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ARTIFICIAL LIFT

Reprinted from: May 2008 issue, pgs 93-98.


Used with permission.

Novel capillary injection system restores


production in offshore gas wells
The failsafe, thru-tubing system with a unique wellhead adapter allows chemical
injection while maintaining functionality of both downhole and surface safety valves.
Jeff L. Bolding and Steve J. Szymczak, BJ Services; Larry E. Hartman, Chevron;
and Brian Erickson, Apache

Liquid loading can slow production in gas wells, and Capillary chemical injection. Capillary tubing as a means
causes many wells to be shut in prematurely. Many artifi- to deliver chemical to the perforated region of a well is a
cial lift methods have successfully alleviated liquid loading proven technology for wells that do not have an SCSSV;
and allowed the operator to reach the abandonment pressure these are typically land wells. According to data from BJ Ser-
more quickly, reducing expense. However, most artificial lift vices, in North America there are more than 9,500 installa-
methods are not applicable to offshore production due to tions of capillary strings. The typical sizes of capillary strings
regulations requiring the use of certain safety systems off- are ¼-in. and ⅜-in. OD. Typically, the capillary string is in-
shore, in particular a Surface-Controlled Subsurface Safety serted into the production tubing from the top of the well
Valve (SCSSV) and a Surface Safety Valve (SSV). Use of tra- through both master valves and is installed as a permanent
ditional artificial lift methods would impede the operation fixture in the well. Various chemicals can be introduced on a
of these safety devices. continuous basis via capillary injection. These include foam-
However, BJ Services has developed a failsafe, thru-tubing ers, scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, paraffin inhibitors,
capillary injection system for offshore wells equipped with fresh water, salt inhibitors, gas hydrate inhibitors, demulsi-
an SCSSV and an SSV. Full compliance and functionality fiers and viscosity reducers.
of the SCSSV is maintained by using a specialized wireline-
retrievable SCSSV. At surface, a unique wellhead adapter al- Foamer injection. When applied in the presence of water,
lows the SSV to remain functional. These two components foamer reduces the surface tension, facilitating gas entrain-
are combined with a capillary foamer injection string that al- ment. The gas production creates the agitation necessary for
lows the well to flow at a lower BottomHole Pressure (BHP), the chemical to create foam. This foam, having a substan-
enabling production of additional reserves and improving tially reduced relative density, allows the existing formation
ultimate recovery. pressure to lift it, and thus the liquids, out of the well. In
The capillary injection system, called InjectSafe, was devel- practice, the ratio of foamer to liquid is adjusted until an
oped for Chevron as part of a larger program to aid production optimum production level is reached—typically 1–20 gal
in the many liquid-loaded wells in the company’s Gulf of Mex- per 1,000 gal of formation water. There must be sufficient
ico assets. The first successful installation was on a pilot well in chemical to create the foam but not so much as to have active
Chevron’s Vermilion 39 Field, and used an early version of the foam at the surface.
wellhead adapter called a Y-body. Recently, the thru-tubing Of the 9,500 capillary installations in North America, 85%
capillary injection system was successfully installed in another are primarily for foamer injection to alleviate liquid loading.
GOM well for Apache, with an improved wellhead adapter Most foamer application recipes incorporate scale and corro-
design that overcame several limitations of the Y-body. sion inhibition packages to treat multiple problems at once.
Many wells being completed today would be uneconomic
BACKGROUND were it not for capillary foamer injection.
Artificial lift installation methods typically fall into one of
two categories: workover and thru-tubing. Workovers imply SCSSVs. The primary factor preventing capillary use in off-
that production tubing is pulled from the well. Subsequently, shore wells has been the presence of an SCSSV. These valves
various artificial lift hardware components are installed and are designed to stop flow in the event of a catastrophic fail-
the tubing is re-deployed into the well. ure. They are installed in the production tubing and are man-
Thru-tubing artificial lift systems, as the name implies, can datory in most offshore wells. SCSSVs are held in the open
be installed without a workover. Such systems include coiled- position by positive hydraulic pressure from surface. The hy-
