The A-PRO system implementation resulted in several advantages for the producer, including double barrier well integrity restoration and compliance to the annulus SAP

Interwell, a global service company providing products and services that increase integrity and performance across the lifecycle of wells, helped a major oil producer in the UAE turn around operations and bolster production using a unique autonomous sustained annulus pressure (SAP) management system.

The producer faced the challenge of shutting down a high producing well, due to high SAP, awaiting workover. The well, not being connected to SCADA, raised HSE risks and required significant resources for frequent monitoring and bleed down.

Wells with sustained annulus pressure were in breach of this client’s double barrier well Integrity management policy.

Some of these SAP wells are usually only flowed under dispensation, which require frequent labor-intensive monitoring and blow down activities. Wells often have to be closed in for significant periods of time, awaiting resources to blow down the annulus pressure.

If the situation is so severe, that regular manual blow down is impractical, the wells are closed in for long periods awaiting workover, resulting in significant financial and HSE impact.

Interwell suggested and successfully installed PTC’s A-PROTM – the Middle East’s first fully autonomous SAP management system – on the well.

The highly customisable A-PRO SAP well management system, utilises double barrier VR SenseTM P&T sensor and Annulus Safety Valve technologies (HSAS).

The annulus pressure and temperature data are continuously monitored using the PTC VR Sense.

The PTC Annulus Safety valve is used to facilitate annulus pressure bleed off to the production flowline. These two components restored double barrier well integrity compliance in SAP annulus.

The associated fully autonomous control system provides warnings and alerts, and automatically manages SAP between pre-set limits.

The A-PRO triggers an alarm in both the control room and on the mobile phone, of selected operations staff once a pre-defined SAP is reached.

In the event the SAP continues to rise, but the field operators are unable to visit the well, the system will automatically bleed off the pressure to the production flowline.

Being a remote well, the A-PRO was designed to be self-contained with solar power, HPU system, GSM communication and cloud dashboards.

RESULT

The A-PRO system implementation resulted in several advantages for the producer, including double barrier well integrity restoration and compliance to the annulus SAP; real time monitoring of SAP and data storage; and automatic SAP management between preset pressure limits to avoid SAP reaching MAASP. The interventionless analysis of real-time data helped with understanding the severity and manageability of the SAP and the wells risk profile.

It also reduced HSE risks, the number of operation site visits and opex, while allowing remote communication and alerts/alarms for various well and equipment conditions. This eliminated the need to close in a high producing well production and the subsequent workover.