Deep Casing Tools Develops
Transformational Plugging and
Abandonment Technology
A transformational tool which could significantly reduce the cost of decommissioning is being developed by
Aberdeen-based oil and gas technology company Deep Casing Tools (DCT) in collaboration with the Oil and Gas
Technology Centre (OGTC) and Total.
The UK is expected to spend more than £15b on oil and gas decommissioning over next decade with the global
figure for the same period estimated at £84b ($105b).
P
lugging and abandonment (P&A) is the
complex process by which a well is closed
permanently and typically accounts for about
45% of projected decommissioning costs.
Current technologies used for P & A – cut
and pull; perforate and wash and, as a last
resort, section milling – can create significant
challenges with research revealing that around
20% of all pulling operations take longer and
cost more than anticipated.
Early trials have shown that DCT’s Casing
Cement Breaker™, an industry first, can make
these operations more predictable and reliable
and can have a major impact on the length of
an operation.
“Early results show that up to 90% less force
is required to pull a casing following a run
with the Casing Cement Breaker™,” said David
Stephenson, DCT’s chief executive.
“One company told me they are currently
taking up to 70 days to cut and pull some casing
in the Norwegian North Sea. It is too early to say
how much we could reduce that by, although we
hope it will ultimately be 90%, but even if it were
only 10% that would be a huge reduction given
rig rates of up to £350,000 a day.”
DCT has a long-established record in saving
time and money for oil and gas companies and
reducing risk by developing a range of smart,
simple and proven technologies which provide
a complete solution across the drilling and
completion cycle.
This idea for this latest innovation came after
a brainstorming session with an inventor and
former colleague of David Stephenson.
“We started with some ideas, did some sketches
and then built a small model tool to test the
principle,” he said. “We built a load of samples,
ran the tool, and even in those early workshop
tests we reduced the force required to pull a
piece of casing by 90% using Casing Cement
Breaker.”
DCT then built a larger workshop prototype
and approached the OGTC for assistance. The
OGTC canvassed members and it attracted the
interest of Total who offered in-kind funding
and the OGTC offered cash support.
“We now have a three-way partnership
with the OGTC and Total and the tool will
be trialled early next year on wells in Total’s
Alwyn and Franklin fields in the first quarter
of next year, with the aim of it being fully
commercial by the end of 2020,” said David.
“In the meantime, Equinor carried out a
trial in the Huldra field, using the workshop
prototype which confirmed the potential of
what might be achieved. It reduced the force
required to pull a piece of casing by about
40%, which would mean a 10-day job would
take six days, and that tool had really only
been designed for workshop testing. We have
taken the learnings from that trial, looked at
how we can make it even better, addressed
those issues and are now building a second-
generation prototype.
“Industry involvement is important to me. By
partnering with the OGTC and Total through
the development we know we will end up with
a fit-for-purpose tool when we go to market.”
Malcolm Banks, Wells Solution Centre
Manager of the OGTC, said: “Reducing well
P & A costs is a key area of the OGTC Wells
Roadmap. The Casing Cement Breaker has
the potential to significantly reduce the time
and cost of casing recovery to allow well
barrier placement, so is well aligned with our
strategic objectives.
“DCT has a proven track record of developing
and commercialising innovative ideas for the
drilling and completion industry, giving us
confidence they will be able to deliver on this
current project.
“The role of the OGTC is to accelerate
technology development to bring value to
the industry. This can only be achieved with
appropriate industry collaboration, therefore
the active participation of Total and Equinor
in the development and field trialling of this
innovative technology is vital.”
Martyn Fear, Total’s Offshore Wells Manager,
said that Total in the North Sea is progressing
a technology and operational programme
designed to cut well plug and abandonment
cost by 50%.
Similar efforts are underway to improve
slot recovery options, to reduce the cost of
recovering incremental reserves without
investment in new facilities. As part of these
goals, Total is constantly searching for relevant
innovations and suitable partners.
“One such innovation is the Casing Cement
Breaker which holds great promise for
improving casing recovery operations,”
he said. “The potential of this invention is
sufficient for the OGTC to support this as
relevant to the wider industry, and hence to
enter into a partnership with Total, and DCT,
to progress it.
“This collaboration now combines the
proven capabilities of DCT in innovation,
design and product development; the well
engineering, test rig programmes and field
trial opportunities afforded by Total; and the
governmental backing provided by OGTC.
“This brings the best of the industry
together, focussed on making the North Sea
oil and gas industry a leader in these late life
technologies.” •
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