Abrasive severance services for slant and vertical platform well abandonments

The provision of well abrasive severance services at extreme angles by Claxton for slant and vertical platform well abandonments may be a ‘first’ in the UK for decommissioning.

The project kicked-off in February 2019 with a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study completed to ascertain the scope and remit. Since finishing the work on the DP4 platform in November 2019, decommissioning of the DP3 platform took place, and Claxton successfully completed the cuts of another six wells during 2020.

The problem

Four out of the six wells on the DP4 platform had been drilled at 30° angles and compounding the problem was the fact that the rig that had originally drilled them no longer existed, making the task a particularly challenging one for all.

The solution

As is often the case for Claxton, much proactive consideration was given to the bespoke equipment required to enable the SABRE™ abrasive severance tool to be run in hole.

Consequently, a new proving system, sheave and support frame were manufactured and tested to accompany the innovative SABRE suite to cut and prove each well.

This was a unique challenge being possibly a UK ‘first’, in terms of decommissioning wells at such an extreme angle.

the result

The client had no prior experience in decommissioning slanted wells; however, Claxton had previously performed this in the Gulf of Mexico for damaged wells/platforms, and the successful cut and proving of six wells (four slanted and two vertical) was achieved without major impact to their schedule.

Experience gained through DP4 allowed Claxton to use the lessons learned to hone the operations for the second platform scheduled for decommissioning, DP3. This experience, and working closely with the client and rig crew, allowed the project to be completed four and a half days ahead of schedule.

Working in partnership with Claxton also allowed the client to achieve rig cost savings, proving that Claxton is more than just a supplier.

Grant Fisher, Borr Ran Drilling Supervisor, for Spirit Energy, was complimentary in his feedback: “Participation in the rig’s Safe Systems of Work (SSoW) has been good, and with regards to the operations, the results we’ve had speak for themselves. The crews all have a great work ethic – they know the equipment very well and they’re all proactive – in short, they’re a pleasure to work with from our point of view.”

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