tubing velocity strings, plunger lift and capillary strings. draulic pressure is transmitted through a control line in the
Offshore, however, operational restrictions created by the tubing-casing annulus, running from the valve to the surface
SCSSV and SSV limit artificial lift options. The methods in the and exiting the wellhead at the tubing head adapter, where
short list above cannot be installed by wireline without crossing surface controls are applied. If pressure is lost, such as during
the SCSSV and SSV, thus rendering them inoperable. There- an emergency shutdown or if the line is cut, the valve will close
fore, they create a unique set of challenges in their application. and revert to its “failsafe” closed position.
ARTIFICIAL LIFT
Government and industry WRSCSSV’s upper extension
regulations allow for tempo- tube assembly is modified by
rarily obstructing the SCSSV provision of an internal Pol-
for a thru-tubing applica- ished-Bore Receptacle (PBR)
tion, but the process must be to receive a stinger deployed
manned around the clock in on capillary. This stinger
order to instantly respond to and capillary form the “short
a well control event. There string” of the capillary injec-
have been cases in which cap- tion system, from the surface
illary tubing was temporarily to the WRSCSSV assembly.
installed through an SCSSV A series of pathways internal
to test the viability of a treat- to the WRSCSSV assembly
ment. In those cases, personnel provide communication from
monitored the operation on a the internal PBR to an exter-
24-hour basis. nal capillary connection just
SCSSVs are categorized Fig. 1. Cut-away of the specialized WRSCSSV assembly for above and parallel to the ac-
as either tubing retrievable capillary injection. tual valve component. At this
(TRSCSSV) or wireline retrievable (WRSCSSV). location, the “long string” of capillary tubing is attached and
Tubing-retrievable SCSSVs. TRSCSSVs are installed suspended from the WRSCSSV assembly to the formation.
with the production string and are designed to have the same The installation procedure is as follows:
ID drift as the production tubing; thus, their OD is greater 1.  A lockout tool is deployed to permanently lock out the
than the ID of the production tubing to accommodate the TRSCSSV.
internal moving parts. 2.  A communication tool is deployed to stab through the
TRSCSSVs are regulated under API 14a. In case the TRSC- tubing and hydraulic control line in the tubing-casing annulus
SSV experiences mechanical problems, it can be converted above the locked-out TRSCSSV, providing communication to
to a hydraulic nipple to receive a secondary insert valve—a the inside of the tubing.
WRSCSSV—using the existing hydraulics. 3.  The capillary “long string,” with the check valve at
To convert the TRSCSSV to a hydraulic nipple, two wireline the lower end and the upper end attached to the modified
steps occur. First, a lock-out tool is deployed and permanently WRSCSSV, is lowered into the hole and through the convert-
locks open the TRSCSSV. The second step is to deploy a com- ed TRSCSSV until the WRSCSSV locks into the converted
munication tool that penetrates the hydraulic control line in TRSCSSV. At this point, the location at which the external
the tubing-casing annulus. Upon completion of these two steps control line was communicated should be between the two
the TRSCSSV is ready to receive a wireline insert valve. control line pressure seals on the body of the WRSCSSV, re-
Wireline-retrievable SCSSVs. WRSCSSVs are safety storing full SCSSV function to the well.
valves built to be deployed and retrieved using wireline, and 4.  The stinger is lowered on the capillary “short string” un-
are often run as backups to TRSCSSVs. Some operators, upon til it locks into the WRSCSSV assembly’s internal PBR.
initial completion, choose to install a WRSCSSV landed into With this final step, the chemical pathway from the surface
a hydraulic nipple, as opposed to deploying a TRSCSSV. to the formation is complete. Both capillary strings are run via
These valves are hydraulically controlled in an identical a standard capillary injection unit, modified to meet all off-
fashion to that of TRSCSSVs. They consist of a lock to firmly shore safety standards and set on a skid for easy transportation.
secure the valve in its desired location, external “V” packing or The BHA consists of a dual backpressure check valve, which
seals that engage a smooth-polish bore to straddle and seal the is adjusted to maintain the hydrostatic column of chemical.
hydraulic communication port, and a flapper/closure assem- In the event that the capillary string were to lose prime or run
bly. As noted above, a locked-out and communicated TRSC- dry, the dual-check arrangement would aid in preventing flow
SSV can serve as the hydraulic nipple to receive a WRSCSSV. up the injection line.

