technology bits
changes in the regional stress field. Cyclical pressure or temperature regimes can cause changes in casing stress that damage the hydraulic integrity of well cement, often years into production or even after abandonment. But if the well has been treated with FUTUR active setcement, any resulting leaks will be repaired, automatically, without any need for intervention from surface. Pumped and placed using standard equipment as part of a primary cementing operation, and spotted strategically where hydraulic isolation is essential, FUTUR cement systems react to hydrocarbon-based fluid leaks, sealing the damage permanently and preventing sustained casing pressure and surface casing vent flows. If recurring stress changes cause more leaks, the cement reactivates itself to obstruct the flow, time after time, over the life of the well.
Versabar Bottom Feeder
Deployed for the first time in June 2007, a new heavy lift system designed, built, and operated by Versabuild, an affiliate of Versabar, completed the task of retrieving six hurricane toppled platform topsides from the seabed. Each of the eight-leg topsides was retrieved as single lifts with peak lift weights of up to 1,600 tons. The decks were set onto cargo barges and scrapped onshore. This approach compared to small-piece removal, results in reduced personnel exposure offshore and is extremely cost-effective. This new lift system, nicknamed the "Bottom Feeder," has a rated lifting capacity of 4,000 tons and was designed, built, and commissioned within a period of 12 months. The Bottom Feeder has a number of unique features that make it well suited to heavy lift salvage operations. Four independent lift blocks provide an excellent degree of control during lifting operations, an essential requirement when lifting large unbalanced structures where accurate weight data is not available, as well as structures resting on the seabed at varying degrees of out-of-level. As an example, some of the lifts for the system included topsides sitting upside down on the seabed. trolled environment, the flow regime is changed from the traditional Darcy spherical flow shape factor to Bernoulli flow, which is viscosity independent. Using configurable ceramic nozzles to control injection fluid flow rate, the pressure drop across the system can be designed for the zone to be treated. Low permeability zones receive more injection fluid than those treated using a normal screen configuration, thereby increasing ultimate oil recovery. The ResInject device is designed using a proprietary process based on sound reservoir engineering principles and using both static and dynamic simulators to model performance.
Schlumberger ResInject* Injection Control Device
The ResInject* injection control device from Schlumberger provides an elegant solution to a vexing problem using an innovative application of fluid dynamics principles. By removing the flow-control interface from the screen surface to a con-
Weatherford MetalSkin Monobore Open-Hole Liner System
Weatherford's MetalSkin monobore open-hole liner system reduces installation risks, minimizes well construction costs, and mitigates drilling
66 MN
April 2008