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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.
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
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.
Deep water.
Greater risks.
Bigger rewards.
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.
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