Wellbore Integrity Restoration: New Life for Old Wells
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. Presented by Greg Galloway