A FAILSAFE CAPILLARY SYSTEM WELLHEAD MODIFICATION


The thru-tubing chemical feed system for an SCSSV was The second breakthrough necessary to make offshore cap-
developed as a cost-efficient method to intervene in older off- illary injection possible involved the wellhead. Surface Safety
shore wells. By inserting a modified WRSCSSV into an exist- Valves (SSVs), also called actuated master valves, are required
ing, locked-out TRSCSSV, using the same hydraulics for op- in the GOM by the US government and operators. Similar
eration, with capillary tubing suspended below and above the to SCSSVs, these valves close as a failsafe when an emergency
SCSSV, it became possible to initiate a chemical deliquification shutdown is initiated. Also, regulations require the periodic
program. This enables wells to be returned to production using cycling of the SSV, which would cut any capillary tubing run
only thru-tubing methods. through it. Therefore, the chemical injection capillary needed
The system used in the pilot consisted of three key com- to be routed so it did not pass through the SSV.
ponents: the modified WRSCSSV, a wellhead adapter and
capillary tubing with a backpressure check valve attached at Initial wellhead adapter. The solution deployed in the pilot
the bottom. well for Chevron was called the Y-body. This wellhead adapter
integrates a flow cross and the SSV, and negates the typical flange
Specialized WRSCSSV. The failsafe capillary system in- between the two. This raises the center line of the valve, creating
tegrates proven capillary techniques with certified SCSSV additional space to allow the “Y” to intersect the vertical run of
systems to provide a pathway for capillary injection that by- the tree at a 15° angle at a point below the upper master. The
passes the SCSSV, preserving its full functionality, Fig. 1. The resulting swap-out of components allows all connections to be
May 2008 World Oil
New wellhead system. After the pi-
lot execution, a new wellhead solution
was developed with input from Chevron
to overcome these limitations. This new
configuration, the InjectSafe Wellhead
Adapter, consists of:
1.  a flange placed between the tubing
head adapter and the lower master valve
(or tree, in the case of single-block trees)
2.  a mandrel
3.  a capillary hanger.
The adapter adds 11.25 in. to the
height of the wellhead assembly. Upon
completed installation of all internal
components, an additional backpressure
thread profile is provided above the loca-
tion for chemical injection.
The flange incorporates an inspection
port to test seals and a chemical injection
port with an integral needle valve. The
needle valve closes as an additional pro-
tection, along with the downhole check
valve, against production through the
capillary string.
The mandrel sits inside the flange and
engages the flange’s original backpressure
threads to provide a primary seal. It has ex-
ternal O-rings to seal against the polished
bore of the flange above and below the
integral needle valve, providing communi-
cation from the chemical injection port to
the capillary tubing hanger that locks in-
side the mandrel, Fig. 3a. The mandrel is
designed to be deployed with the same rods
and lubricator that are used to introduce a
backpressure valve for tree isolation.
Fig. 2. The Y-body wellhead adapter for capillary injection integrates a flow cross and The capillary hanger is designed to
the SSV and negates the typical flange between the two. The main limitation of the
design was that it prevented placement of a backpressure valve needed to maintain to land inside the mandrel and snap into
barriers if the SSV or bottom master required maintenance. position. The hanger has two seals on the
outside that straddle the chemical inlet
re-flanged up without altering the flowline height, Fig. 2. port, which is accessed through the mandrel. Production flows
This configuration had several limitations. It took a mini- through a kidney-shaped cavity within the capillary hanger,
mum of four months to manufacture and was expensive, cost- Fig. 3b. The capillary hanger is landed by a simple running
ing around $40,000. It was difficult to clad if necessary, and the tool.
Y-extension created additional exposure to potential damage The advantages of this system over the Y-body are extensive.
from falling objects. As most items offshore are transported by Manufacturing time for the prototype parts was 4 days, and
crane, the latter could pose problems in future applications. the finished product cost $24,000. The adapter can be manu-
Most importantly, however, since the capillary string passed factured of any metallurgy and has no external appendages that
through the tubing hanger, a backpressure valve could not be would invite damage by falling debris. The adapter is directly
placed in the backpressure thread profile if the SSV or bottom applicable to single-block trees and to dual-completion trees.
master required maintenance. Offshore operators must conduct Most importantly, all components are below the lower master
a quarterly test on the upper—actuated—master valve to con- and the added backpressure threads can be used to obtain a
firm that the valve is not leaking. If this valve is leaking, the op- second barrier, allowing full compliance for upper tree work.
erator will close the SCSSV and the lower manual master valve Due to its HSE improvements and decreased lead time and
to obtain the two barriers required at all times by the US Miner- cost, this design was used for the thru-tubing capillary injec-
als Management Service (MMS). The job of pulling the bonnet tion installation for Apache, and Chevron plans to use it in its
and replacing worn parts can be as quick as 30 minutes. future installations of the system.
Assuming that a Y-body with capillary is installed, it is im-
possible to obtain two barriers to rectify the non-compliance. PILOT INSTALLATION
