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Businesses worldwide are benefitting from BiSN's well services in the field. Contact us today and embrace tomorrow's engineered sealing solution, today.
Utilizing BiSN´s wel-lok™ Seal Through Casing (STC) and Tubing Seal (TS) technology with an aim to seal the 9-5/8″ casing, 20″ casing and 13″ open hole.
See Tool SpecificationIn the early 1990s, the operator drilled the subsea well in the Liverpool Bay Area (LBA) of the Irish Sea. The lateral leg of the well was drilled but never completed and was subsequently plugged and abandoned. Recent ROV surveys had detected bubbling from the debris cap on the seabed conductor, indicating a need for well barrier remediation. The remediation plan involved installing barriers in the lateral leg, utilizing a Bismuth alloy plug as an impermeable base for a longer cement plug. The Bismuth alloy would seal off gas flow, preventing it from compromising the cement.
Focus on the Most Challenging Well: The most challenging well of the campaign was prioritized first due to its inherent challenges. Successfully sealing any leaks was crucial in order not to compromise any future plans for the abandoned field.
Adapting Exploration Wells for CCS: Exploration wells that had been previously abandoned likely have poor cement/casing and need to be upgraded to meet CCS standards.
Unknown Challenges and Flexibility: Unexpected issues often arise while working with older, previously abandoned wells. Any designed program needs to account for these issues and have the flexibility to adapt where needed.
BiSN technology offered a cutting-edge flexible solution for wellbore isolation, particularly in this scenario which required reliable sealing to prevent gas or fluid migration. The process started with the placement of alloy beads at predetermined depths within the wellbore. These beads were melted by a timer-controlled tool that was deployed in conjunction with a chemical reaction heater. It melted the alloy beads into a liquid form, which then flowed with a viscosity similar to water to fill the annular space and any irregularities within the wellbore. With the alloy fully melted and at its peak temperature, the heater was removed, allowing the molten alloy to cool and solidify, forming a robust, impermeable seal.
To validate the integrity of the seals, pressure tests were conducted. These tests were successful & were critical in confirming that the molten bismuth alloy had solidified and formed a plug that successfully sealed and effectively isolated the wellbore.
The bismuth plugs were installed using the following setting bases, highlighting the adaptability of the technology:
This approach to wellbore sealing with bismuth plugs stopped all gas flow, ensuring that the well could be classified as fully abandoned under AB2 status. This classification implies a high standard of abandonment, where the well is sealed in a manner that guarantees no risk of future leakage or environmental contamination.
Enhanced Sealing Reliability:
Effective Wellbore Isolation:
Tailored Solutions for Complex Wellbores:
Operational Efficiency:
Safety and Environmental Compliance:
Cost Reduction:
Lower Carbon Footprint:
Scalability and Flexibility:
Competitive Advantage:
The wel-lok™ STC (Seal Through Casing) has been developed to achieve a gas tight V0 seal well annuli that cannot be achieved by traditional cement balance plugs. Run on electric line, coil tubing or drill pipe, this tool does not need surface pumping equipment to circulate the alloy in place. Due to its viscosity and density, once melted the liquid alloy will flow with gravity into the annulus. When it cools below its melting point it solidifies, expands and creates a gas tight seal across the entire wellbore. The entire process, from melting to solidification, takes place in minutes and the seal is ready to test within an hour.
Businesses worldwide are benefitting from BiSN's well services in the field. Contact us today and embrace tomorrow's engineered sealing solution, today.
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