A major UAE operator recovered from stuck pipe by severing its drill string in just one hour, according to Churchill Drilling Tools, a global oilfield service company specialising in drilling innovation. This is the third time this year that Churchill’s HyPR HoleSaver™ technology has been successfully deployed in the Middle East.
The dart-activated HyPR HoleSaver™ enables operators to recover quickly and safely from stuck pipe incidents, which can add millions of dollars to the costs of an operator’s campaign.
To recover from a previous stuck pipe incident in the same well, a UAE based operator contracted high energy source cutting services. However, the additional equipment, personnel and logistics cost two days of valuable rig time. So, when the operator became ‘differentially stuck’ in the same well at 12,785ft on 28 May due to heavy losses, the team was ready with the HyPR HoleSaver™ to sever, plug and abandon the section much more quickly. The simple HyPR™ system requires no additional topside equipment or personnel.
To provide the optimum circulation parameters, the operator first activated Churchill’s DAV MX™ CircSub which had been placed beneath the HyPR™ sub in the drill-string. The HyPR HoleSaver™ dart was subsequently dropped and pumped to redirect the flow of mud creating a high velocity stream of fluid, using the existing mud system, to erode and sever the string.
The operator witnessed the expected drop in circulating pressure over a period of 45 minutes of pumping at 520 gallons per minute. Satisfied that enough progress had been made, applying torque and overpull parted the string with ease. On previous HyPR™ severs operators have cut through around 90% of the HyPR™ sub’s full strength inner connection before applying torque to twist-off, generally taking two to three hours. However, on this occasion the operator applied torque (25 klbf.ft) much earlier to save the extra time. In total, the process took just an hour, a record for Churchill, and widely thought to be the industry’s quickest planned severance from stuck pipe. The operator subsequently plugged and abandoned the section and moved operations to another well.
Working in partnership with the operator the Churchill team optimised the tools’ configuration and supported the client to get out of hole quickly and safely.
“The ability to recover safely from a stuck pipe event in just an hour, as our UAE based clients proved last month, is a landmark achievement for the sector,” said Nicholas Kjaer, General Manager of Churchill’s operations in the Middle East and Asia. “As the industry leaders across downhole circulation, demand for our HyPR HoleSaver™ technology continues to increase as operators recognize the significant savings it delivers.”