The operator’s only option will be to pull the capillary string, Due to the high number of liquid-loaded wells in its assets
make repairs and re-install the capillary string. This sobering across the Gulf of Mexico, Chevron decided to concentrate on
expense was extremely detrimental to market acceptance of one field for the pilot program. Vermilion 39 Field (VR39)
the capillary injection system. was selected for its world-class gas volume—more than 1.5
Tcf to date—and its reputation for having low-pressure, de-
May 2008 World Oil
ARTIFICIAL LIFT
pletion-drive reservoirs. The field was also producing enough 2-in. thread/seal to land
water (2,000 bwpd) from a few anomalous water zones to di- a. backpressure valve
lute any produced foamer. Lower master valve
Chemical injection coiled
Pilot well selection. All wells in VR39 were reviewed to de- tubing mandrel sleeve
termine which, if any, were in a liquid-loading state. The well ½-in. chemical
Chemical injection
coiled tubing hanger
files were then reviewed to ensure that the selected wells did injection port
Chemical injection
not have conditions that would hinder the success of a foamer adapter
b b
application. The following criteria were set for the pilot screen-
ing process: Metal-to-metal Test port
•  Off-trend gas rates with related drops in liquid production integral needle
valve Elastomeric seals
•  Limited or no uphole gas potential
Elastomeric
•  Watercut greater than 60% seals
•  Steady or very slowly rising watercut
•  No history of scale, paraffin, salt or sand
•  No fish, obstructions or other access problems Tubing head Lockdown pins
adapter supplied (engage tubing
•  An economic volume of expected reserves. by customer hanger)
A list of ten candidate wells emerged. The list was analyzed
by software using well data and predictive analysis, and the ten
candidates were high-graded. The top three candidates were
selected for further testing. The diagnostics run in the pilot Tubing
hanger
consisted of dropping soap sticks to supply foaming agents, supplied
opening the wells to atmosphere to agitate, and then return- by customer
ing the wells to production to monitor flowrates. The best- Tubing 3-in. backpressure
performing of the three wells was the N-5 well. The tubing head valve thread/seal
pressure increased to 115 psi from 73 psi, and the compres- 3⁄8-in. chemical 3½-in. tubing
sors were maxed out, implying that the well was supplying at injection capillary
least 1.0 MMcfd. Based on these results, N-5 was selected as
the pilot well. b. Production flow area
Production from N-5 before and after the project is shown (0.96 sq. in. minimum)
in Fig. 4. The onset of liquid loading occurred in early 2003. Capillary hanger
The gas rates in the well declined at an accelerated pace until Mandrel
the well completely loaded up in early 2004. The well was 3⁄8-in. capillary Flange
placed in an alternate compression system that lowered the
tubing pressure to 85 psi from 140 psi, but this drop did not Fig. 3. In the improved wellhead adapter, a mandrel seals
yield rates high enough to prevent liquid loading. In mid- against the inside of the flange and allows communication
between the integral needle valve and the capillary tubing
2005, the well once again loaded up completely, and produc- hanger, which locks inside the mandrel. The capillary hanger
tion remained at a steady 50 Mcfd until the well was shut in. has an integral, kidney-shaped cavity—shown above in cross-
Between December 2005 and March 2006, the well was re- section—that allows production flow.
peatedly shut in for 3 weeks at a time and brought back online
until it loaded up, usually 4–5 days later. It was then decided
to shut in the well until the capillary pilot was initiated. of the system and the deployment were executed safely, there
were no environmental impacts due to foamer production,
Post-installation monitoring. Gathering data on the well there was proof of concept, and the well exceeded all of its
after installation of the capillary injection system and Y-body predicted economic metrics.
wellhead adapter proved to be one of the project’s biggest chal- Figure 5 shows the production since the capillary string
lenges. The N Platform is a remote structure that can only be was installed. According to well tests, the well was producing
accessed by boat. As such, acquiring test data more frequently a steady 1,200 Mcfd until the chemical injection pump was
than the MMS-mandated 45 days proved challenging. Further found idle in March 2007. The pump was returned to pro-
complicating data acquisition was the fact that the platform duction, and the well came on at only half the previous rate.
was a legacy Unocal structure, and SCADA data was not avail- This rate continued for about 1 year. In late March 2008 it
able until the Chevron-approved system was available via a was determined that this drop in production was the result of
Gulf-wide rollout. the SCSSV flapper being partially closed due to insufficient
Once SCADA was available on the well, it proved in- opening pressure at the surface. This restriction was unfortu-
valuable in monitoring well performance and in optimizing nate; however, the 600-Mcfd rate achieved during this time
foamer injection rates. Monitoring pump discharge pressure period was significantly better than the 50 Mcfd the well was
also proved beneficial, as Chevron was able to determine that producing before the pilot project. As of April, the well was
decreases in the well’s production were directly related to pe- back at full potential, producing 1.2 MMcfd and 2.5 bwpd at
riods in which the pump was not operating. This served as a flowing tubing pressure of 80 psi. As a result of this success,
additional confirmation that the capillary string was having a Chevron is in the planning stages to install additional capil-
positive effect on well performance. lary strings across the Gulf of Mexico.

