and monitoring equipment at the seabed using dedicated cameras and ROVs -operating surface handling equipment -operating the DP system and other vessel based systems required for the operation With personnel coming from different parts of the service industry it is crucial to build teams and to implement and enforce a strong safety culture onboard the vessel. Safety systems must be properly set up and implemented and personnel must be well trained as a common team. Contingencies must cover DP drive- and drift-off situations, hydrocarbon releases; fire onboard the vessel, loss of control systems etc. All crew members will be thoroughly trained and prepared for evacuation and other contingencies in emergency situations. The backup if a wireline operation (including fishing) is failing is to enter the well with a riser to do fishing or other recovery operations. Riser operation from DP vessels It is a very different task to work with risers from a DP vessel than to use such vessels for subsea lubricator/ wireline operations due to the potential loss of station keeping capability. The use of high pressure risers filled with unstabilized fluid has to be analyzed and criteria for disconnect has to be established prior to starting the operation. Disconnecting the riser and venting of fluid from the full cross section of a e. g. a high pressure 7 riser will in most cases cause a riser lift due to the forces from the expanding fluid that will be larger that the weight of the stack. A carefully controlled shut in sequence will have to be performed to avoid a dangerous situation. This has to be done in the time available after the detection of loss of station keeping capability and prior to either the interference of the riser with structural members or other equipment on the vessel or exceeding the bending moments or other loads the riser is designed for. Information to assist such detection early and help in making the right decisions has to be available to the responsible operator of the system. It is assumed that to enable a response within the allowable time a riser retainer valve with shearing capability will be

required. The initiation of a shut-in and disconnect will initiate the following sequence in many cases: Close shear ram in Lower Riser Package (LRP) and the riser retainer valve. Vent volume between the above valves Disconnect riser and umbilical and any other lines between the vessel and the subsea installation Close other barrier elements in the LRP to achieve double block Vent the riser to the flair system on the vessel Such a sequence will have to be performed in the time available, which will depend upon the properties of the overall system in use and the water depth, current etc. A typical value used is 30 sec. with a water depth of approximately 300-400 meters. There will be a minimum requirement to the water depth prior to finding solutions for such operations that will make the operation with high pressure risers less critical. However it is obvious that new solutions to this challenge have to be developed.

Fig. 4 Composite Cable System

Background for composite logging cable Existing electrical well-logging cables are based on the use of steel wire as tension armor, this has limitations when it comes to use in Subsea lubricator operations. . FMC Kongsberg Subsea has developed a composite cable to increase the operability while performing wireline operations and making the issue of station keeping capability less critical for such operations. The objective has been to develop a new electrical well intervention cable using a fiber reinforced composite to carry the axial loads. The added value of this structure compared to a conventional steel cable is a high tension/weight ratio and a smooth surface. Mechanically, the use of composite materials gives a cable with favorable handling properties stiff and yet possible to coil. The fabrication process has been mastered, and allows for optimized usage of the cable cross section to balance electrical

OTC 15182

power transfer capacity (conductor size) and mechanical strength. Composite structures can have similar or better strength properties than steel, and are much lighter. A composite cable is therefore particularly suited for applications in long horizontal wells. Similarly, the composites properties concerning chemical resistance, temperature, and electrical insulation has been tailored to the specific application through selection of fiber and matrix material. The Composite Cable System will add value to well operations in general, including land and platform wells. For subsea wells in particular the design and operation of the subsea lubricator will be greatly simplified. System Elements The system consists of the following elements: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Composite Cable Drum Winch Cable guiding Injector Head Mechanical Termination Pressure Control Head (PCH) Dual 7 Wireline BOP

Electrical Cable Concept The design objective for the cable was to provide sufficient electrical power and data transmission capacity for modern down-hole tools. Today, it is natural to assume that this tool should be a well tractor. Limiting factors concerning electrical power transfer capacity for a well logging cable are cable resistance (conductor area) and maximum operating voltage at the surface. In addition the electrical return current from a conventional mono-conductor cable goes in the armour and casing, which is in conflict with regulations concerning electrical safety. This also causes problems when these cables are used to transmit data, as the electrical property changes according to how much cable is rolled on/off the drum. Analyses of various cable conductor topologies have shown that both power transfer capacity and data-rate benefit from increasing conductor area. For practical design it has therefore been necessary to balance electrical properties against acceptable decrease in mechanical strength for a given cable diameter. The chosen electrical concept for the developed logging cable can be summarized as follows: Symmetrical configuration of 3x2mm2 straight conductors with individual electrical isolation This concept is in accordance with electrical safety regulations Solid Cu conductors to avoid gas decompression problems Special polymer is used as electrical isolation Electrical isolation tested for 3kV operating voltage according to IEC60502 Data transmission capacity: 100-300kbit/s for 10km cable

A production prototype (see picture below) consisting of the elements 1 6 have been build and Factory Acceptance Tested (FAT). Designs have been developed for the BOP and PCH. The PCH is a lubricated packbox using environmental friendly fish-oil. The design has been qualified through prototype testing. A BOP specially adapted for composite cable has been developed and patented. The design will allow stripping the cable through the BOP if the PCH for some reason has failed Main Results Obtained During Project Execution Several hundred meters of prototype cables have been produced with different material combinations (fibers and matrix) 10 ton capacity in tension has been obtained with a 9mm carbon reinforced cable High stiffness: E-module = 115 GPa Low weight: 1.4 g/cc - 136 g/m The mechanical down hole termination has been tested to 10 ton Termination tested with 10kN shear pin release > 80% Remaining strength after exposure to crude oil/H2O/Diesel/MEG (48h@150DegC) 3kV operating voltage; typically 20 kW power 3x2mm2 solid Cu conductors Data-transmission capacity: 300kbit/s expected for 10km cable Seal system verified through 30km laboratory run with negligible friction and leak (25litre to ambient, 10litre into well @700bar differential pressure using light organic oil)

Fig. 5 Illustration of typical cross section

This concept gives a power transfer capacity comparable to the steel armoured mono-conductor cables in use today with the extra benefit of improved electrical safety.

OTC 15182

Further increase in power capacity can be achieved by raising the operating voltage, which should be more acceptable for this composite cable compared to a conventional steel cable. The chosen topology is somewhat similar to a conventional telephone line with large conductors, and the data transfer capacity will therefore benefit from recent advances in data transmission technology. In particular methods and hardware developed to increase the data-rate for Internet over existing copper lines (like ADSL).

Strength is determined by measuring a 20cm sample in a three point bend test.

Environmental exposure Air Water Methanol Temp. [C] Pressure [bar] Exposure time [h] Relativ strength [%] 100 N/A 100 82 101 50 98 86 100 97 N/A 101 Relativ stiffness [%] 100 N/A 99 90 93 62 99 89 98 88 N/A 110

Seal Systems The objective for the seal system was to provide a negligibleleak seal with a differential pressure of 700 bar, and with as little friction as possible. In addition it was required that the seal system should survive a run of 15km in and 15 km out of a well. A main challenge for this development was to design a realistic test concept without having a full-length cable. Due to the smooth surface and fine tolerances of the composite cable, this system could be made very compact (short tube, narrow gap) and light liquid could be used for lubrication. A test rig for this liquid Seal System was built as part of a diploma thesis at the NTNU (Technical University in Trondheim), and the results from a 30 km test can be summarised as follows: Negligible friction @700 bar Total leakage @700 bar less than 40 litre from 30km run (measured 27 litre to ambient, 7 litre into well) Test carried out with environmentally friendly light oil

Diesel Stabilised Crude oil MEG

20 150 20 150 20 150 20 150 20 150 20 150

1 1 1 690 1 690 1 690 1 690 1 690

N/A 1 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 48

Fig. 6 Tree point bend test Operational Aspects The presented system will offer the following advantages compared to conventional electric braided wire: A ten-fold increase in power capacity will enable a new generation of more powerful well tractors in-turn increasing horizontal reach and pay-load and surplus power for other tasks down hole The low weight of the cable will increase reach and payload using existing tractor technology due to the drastically lowered drag from the cable The stiffness of the cable will enable pushing of the tools out to more than 500 m in the horizontal section without tractor Braided wire is currently used on dispensation from NPD due to lack of electrical insulation (ground return in outer shield). With the composite cable this is not an issue The superior strength will enable more pulling force on the tool. The slick surface and low weight will ensure that additional pulling force is available on the tool and not lost along the way The cable design allows for placement of an optical fiber in the center of the three conductors. This will enable continuos logging while running the tractor A short lubricated pack box is easier to install and operate compared to a grease lubricator and can use environmentally friendly lubricants The low friction in the pack box will reduce the large number of sinkerbars needed to overcome the wellhead pressure while locking into HP-wells with braided cable. In this phase braided wire can be squeezed and damaged due to the pressure needed in the stuffing box to avoid gas breakthrough. It is therefore expected that composite cable will have a longer lifetime The composite cable can in principle cover several applications, including cased and open hole operations

