SPE WA Distinguished Lecturer – Wellbore Integrity Restoration; New Life for Old Wells

Abstract: 

As wellbores age, the potential for loss of wellbore integrity due to challenges such as, corrosion, stress, fatigue and other factors increase. Stimulation and tertiary recovery methods such as CO2 floods, as well as the introduction of disposal into depleted zones can negatively affect the wellbore by introducing conditions outside of the initial well design criteria. In a given field, many if not all wells will experience similar issues because the well design and life-of-well conditions are similar. Restoring wellbore integrity is a viable alternative to plugging and abandoning these compromised wellbores.

Both current and potential issues in production casing and tubing strings can be identified through a number of methods ranging from abnormal annular pressures to cased-hole logging techniques designed to measure the in situ casing dimension, cement presence and bond quality. Once the wellbore condition has been identified, decisions can be made on the best method to restore that wellbore’s integrity. These solutions range from cement squeezes to seal the leak, to patches of various configurations to repair leaking connections, or long sections of the affected casing, to cementing a new string of casing or tubing into the wellbore.

This presentation will focus on identification of wellbore conditions and methods you can employ to restore wellbore integrity, thereby restoring production, maximizing recoverable reserves and preventing potential damage to people or the environment.

Presenter: Greg Galloway

Greg Galloway is Product Line Manager for Weatherford’s Solid Expandable Systems. His career has focused on drilling optimization and increased efficiency and has been involved in the early development of several oilfield technologies. He is Vice-Chairman of the AADE Deepwater and Emerging Technologies committee where he also served as Chairman. Greg held roles with SPE as a board member, has served on many industry programs, workshop steering committees, and session chair.

Greg has a Petroleum Technology Degree, has authored over 30 technical papers and is named inventor on over 25 patents related to drilling optimization, drilling with casing, expandable tubulars and particle-impact drilling.

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