Offshore Bigbore Gas Wells Management the New Best Practice

Abstract Dealing with big-bore and high pressure and high temperature (HP/HT) wells has always been a challenge for the industry. The objective of this paper is to describe a preventive maintenance program targeting big-bore completions, from the initial production to associated production optimizations during the lifespan of the wells, introducing new best in-class practices. This paper will detail advanced techniques that ultimately aid in well production continuity and surface/subsurface technologies improvements. Special designed wellhead and equipment tools are required when designing wells with new and uncommon completions. Enhanced industry best practices, e.g., inspection, integrity tests, maintenance frequencies, live pressure monitoring and logics in the platform, combined with special, rigid, in-house safety strategies based on in-situ challenges and lessons learned, are the essence to advance maintenance programs, assuring the continuous production of the assets. AI tools encompassing infrared sensors and LiDAR guarantee that operations are always safely executed. Additionally, subject matter experts’ committees play a big role in enhancing such programs, eventually coming up with new recommendations, ranging from equipment design, installation techniques, and preventive maintenance. The methodologies mentioned in the paper, with recurrent revision and enhancement, promise huge improvements throughout the years, eventually minimize significant long shut-in periods, by detecting abnormalities before they become challenges requiring workovers. The addition of several new tests, with strict frequencies, to ensure un-irrupted production, help in meeting the increasing demand of hydrocarbons. Moreover, design modifications on world-wide known safety tools, such as the SSSV exit block seals, ferrules, control line wrapping and termination points, are of special prerequisite to avoid costly workovers. Effective applications of the robust surveillance can be the new standard of industry best practices. These methods are updates and enhancements to currently world-wide known practices, and by highlighting them, this paper will aide in better wells surveillance, especially protecting the production longevity of the wells.