Environmental Exposure Testing The first environmental exposure tests were carried out using autoclaves in the labs at the Statoil R&D centre. During these first experiments, cable samples were exposed to crude oil, water, diesel, methanol, air and CO2 at pressures up to 150 bar, and temperatures up to 150 deg.C. After exposure, each sample was subjected to a standard bend test to measure degradation in mechanical properties. During the development project, the number of chemical exposure tests have been reduced, and narrowed down to include only the most relevant and critical chemicals. Also, the temperature and exposure times have been reduced to make these screening tests feasible technically, practically and economically. After three years of development the cable is now qualified towards: Liquids and Chemicals: Water, crude oil, diesel, MEG and methanol Temperature: testing at 20 and 150 deg. C Pressure: 690 bar and ambient Acceptance: remaining strength > 80% of virgin strength after 48h exposure to crude, water, and diesel.

OTC 15182

The cable can be combined with coiled tubing and bottom hole assemblies to achieve a system for direction controlled coiled tubing drilling

Swift Deepwater Intervention Service Background FMC, Halliburton and Subsea 7 have combined technology and knowledge to provide an intervention service also involving vessel, based on fifteen years of operational experience with riserless systems, existing equipment and application of new methods that have already undergone several years development and testing. The three parties are looking at providing a new solution for deep water intervention. A full-time well intervention vessel is envisaged that can be scheduled to go from field to field and conduct a wide range of tasks on deepwater subsea wells. Although wireline can support some well intervention tasks, coiled tubing is needed to enable the full range of downhole intervention. An analysis in 1999, by two major Operators in the North Sea, reviewed 3900 separate interventions and concluded that coiled tubing was needed more than twice as often as wireline. The need to expand the scope of riserless techniques to include coiled tubing was recognized long ago by Halliburton and Subsea 7. A new system has been conceived and developed that draws on many years experience with riserless subsea wireline, on a previous operational version of a riserless subsea coiled tubing system, and on 10 years experience with reelable, composites technology. This system, Swift, is ideally suited to deepwater well intervention and can be used for both wireline and coiled tubing tasks with the same equipment. The method of accessing the subsea well determines what the support vessel has to be like and in this case, Swift enables the use of a relatively small monohull vessel. Swift has been developed to prototype stage and has undergone testing on land and in water. It has passed the internal, Halliburton and Subsea 7 technology feasibility hurdles and is now ready for a suitable market opportunity. Swift works in conjunction with the FMC riserless well intervention stack technology described earlier in this paper and combines it with the newly developed, and patented, coiled tubing access guide, called the Swift Riser. The Swift Riser is a flexible guide spooled with a close fitting concentric, coiled tubing work string and deployed in a compliant shape between the support vessel and the subsea lubricator. The compliant shape allows for dynamic motion of the support vessel without the need for heave compensation whilst also ensuring the coiled tubing position in the well is not affected. The well seal remains at the subsea lubricator and there are no hydrocarbons in the Swift Riser even though the coiled tubing injector, and all of the normal coiled tubing spread is on the support vessel. It is the Swift Riser that enables this breakthrough separation between the injector and dynamic well seal. This separation can be many thousands of feet and allows all of the advantages of riserless well

