The First MSAS™ in Nigeria Brings 7000 Barrels per Day Well Back Online: Managing Sustained Annulus Pressure
Managing sustained annulus pressure (SAP) often leads to shut-in wells due to loss of dual barriers. A Nigerian operator faced this challenge and chose Interwell’s compact, retrofit MSAS™ system to restore barrier integrity. Installed with minimal disruption, it enabled remote pressure control and safely unlocked 7,000 barrels/day of production.
Year
Region
BPD Restored
Challenge
Managing sustained annulus pressure (SAP) is a common problem that causes well barrier management issues and leads to wells being shut in when dual barriers cannot be maintained.
Wells with unplanned SAP pose a considerable risk to personnel and facilities. This is due to annulus gate valves only providing a single barrier, a gasket, bonnet seal or stem seal are the only/primary well barrier, regardless of how many valves are in-line. The first valve’s seal elements are exposed to the hydrocarbons in the annulus.
A prominent Nigerian operator had a shut in well due to SAP with good production potential. The operator’s strict safety practices and dual well barrier policy led to the well being shut in to reduce the exposure to risk and to have the required well barriers in place. Managing their SAP whilst achieving strict safety and well barrier policies were key to unlocking the production potential of the well.
Solution
MSAS™ was selected by the operator due to its suitability for retrofit installation offline and ability to provide a primary metal-to-metal seal into the VR profile of the annulus. Additionally, this technology offered a hydraulically operated fail-safe-closed valve at the wellhead, making the annulus gate valve the secondary barrier. For this application, the MSAS™ is maintained in the closed position and the annulus monitored for pressure build-up. Once the pressure builds up, the valve is hydraulically operated, and SAP is safely bled down remotely from the control room.
Value Created
The first MSAS™ in Nigeria brings 7000 barrels per day well back online
The first MSAS™ in Nigeria was successfully installed on the platform well on both sides of the A-annulus. The small footprint of the MSAS™ at 200 mm (7.9") build length, and its retrofit design allowed for minimal adaptation to the wellhead and well bay.
The MSAS™ system was installed with Interwell’s Valve Removal (VR) Tool, which is the most compact and lightweight on the market, with a telescopic reach that is contained in a pressure rated compact housing.
The operators’ offshore team worked closely with Interwell’s engineers and Kenyon International’s wellhead maintenance engineer to install and commission the MSAS™ system with minimal impact to ongoing platform operations.
Bringing the well back online with MSAS™ unlocked 7000 barrels per day of production.
Key Capabilities:
- Retrofit solution introducing primary metal-to-metal seal at the wellhead
- Controlled bleed off of SAP with fail-safe-closed safety valve
Benefits:
- Reducing the risk of large volumes of hydrocarbons in the annulus
- Providing dropped object protection
- Managing well integrity to allow production safely
Key Applications:
- Managing unexpected SAP
- Improving well integrity when injecting gas via the annulus
Tool Image / Wellhead Drawing: