Overview

There are two big challenges that have been garnering considerable attention within the industry recently. Exploration and development in increasingly harsh and remote regions are challenging our ability to implement emergency interventions (i.e., blowout control), and advances in drilling technology are producing ever-more-complex wellbores that are challenging conventional well-intervention techniques (e.g., wireline and coiled tubing).

This is a time of unparalleled ventures into some of the most harsh and remote environments on Earth in search of the “big” reservoir. The most challenging operations, at least from a well-control/-intervention perspective, are situated in arctic regions. In some cases, the remote operations also are situated in geopolitical regions that create significant logistical and regulatory challenges.

The magnitude of these remote operations is such that only the largest E&P companies are in a position to finance and operate them. This is fortunate because these companies routinely include extensive emergency planning as a part of their operations. Just because emergency intervention is exceptionally challenging does not dissuade them from recognizing that it is an essential piece of the overall strategy.

Operators are redefining the limits of horizontal and complex well designs, including multilaterals and increasingly complex completion designs. The complexity of these wells continues to drive innovations that allow implementation of conventional well interventions. Moreover, the complexity of these wells is such that routine servicing, maintenance, and planned alterations are a much larger economic consideration than before. Some speculate that the cost of routine intervention on these more complex wellbores/completions will increasingly be one of the major deciding factors as to a given project’s economic viability. Others fear that intervention technology simply will not be able to maintain an adequate pace relative to drilling and completion technology.

I am confident that the talented people within our dynamic industry will solve these problems. Issues like these are, after all, what makes our industry one that continues to draw talented people who savor a good challenge.

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Well-Intervention Challenges To Service Wells That Can Be Drilled

David Barnett, SPE, is Vice President of Engineering for Wild Well Control Inc., a company specializing in firefighting, well-control, and engineering services. He has more than 20 years of drilling, snubbing, coiled-tubing, and well-control experience. Barnett’s experience includes work as a drilling engineer, rig superintendent, snubbing supervisor, and well-control specialist. He has been involved with the planning and implementation of numerous relief-well, high-pressure-snubbing, and well-recovery operations. Barnett was a team leader in the Kuwait project and has worked on well-control projects in many countries around the world. He holds a BS degree in mechanical engineering from the U. of Houston and serves on the JPT Editorial Committee.

Overview

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