Utilization of Innovative Elastomeric Cement Integrity Sleeve as A Field Proven Cement Assurance Solution: A Sustained Annular Pressure Prevention Case Study

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Well integrity maintenance is one of the most prominent concerns encountered throughout the life cycle of an oil & gas well. Operating companies and governmental regulatory bodies increasingly place significant emphasis on well-construction optimization, safety risk mitigation, and environmental sustainability as an effort to prevent well integrity issues while simultaneously maximizing operational longevity and commercial profitability. While many factors have a direct impact on well integrity, significant importance is placed on cement assurance and relevant optimization techniques given the intrinsic nature of cement as the main physical barrier preventing upwards annular gas migration and subsequent sustained casing pressure build up on surface. Moreover, the oil & gas industry places considerable emphasis on optimizing cement assurance by preventing typical cement failure mechanisms such as chemical shrinkage and casing-to-cement bond failure which commonly occurs as a direct result of cyclic pressurization and tubular ballooning occurrences during mechanical integrity testing and hydraulic fracturing operations. An innovative and unique elastomeric cement integrity annular sleeve has been developed with the objective of cement assurance optimization and annular gas migration prevention. Distinctly different in comparison to a conventional swellable packer, the elastomeric cement integrity sleeve is a thin elastic swelling seal designed for onsite slip-on installation externally onto oilfield tubulars; it is a high-value solution capable of swelling and establishing an effective casing-to-cement seal in the event of micro-annular flow path emergence throughout cemented casing and tubing sections. The elastomeric cement integrity sleeve can be installed onto all oilfield tubular sizes ranging from 2-7/8" tubing to 30" conductor casing and does not require additional downhole components, moving parts, or operational actuation for its activation. It is designed to swell and seal a micro-annular flow path immediately upon direct exposure to wellbore fluids after cement displacement. By preventing gas migration in critical barriers, the technology provides increased value given significant CAPEX & OPEX savings as a result of elimination of remedial cementing requirements and operational simplification during plug and abandonment decommissioning activities. This publication presents a detailed explanation of the technology, it showcases the simplicity of its onsite installation sequence and provides an overview of global installations to date. Furthermore, it provides an overview of a recent case study carried out in conjunction with a major global oil & gas operating company in which utilization of the elastomeric cement integrity sleeve resulted in an 80% reduction of sustained annular gas pressure in a multi-well drilling campaign in the Far East.