Wireline Tractor Conveyance - A Technology Game Changer for the Gulf of Thailand

Abstract

Easy oil is no longer low hanging fruit for oil and gas operators, and drilling targets are becoming increasingly ambitious, which results in escalation of the well trajectory complexity. This accordingly spirals the well and completion costs. To overcome this situation, technology must play a role to reduce cost, increase efficiency and ensure safety at all times. Conveyance is the key for any data acquisition and well completion activities. Historically, conveyance methods for data acquisition and perforation in highly deviated or horizontal wells required drill pipe or coiled-tubing methods. These methods are time consuming, labor intensive, require a larger equipment footprint, with possible HSE risks involved. Mubadala Petroleum in Thailand has seen a significant increase in horizontal and high deviated wells over the past few years. The wireline tractor technology has been used for the first time in Mubadala Petroleum's Thailand operations during the drilling, initial completion and workover intervention operations, and it has been a game changer for Mubadala Petroleum in Thailand in terms of reducing rig time, well cost, and most importantly minimizing the HSE risks. Over the past few decades, the oil and gas industry has developed the technique of drilling horizontally through the reservoir to maximize the surface contact area of the reservoir, to gain higher recovery and production. However, one downside from this technique is that it has become challenging and costly to perforate or to obtain measurements in this horizontal environment, as gravity will no longer support the wireline tools to reach to the bottom of the well. Wireline Tractor technology has played an important role to overcome this challenge. It reduces time, cost and will improve data quality as well as increase wellbore coverage. The wireline tractor functions with an electric over hydraulic power relationship, using its drive/wheel sections to push the passenger tool downhole as the cable is spooled off the unit allowing the tool to reach the end of horizontal or deviated wells without deploying drill pipe or coiled tubing conveyance methods. With this principle, any job that is typically run on electric wireline in a vertical well can be efficiently done in a horizontal or deviated well using wireline tractor. Material presented in the paper will be from actual operations, examples being tractor conveyed wireline logging tool and 4.5in Outer Diameter (OD) 90 ft heavy long perforation gun in single tractor operations. It will also display the operational efficiencies increases and risk reduction being obtained.