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCEMENTS OF THE SYSTEM These effective intervention methods are needed in order to increase oil recovery from offshore fields completed with subsea wells. This seems especially to be true for the NCS. Other parts of the world are believed to have the same uncovered requirements. This will manifest itself as wells are getting further into their operational lives and drilling rigs are not operating on the field developments continuously anymore. The system FMC Kongsberg Subsea, Halliburton and Prosafe is developing can be further extended towards: Deep water applications Offshore West Africa fields in deepwater developed with subsea systems have similar reservoir and well conditions to the fields in the North Sea; i.e. wells penetrating long horizontal reservoir sections. It is anticipated that that the same type of well intervention need as now maturing in the North Sea will materialize in West Africa in 2 4 years time. The system and the experience now gained from the North Sea will be very valuable for preparing for the deep water West Africa market. Extending the current system down to 2000m of water depths will be thoroughly addressed and well prepared for. Well control, grease injection, wireline and umbilical operation in deep water all needs special attention. Coiled tubing work from dynamically positioned vessel Current drilling and completion technology enables very long horizontal well sections through several reservoir segments. Coiled tubing will offer a cost effective solution to maintain these reservoir segments as the need for remedial work using chemicals etc. arises as reservoir water production increases. For maximizing field recovery during the operating life, coiled tubing drilling through tubing is a likely method to be performed in the future in order to drain trapped oil pockets in the reservoirs. Risers to suit these types of operations in deep water need to be developed. Contingencies for quick disconnecting of gas filled risers are an issue that needs attention. Solutions for this are under development and will be available in the near future as well as improved operations will result from the experience gained as we perform these operations. Another alternative for entering the wells including wireline and coil tubing capabilities have been developed and can be ready for operation in the near future

OTC 15182

intervention to be extended to coiled tubing operations. These advantages include: Uses all of the normal and established coiled tubing techniques, equipment and personnel A large vessel offset tolerance due the flexibility and compliant shape of the Swift Riser of +/- 450m in 2500m of water depth gives more than adequate time to react to emergencies No hydrocarbon returns to the support vessel. If it is desired to circulate well fluids back to the support vessel this can be done through a separate return line Simple management of pressure control and emergency disconnect due to separation of the Swift Riser and the coiled tubing it contains, from the return line Can tolerate extreme vessel motions Damage to the Swift Riser does not compromise well control or present a pollution risk Very low loads at support vessel and subsea lubricator: 2500m water depth, with a strong current sees 10Te tension at the vessel and 3Te tension at the subsea lubricator Rapid deployment using reeling techniques Any diameter of coiled tubing can be accommodated. The Swift riser is sized to suit the coiled tubing as a matched pair. A typical OD of a composite Swift riser is 4 with a matching coiled tubing OD of 2-3/8. Can deploy a coiled tubing toolstring diameter up to the full diameter of the subsea lubricator with any diameter of coiled tubing and Swift Riser The operations scope that can be expected from a monohull vessel and Swift includes: Well intervention activities for downhole maintenance and logging of producing wells using coiled tubing for both wireline and coiled tubing tasks. (Optionally, wireline can be used) Well construction activities such as running trees and flowing wells to cleanup Subsea facilities construction tasks such as running and connecting jumpers and connecting flowlines Subsea facilities maintenance tasks such as changing chokes and chemicals injection GoFlo flowline intervention with coiled tubing for hydrate blockage remediation and other flow assurance tasks Plug and abandonment Flowline commissioning activities

Conclusions Subsea wireline equipment for large bore completions are now developed, tested and ready for use. For the NCS it has been documented that increased reservoir recovery has a tremendous economical potential. An 8% increase in recovery on all the subsea fields currently in operation on the NCS would yield an extra oil volume of 1Bn bbl . Increased subsea well intervention frequencies will here be a major contributor to achieve such goals. Operating the new subsea well intervention system requires thoroughly planning, testing and training of personnel in order to adequately handle the environmental and safety challenges involved. Experience gained from the new system combined with other developed technologies can enable a full range of intervention tasks from a monohull vessel even in deep water fields. References 1.E.Aune, J.Husstl, G.Gilland G.Medhurst. Performing Tractor Perforating Operations from a Vessel in 1.120 ft Water Depth, on the Heidrun Field, Offshore Norway. SPE 68409 2.D.Larimore,M.Ravlich,C.Headworth andY.L.Ming Case History: First Diverless Subsea Slickline Well Intervention Performed Offshore. OTC-(98), 8589 3.H.J.Lindland,A.Braut and S.Hetlevik Combining Technology Enables Increase in Reservoir Recovery Rate. Offshore West Africa March 2003