Well intervention under North Sea spotlight

OE Staff Oct 10, 2014

As a critical factor in optimising brownfield production, well intervention is a major fiscal and operational consideration for the North Sea.

While there’s no doubt, as a mature province, the emphasis is shifting increasingly toward decommissioning and plugging and abandonment, the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) still meets almost half of the UK’s total primary energy needs, so it makes commercial sense to explore more options to optimise return from older reservoirs.

"The right intervention technology is capable of delivering as much production as the drill bit. As such, there’s a fantastic opportunity for pioneering and innovative minds to help develop solutions that balance the needs of safety, efficiciency and budget restraints. We expect all these issues to be considered at the event in November,” said ICoTA chairman Kelly Murray.

The topic will be discussed at the 20th SPE ICoTA European Well Intervention Conference in Aberdeen, 12-13 November.

Image: SPE ICoTA European Well Intervention Conference co-chairmen Michael Taggart and Kelly Murray.

Both the Wood Review, a document focusing on how the North Sea can maximize recovery rates in the North Sea, and the Oil and Gas UK Industrial Strategy have outlined the need for improved industry collaboration as imperative to the continued profitability of the UKCS.

“Cross industry collaboration will be the catalyst the industry needs to develop new technologies: extending the life of mature fields. There will always be a place for traditional techniques, but many think we now need something altogether different, a step change in how we work together if you like,” said Murray.

"Well intervention is difficult to plan and is often reactive. We know too, for all its advantages and stability, that the North Sea is a relatively expensive place to do business. Lifting and personnel costs are high and the ageing infrastructure and hostile environment presents specific challenges.

“Traditional intervention tools still have a role to play, but the industry needs to work together to evolve the available technology,” said SPE ICoTA European Well Intervention Conference chairman Michael Taggart says:

“For example, the coiled tubing industry is undergoing a period of change. With weight as a crucial factor, there have been investigations into lighter materials but they can be more expensive than steel and fundamentally, we don’t want to lose the strength and depth capabilities.

He added: “Complementary technologies and new vessels giving higher uptime during the winter months for coiled tubing, slickline and wireline operations are coming into play so it’s an exciting time for the wider intervention industry right now”.

Murray said: “We’re definitely at a crossroads in the well intervention industry as the emphasis starts to move to decommissioning.

“If we can collaborate and bring technology to market that represents a tangible difference to the operators’ bottom line, as they look to optimise recovery from mature reservoirs, then well intervention is one service area that can look ahead to a bright future.”