Traditional Cement may no longer be used in Sealing Wells in the Oil Industry.
-By Gideon Osaka
This is coming on the heels of the fact that the industry has witnessed a remarkable innovation as Welltec, a well intervention and well constructions solutions company and Total Exploration and Production Company announced the first deployment of a completely cement-less completion in the Republic of Congo during 2019’s second quarter. Welltec, in the first quarter of 2017, deployed the Welltec Annular Barrier (WAB) in the Moho North Arabian Field. The company used this knowledge and experience, together with Total E&P Togo, to expand Metal Expandable Annular Sealing technology by deploying what is said to be the world’s first cement-less completion, using the Welltec Annular Isolation (WAI) in open hole. The WAI is said to employ simple metal expandable packers to provide long length open hole zonal isolation in order to replace the functions of traditional cement. This has led to important gains in efficiency in the well construction process. The WAI reduces free annulus space between the liner/casing and the open hole which is incredibly beneficial in highly-layered reservoirs of varying permeability where selective production, water shut-off or stimulation is needed. The WAI has eradicated several operational risks that are associated with the cementing process in depleted and over-pressured reservoirs. “Total E&P Congo has utilized innovative technologies and methods to continually improve the drilling curve on the Moho North Albian field development project. We were early adopters of Welltec’s WAB technology which has assisted in ensuring zonal isolation and annular sealing (liner to formation) during the development of our major oil project in the Republic of Congo. The WAI was deployed as part of the global efficiency drive to reduce drilling expenditure whilst maintaining the beneficial productivity index in this highly heterogeneous carbonate field,” said Ronan Bouget, Drilling and Completions Manager of Total E&P Congo.
“Our Albian Asset team led by Manfred Bledou and the completion department led by Guillaume Viger worked with Welltec to develop the technology. The simplicity of the WAI enabled us to successfully deploy the technology the first time without operational issues. We delivered a step change improvement in our well construction record and plan to deploy the WAI in subsequent wells, especially those identified as high-risk,” Bouget added.
“The WAI technology will, without doubt, transform how future wells are constructed in the industry. We are proud of this collaboration with Total E&P Congo to demonstrate our ability to deploy game-changing innovation that can simplify, eliminate risks and enhance operational efficiency. This world-first deployment of the WAI technology is very important as we progress our mission to develop and deliver ground-breaking solutions which enable our client to optimize the management and development of their assets,” said ‘Gbenga Onadeko, Senior Vice President of Welltec Africa.