Technology Focus: Well Integrity (January 2025)
Authors: Mohamed Sherif 
Published: January 2025

Ensuring efficient and robust engineering support for well integrity is essential for maintaining process safety and avoiding financially complex recoveries. At the same time, operators must address the challenge of optimizing plugging and abandonment costs through a proactive approach that integrates technology-driven solutions while upholding rigorous engineering standards. With the growing importance of carbon capture, it is encouraging to see that risk management for carbon storage aligns with the strength developed in source-control practices used for managing traditional hydrocarbons in subsea environments.

Advancements in new technologies and rigorous testing methods have enabled the authors of the three SPE papers featured this year to outline a path forward, offering new possibilities that uphold the core objectives of safety and productivity.

Paper SPE 217934 describes a study focused on evaluating experimental setups used to assess the hydraulic sealability of materials designed for zonal isolation. A detailed literature review revealed significant variations in methodologies applied by different researchers when testing annular cement and cement plugs. This diversity of approaches highlights a lack of consistency in experimental practices across the field. To improve the reliability and comparability of results, it is essential to establish standardized protocols and achieve consensus on key testing parameters.

Paper IPTC 23330 shows how the adoption of advanced technologies for evaluating cement integrity behind multiple casing layers presents significant opportunities to optimize well timelines, reduce costs, and enhance capital efficiency. Safe well abandonment depends heavily on maintaining zonal isolation and cement integrity, which must be ensured across all casing strings. By implementing appropriate planning, execution, and continuous monitoring from the drilling phase through to abandonment, potential risks—such as gas migration to the surface—can be effectively minimized. Case studies discussed in this paper demonstrate the promising results of these new technologies, highlighting their value and justifying further refinement to enhance their performance in future applications.

As the industry prioritizes decarbonization, offshore CO2 sequestration is emerging as a key solution, with subsea technologies likely to play a central role regardless of water depth or proximity to shore. Paper OTC 35246 explores these dynamics by leveraging a multiphase-flow simulator to study capping operations for CO2 well blowouts. This research marks a significant step forward in understanding the complexities of managing CO2 blowouts under subsea conditions.

The simulator provided valuable insights into the unique behavior of CO2, including its tendency to form hydrates, which can complicate mitigation efforts. Additionally, the study highlighted the distinct risks posed by CO2 blowouts when compared with traditional hydrocarbon blowouts, emphasizing the need for specialized risk-management strategies. These findings are crucial for informing future offshore sequestration projects and improving safety protocols.

Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.

SPE 217694 Thermal Stimulation of Annular Shale Barriers for Long-Term Well Integrity by E. van Oort, The University of Texas at Austin, et al.

SPE 217419 Restoring Well Production by Replacing the Damaged Area With a Thermally Operated Bismuth Alloy: A Cure for Leakage by Z.A. Al Marhoon, Saudi Aramco, et al.

IPTC 23937 Complex Well-Intervention Activities To Restore the Integrity of Single-Barrier High-Risk Gas Well by Y.B. Al Amri, Petroleum Development Oman, et al.