SPE Drilling & Completion
Volume 26, Number 4, December 2011, pp. 540-549

SPE-138287-PA

Field-/Well-Integrity Issues, Well-Abandonment Planning, and Workover Operations on an Inadequately Abandoned Well: Peace River, Alberta, Case Study

View full textPDF ( 3,993 KB )

DOI  More information 10.2118/138287-PA http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/138287-PA

Citation

  • Diller, C. 2011. Field-/Well-Integrity Issues, Well-Abandonment Planning, and Workover Operations on an Inadequately Abandoned Well: Peace River, Alberta, Case Study. SPE Drill & Compl  26 (4): 540-549. SPE-138287-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/138287-PA.

Discipline Categories

  • 1.3.1 Wellbore Integrity/Geomechanics
  • 1.4.3 Downhole Operations (Casing, Cementing, Coring, Geosteering, Fishing)
  • 2.3.2 Safety in Design and Engineering
  • 2.5.1 Global Climate Change/CO2 Capture and Management
  • 2.6.5 Partnership and Communication
  • 3.1.5 Field Development Optimization and Planning

Keywords

  • Well Integrity, Workover and Fishing Operations, Field Planning

Summary

Maintaining well integrity for field life-cycle operations is a major factor that must be taken into account in the planning and execution of all well-engineering activities. Some legacy wells are not properly abandoned to prevent the contamination of secondary reservoirs or groundwater from other producing hydrocarbons or from emerging carbon-capture and acid-gas-storage projects being planned by both oil and gas operators and government research groups. If these wells are not identified and abandoned properly, there is a high risk of negative impact to the environment, operator reputation, and the economics of field operations.

This case study will examine the complex re-entry and reabandonment of a well in the Peace River region of Alberta, Canada. In the process of developing the plan to re-enter and abandon this well, a methodology for abandonment planning was adopted with three essential attributes: The abandonment should provide effective isolation of all critical zones; operations should allow for evaluation and confirmation of zonal isolation; and the final condition of the well should allow for a simple re-entry to remediate future isolation problems. Throughout the planning and execution of the program, the regulating agency was integrated into the decision-making process. To complete the abandonment, technologies such as casing drilling, downhole cameras, and magnetic ranging were employed along with directional-drilling, coiled-tubing, and fishing operations. Upon completion, the effectively executed abandonment program met or exceeded prescribed technical and regulatory requirements. The positive results of performing this operation included mitigating environmental impacts, delaying the capital-intensive construction of a future sour-gas-treatment plant, and allowing the extended operation of the Peace River complex (PRC).

© 2011. Society of Petroleum Engineers

View full textPDF ( 3,993 KB )

History

  • Original manuscript received: 27 January 2011
  • Meeting paper published: 1 November 2010
  • Revised manuscript received: 8 September 2011
  • Manuscript approved: 22 September 2011
  • Published online: 12 December 2011
  • Version of record: 27 December 2011