Case study: Middle East

First abrasive perforation restoresproductivity in highly sour oil well,saving 15 days and $4.3 million USD
An operator of an offshore,
extended-reach well experienced
casing collapse at the beginning of
the horizontal section. The collapsed
casing closed off the productive
section of the lateral behind it. If left
in this state, the production decline
could eventually force the operator toabandon the well entirely.
The operator considered a sidetrack
operation to restore the well’s
production rate. But due to the fixedsurface location and close proximityof active producing wells, a sidetrack
would be a complex, time-consuming,and expensive operation.
The highly sour nature of the reservoir
posed further health, safety, andenvironmental (HSE) risks to the wellintervention operation.
The operator originally approachedanother service provider to perform
detailed well diagnostics using a
coiled tubing unit (CTU). However, thehigh angle from the vertical to lateral,

coupled with the 26,000 ft (7925 m) MDof the well, prevented the competitor
from accurately locating the collapsed
casing point.
The operator asked Baker HughesIntegrated Well Services (IWS) for analternative solution to get the well backinto production, at minimal cost andrisk. Baker Hughes was the operator’s
approved integrated rigless solutions
provider and had a proven track recordof designing and executing challenging
intervention operations.

Aligning on the well plan

The Baker Hughes IWS team accepted
responsibility for managing the fullscope of this project.
IWS proposed a solution in partnershipwith the operator: using a nonexplosive,
sand-jet abrasive perforation
technique via CTU to bring the wellback into profitable production
rates—without compromising HSE orwell integrity. This technique transports

Challenges• Offshore, deep
extended-reach well wasunderperforming due to inactive
completion compartments• Reinstate well production withoutcompromising HSE, well integrity,or well costs• Highly sour reservoir added
challenges for sand management,
well diagnostics, and intervention

Results• Saved 15 days of rig time and$4.3 million USD• Avoided the need for a complex
and expensive sidetrack operation• Restored production to profitablelevels with 100% HSE complianceand zero nonproductive time

A 3D image of processed data from an MFC log indicating liner collapse.

bakerhughes.com

a low concentration of abrasive
material in a viscous fluid through thecoiled tubing. The abrasive fluid exits
a specially designed nozzle assembly
as a high-velocity jet. This fluid jet
impinges on the casing to create aperforation that opens productive
sections of the formation tothe wellbore.
While the solution is well known andwidely applied in unconventional wells,
this marked the first application for theoperator in a highly sour offshore
oil well.

Designing the solution

IWS worked closely with severalBaker Hughes product lines, and bothinternal and external service partners,
to develop a fully integrated solution
for the well. The Wireline and CTU
product lines performed a diagnostic
intervention to confirm collapse of

the liner at the heel of the lateral. IWS
also worked with Reservoir Technical
Services and the operator’s reservoir
teams to gain a full understandingof the sour formation and review
completions in previous wells to alignon the final perforation solution.

consultants, brought all projectstakeholders together to evaluate thepotential safety risks of each step of
the operation. As a result, all parties
planned their activities to ensure highefficiency and 100% adherence to theoperator’s HSE goals.

Excessive sand production posed
plugging and erosion concerns,
both downhole and at the surface.
Advanced solids transport modelingguided the job design to mitigate
sand-related risks and ensure
accurate and safe operations. The
engineered design review called foran additional sand separator at thesurface as an extra HSE precaution.

The full abrasive perforation assembly
was deployed downhole via CTU tothe desired depth. The sand/fluid
mixture was prepared at surface andthen immediately injected through thecoiled tubing string to perforate thecasing and open access tothe formation.

For further safety assurances in thishighly sour well environment, IWS andthe operator conducted a two-day
HAZOP workshop prior to the start ofwork. This multidisciplinary workshop,
chaired by independent, third-party

Executing withpredictable performance

The integrated abrasive perforation
job, the first of its kind for the operator,
successfully restored the well to 85% of
its original production levels.
IWS and the operator worked together
to execute the operation with 100%
compliance to HSE metrics and withzero nonproductive time.
The operation saved 15 days of rig timeby avoiding a conventional sidetrack
operation to restore productivity. This
saved the operator $4.3 million USD in
the process.
The operation proved that thenonexplosive abrasive perforation
technique delivers a safe, reliable,
and cost-effective solution forrestoring production in deep,extended-reach wells.
The job opened doors for simple
rigless intervention methods overconventional rig-based solutions.
The operator now has the confidence
to deploy this solution in collaboration
with the Baker Hughes IWS team in
future wells.

A cross section of the abrasive perforation nozzle.

Copyright 2022 Baker Hughes Company. All rights reserved. 83986

bakerhughes.com