VR39 N-5 RESULTS Modeling results. Observed production matched the nod-
By all measures the project was a success: The development als generated within reasonable certainty. Nodals showed that
May 2008 World Oil
Lifetime production (monthly averages) Post-installation gas production
100,000 (daily production and well tests)
Switched compression 10,000
systems: 140 to 85 psi
10,000 Capillary
Gas, Mcfd installed Injection Low rates due to field operations
pump-down (i.e., compressor maintenance,
Production rates

Gas production, Mcfd


1,000 Oil, bpd
Measured water, bpd pipeline repairs, etc.)
Estimated water, bpd Onset of
100 liquid loading
1,000
10 Liquid loading
effects (well
slugging)
1
Allocated gas
0 Well-test gas
0
Nov-96

Nov-97

Nov-98

Nov-99

Nov-00

Nov-01

Nov-02

Nov-03

Nov-04

Nov-05

Nov-06

Nov-07

9/1/06
10/1/07
11/1/06
12/1/06
1/1/07
2/1/07
3/1/07
4/1/07
5/1/07
6/1/07
7/1/07
8/1/07
9/1/07
10/1/07
11/1/07
12/1/07
1/1108
2/1/08
3/1/08
4/1/08
Fig. 4. Lifetime production chart for Chevron pilot well VR39
N-5. Fig. 5. Post-installation production for VR39 N-5.

3,000
Capillary installation
nal Y-body design, to provide capillary tubing access to the
2,500
Oil, bpd wellbore with normal tree isolation capabilities.
Gas, Mcfd
Water, bpd In a 4-day (daylight only) operation in early December
2007, BJ Services installed the capillary system and 12,475
Production rates

2,000
Pipeline shut-in
Compressor problems ft of capillary tubing in the operator’s well. Foam injection
1,500
began immediately, and as of April 2008 the well was produc-
1,000 ing gas fairly steadily, at an average rate of about 1,100 Mcfd,
including a pipeline shut-in and a shut-in due to compressor
500 problems in late January, Fig. 6. There have been no shut-ins
0
due to liquid loading, and overall time to market and reservoir
depletion efficiency have greatly improved.
10/01/2007
10/06/2007
10/11/2007
10/16/2007
10/21/2007
10/26/2007
10/31/2007
11/05/2007
11/10/2007
11/15/2007
11/20/2007
11/25/2007
11/30/2007
12/05/2007
12/10/2007
12/15/2007
12/20/2007
12/25/2007
12/30/2007
01/04/2008
01/09/2008
01/14/2008
01/19/2008
01/24/2008
01/29/2008
02/03/2008
02/08/2008
02/13/2008
02/18/2008
02/23/2008
02/28/2008
03/04/2008
03/09/2008
03/14/2008
03/19/2008
03/24/2008
03/29/2008
04/03/2008

CONCLUSIONS
Fig. 6. Liquid loading had caused cycles of 2–4 days of The technology that enables thru-tubing foamer injec-
production followed by a 2-week shut-in in a valuable Apache tion in an offshore well has been developed and successfully
well. Installation of the capillary system and foam injection
resulted in steady gas production at an average rate of about
deployed. Through the use of a specialized WRSCSSV, a
1,060 Mcfd, with no shut-ins due to liquid loading. wellhead adapter and standard capillary string, Chevron and
Apache were each able to inject foamer while maintaining
functionality of all applicable safety systems and extend pro-
rates would be 1,250 Mcfd, and 1,300 Mcfd was observed duction in a severely liquid-loaded well.
when the well was brought online. This technology opens up a realm of possibilities that were
After one week of flush production, the well stabilized at previously unavailable offshore. Corrosion, paraffin and scale
1,200 Mcfd. The well is currently producing at rates higher than inhibitors are the next logical applications, with fresh water
that which is necessary to sustain the new critical velocity, and injection for salting wells and hydrate inhibitors to follow.
only time will tell if the well will load up at the predicted rate. Based on market information gleaned from recent gas well
deliquification conferences, many hundreds of wells in the
Production operations. The fluids produced from N-5 did Gulf of Mexico, Europe, China and Indonesia are immediate
not cause any upsets in the production train at the field’s main potential candidates for the capillary injection-enabling tech-
processing facility, all overboard discharges since installation nologies. This includes not only offshore gas wells but also
have met regulatory requirements, and no emulsions have land wells where subsurface safety valves are required due to
been observed to date. “Milky” water, due to spent foamer, sour gas or other safety concerns.
has been observed but has not created any operational or envi- This technology also enables continuous or batch injection
ronmental problems. The only downtime for production has of scale, paraffin and other inhibitors, which offer additional
been related to running out of foamer, mechanical problems means of extending time between interventions.
with the chemical pump, or unrelated field operations. The failsafe capillary injection system and wellhead adapt-
er minimize trips to the platform to repeatedly shut in and
APACHE INSTALLATION restart production or to deliver batch chemicals for flow as-
A valuable gas well in Apache’s High Island 196 Field in the surance. They also delay expensive workovers to install artifi-
GOM was experiencing liquid loading, resulting in cycles of cial lift equipment or perform well cleanouts. All in all, these
2–4 days of production followed by a 2-week shut-in to allow technologies extend the producing lifetime—and therefore
a gas head to build for another cycle. This resulted in an aver- the profitability—of valuable wells that might otherwise be
age gas production rate of 200 Mcfd. plugged and abandoned early due to poor economics. WO
Nodal analysis of the liquid loading determined that the
well was a good candidate for foamer injection via the failsafe
capillary system. The operator chose to run the capillary sys-
tem with the improved wellhead adapter instead of the origi-
May 2008 World Oil
ARTIFICIAL LIFT

The authors
Jeff Bolding is the product line manager for In-
jectSafe Systems of BJ Dyna-Coil, a division of BJ
Chemical Services. He has 18 years of experience
in oil and gas production enhancement. His focus
is identifying ways to accelerate depletion to aban-
donment pressure. Mr. Bolding earned a BS de-
gree in construction engineering from Texas Tech
University in 1990. Before joining BJ Services, he
worked at Acid Engineering, Nowsco Well Service
and Dyna-Coil.

Steve Szymczak is manager of product line technology for BJ Chemical


Services. He has 24 years of experience in the development, application,
sales and marketing of specialty chemicals in the oil and gas industry.
Mr. Szymczak earned a BA degree in chemistry from the University of
Missouri-St. Louis. Before joining BJ Services in 1996, he worked for
Petrolite and for Betz Laboratories. His current focus is the application
of chemical and capillary technologies to reduce operating expense and
increase production.

Larry E. Hartman, Jr., is an asset development engineer for Chevron


in the Gulf of Mexico. His career has been spent working offshore as-
sets with a focus on artificial lift systems including capillary strings, ESPs
and surface jet pumps. He has a particular interest in the adaptation of
proven onshore technologies for offshore implementation. Mr. Hartman
graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 2003 with a BS degree
in petroleum engineering and a BS degree in economics and business.

Brian Erickson earned a BS in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M


University in 2002, after which he began his career with Apache Corpo-
ration. After spending three years rotating through different disciplines
and regions, he now works for Apache as a production engineer in the
offshore group of the Gulf Coast region.

Deep water.
Greater risks.
Bigger rewards.

Unconventional wells require unconventional solutions.


As operators move into deeper water, oil & gas wells can present greater risks and rewards. BJ Services
Company has the experience and technologies to help solve challenges associated with deepwater operations.
BJ’s DeepSet™ and DeepLite™ cement slurries are designed to provide zonal isolation for the life of your well.
The Seahawk™ automated skid can add reliability when cementing your deepwater well. BJ offers frac/completion
fluids, well displacement services and tools, such as the BrineStar™ frac fluid, InjectSafe™ system, TekTote® skid unit and
Ice-Chek™ gas hydrate inhibitor, to help maximize production on your deepwater well. BJ’s innovative DuraLink™
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it takes to help your development strategy succeed.

ww w . b j s e r v i c e s. co m

Article copyright © 2008 by Gulf Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
Not to be distributed in electronic or printed form, or posted on a website, without express written permission of copyright holder.

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